![Barbara "Babs" Costello](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2022/11/IMG-3189-e1700674255889.jpg?)
'Everyone's Grandmother' Barbara 'Babs' Costello Shares Easy Thanksgiving Tips!
By Melanie VanDerveer on November 22, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST
Are you hosting Thanksgiving and in need of some tips and tricks to make the day go smoother? Barbara "Babs" Costello, otherwise known to the internet as "Everyone's Grandmother" has lots of easy tips to share that can help even the most clueless person look like a pro!
Babs Shares Thanksgiving Tips On Social Media
![Barbara "Babs" Costello](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2022/12/IMG_4084-1-e1704572855884.jpg?)
Babs wants to help make those big holiday meals and gatherings a little less stressful. She recently shared some do's and don'ts of making the perfect turkey on TikTok and Instagram (because who couldn't use some simple tricks?)
"Don't wet brine your turkey. It's such a mess," she said. "Do dry brine your turkey."
She shared the recipe in the caption of her video. Here are the ingredients you'll need:
6 tbsp coarse kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
2 tbsp baking powder
11⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more to season
12–16 lb (5.5–7.25kg) turkey (or larger), fully thawed, neck and giblets removed
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1⁄2 bunch parsley
2–3 small onions, halved, divided
2–3 small apples, halved, divided
6 tbsp avocado oil or more, divided
Nonstick olive oil or avocado oil spray, to coat
Once you make your mixture, sprinkle it over the turkey without rubbing it in.
"Let it rest 12-48 hours uncovered in the fridge. For the perfect roasted turkey, don't flip the bird or make one of those complicated contraptions," she said. "Do use a pizza stone. Just place your pizza stone and your empty roasting pan in a cold oven. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees."
Once the oven is preheated, pour two tablespoons of avocado oil into the hot pan. Put the turkey in and lower the temperature to 425 for 45 minutes.
"Don't baste your turkey. Do cover the breast with a double sheet of aluminum foil for the first 45 minutes," she continued. "Remove the foil, spray the breast with additional oil, put the temperature to 325 and just roast until done. Perfect roasted turkey with no basting."
Are You Team Appetizers For Thanksgiving?
![Barbara "Babs" Costello](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2023/11/22090155/IMG_5593.jpg?)
Are you team appetizers for Thanksgiving or are you not a fan? No matter which side of the argument you fall on, Babs said to not let it ruin your appetite for the big meal. But if you do like to have appetizers, she has an easy option that won't fill you up.
"Make my festive deviled eggs. They taste like Thanksgiving and look, they're little turkeys," she said as she showed a tray of eggs. She then shares a secret to easily peel eggs (which can help you year-round when making hard-boiled eggs).
"Add some baking soda right to your boiling water," she said. "Can take those eggs right from the refridge into your boiling water and let simmer for 12 minutes. When they're done, right into an ice bath. Like I told you, the shells fall right off."
In her TikTok video, she shares her full recipe and demonstrates making her adorable Thanksgiving deviled eggs.
A quick scroll through Babs' TikTok account and more tasty appetizers and other recipes can be easily found.
Babs Also Has A Neat Trick For Leftovers!
![Barbara "Babs" Costello on TikTok](https://theblast.prod.media.wordpress.mattersmedia.io/brand-img/123/0x0/2022/11/IMG-3194-e1700672969433.jpg?)
Last year around Thanksgiving, Babs shared a little trick to help move the leftovers.
"The easiest way to send guests home with Thanksgiving leftovers, try disposable cupcake tins," she said. "Set up a leftover station and have your guests help themselves. Perfect serving size for leftovers, they get a little bit of everything."
View this post on Instagram
Many of her followers loved this simple idea.
"Babs... this is such a great idea! 🙂" one person wrote in the comments. Another said. "You are a genius."
This year, she shared another video about leftovers on her Instagram page but this one is about what to do with all the leftovers to create a different meal - a leftover Thanksgiving slider bake.
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"Forget the actual Thanksgiving meal…I just want the leftover’s slider!!!" one follower wrote in the comments. Another added, "The perfect thing to have ready to pop into the oven after Black Friday shopping 🛍️."