Thanksgiving Planning

[MsSassyBaskets]

OK IMSN brain trust, I need wisdom. This year my mom, brother, and brother's GF are visiting and I'm cooking my first REAL Thanksgiving dinner. DH and I have done mini versions before - roast a small bird, make mashed potatoes, etc. but I've never had to cook for a whole group before. With just me and DH, it doesn't really matter when we eat or if I screw something up! I'm thinking I need to do some more advance planning this time. So, can you tell me... what do I do? What do I need to get, thaw, prep, etc. ahead of time? How do I plan oven time so that everything is done at the right time? I've never made stuffing before, or a larger bird. A little worried that I'm going to have one of those epic fail, smoke billowing from the oven kind of days.

I'm going to keep it basic:
- Turkey (8-10 lbs for 5 people plus leftovers)
- GF stuffing (I will have to cube the GF bread and dry it ahead of time, and I think I will keep it simple with just onion, celery and spices)
- Mashed potatoes
- Pumpkin pie with prebought GF crust (can I make this ahead of time?)
- Green beans (probably not casserole, no reason to up the calorie count)

annd... I think I'm forgetting a few things. Wine. Definitely lots of wine.

I know I need to buy a roasting pan with a rack -- we do chickens in the cast iron dutch oven but that won't work here. And I need a potato masher because the handle broke off of ours a while back. Do I need other equipment that I'm not thinking of? I think DH also wants to brine the turkey but we can either get a bag for that or use his giant beer brewing stockpot. We have a smallish dining table but lots of dining room space, so I'm going to clean off DH's desk (our old Ikea dining table) and use it as a food station. You know what I also need to buy? A chair. I have only 4. Lol. Time to get thrift shopping, I guess, or get some folding ones at Ikea. This is going to be a classy affair.

Ok, so hit me with all your tips! Thanks!

[scrub-jay]

For the stuffing -- Don't forget the garlic and fresh herbs (they sell little herb packets for this purpose) and I like to toss in something a little sweet (dried cranberries, raisins, or small pieces of apples). Once the bird is done, pull the stuffing out, mix it with the dressing (what wasn't in the bird), add a little chicken broth and bake. The temperature in the bird won't always get quite high enough to kill bacteria in the stuffing, so it is good to double bake.

I've brined before, but honestly, the butterball turkeys with the saline injected in there were the easiest when I was first learning how to cook Thanksgiving dinners. They are difficult to muck up. If you are inexperienced in brining, you could make the skin/bird a weird texture (trust me, I know this first hand, lol)

Don't wash your bird -- research shows that you are more likely to spread illness (Salmonella generally) around your kitchen, limited contact is the general rule nowadays.

You should have a thermometer to know when the bird is done. Also - a turkey baster.

I dont have a roasting pan with a rack and I make the dinner every year. I just do it in the roasting pans (the black speckled ones that are cheap), if it is a big bird I might do it open and put foil over the wings.

I make a mushroom gravy using the turkey trimmings from the bottom of the roasting pan. Add sherry.

I've got more tips if you need them.

[SuzySunshine]

I have a recipe for a Corn bread stuffing that I made last year that is GF, I can link it when I get home if you'd like.

Let me think what else makes prep easy...

[MsSassyBaskets]

Thank you!!! Ok... I actually DO have a black enamelware roasting pan, but I sort of thought I needed a rack to be able to wrangle a turkey and not let it get mushy on the bottom. Maybe I'll just go with what I have. And I do have a thermometer but probably wouldn't have remembered that!

When it comes to making gravy from the pan trimmings, do you pour off any of the fat or do you just go with it? We have mushroom haters in the group, but sherry would probably go over well.

That's good to know that brining is not so foolproof... DH seems really set on it so I will have to see what he thinks. I try not to ever discourage him when he shows interest in making dinner. I'll take all the tips I can get! Thanks again!

[diggitydot]

Have you considered making a cranberry sauce? It's SUPER easy (sugar, water, berries) and like the pie, can be made a few days before the big event.

