The Big Day

Image from timeanddate.com

So today is the day. I have been able to sit and relax because of all the planning. My dinnerware is ready, the turkey is roasting, and the ham is on standby. I will say that this is a happy change to how things sometimes go on Thanksgiving.
My ability to look at the day and plan ahead only comes after several years of not planning. Instead, I was accustomed to the typical Thanksgiving day hectic schedule with a seemingly impossible oven rotation. Desserts normally took up most of the morning and then it was a mad dash to get the turkey going in time to cook completely.
This year is different. Because of the tips I have shared with you, the stress level is low. I have just a few more tips for the big day.
1. Coat your turkey in BUTTER! I am cooking a 13 pound turkey and I have it covered in 1 stick of softened butter mixed with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon each black pepper and poultry seasoning.
2. Keep your bird moist. Think of cooking it in a heavenly steam bath of stock and melted butter. I have my bird breast side up, coated in my compound butter, and on a rack in a roasting pan over a very thin layer of chicken stock. I have tented the bird very tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil to hold in the moisture.
3. Low and slow. Just like good pulled pork, the key to a moist bird is low and slow. I have mine cooking on 275 degrees for 2 1/2 hours, 300 degrees for 1 hour, and then uncovered on 325 for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Make sure to test for doneness. You do not need salmonella poisoning from an undercooked bird. I normally check for clear juices running from the thigh/breast joint, but you can also use a digital thermometer (at least 170 degrees as the bird will continue to cook while resting).
5. Let it rest! I take my bird out with 45 minutes to go. Cover it tightly and let it rest! This gives the juices time to redistribute and you time to make gravy from the pan drippings.
I sincerely hope that you have found these tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving meal helpful. With a little planning, you family gatherings can be easy and delicious, allowing you more time to make your game plan for Black Friday Shopping! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Day Before

So it is the day before the big holiday gathering and because of all of the prep work, stress is no where to be found. Today is the final day to plan.
1. Prepare your oven rotation schedule. Decide what time the turkey needs to go in to begin cooking. You need to make sure to also decide what time that means you will need to start prepping the bird --- putting on the spice rub, placing the aromatics into the cavity, etc. --- so that you don't run into a time crunch.
2. Make sure the turkey is thawed! There is nothing worse than getting up on Thanksgiving morning to bake the bird and realize that the turkey is still frozen. Check it tonight and see if you need to do a water bath thaw overnight.
3. Double check your cooking supplies. Do you have enough butter? Is there enough foil to cover the turkey and other baking items? Now is the time for a last minute grocery run.

Another item you can mark off your list today is the table prep. After the final cleaning of the house, start preparing the dinnerware. I always like to do a run through the dish washer when I get out my china and stemware just to make sure they are sparkling clean. Before you go to bed tonight, you can even set the table and centerpiece arrangement. Making sure the decore is set tonight will help tomorrow be even more relaxing.

Make Ahead Desserts

With three days left until the big day, it is time to start preparing as many make ahead items as possible. Most items should not be made more than a day ahead in order to make sure they taste the freshest. However, most dessert items are exempt from this rule.
Today I made my dessert trio for the gathering. When planning a dessert menu, I like to have a traditional item (pumpkin pie), an easy prep item (cherry yum yum), and a not-so-sweet item (lemon tart). I also plan for items that can bake at the same temperature. Both my pumpkin pie and lemon tart baked at 350 degrees so I was able to prepare them at the same time instead of dragging out the process with different baking temperatures. After baking, allow the pies to cool completely, at least 2 hours, and then cover them tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
My easy prep item tends to be a no-bake recipe that can be assembled and then refrigerated  Besides the cherry yum yum, I have also made trifles and puddings for this portion of the menu. This could also be a great place for a fruit tray, but that should be assembled the day of the meal.
Whatever you do, just make sure to plan a menu you enjoy. If you are relaxed and happy, your guests will be as well.

Preparing to Shop

So today is the big day. Today is the day when I make the trip to the grocery store to stock up for the week of cooking to come. In order to make sure I don't miss anything, I make out my entire menu, as I discussed in my last post, and then the ingredients needed. I do not necessarily list out the measurements, but at least the items so that I make sure to consider all needs when making out my shopping list. Here is what I mean.

Turkey: Turkey, Butter, Salt, Pepper, Poultry Seasoning, Chicken Broth

Ham: Ham, Brown Sugar, Pineapple Rings

Stuffing: Dried Stuffing Mix, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Chicken Broth, Butter, Salt, Pepper, Sage, Chopped Mushrooms, Chopped Onions, Egg

Gravy: Turkey Drippings, Flour, Salt, Pepper, Broth

Mashed Potatoes: Potatoes, Butter, Whole Milk, Salt, Pepper

Deviled Eggs: Eggs, Vinegar, Relish, Mustard, Mayo, Paprika

Creamed Corn: Corn, Butter, Milk, Salt, Pepper, Sugar

Sweet Potatoes: Sweet Potatoes, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Butter

Green Beans: Green Beans, Oil, Salt, Pepper, Beef Broth Powder

Rolls: Dry Yeast, Honey, Butter, Salt, Eggs, Flour

Cranberry Relish: Cranberries, Orange Juice, Sugar

Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Pie: Pie Shell, Solid-Packed Pumpkin, Evaporated Milk, Eggs, Sugar, Cinnamon, Salt, Flour, Brown Sugar, Butter, Pecans

Sour Cream Pound Cake: Flour, Salt, Baking Powder, Sugar, Vanilla, Sour Cream, Eggs, Butter, Shortening

Extras: Whipped Cream, Unsweetened Tea

By laying out everything as I did above, I make sure that everything is covered. For example, when I was making out the list, I thought I was finished and then suddenly realized I had forgotten the gravy and stuffing, which would have been a travesty in my family! 

Another great tip is to print unfamiliar recipes to make sure you are purchasing enough of the ingredients as you make out the shopping list. Don't forget to check you pantry, freezer, and spice rack for items in case you are running low. Nothing is worse than being elbow-deep in fixing a turkey and realizing you don't have aluminum foil to tent the bird or salt to season it! 

Plan now and Thanksgiving will be a breeze!

Making New Classics

While there are some things that I think should not be changed on my Thanksgiving table, like my mom's sweet potato casserole with nut topping, there are other places where I think experimenting can be fun and may even create some new family classics. Now is the time to start planning for these endeavors. 

In my last post, I mentioned the planning of the menu. As you lay out your buffet plan, decide where you want to try something new. After you have identified your areas of attack, take to the internet for some research. Not only do I hit up the typical websites---food network, taste of home---but this is the perfect time to look to sites such as recipe blogs (hint, hint)---Tasty Kitchen is also great---and even the newest craze, Pinterest. Once you have found your new recipes, there are a few things to consider.

You first want to make sure that the new dish will complement your menu. Secondly, test the recipe ahead of time. I would not recommend trying a recipe for the first time on D-Day unless you are going to serve it no matter what. With a little over a week to go until Thanksgiving, now is when I start to try new recipes. I need to know if I am going to need to double or triple the recipe before I plan my shopping trip and in budgetting my meal (yes, I do budget for holiday cooking).

So I challenge you to try at least one new item this year. I hope that you find it enjoyable and I really hope that you will tell me about the experience with a response to this post. I think we all find the process much less intimidating when we know we are not in it alone and that others are taking on this crazy endeavor with us. So get out there! Experiment! Make a new tradition in your family dinner!

Planning The Menu

When I am having people over, I always start out by planing the menu. With a holiday dinner, there are always those things that are staples on the table. For thanksgiving, there will definitely be turkey with dressing and gravy as well as a sweet brown sugar ham. One important thing to think about is how much prep time you will need.

