Turkey time is waddling quickly toward us, two weeks away to the day! Plans and traditions vary from family to family, region to region, I can’t begin to predict each one! In a recent conversation with my youngest daughter who will be celebrating Thanksgiving alone with her little family 8 hours away, she commented (a bit nervous?) as to how I was able to prepare so much food year-after-year without feeling thoroughly run-over. She, for her part, will have our 2-month-old grandbaby on her hip during her efforts (hubby plans to pitch in too!). I chuckled slightly and then reminded her: I never do it all in ONE day!!
This seemed like a good opportunity to visit how to timely plan and put together Thanksgiving dinner… without loosing your mind or burning out!
How did it all start though?
I grew up in a big family. Holidays were bursting with bodies and food and fun. When I married and moved west, 2000 miles away, I had the awesome opportunity to pick through traditions I had loved while folding in new ones of our own. Over the years our holiday table has both burst and dwindled in the ebbs and flows of life, family, and travel… but one thing remained the same: FOOD.
Food, to me, was the second-best part of our bustling family gatherings. If I couldn’t have the people around (the best part!) then I at least wanted to remember and recreate the feast of food (often using old family recipes). Yes, when many hands carry dishes through the front door as family and friends come to settle in for Thanksgiving dinner, it is easy to find a buffet bursting with variety and flavor. Grandma always made homemade strips of dumplings, Aunt Karen brought carrot salad, Jello fluff was often present, dad was sure to whip up a fresh batch of Chex-mix for snacking, and always the traditional stuffing and potatoes. There was corn and rolls and cornbread… pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce and granny’s amazing 7-layer bars. I wanted all the flavors, and new ones too, yet, often, the hands were far fewer as life in the west held sparse family and friends to attend.
That did not diminish my ambition though, especially as we began to grow our own little family. We devised a menu, tweaked at times, which has become a staple of Thanksgiving fare. Everyone helps and everyone enjoys! Even little hands can be given simple tasks.
Dinner for 2
If you plan to commemorate Thanksgiving with a dinner for 2 (or even 3), keep it simple. My first Thanksgiving we roasted Turkey thighs, used boxed and pre-made gravy, mashed potatoes and stuffing. Even our rolls and pumpkin pie were pre-packaged. I set the table with nice linens, lit candles and filled goblets with cranberry juice. It was simple and delightful. If you are a more from-scratch type, keep reading, I will share a glimpse of our managed extravaganza which can be scaled down or up as needed.
Dinner for a crew
Perhaps you have company coming with side-dishes in tow or you are hoping to orchestrate a large spread on your own… either way, timing helps everything. Dishes, even from the hands of guests, often need last minute warming or cooking, scheduled around Mr. Tom Turkey’s use of the oven. No matter the size of the meal, planning ahead will make all the difference between calm and chaos. So lets start there…
Set the Menu
Before you can do anything, you need to know what you need to know!!
- What are you cooking?
- How many are you cooking for?
- What ingredients do you need?
For the purpose of this article, I will share our menu for this year. It has evolved some over time and as “kids” grew to become adults with more mature pallets. We used to make turkey shaped cookies decorated with chocolate and candies (like gingerbread), the kids and I would work on them early in Thanksgiving week. Now, everyone is grown, two adult children remain close, and we all are a bit more mindful of what we eat and how much ‘junk food’ is left around post-holiday. We also like leftovers… lots and lots of leftovers!!!! It is so helpful to simply grab a snack or quick meal from the Thanksgiving extras while we spend Black Friday Weekend putting up Christmas decorations. Cook once, eat 5 times+!!
I usually set my menu by mid-to-late October. This gives me time to watch sales, purchase ingredients early and bake ahead. However, if you are reading this, 2 weeks before the big day, don’t fret. Begin where you are! It is not too late. This year’s menu is as follows:
I know, it is a lot for 4 people! We all agreed we have a lot to commemorate in gratitude this year and a real feast was in order! We usually have a late afternoon supper, so appetizers are rolled out around 11am to hold us over. I leave them out for about an hour before packing away and making everyone hold the rest of their appetite until mealtime. NOT listed are the beverages. We usually do Sparkling Cider (non-alcoholic) in goblets at supper and offer Eggnog as a Christmassy taster with dessert.
Go shopping!
