Thanksgiving Prep - What do you do?

[SJ.]

This is my first year hosting Thanksgiving in, I don't know, maybe six or seven years.  I definitely don't want to be do everything on Thanksgiving, nor do I want to be doing most of it on Wednesday.  I'd like to break things up between Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

For those of you that do prep a day or more early, what do you do?

 

Any suggestions for me?

 

Pioneer Woman never lets me down so I most of my menu is inspired by her.  Here is my tentative menu:

 

Orange Vanilla Fruit Salad

Broccoli Wild Rice Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Sweet Potato Casserole

Stuffing (maybe this one?) 

A plain veggie, not sure what kind, roasted or steamed

No Knead Dinner rolls (Maybe)

Self Rising Biscuits (Maybe)

Glazed Ham

 

BIL is bringing a smoked turkey, MIL is bringing a salad

 

Dessert:

Country Apple Galette

Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie

Vanilla Ice Cream

 

Whipped Cream

Caramel Sauce

Whiskey Cream Sauce

 

MIL is bringing a couple things for dessert but I can't remember what they are other than something strawberry.

 

Help?   :scared:

[zoobie]

I make the cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole (1.5 times the sauce in Alton Brown's recipe), sweet potato soufflé, and desserts on Wednesday. Any toppings are made and stored separately. I sauté the vegetables for the stuffing/dressing on Wednesday, bake the cornbread, cube it and the other bread, and toast it to dry. Potatoes are peeled, cut, and refrigerated in a bowl of water if I'm not doing a make-ahead casserole.

 

Then I sketch out what needs to be done when, down to which oven and what temperature. On Thursday, I just go down my list. DH is in charge of last minute cleaning and the kids.

 

On your list, I'd do the rice for the broccoli casserole, cranberry sauce, pie doughs on Tuesday. Assemble the broccoli casserole, make sweet potato casserole, bake the pies, and prep the stuffing on Wednesday. If the salad is an ambrosia-type, I might make it late Wednesday night. You could make the biscuits and freeze them unbaked. Is the roll dough refrigerate-able?

[Spring Flower]

Anything that can be done on Monday or Tuesday, I do it, even if it is only partial. Any prep done in advance makes things go so much more smoothly. I'm doing rolls today. I have had success with making my rolls and then putting them in the freezer before the final rise. This means I just need to pull them out first thing in the morning on Thursday and pop in the oven a few minutes before eating. Tomorrow I am doing sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and stew for Wednesday night. Wednesday morning I put the stew in the crock pot and then get to work on Thanksgiving food. I cube potatoes and put them in salt water to soak overnight in the fridge. I brine the turkey, and cut all vegetables. I make and bake all the pies except the apple. I leave the apple made but unbaked. I bake it first thing in the morning on Thursday and we eat it for breakfast. All final preparations happen on Thursday. Nothing is started from scratch on Thursday. 

[momee]

I hope this works...I'm going to work the eve before and early to get a ton of stuff ready and prepped. That morning my crew can eat these and clean elsewhere and I'm in the kitchen zone alone for a bit.  Then we'll all head to a friend's Turkey Bowl :)

 

 

From emeals:

4 slices bacon

1/2 cup thinly chopped onion

1/2 cup packed baby spinach

8 large eggs

1/4 cup coconut (I used almond) milk

2 T coconut flour (I used ww)

1/3 tsp pepper

 

PH oven to 350.  Slice and cook bacon (I used turkey bacon) till done.  Remove and add onion.  Cook till tender and add spinach till just wilted.  Remove from heat.

Mix eggs, flour, pepper and spinach/meat mix in bowl.  Pour in muffin tins (grease or use USA pans so no oil required).  Bake 15 - 18 mins till center is set.

 

I'm serving these with fruit.  Just made them today, so hoping they hold well in freezer and can just be reheated day of.

[Ali in OR]

We don't have a lot of long-prep-time dishes, mostly because I'm not crazy about a lot of the traditional side dishes, and it's just our family and dh's brother's family--9 people total. 