Turkey: The first thing you need to decide is fresh or frozen. If you are doing a fresh turkey, you need to buy it closer to the actual day of cooking than if you are doing frozen. Personally I like the frozen turkey and find that if you thaw it properly, the texture and moisture of the meat is perfect. Make sure to plan plenty of time ahead. You do not want to go to make your turkey on Thanksgiving only to find that the bird is not thawed! A 8-12 pound turkey will need 3 days in a refrigerator to thaw while a larger 13-16 pounder will need 4 days. This is the safest way to thaw a turkey. However, I will admit that when I have been in a crunch, I have put it in the refrigerator for 2 days and then overnight in the sink covered with water to finish.

Ham: It is traditional in both my husband and my family to have ham on Thanksgiving as well. I just buy the precooked spiral ham and then glaze and heat the day of the meal. Just store in the fridge until ready to use. I will post the recipe for the glaze later.

Sides: Of course there will be the traditional stuffing and gravy made with the drippings and stock from the turkey and giblets --- yes, we use the giblets to make the stock! There will also be mashed potatoes, but maybe this year there might be a twist of sour cream mashed potatoes served along side the creamed corn and green beans. Another traditional side is the sweet potato. However, I do not just do the potatoes with marshmallows on top, which I happen to hate. Instead, I do more of a light soufflé topped with a crunchy walnut topping---recipe also to come. The cranberry relish is another place to possibly experiment. Many people are accustomed to just buying the can and plopping it down on a plate. While you are free to eat this if you like, I think I might mix it up and do a fresh cranberry dressing with orange and walnuts.

Bread: I normally do a fresh bread for Thanksgiving. Last year I did a yeast roll recipe of my own and everyone loved it, however, I like to experiment. I saw a recipe on television the other day and think I might be using it instead. Check out the recipe from Kelsey's Essentials for her Rapid Rolls. I think I might like this one because of the use of honey in the mix. It will be the perfect floral sweetness for an extra added flavor plus my recipe has to rise overnight, these are 20 minutes! I will plan some extra time just in case, but that helps to make things simpler.

Desserts: Now this is really where I come alive. I must start planning for 2 different desserts. Typically, the rule of thumb is one variety of pie (normally pumpkin) and one layer cake. However, once again, I might mix it up this year. Right now I am thinking of a pecan pie and my Pumpkin Spice Pound Cake. Just a nice switch up on the classic.

Drinks: Make sure to plan for the beverages. Even if it is just tea and water, make sure to include it in your plan. Maybe this year you incorporate a nice warm cider steeping on the stove. Either way, you need to make sure to plan for it so that you are not running at the last minute to cover yourself.

Whatever your plan, just make sure to have one! I really do like to lay it out as above --- of course without the extra elaboration --- so I can see each part of the meal and make sure they are all covered. Planning 7-10 days in advance helps start the de-stressing process.

Preparing for the Holidays

So for the past few years the family Thanksgiving meal has been at our house. While some people may see this as a burden, overwhelmed with the idea of creating a large meal for the family, I look forward to it every year. Why? I feel that a delicious meal prepared by hand is one of the greatest ways to express love for friends and family.
One key part to preparing a large meal for a crowd is planning. With less than 2 weeks to go before the big day, now is the time to start to plan the menu. The more you layout your game plan, the easier the day will actually be.
Think of your plan as a football team's game day strategy. In order to be successful in a game, you have to know the key components you need and when you will implement different strategies. Having this plan allows for a smoother game and a clearer road to victory. Translating this analogy over to the kitchen means prepare a menu, make your shopping lists, delegate any sides to guests that you desire (if guests are bringing anything), and then the timing of oven rotation in order to get everything on the table hot and delicious when it is meal time.
Over the next 2 weeks, I want to share the process with you. I hope that you will see that having a family meal, even a Thanksgiving dinner, is well within everyone's reach and is something that should be embraced, not feared.