Thanksgiving Preparation Timeline

 

The credit for this post and the next in this short series all go to Maxine who asked if I could write out a few more ideas on the subject of Thanksgiving meal prep and leftovers.  I'm happy to take her request and run ahead with it.  I hope you find the information helpful.

I think one thing I've never understood was the woman who spent countless hours in the kitchen preparing a huge holiday meal only to realize that fifteen or twenty minutes after she'd set it on the table everyone was done eating, and she had countless hours of clean-up ahead of her...

Been there and have the picture on this blog to prove it!  Excuse me while I relive the bitter moment that I had been cleaning up for three hours all alone and someone demanded a meal.  I pointed to the copious leftovers and complaints were issued to the man of the house who came in demanding what my problem was...  I wasn't nice about what the problem was!  

I'll give it to my husband, he might be enjoying himself and obtuse to mechanics of how food gets on the table and how clean up takes place after, but he does see injustice and does his best to rectify it.  He pointed to the loaf bread and a jar of peanut butter suggesting that a PB&J was a viable option if leftovers didn't suit and then he asked quietly, "What can I do to help?"

The two years we've had his brother and sister-in-law to visit they've arrived to stay just before the holiday.  Pilar comes prepared to cook but often that means the kitchen will be tied up Thanksgiving Day, so I learned then to prep ahead and figure out how everything is going to be cooked, fit the time frame for the meal, etc.  

When Pilar first proposed this shared kitchen on Thanksgiving idea, I was not for it in the least, but I realized that she very much wanted to share her traditions with us.  So, I made up my mind to play nicely.  In other words, there was a whole lot of coordinating going on prior to the guests showing up on Thanksgiving Day! 

I will say that in coming and wanting to cook, Pilar forced me to figure out how to coordinate things in such a way that it would all work smoothly and for that I'm very grateful.  Because in the years when we haven't had them visit, I've employed some of the same ideas over and over and it's taken a load of work off my shoulders.

Here are my helpful hints for making the big day go a lot easier by planning and preparing ahead.  Some will look like repeats from last week's post perhaps, but bear with me here and you'll see how they apply.

1.  Look at the menu plan hard, then make a plan.   Look at what guests are bringing, or plan to make when they arrive in your kitchen.  Pilar wanted to make giblet gravy (I cooked the giblets per her instructions the day of but had homemade broth prepped and ready for her to use), a favorite casserole dish that required the oven and a special fruit salad that required refrigeration.  

Knowing what I'd planned to make and what she wanted to make helped me formulate my plan.  I did what I could do to insure we had oven space enough, and serving dishes.   I have a limited amount of cookware and serving pieces, but I try to make sure that most things are double duty.  However, I can't hide the fact that I've got only three saucepans and two Dutch ovens, four burners, one slow cooker and one oven.   It wouldn't do to be cooking mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, heating green beans and making cranberry sauce at the same time on the stove top when she was needing to steam broccoli and rehydrate rice, and make gravy.  

2.  Break down the menu into prep ahead and make the day of.  Since Pilar was going to be using the kitchen, I planned my menu prep in such a way that she had clean items ready to use when she was preparing food.  I also coordinated serving dishes and casseroles.  I cannot stress enough that having pretty casserole dishes that can double as pretty serving dishes is such a bonus!  

And you know what else got coordinated?  Oven space!  Days ahead of time, I put my big pan (meant for turkey and stuffing and dressing (all in one pan) in the oven and then I figured out what items we could safely cook in the space left.  I figured for the height of the turkey and shifted the oven racks, placed casseroles in the oven next to the Turkey pan, and on the rack above, then moved things around until I was sure we had room for everything that needed to go in the oven at the appropriate times.

Then I took sticky notes and wrote out what would go into each casserole dish and where it was to be placed and stuck those notes on the dishes themselves.  This might sound a bit OCD but there's nothing like it if you've (a) a limited number of casseroles and (b) a limited amount of space in your oven!  

I even accounted for cooking times and temperatures.  Pretty much every single item at some point was going to be in the oven at 350F.  Yes, I normally cook a turkey at 325F, but I knew that temperature was going to need to vary.

4. Plan how you will serve the food and what dishes you'll serve it on.  More than one year we had upwards of 25 people in the house for Thanksgiving.  Even with both leaves in my table it is only going to stretch to about six feet.  I have a bench on one side of the table that will fit three not so wide folks and with care can fit in five or six chairs around the remaining space.  A children's table and folding chairs made up another six spots.  A patio table was brought indoors along with four outdoor chairs.  From there we figured out a way to seat another half dozen folks by moving chairs from other rooms, ensuring a side table or end table was nearby to hold drinks at each seat.

No way were all those folks going to have room for serving dishes on the table even if I had enough to spread across the tables.  So, I figured out where best to place a dessert station, a drinks station, a place for plates and bowls and a whole section of countertop and stove top for serving meals.