 

Wed:

make desserts (usually 2 or 3 things--French cherry pie and mini cheesecake bites this year)

brine turkey all day, rinse and store in fridge over night

 

Thurs:

dh smokes turkey on bbq

bake rolls in morning

set a nice table in the morning

make salad (spinach, apples, almonds, craisins, homemade honey mustard dressing)

make mashed potatoes when turkey is getting close to being done

the girls are going to make cranberry sauce from fresh berries which they just learned at their horticulture club

heat the jar of gravy (not homemade here!)

set out some fruit--grapes, satsumas, maybe apple slices. 

whip cream for a store-bought pumpkin pie--theirs are as good as mine so I save time by buying it.

 

Looks like a long list, but I usually find it can all be done pretty easily at a comfortable, relaxing pace.

 

[heartosunshine]

Stuffing: I made the bread yesterday, cubed it today, and it's currently drying on cookie sheets. (I have to guard it carefully, though. Who knew bread cubes would look so appetizing to a teenage boy?) Wednesday, I'll assemble the dressing (browned sausage, toasted pine nuts, sauteed onion, celery, etc.) and cook it on Thursday topped with turkey wings.

 

Sweet potato casserole: Will be assembled today & frozen.

 

Gravy: Will be made today & frozen.

 

Other family members will be bringing sides, including mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, rolls, pies, etc.

[Pawz4me]

I stopped by Honeybaked Ham this morning.  Does that count? :lol:

[Slartibartfast]

make cranberry sauce 

 

make cornbread and leave it on the counter to dry out 

 

make mushroom soup and leave it in the fridge in a jar

 

start some sour dough starter

 

chop onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, scallions

 

 

[regentrude]

The only thing we make ahead are

cranbery jelly

bake deserts.

bake bread

 

The rest - honestly, fresh tastes better. It only takes a few hours. I start cooking after breakfast on Thursday and we eat at 1pm - so it's not like this means slaving all day in the kitchen.

[Pam in CT]

I set the tables on Wednesday morning (except for flowers and filling water goblets).  For some reason, already-set tables makes me feel vastly more on top of things.  Also, it looks pretty and reminds me why I'm doing this...

 

also on Wednesday: banana and cranberry bread, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes.  Pies are also done in advance, though I try and generally succeed in offloading them onto someone else  :laugh: .  My aunt also does a nice onion casserole thing in advance.  If I'm overachieving on made-from-scratch stuffing, I put out the bread on Wednesday to get nice and stale.  I'm OK using prepared breadcrumbs too.

 

Of your menu: while they each individually sound delicious, collectively rice casserole and sweet casserole and mashed potatoes and rolls and biscuits sound like a lot of starchy stuff to me?  Personally I'd do no more than three of those, and I'd intentionally choose the ones that can be done in advance.  (Mashed potatoes are fine in advance if you use cream cheese instead of milk/butter or cream.  Dunno why, but there it is.)

 

On the actual day, I just do directly-related-to-turkey tasks (stuffing, gravy), toss some dressing on mixed-greens from the supermarket, and roast some vegetables.  I'd much rather spend time with my family than stress in the kitchen.  For me, that's the goal of the menu planning!

[AlmiraGulch]

I'm trying to figure out anything I could possibly do in advance, but there really isn't much.  I'm not actually sure how I'm going to time everything, because I only have one oven and it really does need to be fresh-ish to taste best, I think.

 

I'm doing cornish hens and not turkey, so that'll save me quite a bit of oven time.

 

We have tons that needs to go in the oven!  

 

Dressing

Sweet potato gratin

Macaroni and cheese

Roasted cauliflower

Triple corn spoon bread

Rolls

 

Ugh. I'll figure it out.

 

[Matryoshka]

We do Thanksgiving twice - one at my mom's for my family, then on Sat for dh's family at our house. 

 

For Thanksgiving #1, I make three pies, and sometimes roasted butternut squash.  Dh makes cranberry orange relish.

