(When you prepare in advance, you can be relaxed and enjoy your time before your guests arrive for the Thanksgiving meal)

So, here is how one person makes all this food work, and still enjoys the party. Almost every part of the Thanksgiving Menu has elements that can be prepared in advance or completely finished before the big meal, allowing me to prepare homemade food, keep my sanity and have a clean kitchen as guests arrive. The only parts of this meal that had to be cooked on Thanksgiving day were the turkey, gravy and carrots. Everything else was prepped beforehand and just had to be heated or placed on a serving tray. You may look at this and think that is way too much work. By spreading it out into manageable pieces over a few days, I don’t feel rushed or worried about missing something or getting it all done in time. You may even ask: “Well, is the food still good and fresh if I make it in advance?” That is where planning the proper menu comes into place, which includes choosing items that hold well or actually get better if made ahead. Also, anything made from scratch is going to be fresher, better quality and less expensive than purchased or catered items. Purchased items are usually made in big batches and stored in advance as well, sometimes even with preservatives to keep them “fresh” for you. So, if you want to do it yourself and make it a success, here is how to make it a stress-free Thanksgiving.

(With a little advance planning all prep dishes can be clean and put away only leaving the few last minute items. It keeps the kitchen looking nice before guests arrive)

For timing large meals like Thanksgiving, I always like to work backwards, giving myself an hour of extra time before guests arrive, then thinking of what I will need creating a Thanksgiving timeline. This allows me to spread the prep work out over a few days so I can do a little each day if needed or prep for an entire day depending on my schedule. You must be realistic in your estimated timing for this to work. We live in the age of multitasking, and this does not usually help us focus, so for each item give yourself an extra 5-10 minutes of grace period.

We also had a few guests spend the evening with us, so I planned a small brunch for the morning after as well. For my homemade Thanksgiving meal, this is what my Preparing in Advance: Thanksgiving Timeline looked liked.

Saturday/Sunday: (4-5 days before)

(Thanksgiving dishes pulled and labeled, making serving easy)

Prep the Dishes: Pull out, organize and wash if necessary all dishes and serving items. Using post-it notes to tag items takes the guess work out of what is to be used for what later on. This also gives aid to your helpers as you can easily say, “Please, get me the 2 bowls for stuffing”, and they will be able to grab the correct ones. If you need extra items, purchase them now. I will also place the dishes on the table where they will be served to make sure everything fits and is easy to access.

(Placing dishes in advance makes sure you have enough serving pieces and space)

Make favors: I like to do something a little extra special and out of the ordinary. Planning in advance makes this extra treat simple and fun for all. I wrapped scented candles with fall accents and included a little thank you card to send guests on their way with a little something to remember the evening and let the good time carry through the season.

(Thanksgiving Favors)

(A Thanksgiving favor placed in a basket by the door lets me thank each guest and give a little something special to remember the day)

Prep Guest Rooms: With people staying with us, I made sure that all rooms were clean, had a bottle of water by the bed and fresh towels ready, so I was not pulling together these little extras later while preparing food and entertaining other guests.

 

Monday: (3 days before)

(Bar area for food and beverage)

Prep the Bar: I was doing cocktails and appetizers at the bar, but we had a lot of people. I needed to put an additional dining table in this space as well. I re-arranged the furniture to make a separate eating space for a dinner table and the cocktails appetizer lounge space. Don’t be afraid to move things around and make them work for you. Folding tables make for easy extra dining. Move large furniture into an unused room if necessary.

(Bar area for dining)

(Bar area for drinks and appetizers)

Side Note:

If you are familiar with my other entertaining success secrets you may be questioning why I am going against my number 1 party planning success tip of not putting main “attraction points” like food and beverage together.

