HELP!! Thanksgiving is 3 weeks away!!

First, breathe. LOL!!

Ok, I do my turkey in a Reynold's Oven Bag. Use the biggest size they make, it WILL accomodate a turkey (a pretty big one!). follow the directions and you will do fine. This is the easiest way, there is no basting. Just cook it in the bag for the amount of time on the box (and when the popper dealie that comes with the turkey pops out), and it will be fine!

Green beans are good. That can be cooked on the stove.

Don't worry about doing it ALL from scratch! I don't! And I cook for 20!

We always have cresent rolls. My MIL makes them from scratch. But Pillsbury's are pretty good too, and MUCH easier! That turkey has to sit for 30 minutes after cooking, you can pop the rolls in then.

Pies, do ahead. Maybe make some cookies or pumpkin bread. (Sarah Lee or Mrs. Smith makes pretty darn good pies, too!). Apple is a favorite here, as is pumpkin.

Eek, don't ask me about gravy. My MIL does that!

Sweet potatoes is usually a standard. As is cranberry sauce (canned is easy. Just open and serve). I don't like either.

Don't forget the stuffing! I just use Stove Top, and I don't ever bother stuffing the turkey (so I guess it is dressing.

Ask DH what his mother's Thanksgiving specialty is, then ask her to bring it. My SIL always brings a relish tray (she lives 2 hours away, so that is easy for her).

In a nutshell, here is our spread:
Me--turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, 2 or 3 pies, broccoli casserole, canned cranberry sauce, maybe some green beans for the kids
MIL--rolls and some yucky cranberry salad stuff, make the gravy.
SIL--relish tray
SIL's MIL--sweet potatoes

There will ALWAYS be tons to clean up. I had just had a baby last year (like 5 days before Thanksgiving), so my only job was to debone the turkey, something I could do sitting down.

Keep it simple, it will all be good! Oh, and remember to mash the potatoes RIGHT BEFORE YOU EAT. They get cold quickly. You can keep them on the stove simmering for a while, before hand. But drain them at the last minute and smash 'em.

Good luck! I've gotten pretty good at a simple and easy Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner, feel free to ask me anything!

Liquor--Get a thing of frozen margaritas and keep em coming. LOL!

Do as much prep work ahead of time as your refrigerator will hold. You could peel and cut the potatoes and leave them in water in the fridge. You could blanche the green beans a day ahead too. If you're not using a fresh turkey, leave a couple of days to defrost it. I agree completely with the oven bag for the turkey. Also, Thanksgiving IS a community holiday -- asking people to bring their specialties is a great way to go.

I agree with jennye, all very good advice... especially the *breathe* part

I've made a lot of dinners for big groups - it's actually something I love to do, I come by it honestly: my mom is the same way... I don't claim to be an expert or anything, but I have to admit this is the one thing I'm actually pretty good at

Here are my tricks:

Clean the kitchen before you start.

Clean out the fridge. be merciless - you need shelf space.

Throw everyone out of the kitchen (okay, so admittedly I'm a bit of a control freak. If someone really wants to help I ask them to wash dishes. Your results may vary.)

Make a list of everything you're going to make, ingredients and equipment for each, and how long it will take to prepare and cook (Excel is your friend!)

Find and wash all your equipment before you go shopping. nothing more annoying than getting derailed because your husband is using the muffin tin to organize the bits he took out of his amplifier... (okay, that's a bit personal, yeah)

From your list, organize a 'game plan' ... list when each dish should be started, what you can multitask, and what you can prep ahead of time.

Things that can be frozen or canned can start a week early... Cranberry sauce, for instance....

Things that can be cooked ahead of time and reheated would be started on wednesday - mashed potatos, yams, etc...

Things that you'll cook on thursday can be prepped on wednesday - chopping the onions/celery/etc for the stuffing, washing and prepping the vegis, etc... stick them in ziploc bags and label them with a sharpie. This is why you cleaned the fridge

Thursday morning, eat a good breakfast (otherwise you'll snack yourself sick) and make a big pot of tea. You've got all your prep work done, you've got a list so you don't forget anything, it's all simple from here out!

here are my two most important bits of advice:

* have on hand: a cd player and cds, a bottle of wine, and a phone (for inevitable calls to mom)

* every single time you finish a task: clean the kitchen, wash the equipment, and sit down for a few minutes and have a glass of wine.