I make the pie crusts Weds night and put them in the fridge.  Thursday morning I roll them out and fill them (one pumpkin, one mincemeat, one apple).  Dh makes the relish Weds night.  If I bring squash, I cut it the night before, pop it in a pan Thurs morning and roast between pies. (I have two ovens, so this is not as hard as it sounds).

 

Mom makes the main dishes and db's family brings sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, a veggie and sometimes even more pie.

 

For Thanksgiving #2, I buy a turkey, 5-lb bag of potatoes, stuffing mix and other ingredients for it (mushrooms, nuts, apricots, dried cranberries among others), on Friday (day after Thanksgiving proper).  I may also put together the roasted butternut squash for T-day #2, depending on if I made it on #1 or if side-dishes are scant.

 

The only thing I would do the night before would be if I did the squash.  Oh, dh makes more cranberry-orange relish on Fri. night as well.

 

Saturday morning I get up, wash the bird, pop it in the oven and start simmering the giblets in sherry.  Then I assemble the stuffing in a pan (this includes a lot of sauteeing first), and also assemble the squash if I'm doing it.  Then dh or I peel and chop the potatoes, then boil and mash.  About an hour before guests arrive I remove turkey and make the gravy. 

 

I assign someone from dh's family to bring green veggies (usually a bag of frozen we microwave - they're all men). MIL used to bring sweet potatoes, pie and desserts, but she's 90 now, so this year I'm telling one of the men to buy some pies, and one BIL usually makes date bars (a thing MIL used to bring to every.single.family.event.ever), same BIL brought the sweet potatoes last year, so it'll be his job this year again.

 

Sometimes someone brings rolls.  I honestly don't usually eat rolls myself on Thanksgiving.  Enough starch already.

[Momof3littles]

Several days beforehand, I pop our formal china in the dishwasher (ours is DW safe according to the manufacturer if not put in DW daily), make sure wine glasses, etc. are dust free (we use the same few most of the year, but during the holidays I need to make sure the ones that get neglected are clean and ready to go.  If you need to iron table linens or anything like that, do it well in advance (2-3 days before or more).

 

I prechop what I can a day or two before.  Lots of onion and celery.  I use the onion in several dishes, and obviously onion and celery in stuffing/dressing (whatever you do).  Chop what you can for other recipes in advance.  Just look over what your recipes call for and see if you can increase the number of onions, etc. and just chop it all in one shot, then cover and keep in fridge until the day of.

 

I use some of the onions to do the Mark Bittman make ahead gravy. Love it.  I hate doing gravy at the last minute, which can be intimidating if you are new to cooking Thanksgiving.  I've hosted for all but one of the last 15 years, and I still dislike making gravy last minute.  You just gently reheat and if you want, add some new pan drippings for depth of flavor.  I roast a turkey a few weeks before Thanksgiving to make homemade stock to use in the recipe.  Depending on how picky you are, you could use a decent store bought stock.

 

Pies/desserts I make a day or two beforehand.

 

I made this for the first time this year and I like it.  It isn't super sweet; kind of a mix of savory and sweet.  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cranberry-Sauce-with-Port-and-Dried-Figs-105836  It keeps for a week in the fridge.

if you want home baked bread or rolls, I'd do those in advance (prep and freeze if a freezer friendly recipe, rise the day of or night before).  I don't usually bother with that :)

 

The day before I will cut up certain cheeses (that can handle being cut in advance), crudite, etc. to serve as part of our apps.

 

On your last grocery run, consider grabbing disposable gladware or similar to send home leftovers with guests (if they will want that; in our family this is a given!)

 

Check that you have enough serving dishes for each dish you plan to serve (platters, casseroles, etc.)  Clean, set the table a day or two or three in advance (if you have a formal dining room that you don't need access to daily).  Make sure you have enough serving spoons, forks, etc. too.

 

Consider whether any of your dishes could work in a large toaster oven or roaster oven, or be kept hot in a crockpot or similar.  I have a single wall oven and this time of the year always wish we had a second oven.