With the menu in hand, I then break down each ingredient needed. Starting from top to bottom, the list may look like this:
It seems like a lot, however, many of the items are staples already in my pantry like butter, herbs, flour, brown sugar, Wondera (which is a base I use to make gravy), etc. Listing it out, though, helps me to make sure I do have enough of everything, in case we are getting low. From here, I can begin to formulate a grocery list. Don’t forget paper plates and napkins if you are using those as well
Start Preparing Early
I never wait until the last day or two to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. I start as early as reasonably possible while still maintaining freshness. Cookie doughs, pie crusts, rolls, or sweet bread can be made weeks ahead and popped into the freezer to use or finish later. I’ve even seen some great casserole and gravy recipes people will whip up and freeze until Thanksgiving. Take a look at your menu, what can be made ahead of time, how far ahead, and still be fresh. We did an herbed baked sweet potato brussels sprout dish last year which turned out great. This year, I bought the tatos and brussels at the beginning of the month, cut them up, and put them in seal-o-meal bags, ready to go for Thanksgiving so I won’t need to worry about prepping those the week of. I will simply thaw, mix with oils and seasoning, and pop in the oven! To give you an idea about the rest, here are my plans this year:
Week of 11/17-23…
Tidy house and clear clutter to prep for next week
Bake Cranberry Bread and Pumpkin Bread and freeze
Make Pecans Praline
Check for tablecloths and iron if needed
Plan buffet set-up and get out which platters we want to use
Weekend of 11/23-24
Buy fresh vegetables
Pick-up turkey and set in fridge to thaw
Monday 11/25
Cut summer sausage and cheese
Clean up vegetables and cut
Tuesday 11/26
Make pie crusts, cover and store
Bake 7-layer bars
Make French Onion dip
Make salad dressing
Wednesday 11/27
Make both Jello salads
Bake both pies
Layout sweet potato/brussels packet in fridge
Clear Dining room table and make ready for tomorrow
Prepare serving areas where I can, setting out platters/dishes to be ready for next day
Make sure all ingredients are poised and ready for tomorrow*
Finalize Thursday’s schedule and go over it with the family in the evening so everyone knows what is expected
*As I pick groceries up for the month, I will keep Thanksgiving-specific ingredients together in a box (usually grabbed at Costco) in or near our pantry. This keeps me from scrounging around everywhere for things and streamlines the process of prep work, especially on the day-of!
I did add cleaning on the list, which I do whether or not we have company coming. It is so much easier to relax in a home which is less cluttered, especially when prepping to put out a large feast. It also helps for when we reach the day after Thanksgiving and it is time to switch out holiday decorations – less mess, less stress! When we do have company coming, we will do floors and bathroom on Wednesday, any last minute pick—up gets done Thursday morning.
With all of these dishes and tasks tended to, I can go to bed on Thanksgiving-eve with some peace-of-mind. Notice, also, how I “finalize” my schedule on Wednesday – I have usually been thinking about the order-of-operations for most of the week at that point, how Thanksgiving DAY goes and at what time each task needs to be done. If I haven’t written it out sooner, by Wednesday night I literally put it on paper so nothing is left out….
Let your schedule be your guide
When orchestrating an entire holiday meal, a little bit of schedule planning will go a long way. It also helps family members know what time you will need their help and what will be required of them. This year, because of my health issues, we will be doing many of these tasks as assembly-line/team-work initiatives. It is the good-ole, “Many hands make light work”.
First, what time is supper? Everything on Thanksgiving centers around that number! Don’t stress though, it is OK to be a bit late. We usually plan supper around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, allowing plenty of time to prep without getting up unreasonably early AND plenty of time to digest all the great food and visit throughout the evening.
Next, how long will it take to bake your turkey and prepare other dishes which need to be done on the day of? When determining what time to do each task required to pop out a Thanksgiving spread, start by reviewing recipes you plan to make.
- Which ones cook on the stove top and for how long? (prep+cook+set)
- Which ones cook in the oven, for how long and on what setting? (prep+cook+set)
- How big is your turkey? How long will it need to cook?
The turkey can take about 15-30 minutes to prepare from opening the package, washing, drying and seasoning (we don’t stuff our bird, but some do). Then it is typically 15 minutes per pound @ 325˚. So, for an 18lb bird you will need to roast for about 4.5 hours. Then, they say to let the bird “rest” outside the oven for about 30+ minutes before carving… and carving can take about 15 minutes. (total approx. 5.5 hours)
Mashed Potatoes, if done from scratch, will require about 20-30 minutes to peal and cut, then another 15-25 minutes to boil till soft, and finally about 10 minutes to mash and have ready for the table (total approx. 1 hour)
Green Bean Casserole will take about 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake (40 minutes total)
StoveTop Dressing for shortcut takers like me, is likely the quickest feet of all (total approx. beginning-to-end 15 minutes)
Dishes which will need to bake fresh, like Green Bean Casserole, our Sweet Potato/Brussels, and dinner rolls, can usually enter the oven when the turkey comes out, baking while Ole Tom is setting up and waiting to be carved. Prepping of casseroles can be done minutes or a few hours ahead so they are ready to be popped in when it is time. CAUTION however, if you are using glass dishes, do NOT take a glass dish straight from the refrigerator and into a hot oven. Often, the extreme temperature change may cause your dish to crack. Be sure to let glass dishes come to room temp before popping them in a hot oven.
How does all this look? Here is what my schedule will likely entail this year:
This seems like a whirlwind, and, honestly, as dinnertime approaches, it can get a bit busy. Allowing for grace and simply enjoying each other’s company in the space you have, creates a sort-of collectively happy whirlwind in the last hour or so as the final elements of dinner make their way in and out of the oven and onto the table. While one person mashes, another can mix… while one person slices, another can whisk. It took time to find our groove and create less chaos on the actual holiday so we could enjoy more valuable time together and savor the delicious food selections. We are so grateful we have found our flow!
Naturally, if you have guests coming with dishes in-tow, the last minute bustle will be much more subdued! Wherever you can, use crock pots, roasters, and warmers so time can be taken to enjoy your company while early-prepped food stays warm (or reheat).
Above all, remember the Timely art of Thanksgiving – of recalling all that is good and beautiful in this life and the many blessings God has bestowed. At the end of the day, it isn’t the food we sampled, how much was made from scratch or a box, or the timing to get it done right – it is the people we share the day with, the memories we create, and the occasion to simply be grateful.
Blessing,
Grab your FREE Thanksgiving planner here, it isn't too late! These worksheets can help you prepare for a smoother Thanksgiving day:
