Post by Loupy on Nov 12, 2015 17:21:07 GMT -7
Some Tips on Planning your Thanksgiving Meal
By: Sommer @ www.aspicyperspective.com/
Thanksgiving can be a little overwhelming for first time hosts.
Heck, Thanksgiving can cause anxiety in award-winning chefs… Don’t feel bad if the thought of it gives you hives!
Today I’m sharing some helpful Thanksgiving planning tips to get you off on the right track.
1. Pour yourself a glass of wine before you start planning. This is key.
2. Plan a traditional Thanksgiving feast with all the nostalgic foods you love, but let your creative juices flow on the side dishes.
3. Organize the meal with your cookware, oven, and range in mind. How many sauce pots, pie pans, and baking dishes do you have available? Assign them to your dishes. Take the number of ovens and burners you have into consideration. That might help you decide between mashed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, or sweet potato pie.
4. Write down your menu, gather your recipes, then make a thorough grocery list. You don’t want to be running back to the store at the last minute!
5. Make a checklist of dishes to cook, and other preparations to be made. Try to plan what you are going to do on the days before, so your checklist isn’t daunting Wednesday night.
6. Whenever anyone offers to bring an item, be ready to hand something off with a big “THANK YOU!” Some good items to delegate (or buy pre-made) are…
• Your Rolls Homemade rolls or biscuits are wonderful, but if you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner on your own, this is one area to save time and work.
• Desserts If you have a good bakery nearby, buying your pies is a real time saver. Guests bringing food often like the idea of making dessert… so let them!
• Appetizers Put light snacks out to keep your family and guests happy, while you’re wrapping things up in the kitchen.
7. Completely clear the table of all dishes from previous courses before serving dessert. That way, after dessert you can relax.
Here is the order in which I usually undertake Thanksgiving dinner.
4-6 Days Before
Shop and put the turkey in the fridge to thaw. DO NOT WAIT TO THAW YOUR TURKEY!
2 Days Before
Brine the Turkey. That’s right, BRINE IT! People, even so called experts, may try to tell you this is unnecessary, but from my experience (which in fairly substantial in the turkey department) you can’t get a bird as juicy and flavorful, with a GREAT crispy skin, without brining it. Don’t argue, just trust. I usually buy a brining bag, then put the whole bagged turkey in a bucket, a precaution against looming holiday disaster.
(Check the label on your turkey. If it says contains salt or sodium it probably has already been brined.)
Prepare Sweet Potatoes, Make Cranberry Relish, Make Pumpkin Pies, Cut bread cubes for homemade stuffing and let them sit out uncovered to dry.
1 Day Before
Remove the turkey from the brine a full 24 hours before roasting, so the skin can dry out. Place it in a roasting pan in the fridge, uncovered, to speed up the drying process. Dry skin = crisp golden skin.
Clean the house.
Set the table.
Prepare the stuffing.
Make some iced tea, or other beverages.
Thanksgiving morning
Again, pour yourself a glass of wine. Yes, at 7 am, or whatever time you decide to start. It’s one day a year guys, and it will help keep your stress level down.
Prep the turkey EARLY and get in the oven. (Check times for pounds and temperature and follow the instructions)
While the turkey is roasting, prepare any side dishes that need to be made fresh.
Pull out any items that may need to be reheated, and let them come to room temperature.
Remove turkey from oven, and cover to rest. (Check temperature of turkey with a meat thermometer. Do not rely on the pop up button.)
From: Butterball.com After about 3 hours, insert an oven-safe thermometer deep into the thigh without touching the bone. Begin checking the turkey for doneness about 30 minutes before the recommended cook time. Your turkey is done when the temperature with a meat thermometer is 180° F in thigh and 165° F in breast or stuffing.
Bake the side dishes.
While side dishes are baking
Prepare Gravy, Green Veggies, and warm pre-made items.
Sit down and enjoy yourself. Secretly revel in the fact that you pulled off an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. Everything looks lovely, and is hot at the same time!
*Loupy's Note:
We have never brined a turkey and ours are always juicy, never dry. We use our electric roaster to cook the turkey to free up the oven for other things. I order my pies ahead of time so that is taken care of and we pick the up the night before Thanksgiving. Also, if you bake the stuffing/dressing outside of the turkey everything takes less time to cook.
Don't forget about the drinks. We provide one glass of wine with dinner. If they want anything else alcoholic they bring it themselves. We also have water, coffee and milk for the kiddos.