As an advanced tactic, you could from time to time say loudly for everyone in the house to hear "my god, this is hard work! I hope I can get it all done in time!!!" This will ensure someone else will clean the rest of the house

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You step in the stream, but the water has moved on.

Oh, and...

A small kitchen is actually very nice - less to clean, for one thing. And you don't have to constantly wander to the other side of the room to find something....

I love my big kitchen, really, but it actually can be *too* big. I want to take out some of the cabinets, things just collect in the back... like "honey, why is there a flowerpot in with the canning supplies?"

Plus, I discovered when we moved to The Big Kitchen that my beloved DH can't comprehend that when you carry dripping things across the room, it gets the floor messy. He's otherwise a very smart guy, so what the f*#&? How does he NOT SEE THIS???

I end up following him around with a sponge, wiping up the floor and muttering obscenities.....

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You step in the stream, but the water has moved on.

but my lot know that hey won't be getting a turkey out of me - I can't stand the stuff really, so I've made my choice early and got beef, which leaves everyone else to fight over whatever meats are left.

as much as you can beforehand is the way to go, for absolutely sure. Any vegetable can be mashed beforehand and reheated in a microwave on the day, stirred up a bit and with butter and/or garnish it's as good as it would be fresh. The sauces and stuff - aim to buy reasonable quality (preferably brands you're familiar with). If your speciality is savoury dishes get others to bring desserts and vice versa - always play to your strengths. Take as many surprises out of the equation as you possibly can and expect to be utterly uptight. If this is the first time you've done a big family celebration nobody (except maybe you and your MIL, depending on her personality) will be expecting perfection, so improvise whatever isn't vital.

I love Jenny's suggestion about asking your MIL for her input - the perfect way to stay out of trouble and earn brownie points all at once. Ask any other more experienced family members for their input and put EVERYTHING into separate lists that you can follow without having to think too hard. If you list it all down carefully you'll be less likely to forget things because you're panicking.

And BREATHE goes at the top of all the lists!

don't do the big Christmas shop on Friday either... plan a deep bubbly bath, a long drink, and putting your feet up with a good book for several hours. That way you might not be swearing to never do it ever again!

Kerri.

OK, so first, save the beautiful juices that you have from the turkey that is inside the bag Jenny told you to use. I usually rub my turkey with butter before putting in, mainly because it makes the gravy taste heavenly and I am all for calories on Thanksgiving. So, you have this pot full of juices (at least the bottom should be covered about an inch or so deep, hopefully you have a bit more than that.)

In a separate bowl mix 1 Tbsp corn starch, 2 Tbsp. flour (white does work best, sigh) salt and pepper to taste and enough milk to make a paste. Then add more milk til the paste is runny. Add it to the simmering juices, and whisk the heck out of it! Keep stirring over low heat til it thickens. I usually add a little more milk as it is thickening to make sure that I have enough gravy (or water, if you'd rather not use that much milk). Anyhow, if it won't thicken after a few minutes of this, take some out, mix it with more flour (another Tbsp or so) til you have a paste again, mix the paste back in, and whisk again.

Works every time--for me anyway.

If you sorta dress up the basics, it won't look like you took the easy way out: e.g. put a caramel sauce on the apple pie (buy it, no one has to know, but I have a recipe for that too), toast sesame seeds and put on the green beans, or add a cream soup to them, put pickles in snazzy glass bowls found at the thrift store, or that you already own, etc. Oh, and have FUN!

Everybody seems to have answered your questions perfectly. What I do is ask everyone who's coming what their favorite holiday dish is--what's the dish that without it on the table it's not really Thanksgiving?

For my DH you have to have the turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. As long as those are on the table he doesn't care about anything else.

For me it's deviled green beans. My grandmother and mother serve these during holiday meals and I have to have them, there's no discussion, they're there.

To make the day over the top, you can find out if there is a way the family has traditionally prepared a particular dish that sets it apart. Do they do plain mashed potatoes or do they do the confetti mashed potatoes with the tiny veggies and cheese? Do they do cranberry relish or jelly? Do they do fresh corn on the cob, canned corn (creamed or reg), or frozen? Do the pies HAVE to have whipped topping or do they not care? If there's a special way to make it, see if someone will share the recipe or bring it with them, or both!

Do everything you possibly can the in the days before. Do everything you possibly can the in the days before. Do everything you possibly can the in the days before.