 

 

[Annie G]

I make my menu plan, down to what gets made when and what serving container I'll be using.  Today I made some munchies for earlier in the week- monkey food (which others call chex mix) and rice krispie treats. Made cranberry chutney.  

 

Since we don't often at at our dining room table, I had the brilliant idea to put the tablecloth and centerpiece on.  An hour later ds comes in to tell me the cat has barfed on the tablecloth, after gnawing on the centerpiece.  Sigh. 

[MrsMommy]

Monday and Tuesday I work on any cleaning and laundry that needs to be done before the big prep work starts.

 

Tuesday I make the cranberry sauce, and one or two pies.

 

Wednesday is pie day. Whatever pies are left to be done (I'm making seven this year), are done on Wednesday. Late Wednesday night, I prepare the stuffing, so that it's ready to go in the crock-pot on Thursday morning. While I'm chopping the onions and celery for the stuffing, I also chop the vegetables for Friday's turkey soup so I won't have to worry about it later. I also make sure the sink is really clean, because the turkey is never completely thawed, and will have to take a bath on Thursday morning.

 

Thursday morning, the stuffing goes in the crock-pot, the turkey goes in the sink, and while I'm waiting on it, I toast the almonds for the green beans. Everything else is done pretty much after the turkey is fully cooked...the mashed potatoes are the last thing I make, right before we eat, and while the turkey stands, I cooke the green beans, roast whatever other vegetables we're having, and warm the rolls.

 

I hope that's everything...if it's not, it's been forgotten, and isn't happening! :)

[Susan in TN]

Saturday/Sunday

Clean out fridge

Clean oven

 

Monday

Take out turkey, broth, etc out of freezer to thaw.

House cleaning

 

Tuesday

Cut/chop onions, celery, mushrooms, carrots, lemons, etc

Sauté onions, celery, mushrooms, etc

Make salad dressing

Cook rice

Make apple pie filling

Take out table cloth and napkins

 

Wednesday

Assemble various casseroles (sweet potatoes, cheesy broccoli and rice, sage dressing)

Make/bake pumpkin pie

Make peach crisp topping

Chill drinks that need chilling

Make ice

Take out and inspect/clean silverware

 

Thursday

Bake apple pie

Iron tablecloth if needed

Kids make turkey cookies

Make more ice

Turkey prep

Turkey in oven

Warm casseroles

Make salad

Set table

 

This isn't everything, but you get the idea. I do this every year, so it helps to have a good daily schedule so I don't forget anything.

[Matryoshka]

Something I'm noticing - is it really expected in most families that the hosting family do everything?  I figure the family hosting does the turkey, stuffing and gravy.  Maybe one or two other things.  Then the other people bring the sides and dessert.  No wonder other people seem more stressed.  It's so much easier when everyone pitches in!!  (And if it's just your immediate family, why such an elaborate menu - and someone said seven pies??!  :svengo: )

[magic]

Tueday- making two cheesecakes and several pies, assembling Cheesy Holiday Potato Dish (needs to chill at least 24 hours before baking), making layered jello dish, baking cornbread (needs plenty of time to dry out for dressing), bake scones and muffins for us to eat Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings

 

Wednesday- slice onions, celery, and other veggies needed for dishes, make mashed potatoes and let them cool (I will reheat them in a crockpot because several family members like the crunchy brown crust that forms), make sweet potatoe casserole (will heat and add marshmallows on Thurday) make cranberry sauce so it can chill overnight, pull out rolls to thaw, set the table

 

Thurday- bake turkey, make gravy, warm rolls, make cornbread dressing and traditional stuffing, plug in crockpots, bake potato dish and sweet potato dish, mix our special holiday drink, serve dinner

 

I am the only one who makes anything for our Thanksgiving dinner and I will be feeding 12 this year.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Purchase Mimi's cafe. Pick up on Wed., cook on Thurs. We've done this for 6 years and plan to continue indefinitely!

