Prepping ahead for Thanksgiving dinner

[happypamama]

Let's talk about prepping TG dinner ahead of time. I know I have a few things that will need to be done the day of, but I have the week mostly free.

 

I can make a lot of stuff the day before, which is the one day I have nothing on the calendar at all.

 

What can I do two or three days in advance? Turkey needs to start thawing in fridge on Monday. Can I peel potatoes and sweet potatoes Monday and cover and store them until Wednesday or Thursday, or will they get icky? I can roast the pumpkins and make the pumpkin purée Monday. Tuesday I will be busy until mid afternoon, so I won't get much done that day. Tomorrow I am planning to clean out the pantry and fridge and do the last grocery shopping.

 

What are you doing on Monday to get ready for TG dinner? We aren't hosting anyone, so there aren't extra cleaning concerns beyond the usual basics. It's just the food to consider.

[regentrude]

I make cranberry jelly and bake bread on Wednesday. If I were baking pies, that would be also a thing I would do ahead of time.

 

All the rest gets done Thursday morning. We will be ready to receive guests and eat at 1pm. I don't find it worth it to do much in advance, it all gets done between breakfast and noon.

Edited November 19, 2016 by regentrude

[KatieJ]

I cook potatoes ahead, mash them with sour cream and cream cheese. Put in oven proof casserole and bake in toaster oven on Thursday.

You can peel them the day before and cover with water.

I don't know about sweet potatoes.

I do rolls ahead of time. I then have tomhide them or they are gone!

Wednesday I chop,onions, celery for stuffing and fry the sausage. Stuffing goes together quickly then.

Any desserts are made early in the week.

[Cecropia]

Pared potatoes can get slimy if they sit over 24 hours.  Not sure about sweet potatoes.

 

I don't do much on Tuesday, except pull out everything I need for the next couple of days.  Getting the roaster and second crock pot out and washing them, etc.  Clearing kitchen surfaces as much as possible.  This year I'll probably cook a couple pounds of bacon on Tuesday and reserve some + grease for southern style green beans on Thursday.

 

On Wednesday, I make the pies, the jello salad we always have, cranberry sauce, dough for rolls (if we are not cheating and buying from store).  I will cut up whatever vegetables I can, incuding raw veggies for a tray we leave out for everyone to snack on while the main meal is cooking.

 

Thanksgiving is an intricate, delicate dance between the refrigerator, oven, stove top and counter tops :laugh: I have to write out a plan that lays out where each dish goes at what time to make it work!

 

[A couple years ago I thawed a turkey according to "official" guidelines and had it still frozen in the middle come Thanksgiving Day (not sure if my fridge runs cold or what).  That crisis taught me to thaw it another full day to be safe.]

[idnib]

Ahead of time I will be:

 

--Dry-brining the turkey

 

--Making the dip for the cheese and cracker plate

 

--Making the Union Square Cafe nuts

 

--Making the filling for the mushroom tarts (vegetarian main). 

 

--Buying gravy, but not making it. I really don't like trying to make gravy at the end.

 

--Prepping the carrots and making their topping, but not combining those yet. Will roast and top on the day.

 

--Making the wild rice stuffing

 

--Making the cranberry sauce

 

--Making the fudge. Pie will be purchased, so that will be ready too. Will make a pear dessert on the day.

 

On the day, once the turkey is in, I'll make the mashed potatoes and keep them warm in the Simple Pot. (Add some cream and butter the insert.)

[Forget-Me-Not]

I'm making roll dough this weekend. I do the first rise, shape and freeze. The day of I thaw and rise and bake. I like them warm and fresh for dinner, so I don't like to make them even the day before.

 

Day before I'll make pies and probably peel potatoes and put them in water to keep. I'll probably cook them in my instant pot the day of to free up burner space.

[Ali in OR]

I always make the desserts in advance--Tuesday and Wednesday. I'll brine the turkey Wednesday and then let it rest in fridge overnight (not in brine). Maybe I'll make salad dressing or dips in advance, but most stuff everything else will happen Thursday. 

Edited November 19, 2016 by Ali in OR

[Evergreen State Sue]

That far ahead I make sure the house is clean, the linens are ready for the table, I have all the silverware I need, and any decorations are out.  I prepare the turkey and stuffing Wed. night, so I just need to make sure everything else is ready to go.  I might set the dining table the night before or early morning too. 

[Closeacademy]

Monday the turkey should be thawing and I'll be at the pie shop helping to make everyone's pies for Tuesday pick-up. Tuesday and Wednesday are also at the pie shop but my pies will also get made and quite possibly by me (not the sugar cream or the pumpkin though). I always spill the pumpkin pies on the way to the oven.

 

Wednesday night I'll probably put the sweet potatoes in the crock pot overnight so they are soft by the time I need to make them. I'll be roasting the turkey all day Thursday. We're not hosting so I'll be bringing pies, sweet potatoes, cranberries and turkey. The host family's oven isn't hooked up yet and their wall oven is too small for a turkey.

[regentrude]

Thanksgiving is an intricate, delicate dance between the refrigerator, oven, stove top and counter tops :laugh: I have to write out a plan that lays out where each dish goes at what time to make it work!

 

Glad to read I am not the only one who does this.

 

I have a plan that schedules when what needs to be in the oven or on stove top, which pots and pans are used for what (some will be needed for multiple dishes), in which serving bowls each dish will end up.

That way, everything goes smoothly and I don't have to scramble.