What to do for DD/precooked Thanksgiving?

[Carrie12345]

My 19yo tested positive for Covid. We’ve never had a holiday without her!!!  She lives about 40 minutes away with her cat.

I normally start to prep Turkey Day just the day before, cook all morning on the day, and then we eat our way through the rest of the day. Now I’m trying to figure out if I can do the whole thing in advance in order to deliver a full spread the morning of. The thing is, I don’t think I can fit the entire day’s cooked food in my fridge!!!

Any special tips?

(She can’t smell or taste, but I can’t just leave her out.)

[Katy]

Wait until it’s cooked, eat yourself, then deliver some to her afterwards. 

[bolt.]

You could do something to have everything ready to go either the day before *or* by a certain point earlier in the day than you normally eat (eg the do the turkey the day-of, but the sides the day before). Then have someone run the package to her (maybe even uber it to her?) some cold (made yesterday) and some warm (made today). In the meantime, finish the sides to be ready for the people at home while you hold the hot food at home by keeping it warm-but-not-cooking temperatures (225 works for turkey for quite a long time).

[regentrude]

can you just send someone to deliver at midday when you're done cooking everything? If the roundtrip is only 90 minutes....

[Carrie12345]

All good food for thought, haha! The only suggestion completely out of the question is Uber, because that’s a gabillion dollars IF anyone is even willing to take the job on a normal day. We don’t really have drivers in our area.

I did realize I have a small turkey breast in my freezer that might work for cooking the day before.

And yes, this is a LOT more “I’m the mom, I need to mom” than “Dd needs my sausage stuffing to be complete.” 🤪    
Her getting Covid alone has been my biggest fear for over a year now. I’m grateful it has turned out to be while she was vaccinated and not before, but still.   
My son at least had his dad and stepmom while he was sick. She has a vicious cat and an elderly neighbor. 😢 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

If you don't want to be in the eat midday, take over in the afternoon for her evening supper camp, I would swing by Costco and give her a rotisserie chicken, and portion out some rolls and pie for her. You could make a couple of your sides the day before and add those to the meal parcel. FWIW, I'd also pick up flowers and try to FaceTime here day of where she can talk to everyone. The first time I had to miss extended family Thanksgiving (I was on bedrest), I was more sad to miss seeing everyone than I was about missing the food. 

Thanksgiving is a big enough deal here that I cook Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

I'm sorry she has covid!

[Carrie12345]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

FWIW, I'd also pick up flowers and try to FaceTime here day of where she can talk to everyone. The first time I had to miss extended family Thanksgiving (I was on bedrest), I was more sad to miss seeing everyone than I was about missing the food

Yes, we’ll definitely be FaceTiming!

[kbutton]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

If you don't want to be in the eat midday, take over in the afternoon for her evening supper camp, I would swing by Costco and give her a rotisserie chicken, and portion out some rolls and pie for her. You could make a couple of your sides the day before and add those to the meal parcel. FWIW, I'd also pick up flowers and try to FaceTime here day of where she can talk to everyone. The first time I had to miss extended family Thanksgiving (I was on bedrest), I was more sad to miss seeing everyone than I was about missing the food. 

Thanksgiving is a big enough deal here that I cook Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

I'm sorry she has covid!

I agree, and I think this is a practical idea. If she really, really wants turkey, you can do this and then deliver leftovers another day. If she's feeling well enough, you might even be able to prep her sides so that she can pop smaller portions of them in the oven herself. 

[freesia]

I would do the turkey breast tha day before and some stovetop stuffing. I’d also make a small batch of mashed potatoes. Then I’d deliver it while your turkey is cooking ( or Weds night) with cranberry sauce and maybe a bag of frozen green beans with sauce that she can microwave and any dessert. Then I’d save any of her favorites that she isn’t able to have bc they aren’t ready to eat and deliver them on Friday. 
My ds was a close contact at college this week and was tested this morning. He’s vaccinated, but I’m really hoping I won’t be on your shoes soon!

[Carrie12345]

41 minutes ago, freesia said:

y ds was a close contact at college this week and was tested this morning. He’s vaccinated, but I’m really hoping I won’t be on your shoes soon

Ugh!!! Crossing my fingers. 

[City Mouse]

Send or take her a care package in advance, the on Thanksgiving after you have finished eating, pack everyone up for a road trip to deliver her a portion of the days goodies. 

[PeterPan]

Cracker Barrel has a very nice turkey meal with the normal fixings. Both the sliced turkey version and the country fried are quite good. (We just ate it yesterday with my dad, yum!) You could take her that ahead or just bring her leftovers made into soup to warm up. Does she even feel up to much? Soup might feel better than anything.

[Pam in CT]

(Particularly given that she can't taste anything, poor kid) I might send or bring her a Cracker Barrel or Boston Chicken package of vaguely on-point food the day prior,

then FaceTime her during the family celebration,

then bring over a big old package of the traditional family stuff the day after, with as many family members as are able to make it, We did that with my mother last year, sat outdoors with propane heaters and food kept warm in thermoses & coolers.  Hopefully it'll be warm enough for an outdoor visit.

Poor kid.

[Beth S]

43 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Cracker Barrel

Also recommending CB.  It was a delicious solution when I was 2 days away from delivering Baby #2.

[Carrie12345]

No CB or BM within an hour of either of us. 😕 

[Starr]

I would wait a few days and see if her taste is coming back and go from there. Being sure she has something that she will eat is more important than festive food she won't. Think about some other treats, flowers, a new sweater or blanket to curl up in, whatever. I'm so sorry this is happening. 😞

[LifeLovePassion]

Last year we just ding dong ditched some left overs to the in-laws who both had COVID but not until Friday.  They were more in the eating soup and not eating very much at all phase still so it was no big deal. 

[mathnerd]

Since she can't smell or taste, it is probably a better idea to make some soup for her (and some dessert) on the day before TG and drop them off instead of the entire spread that your family is having because she may not even feel like eating so much festive food. So sorry that she has covid and hope that it goes away by next week and she feels better.

[Junie]

Some of my kids don't like turkey, so we do rotisserie chickens from the grocery store every year for Thanksgiving dinner.  It's fast and yummy.  Maybe that would work better for you with some of her favorite sides.

Hope she's feeling better soon!

[KungFuPanda]

I’d see which restaurants near her deliver a thanksgiving meal and send her that, or something else she likes, then take her leftovers that night or the next day.