[regentrude]

Something I'm noticing - is it really expected in most families that the hosting family do everything?  I figure the family hosting does the turkey, stuffing and gravy.  Maybe one or two other things.  Then the other people bring the sides and dessert.  No wonder other people seem more stressed.  It's so much easier when everyone pitches in!!  (And if it's just your immediate family, why such an elaborate menu - and someone said seven pies??!  :svengo: )

 

I love to cook. I make turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet&sour red cabbage, maple-pecan brussel sprouts, carrots, rice, cranberry jelly. DD loves to bake and will make one or two pies.

I do not find this stressful - as noted before, I start cooking after breakfast and we eat at 1pm, so it really is not a big deal, just one morning in the kitchen. (As far as the ratio of amount of food produced to time spent, the Thanksgiving meal is by far the most efficient meal I make all year, because there will be SO much food :-)

 

I do not expect my guests to contribute. They will bring something anyway, but I provide the complete meal

When we had big Christmas dinners back home with family, the hostess prepared all the food. House guests would help in the kitchen, but guests are not expected to contribute food.

 

[Ottakee]

I do most of it but still keep it VERY simple.

 

Turkey is thawing in the fridge.  Wednesday afternoon it will go in a cooler with brine.

 

Wednesday night I might peel the potatoes and let those soak overnight.  I also bake the pies----2 pumpkin and 1 apple (all frozen from the store)

 

Thursday I will put the turkey in the oven.  I start the potatoes early and then mash them and make them a bit more moist than normal and put in the crock pot on low or serve (depending on the time).

 

We open up a can of gravy and add that to a bit of homemade.  I open cans of veggies or bags of frozen.  Stove Top stuffing goes in the microwave.

 

My sister in law and brother are bringing cheesy potatoes and pop.

 

If we want rolls I might make those otherwise it is the brown and serve type.

We also eat on PAPER plates with plastic cups with our names written in marker on them :-)  Seriously we are super simple and low key but the food is yummy and no one cares.

[LucyStoner]

I'm a bit slow this year because I've been very sick until like Saturday morning. So today, my niece and older son and I started 12 pie crusts which will be ready to use for baking on Tuesday and Weds. I am baking bread today too for my stuffing today so I can make it stale by Thursday.

 

I also made my Mom's fudge recipe with all the kids today. Taking a little break after getting the chocolate into the fridge while my nephew, sons and husband tidy up the kitchen before we do the next batch of peanut butter fudge (we have ONE pan large enough for a double batch of fudge.) I'm not a big fudge fan but it's one thing from my Mom's kitchen I can share with her grandkids now that she is gone.

 

Tomorrow I will make brown sauce and cranberry sauce for the gathering we are going to and also bake the pies that are going with my niece and nephew. I might just assemble and freeze their apple pie so they can bake it fresh at their dad's. Then I will finish the pies on Wednesday. The pies are:

 

1 chocolate and 1 apple for my niece and nephew to take for Thanksgiving.

 

1 apple and 1 lemon for the men at the shelter my dad volunteers at.

 

1 lemon, 1 blueberry, 1 pumpkin and 1 apple for the meal we are sharing with friends. Lemon for my older son, blueberry for me and my friend, pumpkin for my husband and apple by popular demand. I may do a chocolate for a friend who just announced her pregnancy, it's her favorite but that means I need to make another batch of crust.

 

On Thursday I will make my stuffing, stuffed mushrooms, and some vegetables and then we will pack it up and hook up with friends around noon. My friend is doing the turkey.

 

Friday, I am roasting up a turkey here for the soup and lunch meat.

[SamanthaCarter]

If it's not too late, I think I'd ask my family for more. My mom usually makes up a general list of what she'd like to see prepared for Thanksgiving and sends it out to those of us attending. We (guests) pick up enough off of that list to make it so that she is not preparing the majority of the food. When we hosted last year, I did the same. Mom even brought the turkey.....I wonder if she doesn't trust anyone else to do it.....hmmmm. Glad she did though, she's a wonderful cook who's skill I'll probably never reach. 