5.  Pretty is nice but remember function is KEY to everything.  Keep It Simple.  I could use every piece of dishware or China in the house and spend even more hours washing up after the great feast, but I gave in to my husband's plea to use disposables.  I wanted pretty but what I really needed was something that functioned well for the day.  

Save the China for a smaller gathering.  If you're having a crowd, use the disposable plates, cups and silverware!  You'll thank yourself a million times later, trust me!

I purchased heavy duty paper plates (Chinet).  They weren't the pretty touch.  They were functional and they were easy.  

Now here's how I made it pretty: Each table had a tablecloth and centerpiece. A tablecloth doesn't have to be a tablecloth per se.  A canvas drop cloth, or sheet will work just fine!  I bought pretty paper napkins and dessert plates, and I purchased a coordinating color disposable plastic cup for drinks.  

Note:  I'll expound on this further in this post but go ahead and buy baggies, disposable containers and take away containers to deal with leftovers.  They won't go to waste if you buy more than you need but they are a HUGE help if you have them at the ready!

6. Plan to dispose of things right away.  We had extra-large trash bags and cans outdoors at the ready to hold all the stuff that would be going into the trash.  John or my youngest son was always ready for trash duty.  Immediately after everything was bagged up, he'd haul it over to the dumpsters and dispose of it.

7.  Plan supper if the big meal is in the middle of the day.  I don't forget the episode obviously nor the lesson learned.  I didn't like fussing and whining at the end of a long day, and I really didn't mind the solitary cleaning up.  I resented the complaints, sure, but mostly I hated that I hadn't recalled that these particular guests were choosy.  They were still guests, and I'd much rather have responded graciously and that's all there is to it.  Never mind their rude behavior, it was mine that bothered me most of all.  

Every year since then I've taken account of who is in the house and what their expectations will be, and I provide accordingly.  I know full well that some members of my family will happily eat leftovers (Pilar is fond of them the mornings after, too, Bless her!) and others are going to need something different. 

Keep it simple!! You've just put out a huge meal.  So, plan something easy.  Have some luncheon meats and bread and chips on hand.  Set out a variety of condiments and pickles.  Point out the desserts you will likely still have on hand.  And be sure you've got enough paper plates and cups for this meal as well.  Plain ones will do just fine.  You don't have to be extravagant, just prepared.

Now let's discuss what you can do ahead of time where the meal prep is concerned.

A.  Make your desserts ahead of time.  I make cake layers up to six weeks ahead.  If you wrap them well and freeze them, they will do just fine for frosting later.  No, they don't dry out.  I like to wrap in foil and then in plastic wrap and then freeze them on a flat surface.   

I usually frost the cake the day before the big feast.  Be sure you have a cake carrier.  Hint: if you don't and find yourself in need, a large Dutch oven will cover a two-layer frosted cake easily. 

Pumpkin and pecan pie will freeze beautifully once baked.  Just set out at room temperature to thaw the morning or your dinner.  

Personally, I think apple and berry pies are best made the day before Turkey Time.  

B.  Don't forget the ice and drinks.  I often assigned ice and drinks to someone who either didn't cook or was traveling the day of Thanksgiving.  BUT more than one year, the person didn't show up with either in hand.  For that reason, I learned to purchase a bag or two of ice, or even better, to bag up my own ice and save it in the freezer.  Then we'd fill a cleaned cooler with all that ice.  

I also purchased a few 2 Liter bottles of soda and a gallon of tea.    You can purchase all of these ahead of time and have them on hand days or weeks before the day.  

C.  Make what you can ahead.  I am big on cooking my turkey the day of and I don't stuff it until I put it in the oven!  

Broth.  Can or freeze it.  If you're freezing be sure to take out in time to thaw for use.

But I can make dressing and stuffing ahead of time. I'll leave the stuffing in a covered bowl in the fridge ready to put into the bird.  For the dressing:  I have often made a pan of dressing a few weeks ahead, right down to baking it.  Once cooked, I'd wrap well and put in the freezer.  I take it out the day before to thaw and will slip it in the oven to reheat but be sure you've planned room for that casserole dish (or disposable pan) in your oven!

Something I saw the Mennonite cooks in our former community do was such a big help to me.  They'd make instant mashed potatoes ahead of time, the day before they were wanted.  Then they'd spread a layer of mashed potatoes into the bottom of a slow cooker, top with butter pats and a dash of cream (literally just a dash, you don't want the potatoes swimming in liquid).  They'd put down another layer of potatoes, pats of butter, dash of cream and keep on until the slow cooker was full, ending with pats of butter and dash of cream.  Then they'd put this on low or medium heat four or five hours before they were wanted.  By serving time the potatoes were hot through.  And creamy and fluffy, too!  They just stirred them well at serving time.  So good!

