NOTE: I have had more than one person say to me in recent days that they are dreading Thanksgiving dinner because they fear the political in-fighting among various relatives, and that the residual bad-feelings from our collective election hangover will rear their ugly head around the dinner table. While I can't relieve the stress of family angst, I can help alleviate the panic mode of food preparation just a wee bit. What follows is my schedule for pretty much all holiday dining -- just substitute a ham or a prime rib or some other main dish for other holidays, and this schedule still works out well.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends. One way that I alleviate stress at the holidays is to manage things through planning. Another good way is to put out a lovely bowl and some slips of paper, and have your guests write things that they are thankful for on the slips and place them in the bowl. After the main meal, but before dessert, read these out loud. If you are still experiencing election hangover, put up a sign that says "please leave your politics at the door -- all sides, this means you!" and at least get a giggle out of it. Focus on your gratitude. It really does help. That and a whole lot of wine...
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It occurred to me this morning that planning for a Thanksgiving dinner can be overwhelming when you haven't had to plan things out before. Especially when it is the first major holiday meal you've ever had to make for your family.
I remember that overwhelmed feeling very well the first year I cooked the bulk of the meal.
What I've learned through the years is that there is no substitute for planning. And that dishes you can make in advance are your very best friends.
To that end, I thought I'd throw together some links and some information for folks, as well as an idea of how I line out my week on a day by day basis:
-- Here's my cooking schedule for the rest of the week:
Monday: The Peanut and I will finish decorating and cleaning the house. I've started cooking 3 days ahead, but that's really too early. So use this day to get last minute groceries, get the rest of the house fairly clean for guests, and make certain you have plenty of extra napkins and such. If you are going to the store this week, do it as early in the morning as possible, or as late at night as you can - fewer crowds means a saner shopping experience.
Tuesday: This is where things start cooking this week. I'll start by making my turkey stock as early as possible today, that way it can simmer in the crockpot for most of the day and all that glorious flavor develops. It really and truly is the best turkey stock ever from your crockpot, and your stuffing recipe and gravy-making will thank you for the boost in amazing flavor.
I'll also make Granny's cranberry orange salad, so it has time for the flavors to really meld together (and so I can sneak bites of it for the next two days -- woot!).
I also make an herb butter that gets placed between the skin and the breast of the turkey to baste the meat as the turkey bakes. To start, place a stick of butter into a ziploc freezer baggie, seal it completely and leave it out on the counter for a while to soften, usually this takes an hour or two. Then, when the butter is softened, I finely chop the following: some fresh parsley, thyme, chives, sage and a little but of rosemary. I add some minced garlic and a little Penzey's poultry seasoning as well. Open the baggie, pour in the herbs and garlic, then reseal completely; mush it altogether to combine well, then pop the butter baggie into the fridge. As it cools a bit, try to get all the butter into a "log" so it's pretty much altogether in an easy-to-slice cylinder.