[Deebs]

I always think about what time I want to serve, and make a schedule, working backward, of when to start each food item. Everything comes out on time. Also, I never stuff the bird - too much risk of food borne illness. Just bake it. I make my pies a day in advance.


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[MsSassyBaskets]

I have a recipe for a Corn bread stuffing that I made last year that is GF, I can link it when I get home if you'd like.

Let me think what else makes prep easy...

Thanks, that would be great! I assume I could make the cornbread the week before and get it all ready...

Have you considered making a cranberry sauce? It's SUPER easy (sugar, water, berries) and like the pie, can be made a few days before the big event.

I assume you just cook it down like a compote? I admit I was thinking of getting the canned kind (with real berries, not the gelatinous stuff although that has its own special appeal, haha)...

[scrub-jay]

Thanksgiving Planning

Yes to the cranberry sauce- super easy. We add a splash of OJ & zest. If the bird was really fatty, I will pull out some of the fat from the trimmings before making the gravy. If you need to add liquid, I usually do a bit of chicken stock + sherry. Pfffft to mushroom haters.

Oh- if you haven't cooked a turkey before, don't forget to pull the baggy of organs out (liver, neck, etc.)

ETA: A roasting pan with a rack would be better, but it's just not worth the expense for us. My turkeys have all been delicious. *cough-residency budget*

[diggitydot]

I assume you just cook it down like a compote? I admit I was thinking of getting the canned kind (with real berries, not the gelatinous stuff although that has its own special appeal, haha)...

Directions are usually on the back of the bags of berries, but I bring the water and sugar to a boil, add the berries, and then allow them to boil until the berries pop -- usually about 10 minutes. Seriously easy.

[alotofyarn]

I've cooked a couple of turkeys that both turned out really well - super easy. I just use an oven bag, putting some apple and onion slices with poultry herbs (I buy the packet of fresh stuff at the store, and this is what it says), with salt, pepper, and paprika. I cook it for however long the bag says per pound, but start checking the temperature about an hour early, because sometimes it cooks faster. No need for basting, because the bag keeps it moist. If you buy a frozen turkey, make sure you have days to thaw it out in the fridge beforehand. I buy the aluminum roasting pans because I hate cleanup afterward. http://www.allisonmccoy.com/2011/11/...giving-turkey/

I agree with the others about cranberry sauce - definitely easy to do homemade up to days in advance.

Pies can be made the day before too.

For the potatoes, I peel and slice early in the morning, and keep them in a pot of water with salt on the stove until I'm ready to start cooking them later.

[WolfpackWife]

Posting on the fly and will go back and read later - I'd love to read the tips from the BT!

My one tip would be my dad's mashed potato secret...use a potato ricer instead of a masher. Smoothest, creamiest mashed taters ever ever ever.

[MsSassyBaskets]

Oh- if you haven't cooked a turkey before, don't forget to pull the baggy of organs out (liver, neck, etc.)

I won't forget this part... I've done chickens and ducks before, just nothing this big. Do you use any of the "extra parts" for the stuffing or gravy? I've heard of a) roasting or sauteeing the organs and then chopping into the stuffing, or b)boiling the neck into a quick stock to use for the gravy... If nothing else I will probably make stock after the fact once we've taken all the meat off the carcass...

[alotofyarn]

I use all leftovers for gumbo the next day!

[scrub-jay]

I won't forget this part... I've done chickens and ducks before, just nothing this big. Do you use any of the "extra parts" for the stuffing or gravy? I've heard of a) roasting or sauteeing the organs and then chopping into the stuffing, or b)boiling the neck into a quick stock to use for the gravy... If nothing else I will probably make stock after the fact once we've taken all the meat off the carcass...

Nope. It's not my style, I think the flavor overwhelms everything. It is common though. That baggy hits the trash fast in our house. I do make stock from the carcass after everyone is sick of turkey.

[Vanquisher]

I think your plan for turkey size is too small. JMHO, but I like the leftovers.