Planning Ahead... Thanksgiving Dinner

[Anonymous]

Hello,

This will be my second year making Thanksgiving dinner and I want to avoid all the pressure I had last year. Rushing to get my meal done by a certain time and coming out perfectly had me exhausted by dinner time. When menu items did not coming out right I was bummed. This year I want to make items in advance and freeze them then take them out on Thanksgiving. Is this the trick to perfect Thanksgiving and weekly Sunday dinners? Does anyone do this?

I'm thinking I can make baked Mac & Cheese in advance and pop it in the oven on Thanksgiving morning. As well as, pies, kale greens... any other suggestions? I'm not a control freak another reason is we will be renting a house this year and I won't have all my ingredients with me. Please help. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

I do Thanksgiving dinner too. Here are some things that work for me:

Chafing dishes, and I have several. That way, if things are done a little sooner than the rest, they stay warm. And they stay warm when people go back for seconds.

I do a roasted root vegetable dish that takes over an hour to roast, and takes up both racks in the oven. So I do it the night before and put it in the fridge. I reheat the next day and put in the chafing dish.

Can you divide up some cooking? My husband marinates and grills asparagus out over a charcoal grill. It's out of the kitchen and I'm not doing it.

I also have a mashed sweet potato and apple recipe that requires baking. I assemble that the night before and then bake it after the turkeys come out. They are supposed to rest 30-40 minutes after baking, so that's just enough time to do the sweet potatoes. I throw the rolls in the oven after the turkeys come out, too, to warm them.

I've never used the freezer, but my fridge is filled with pre-prepped dishes the night before. I also roast two smaller turkeys rather than one huge one. That provides more white meat, which people in my family tend to favor, and it cooks faster.

[Anonymous]

We do prep work on Wednesday but most of the cooking on Thursday. I bake the pies before the turkey goes in (pies really are best the day they are baked). Once the turkey is in there is usually plenty of time for the rest of the meal. We also eat at 4ish so the turkey doesn't need to go in at the crack of dawn. Can you farm some things out to guests? Simplify your menu?

[Anonymous]

I would prep everything ahead of time so that everything is ready to go thanksgiving morning. That will help huge with the stress. Not sure how cooking and freezing will help over that. The food may not taste as good and you need to worry about appropriately thawing and heating everything which seems more stressful.

[Anonymous]

I bake my pie on Wednesday and will do some chopping prep. We eat at "normal dinner time" (6) which gives me more time to cook on the day of. Also, I have a pretty simple menu - turkey, stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, pie.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't freeze, but some dishes are better the second day anyway (our collards or kale always are). You can also buy decent sides from Whole Foods or another good supermarket deli. For years, we bought 3 or 4 soul food/Southern-style sides from Baltimore carryouts and just heated them up on Thursday. I also bought rolls and breads, except for corn muffins. Those I HAD to have hot from the oven at the very last minute or there would have been a rebellion.

[Anonymous]

For mac and cheese, I would make it the night before but not bake it, put it in the fridge, and then bake it the next day. I wouldn't make it earlier than that and freeze it.

My standard menu (guests bring other things to supplement) is turkey, gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, sauteed brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole, pies. My plan is typically:

A week out:

Make pie crusts and freeze unbaked.

Day before:

Make sweet potato casserole, put in fridge unbaked
Chop all ingredients for dressing and sauteed brussels sprouts

Day of:

AM:
Take out pie crusts to defrost in the morning.
Do stovetop cooking of dressing, put in baking/serving dish
Put turkey in oven late AM (we typically eat at 4, it takes about 4 hours to roast, plus time to rest and carve)
Boil giblets to make stock for gravy

Midday: Make pies, put in to bake (I have a double wall oven so this is a lot easier; if you don't have this, see if you can juggle space with turkey, otherwise outsource pies, whether to guests or buy premade)

PM:
During last hour of turkey cooking, make mashed potatoes and put in crockpot to stay warm (most mashed potato recipes are fine staying in for a while, but if you're using cream cheese or sour cream, don't add it until the end because it will break down in the crockpot)
Turkey comes out of oven, sweet potato casserole and dressing go in to warm while turkey rests
While turkey rests, make gravy with roasting pan on stovetop, then saute brussels sprouts

[Anonymous]

If you are renting a house, I'd strongly suggest you buy most of the sides, etc. You don't know how that oven heats, plus, being in an unfamiliar kitchen is stres in itself. Are you bringing all the kitchen utensils you'll need with you? What if the house is missing stuff you're accustomed to having? How is the counter space? Thanksgiving dinner is stressful as it is- to throw an unfamiliar kitchen into the mix and I would just say no.

[Anonymous]

Just buy everything from Balducci's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do Thanksgiving dinner too. Here are some things that work for me:

Chafing dishes, and I have several. That way, if things are done a little sooner than the rest, they stay warm. And they stay warm when people go back for seconds.

I do a roasted root vegetable dish that takes over an hour to roast, and takes up both racks in the oven. So I do it the night before and put it in the fridge. I reheat the next day and put in the chafing dish.

Can you divide up some cooking? My husband marinates and grills asparagus out over a charcoal grill. It's out of the kitchen and I'm not doing it.

I also have a mashed sweet potato and apple recipe that requires baking. I assemble that the night before and then bake it after the turkeys come out. They are supposed to rest 30-40 minutes after baking, so that's just enough time to do the sweet potatoes. I throw the rolls in the oven after the turkeys come out, too, to warm them.

I've never used the freezer, but my fridge is filled with pre-prepped dishes the night before. I also roast two smaller turkeys rather than one huge one. That provides more white meat, which people in my family tend to favor, and it cooks faster.