[Kari C in SC]

I'm a slacker by many of your lists! I have about 25 people coming for dinner. On Wednesday, I will make pioneer woman's mashed potatoes and refrigerate in my crockpot. Then I just pop it in the crockpot the next morning. I will also make two very easy Hershey chocolate cheesecakes. On Thursday, I am making a turkey, just butter it up, throw some all seasoning on it, stuff it with stovetop stuffing (my husband's preference) and put it in an oven bag. I will make some pop out of the can crescent rolls. I will put some olives and pickles out. My mom is bringing broccoli and cheese casserole, a ham, and a marshmallow salad. My 2 friends will bring some sides. I have no idea what. My sister is bringing some cranberry dish. We use giant throw away dishes and quality plastic wear. I am not washing anymore dishes than I have to. Oh and I forgot, my mom will make gravy when she gets to my house because I stink at the whole gravy making thing. No muss, no fuss.

[LisaKinVA]

I take a look at my recipes and break specific things out from recipes (for example, veggies/fruits that need to be chopped/cut up -- and can be kept well before hand get done first, chicken stock, doughs that need to be prepped and held get done early too).  The day before, anything that can be fully made and held (either in the fridge to bake-off/finish day-of, or pies that can sit without refrigeration), get made.  The day of -- I'm left with finishing off anything that can't be done early (fresh whipped cream, adding bananas to fruit salad, baking the turkey, finishing off casseroles in the crock pot or oven).  Hopefully, I'm timing things well, so that it all hits the table hot.  What CAN be made in a crock pot vs. oven is made in the crock pot!

 

[Chris in VA]

I polish silver and clean the house. The morning of, before church, I get sweet potatoes ready, sugar almonds for salad, mix up the baked corn casserole, lay out pickles and olives and a bowl of nuts for cracking, put the canned cranberry sauce in the fridge to get cold, and sometimes saute the onion/mushroom/celery mix that soups-up the Stove Top.

But as you can see, our TG meal is not really a wonderful, homemade extravaganza like you guys! I wanna come to your homes!

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't prep anything ahead except for desserts.  I just make a much simpler meal.  Nothing wrong with ambition, but if this is a list of recipes you've never done before you might not want to do a whole bunch of new things for this one big event.  I get up the morning of and peel/chop all the veg, make the stuffing.  Stuff the bird and get that in the oven.  I make the sides close to the time the turkey will be done and keep anything warm if there is time before that happens.  That's it.  The whole process probably takes me an hour of hands on. 

 

Stuff like rolls.  If you insist on having them (I always find that just too much with all the other stuff), I'd buy the par baked ones and throw them in after the turkey. 

 

Cranberry sauce can be made ahead.  That's an easy one. 

 

Ok, but I admit I don't have to serve a lot of people.  The bigger the crowd, the more work it will be. 

[SJ.]

Thanks for sharing your tips everyone! 

 

I did a lot of shopping this afternoon, this year I am thankful for Sprouts and their wonderfully low prices!   ;)

 

So far part of my house is clean and the bread is cut and drying.

 

Hopefully this evening I will make the cranberry sauce, whiskey sauce, caramel sauce, chop veggies, and roast the sweet potatoes.

 

My load is slightly lessened as SIL is bringing the mashed potatoes, green beans, and since MIL is bringing bread I have decided not to worry about rolls.

 

Thanks again!

[SJ.]

I don't prep anything ahead except for desserts.  I just make a much simpler meal.  Nothing wrong with ambition, but if this is a list of recipes you've never done before you might not want to do a whole bunch of new things for this one big event.  I get up the morning of and peel/chop all the veg, make the stuffing.  Stuff the bird and get that in the oven.  I make the sides close to the time the turkey will be done and keep anything warm if there is time before that happens.  That's it.  The whole process probably takes me an hour of hands on. 

 

Stuff like rolls.  If you insist on having them (I always find that just too much with all the other stuff), I'd buy the par baked ones and throw them in after the turkey. 

 

Cranberry sauce can be made ahead.  That's an easy one. 

 

Ok, but I admit I don't have to serve a lot of people.  The bigger the crowd, the more work it will be. 

 

MIL does this and it doesn't always turn out well.  We've tested everything but the stuffing which probably won't make the stuffing lovers happy regardless of how it tastes because 1. it won't be cooked in the bird, 2. it will not contain the turkey guts, and 3. it is not their recipe.  Oh well, I can't help any of those things so I'm just going to roll with Pioneer Woman.

[kroe1]

My preparation is the same this year as it always is. I get up, take a shower, and head to work, if I am lucky enough to find five minutes throughout the 14 hour shift, I will eat some peanut butter crackers our of the snack machine or use the toilet, whichever seems more important at the time.

 

Enjoy your day. I find the whole cooking thing just too stressful.

[texasmama]

Yesterday I did all the prep for the dressing and baked the pumpkin pie.  Today I will prep the sweet potato casserole.  The morning of Thanksgiving, I will bake the dressing and the sweet potatoes and roast the two turkeys I have in the fridge.  I have double ovens.  We are traveling to my brother's house 30 minutes away, so I want things hot when we leave.  It is sometimes a bit of a dance to get this accomplished.  lol 

 

I have found that it seems to work fine to do the prep (ready to be baked) and then put things in the fridge for a couple of days.

[texasmama]

Something I'm noticing - is it really expected in most families that the hosting family do everything?  I figure the family hosting does the turkey, stuffing and gravy.  Maybe one or two other things.  Then the other people bring the sides and dessert.  No wonder other people seem more stressed.  It's so much easier when everyone pitches in!!  (And if it's just your immediate family, why such an elaborate menu - and someone said seven pies??!  :svengo: )

 

My brother and his wife are hosting, and she and I are the main cooks.  I volunteered to bring turkey and dressing, a pie and sweet potato casserole, and she was thrilled.  I might make a cranberry salad, and I will also make corn pudding.  I think that the person hosting should not have to do huge amounts of cooking, too.  (And I also volunteered to do the turkeys because one year SIL had her parents bring the turkey and they bought it from Sams precooked with fake grill type marks on it.  It was not even properly reheated.  We ate cold weird-looking turkey.  Don't want to do that again.  Her mother does not cook so anything she is asked to bring she buys at Sam's.)

 

We do go all out for Thanksgiving food, though.

 

[Desert Strawberry]

I'm going to be out of the house most the day, so I can't do everything I'd like. 
 

My goal is to prep as much as possible so I don't have to do more than pop things in the oven or place them on the counter tomorrow. It won't all happen, but ya know. 

 

Today I will bake the desserts. Two tortes, one pie, cheesecake bars. While that's happening, I'll toss a few sweet potatoes in the oven to roast for mash tomorrow. 

 

Tonight, I will assemble the casseroles for the oven tomorrow. I might cook the cranberries while I work. 

 

I think that's it. 

[DawnM]

Today I need to:

 

Make mashed potatoes

Prep the Yam casserole

Prep the Green bean casserole

Buy rolls

Make two pies

 

Can I start?  NOPE, because I don't know if the stupid construction worker is coming today to work in the kitchen or not.

 

UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

PS:  Crap, he showed up.  I may have to do most tonight.

[Miss Mousie]

We are unexpectedly staying home this year, so we decided our feast will be Snoopy Style (from "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving").  So, DS and I will crank up the bread machine today (for the toast).  Tomorrow, I'll open the bag of pretzels and the bag of jelly beans, warm up the toaster, and DH will make popcorn.  Voila!

 

Then, after the Bears/Lions game, I'll put the turkey breast in the oven, DH will doctor up some StoveTop, and I'll crack open a jar of gravy.  I'm pretty sure we still have a truckload of leftover mashed potatoes that DH made last weekend; if not, I'll make a fresh batch.  All of that will be regular dinner/planned leftovers.

 

I think it will be a wonderful change of pace and great fun!  Christmas will probably be back to the Regular Scheduled Program of hectic, so I have no guilt about slacking/hibernating now.

 

Enjoy the days, all, and do your best to enjoy your families - even the annoying ones!