People tend to gather where there is food, beverage, or an activity. When these are put near each other, people tend to settle in and not move, thus making it hard to get around and access items. However, with this event and all these people, I chose this option for the 2 hour period of time. I could have put things in the kitchen, but I wanted to keep that space clear of things and people for the time when I needed to finish the turkey and get everything on the table. You need to take into account your space, re-arrange furniture if needed, but make it work for you. It was important for me to have my dining areas set up and looking good, but I didn’t want people sitting there until it was actually time for dinner. I wanted to keep my kitchen clean for me to do the last minute prep, so this was my best option. Separate your food, beverage and activity areas to keep people moving and mingling throughout the party if you can.

Make cheesecake, pecan pie and pumpkin pie: These desserts all hold well, a 3 day shelf life was just fine and got a big chunk of the baking done early.

 

Tuesday: (2 days before)

Apple Pie: fruit pies don’t always hold as well baked and besides I dirtied all my baking gear yesterday with the other desserts. Today I started fresh and finished off the desserts.

Set The Tables:

I had two tables to set to accommodate all the guests. Remember to make this work for you, not everything has to match. Setting table in advance makes sure you have enough serve ware and space for everyone.

(Thanksgiving tables set in advance)

I kept my centerpieces simple. With Thanksgiving, there is lots of food on the table, so I used small pears, mini pumpkins and seeded eucalyptus to add a little color and texture to the table without taking up too much space, not needing to worry about expensive flowers wilting.

(using food as an elegant centerpiece is inexpensive, easy, colorful and nice to enjoy after the party)

 

Make Brine For Turkey

(Brine for Thanksgiving Turkey)

I like to brine my turkey for extra insurance. Brine is basically a flavored salt water solution. The salt in the brine helps flavor the turkey and hold moisture, resulting in tender, well-seasoned meat. Brine does use a lot of salt, but the process only raises the sodium level about 1/8 teaspoon per serving. That is about what guests would sprinkle on themselves anyway, so why not make a juicer, tastier bird to begin with, right? 

Basic Brine For Turkey

• 2 gallons cold water, divided
• 2 cups kosher salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• crushed garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage, allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf

12-14 pound turkey

Heat one gallon of water with the salt, sugar and desired herbs and spices in a large soup pot. Keep heating and stirring until sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove it from heat and add remaining cool water. Allow the brine to cool fully before adding turkey to prevent food-born illness. Let the Turkey soak in the brine for 8 to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, remove turkey from brine quickly, rinse with cold water and pat dry. Cook as desired.

I used a food-safe bucket I got at the local hardware store for $5 to store it in.

Other Prep

• Peal, chop and blanch carrots to store in a zip top plastic bag
• Prep brunch, for example, bake an easy breakfast casserole for the morning
• Prepare dessert sauces
• Vacuum the house
• Clean out the front hall closets and make space for coats and shoes

 

Wednesday (1 day before)

Make Mashed Potatoes: Potatoes are not hard, but they always seem to be messy for me. I like to get them done and all cleaned up the day before. To make service easy and cut down on dishes, I store what I can in foil pans ready to go in the oven next day and get tossed out when finished.

(Advance prep for mashed potatoes, ready to go in the oven for Thanksgiving dinner)

Prep the salad or any other sides: Make dressing for the kale salad: wash clean kale and other accompaniments. Store it in zip lock bags to cut down on dishes.

Prep the Asparagus: Find things to delegate or ask for help with if you can. These asparagus are the most time-consuming items of the entire meal, so I enlisted my husband Joey as my wrapper. Do note that with his assistance I needed more prosciutto as he was snacking while working. Sometimes it is hard to find good help.

(Delegate when you can: my husband Joey helped wrap the asparagus)

Prep the Gravy: Good homemade gravy has flavors that build upon each other. Don’t toss out your turkey neck or any inside guts that may come with your bird. These are great for adding rich depth of flavor to your gravy. Even if adding to store-bought packet gravy, this will make all the difference. Sear the turkey neck; then add some aromatics like onions, celery and carrots. Season with salt and pepper, maybe adding a few herbs like bay leaf, rosemary or sage if you have them of hand. Allow the vegetables to sweat out and get soft; add a little water to hardly cover the ingredients. Let this simmer for 2 hours. Then strain out the neck and vegetables, reserving the liquid. Add this liquid to your drippings and gravy mix the next day. You will love it!