Years ago, Lana shared that she often mixed in a few real potatoes with her instant potatoes to 'freshen' the taste a bit and that's a trick worth employing as well.

And no, you don't need a slow cooker.  If you've the extra oven space, you can put them in a disposable pan to heat in the oven.

Sweet potato casserole can also be made ahead and frozen, even if you've put on marshmallows or crunch topping.  Again, just remember to plan that oven space beforehand!

Green Bean Casserole can be mixed and frozen.  Thaw in the oven and top with fried onions once fully thawed.

Broccoli, Rice and Cheese.  Again, easy to make ahead and freeze.  Thaw and cook or plan to cook from frozen.  

Warning Note! Be sure you're freezing things in oven safe dishes!  Not all dishes will go from freezer to oven to table.  Check your labels!  Corning Ware can go from freezer to oven, but the website suggests you should allow 45 minutes at room temperature before placing a dish directly in the oven.  Be aware of this and plan accordingly!

Never set a hot dish on a cold surface nor a cold dish on a hot surface!  

Gelatins and Jellies are best made ahead.  If you want to make your own cranberry sauce, make it up to four days or the day before and put in a covered dish.  Obviously, you're going to want to make your gelatins and pudding items ahead of time, so they'll have plenty of chill time.  

Most Salads are best made the day before or even the morning of the day.  If you're using apples or bananas or fresh pears in a fruit salad, be sure to have some type of acid in the dressing or sauce of the dish to help prevent discoloration.  

If you prefer to make a green salad you can wash salad greens and prep them up to two days before.  Personally, I prefer to wash the greens and cover well then, I'll tear or cut the day of. Cover first with a slightly damp cloth and then cover well with plastic or foil wrap and place in the fridge. This will ensure you have a lovely crisp salad. 

If you are using fruit such as pears or apples in the green salad, you can prep those the day before and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent the discoloring that may occur.  Cover tightly and keep in the fridge.

And don't forget to take out the whipped cream to thaw if you're using the frozen sort!

D.  Make sure that turkey is thawed. A frozen turkey is going to require far longer to cook than a thawed one.  I don't mind a little ice in the cavity, but I'd prefer there to be none.  Since we do stuff our birds, I try to make sure the bird is completely thawed the day before.  Sometimes, depending on the size of the bird and the temperature of your fridge, they aren't completely thawed even after a week.  

You can pretty much tell by the feel of the bird through the packaging.  Is it soft and pliable but cold? Or does it resist your touch?  If it's still frozen, use the cold-water bath method of thawing.  Submerge the whole bird in cold water for as long as it takes to get that meat pliable.  Yes, leave it in the packaging!  You do not need to remove packaging until the morning you're cooking it.  

E.  Cook the turkey the day of Thanksgiving.  I always plan on cooking at least 20 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.  And I never stuff it until the morning I am cooking it and then only if I plan to put it straight in the oven.  My stuffing is cold, and my bird is still cold.  This keeps bacteria at bay.  

I realize not everyone likes stuffing.  John does and I've been stuffing a turkey or turkey breast for him for over 30 years now.  Mama and Granny were certain I'd kill the whole family, so they insisted on a pan of dressing cooked separate from the bird.  Do it the way you like it.  We haven't died yet as a result of eating a stuffed bird, or even been sick following a meal.

And please note that if you are frying a turkey, it absolutely MUST be fully thawed before it hits that hot oil.

We were invited to have dinner with a friend of my brother's one year and no one thought to thaw the turkey.  Let me tell you what a disaster happened when that frozen turkey hit that hot oil!  And the number of hours it took to cook it through...The family quarreled over whose fault it was that the turkey wasn't thawed and who was cleaning up the mess... Not a Happy Thanksgiving memory, lol!

F.  Have containers at the ready to store leftovers or to send plates home.  You can order covered take out containers with pop-on lids and make up plates for others to take home.   Have a good supply of containers of choice to store the leftovers staying at your house.  And be sure you have freezer or fridge space to store them safely.  

If one thing should be mentioned here, I think it's the plan to have a clean fridge.  By rights I should have had it prepared in the week ahead.  Empty out every single thing you possibly can from that fridge and free up that space ahead of time but for sure do it at least the day ahead.  You don't have to wipe down every surface, but now is not the time to have stored a week's worth of other leftovers in the fridge.  Get them out of there and be prepared to store the food you've cooked and have leftover this day.

Please take note of Maxine's helpful hint in last week's post:   Normally, I cook a whole turkey, but this is an unusual year for our family and I'm going with the breast since it's smaller and I already have it. OK, the bird is done and you have eaten until you're stuffed. Remove all of the meat from the carcass and cube the big pieces. Fill zip-loc bags with 2 cups of turkey or the amount you usually use for a casserole and freeze. (I usually freeze 1.5 cups per bag). 

I think that's enough for this post.  I hope you found these tips some help in planning your Thanksgiving meal.

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