Great advice. Could you post the recipes for your roasted vegetables and mashed sweet potato? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

We have a small family so I usually bake a turkey breast or, gasp, roasted chickens. This serves about 8.

Mashed potatoes - 30 minutes start to finish on stove top.
Peas - 30 minutes ok stove top
Gravy - stove top while others are cooking.

Stuffing - make night before.
Roasted veggies (cauliflower, red pepper, brussels sprouts) - cut and toss w/seasonings night before.
Mac and cheese - make but don't bake yet.
Sweet potatoes - mash up night before
BAKE all together day of.

Rolls

Bake pie and pumpkin cheesecake night before. Set out. Easy.

Apps:
Cheese, grapes, crudités
Crackers, dip
Crockpot of little hot dogs
Prep all night before, set out.

[Anonymous]

I host Thanksgiving every year for usually 10-15 people. Things that help me to keep sane are to keep a very simple menu, prep everything possible ahead of time, and to have my table set and serving dishes and serve ware set out. Also, drinks do not happen in the kitchen. The weather is usually good enough for a cooler on the deck, if not it goes in the garage. Everyone is responsible for getting their own drinks -- again, simple, soda, beer, wine, water. Also, dessert is not cooked or served. Dessert is s'mores around the fire pit which my husband is in charge of handling.

I shop for everything but the turkey on the weekend before Thanksgiving. I have a full list and I get up at the crack of dawn and go. On Wednesday I prepare the dressing and mac'n'cheese. I trim and blanch brussels sprouts and I dice onion and bacon. I also pick up the turkey and prep it to be roasted. My family brings mashed potatoes, a family recipe, and cranberry sauce.

We eat at dinner time so I have a good part of the day to finish cooking and to enjoy myself. I pull the turkey out and get it in the oven. When the turkey comes out to rest, the mac 'n' cheese, dressing, and potatoes go in to warm. I brown the bacon and cook the onion and sprouts together. My husband carves and we get the food on the serving table.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I host Thanksgiving every year for usually 10-15 people. Things that help me to keep sane are to keep a very simple menu, prep everything possible ahead of time, and to have my table set and serving dishes and serve ware set out. Also, drinks do not happen in the kitchen. The weather is usually good enough for a cooler on the deck, if not it goes in the garage. Everyone is responsible for getting their own drinks -- again, simple, soda, beer, wine, water. Also, dessert is not cooked or served. Dessert is s'mores around the fire pit which my husband is in charge of handling.

I shop for everything but the turkey on the weekend before Thanksgiving. I have a full list and I get up at the crack of dawn and go. On Wednesday I prepare the dressing and mac'n'cheese. I trim and blanch brussels sprouts and I dice onion and bacon. I also pick up the turkey and prep it to be roasted. My family brings mashed potatoes, a family recipe, and cranberry sauce.

We eat at dinner time so I have a good part of the day to finish cooking and to enjoy myself. I pull the turkey out and get it in the oven. When the turkey comes out to rest, the mac 'n' cheese, dressing, and potatoes go in to warm. I brown the bacon and cook the onion and sprouts together. My husband carves and we get the food on the serving table.

You really serve s'mores for dessert on Thanksgiving? What happened to pumpkin or apple pie? This isn't a camp out!

[Anonymous]

I have to admit...I do not understand why people think thanksgiving is hard. It's a big bird and a couple of standard/easy sides.

My hints:

Do a fresh (as in go to a farm, not a grocery store) bird; brine it in cider. Let the turkey rest for at least an hour after roasting.

Prep most things the day(s)before:

Dressing: bread gets cubed the weekend before and allowed to dry. Or the day before and dried in a 200 degree oven for a bit. Everything for this dish is completed on Wednesday except for the actual baking, then it goes into the fridge. Allow extra baking time to compensate for cooking from a cold state.

Mashed potato: peeled and tossed into water on the stove (but not turned on) early Thursday am. Cook as usual slightly ahead of when needed. Keep warm by placing covered pot over pot of hot water.

Gravy: I make stock the weekend or day before. I make gravy base on Thursday am. I make the roux, add in just enough stock to make a thick gravy, then let it cool. I set that in the fridge until later. Then literally all I have to do is bring it back to temp, add drippings from the turkey, thin with more stock, add whatever ;sometimes I bade add a touch of cream, etc) and it's done. All the messy hard stuff is done early on.

Veggies: I do 1) green beans and 2)Brussel sprouts plus whatever else looks good. 1 and and 2 get cleaned and prepped Wednesday pm. Blanched Thursday am. Sautéed after turkey is out of the oven. Easy peasy.

Breads: baked in the am before turkey goes in.

Dessert: pies cooked before turkey goes in. Or as you sit down to eat. Or the night before. If you only have one oven do these the day before.

CLEAN AS YOU GO. It really is possible to sit down to a dinner with a large group and not have a wrecked kitchen waiting for you.

[Anonymous]

Yes,

We really do s'mores for Thanksgiving dinner's dessert. I loathe pumpkin pie and find apple pie, or any pie, to be tolerable at best. Our fire pit dessert tradition has been a huge hit. The kids have a blast and the adults enjoy a last glass of wine, a cup of coffee, and everyone is woken up a bit by the chill in the air and there is far more conversation as a result. Also, the no dessert brigade will usually come outside and enjoy the fire and chat instead of getting up and starting the dishes or disappearing in front of whatever football game is on. We started doing it a few years ago and inevitably one of the kids in the family asks me around Halloween if we are doing s'mores again this year at Thanksgiving and they seem pretty excited when the answer is yes. If someone in the family has their heart set on a pumpkin pie (gag), they know they are welcome to bring one and we will cut it up and serve it to whomever would like some.