 

 

 

[KrissiK]

Today I'm doing the cleaning. I have my bread for dressing already cut up and staling (did that yesterday), pie crusts were made weeks ago and in the freezer, as were the rolls. I make a cranberry/grape/whipped cream salad and the berries are chopped and sitting in sugar in the fridge, the veggies are sautéed and in the fridge for the dressing. Today I'm making the cheese ball, the roux for the gravy, cutting up the carrots and glazing the pearl onions. Tonight I'll make the filling for the pumpkin pie (I'm making a gluten-free one, the rest are being brought), so it's ready to pour in the crust and bake tomorrow at 5:30 am. This evening, I will prepare and brine my turkey, and also boil the giblets with onion and celery for gravy.

 

I'm not sure if your hosting will become more frequent, but write yourself some notes for next year, just in case. How big your turkey was,how long you cooked it, how many leftovers you had, when you did what. I even made a timeline for tomorrow morning (we eat at 1:00pm), of when to do what. That way I don't have to keep going over in my mind what needs to be done. I've been hosting for 5 years now and I have a whole binder. It's very helpful and saves a lot of work.

[KrissiK]

Something I'm noticing - is it really expected in most families that the hosting family do everything? I figure the family hosting does the turkey, stuffing and gravy. Maybe one or two other things. Then the other people bring the sides and dessert. No wonder other people seem more stressed. It's so much easier when everyone pitches in!! (And if it's just your immediate family, why such an elaborate menu - and someone said seven pies??! :svengo: )

I do a large portion, yes. We have 30 people here. Everyone does bring something, however. Mashed potatoes, yams, pies, a veggie dish are all bring brought. However, I am a bit of a type A control freak, and I do like to cook. And well... I prefer real whipped cream, not stuff out of a can. And I prefer real cranberries, not the jell out of the can. So.... that's the way it goes.

[Pippen]

Today I'm cleaning, prepping the stuffing, making mandarin orange jello salad and late tonight I'll get my roll dough into the fridge to rise overnight. That's the plan anyway.

[Alice]

Something I'm noticing - is it really expected in most families that the hosting family do everything?  I figure the family hosting does the turkey, stuffing and gravy.  Maybe one or two other things.  Then the other people bring the sides and dessert.  No wonder other people seem more stressed.  It's so much easier when everyone pitches in!!  (And if it's just your immediate family, why such an elaborate menu - and someone said seven pies??!  :svengo: )

 

We are hosting this year. I'm making very little. I'm actually pretty much done. I made a pumpkin cake, carrot souffle (really more of a desserty casserole than true souffle) and cranberry sauce this morning. I have to ice the cake and put the carrot dish in the oven with a topping tomorrow just to heat up and brown the topping. That's it. Oh, I also bought canned cranberry sauce for those crazy people who prefer it. 

 

BIL does the turkey every year. It's a bit of a thing with him. I find it kind of amusing. He makes a big deal over the turkey and kind of expects everyone to oooh and aah over it. He likes to do something "fancy": one year it was deep-fried, another grilled, another was a turducken (horrible), etc. One SIL is bringing mashed potatoes, stuffing and maybe pie. Another is bringing salad and flan. My parents never tell what they are bringing but my Mom almost always buys a couple of store-bought pies. I think we have a guest coming who is brining some kind of beet salad. Niece and boyfriend are bringing yams with marshmallows on top. Other niece and nephew are coming, not sure if bringing anything. Dh is making clam chowder for some reason. 

 

I do like to cook and I think I'm a good cook. I'm also a bit of a control freak. But I've long ago given up control of Thanksgiving or holiday dinners. Ours are always a hodgepodge and it's fine. We also volunteer at a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning which limits our prep time a bit. I'm looking forward to being able to sit around and read while others are doing all the last minute cooking. :) 

[Forget-Me-Not]

MIL is hosting this year. My assignments are mashed potatoes (I volunteered because she will serve instant potatoes otherwise) and a dessert.

 

And I'm totally peeling/cubing potatoes tonight. I didn't know I could keep them in salt water overnight! They don't turn brown?