By: Sommer @ www.aspicyperspective.com/
Thanksgiving can be a little overwhelming for first time hosts.
Heck, Thanksgiving can cause anxiety in award-winning chefs… Don’t feel bad if the thought of it gives you hives!
Today I’m sharing some helpful Thanksgiving planning tips to get you off on the right track.
1. Pour yourself a glass of wine before you start planning. This is key.
2. Plan a traditional Thanksgiving feast with all the nostalgic foods you love, but let your creative juices flow on the side dishes.
3. Organize the meal with your cookware, oven, and range in mind. How many sauce pots, pie pans, and baking dishes do you have available? Assign them to your dishes. Take the number of ovens and burners you have into consideration. That might help you decide between mashed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, or sweet potato pie.
4. Write down your menu, gather your recipes, then make a thorough grocery list. You don’t want to be running back to the store at the last minute!
5. Make a checklist of dishes to cook, and other preparations to be made. Try to plan what you are going to do on the days before, so your checklist isn’t daunting Wednesday night.
6. Whenever anyone offers to bring an item, be ready to hand something off with a big “THANK YOU!” Some good items to delegate (or buy pre-made) are…
• Your Rolls Homemade rolls or biscuits are wonderful, but if you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner on your own, this is one area to save time and work.
• Desserts If you have a good bakery nearby, buying your pies is a real time saver. Guests bringing food often like the idea of making dessert… so let them!
• Appetizers Put light snacks out to keep your family and guests happy, while you’re wrapping things up in the kitchen.
7. Completely clear the table of all dishes from previous courses before serving dessert. That way, after dessert you can relax.
Here is the order in which I usually undertake Thanksgiving dinner.
4-6 Days Before
Shop and put the turkey in the fridge to thaw. DO NOT WAIT TO THAW YOUR TURKEY!
2 Days Before
Brine the Turkey. That’s right, BRINE IT! People, even so called experts, may try to tell you this is unnecessary, but from my experience (which in fairly substantial in the turkey department) you can’t get a bird as juicy and flavorful, with a GREAT crispy skin, without brining it. Don’t argue, just trust. I usually buy a brining bag, then put the whole bagged turkey in a bucket, a precaution against looming holiday disaster.
(Check the label on your turkey. If it says contains salt or sodium it probably has already been brined.)
Prepare Sweet Potatoes, Make Cranberry Relish, Make Pumpkin Pies, Cut bread cubes for homemade stuffing and let them sit out uncovered to dry.
1 Day Before
Remove the turkey from the brine a full 24 hours before roasting, so the skin can dry out. Place it in a roasting pan in the fridge, uncovered, to speed up the drying process. Dry skin = crisp golden skin.
Clean the house.
Set the table.
Prepare the stuffing.
Make some iced tea, or other beverages.
Thanksgiving morning
Again, pour yourself a glass of wine. Yes, at 7 am, or whatever time you decide to start. It’s one day a year guys, and it will help keep your stress level down.
Prep the turkey EARLY and get in the oven. (Check times for pounds and temperature and follow the instructions)
While the turkey is roasting, prepare any side dishes that need to be made fresh.
Pull out any items that may need to be reheated, and let them come to room temperature.
Remove turkey from oven, and cover to rest. (Check temperature of turkey with a meat thermometer. Do not rely on the pop up button.)
From: Butterball.com After about 3 hours, insert an oven-safe thermometer deep into the thigh without touching the bone. Begin checking the turkey for doneness about 30 minutes before the recommended cook time. Your turkey is done when the temperature with a meat thermometer is 180° F in thigh and 165° F in breast or stuffing.
Bake the side dishes.
While side dishes are baking
Prepare Gravy, Green Veggies, and warm pre-made items.
Sit down and enjoy yourself. Secretly revel in the fact that you pulled off an amazing Thanksgiving dinner. Everything looks lovely, and is hot at the same time!
*Loupy's Note:
We have never brined a turkey and ours are always juicy, never dry. We use our electric roaster to cook the turkey to free up the oven for other things. I order my pies ahead of time so that is taken care of and we pick the up the night before Thanksgiving. Also, if you bake the stuffing/dressing outside of the turkey everything takes less time to cook.
Don't forget about the drinks. We provide one glass of wine with dinner. If they want anything else alcoholic they bring it themselves. We also have water, coffee and milk for the kiddos.