It bears repeating. Make your pies one or two days ahead. Make your breads, casseroles, and any other desserts the day before. Do everything you can on the stovetop since the turkey is hogging the oven (you do NOT want to try to cook anything else in the oven while the turkey is in there!) If something must be ovenbaked, do it before or after the turkey goes in or comes out.

I agree with making lists. You can never make to many lists. Having them to refer to when in the midst of a holiday of any kind is the best lifesaver second only to spiritous beverages.

I always advocate recruiting worker bees and delegating if at all possible. Some one wants to help? Besides bringing a dish to the party they can mash the potatoes or whip the cream, set the table or wash the dishes, make the gravy or watch the kids.

Also, think of the overall scope. Is this going to be a linens and fine china, silver, crystal event? Or is it going to be a Martha thing with a turkey or pilgrim them? Or is it going to be buffet style with second best china, everyday dishes, or (gasp) paper plates? Make all those plans well in advance and have all that set up and ready to implement the day before.

Get your all your food shopping done at least three days in advance. You don't want to be anywhere near a grocery store the day before Thanksgiving. Trust me.

Non-food related ideas, here:

Look into starting a new tradition now that you've set up a new home. One neat thing I've always wanted to so but haven't yet is to have a tablecloth on which guests can write things for which they are thankful, holiday blessings, quotable quotes, that sort of thing. You can either have them write in washable marker and embroider the words for posterity (Martha), or you can have them write with permanent marker and call it done (Erma). Every year you bring out the table cloth and if you feel so moved, add to it.

You could have slips of paper with Thankful Quotes printed on them that each person reads before dining like these at About.com:

I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy.
- Anne Frank

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.
- Theodore Roosevelt

Lots of good stuff linked to that article on ideas to celebrate the spirit of the holiday.

And as things arise, ask us more questions, we always have opinions!

Anhata
www.familynaturally.com
Your Family's General Store, Naturally

Thank you Jilsyt! It's amazing what happens when you ask for help.

If you've "roasted" a chicken....a turkey is just bigger!

I also love the roasting bags, but I'm gonna contradict Jenny (sorry!) and suggest that the pop up timers can actually be seriously inaccurate and you should use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.

My other favorite tricks:
Add chopped apple and walnuts to prepared stuffing and use a bit of cider in place of water.

Sautee green beans in walnut oil and throw in nuts there, too....or serve with melted butter and Italian seasoning.

Add sour cream and/or cheddar cheese to mashed potatoes and bake in a pretty caserole dish

Blend cream cheese, pumkin pie filling, pie spices and sugar until it's yummy (no recipe, sorry), fill pre-made, tiny phylo dough shells and top with spiced whipped cream. These shells also make perfect "pudding pies"...just use your favorite flavor!

Set a pretty table with a centerpiece, candles, pretty napkins etc. This can be done the day before (or two if you don't have youngsters to mess it up!)

The only other suggestion I have is to set out and LABLE your serving pieces and utensils so nobody uses the bowl you intend to put the cranberry sauce in for cereal that morning, either! I use post-it notes!

Good luck!

Lenora

you've just reminded me about that recipe we had before for cauliflower mash when we had a low carb craze going around... was it Hope's recipe?? I can't remember, but I think it's time to dig it out again. I'm ready for mashed up anything at the moment, though maybe getting a decent masher would be a good start since food processors are just not the right tool for the job and my masher is useless.

I love the way this community bears out the saying of 'ask and you shall receive'. Nobody's turned away from here if they are genuine, and nobody is ignored if they have something to say or something to ask.

my last post was flagged for spam, so I gave up, but it's all here already. Buy whatever extras you can that would be time-consuming to make (like cranberry sauce - this probably isn't the year to learn how to make it from scratch!), but obviously make them look nice in pretty dishes. I always make lists for everything, and that includes lists for which dish will contain which food so I don't accidentally run out of dishes. And know your strengths - if you're a desserts person get other to bring savoury dishes or vice versa. Anything you can do in advance (like mashed veg the day before) is a lifesaver because you have so much less to worry about at the last minute. I'm doing the first 'normal' Christmas Day I've ever done this year. When we were in Singapore I usually did buffets to cope with my in-laws' different tastes in food, plus a whole roast meal in a microwave and that kind of heat wouldn't really have worked! But I know I can do it if I plan the whole lot to within an inch, and write it down so I forget nothing.

Kerri.

posting weirdnesses, ignore me