(Simmering turkey neck and aromatics, the base for a good gravy)

Prep Stuffing: It’s all the little things that add up and take more time than expected, so do as much preparing in advance as you can. I used my food processor to help me cut all the celery and onions needed for the stuffing quickly, Sautéed them in butter and mixed with stuffing, holding everything in foil pans for easy cooking and cleaning the next day. I chose not to stuff my turkey as it was in brine, and sometimes brined turkeys can make the stuffing too salty. Not stuffing the turkey also helps it cook faster and ensures less risk of food-born illness.

(Food processors make the prep work of all the chopping faster)

Make filling and stuff mushrooms: As I mentioned before in Thanksgiving Appetizers post (link to article), I didn’t have a recipe for these mushrooms. I made them up using what I had on hand: extra celery and onions from the stuffing mix, some rice as the base, and garlic and herbs to season. I stuffed them beforehand and got them ready to bake the next day.

(Gluten Free Stuffed Mushrooms)

Wash and put turkey in the cooled brine from the day before: Speaking of washing the turkey, I do want to take one moment to talk about keeping the place clean and sanitized. The last thing you want is people getting sick. Be sure after handling raw poultry to clean the counter tops, sinks and handles fully. I love the products below for their effective and safe cleaning ability. Bleach is great, but I don’t like bleach near my food; as for me, the chemicals are just too harsh. A healthy dose of warm soapy water and equal part of the spray of white vinegar and water will do the trick as well.

(Some of my favorite efficient and less toxic cleaning agents perfect for the kitchen)

Clean bathrooms and spot clean any other main places that guests will be in.

 

Thursday:

The day of the event should be reserved just for the finishing touches.

(Thanksgiving Turkey ready for the grill and sous vide)

Here is my Thanksgiving Day Timeline:

10:00 Rinse turkey and pat it dry for cooking. Start sous vide turkey in morning

10:30 Prep candied yams in a pan. Assemble kale salad, whip cream for desserts

11:00 Assemble olive bar and assorted meat and cheese plate. Make popcorn

12:30 Start grill fire for Turkey (15lbs bird done at 3:15 to eat at 4pm)

1:00   Take stuffing and potatoes out of the refrigerator to warm up. Turn ovens on to 400Set up appetizer buffet

1:15   Bake mushrooms and Asparagus. Hold it on warm plates when finished

1:30   Spot clean kitchen, take a few photos, pour a nice glass of wine and admire the job well done before guests arrive

1:40   Drop oven temp to 325 and 375

2:00   Greet guests and put potatoes and stuffing in the 325 oven. Enjoy appetizers

2:30   Heat oil to finish Sous Vide Turkey

3:00   Flash fry sous vide turkey, rest and slice it

Put candied yams in the oven, bake it at 375 for 40 min

Stir and check stuffing and potatoes to make sure they are heating well, adjust temp if needed

Check grilled turkey – it should be almost done – remove it and allow to rest

3:15   Put carrots in the oven to roast

3:30   Put sides in serving dishes, cover them and bring to the table

3:45   Invite guests to make their way to the table. Slice turkey

3:50     Put marshmallows on yams and broil, watch these so they don’t burn

3:55     Bring yams to table and gather remaining guests to enjoy the meal

4:00    Dinner is served

When finished eating, start a load in the dishwasher, package leftovers and slowly get out the desserts.

 

To get your printable Thanksgiving Entertaining and Cooking Guide Checklist, click here. And here are links to the entire Thanksgiving Guide for easy access:

Thanksgiving Guide: How to Plan the Perfect Meal

Step 1: Inviting the Guests

Step 2: Planning the Thanksgiving Menu (Dinner)

Step 2 Continued: Planning the Thanksgiving Menu (Appetizers)

Step 2 Continued: Planning the Thanksgiving Menu (Dessert and the After Party)

Step 3: Preparing in Advance: Thanksgiving Timeline

Bonus: Thanksgiving Entertaining and Cooking Guide Checklist