Tips for preparing your feast-

[copwife]

Do you do something that saves you time preparing your Thanksgiving feast? Or do you just have a simple tip for the first time prepares?

Here is mine- Oven roasting bags and a disposable roasting pan. These are my staples. I spend enough time with cleanup/dishes, and with a disposable pan, you can pick that turkey clean and throw the rest away!

Anyone else?

 

[fox2star]

Crock pot mashed potatoes!

I do the potatoes about 3 hours before dinner, mash and put into an already warmed crock pot ( put about an inch or 2 of water in it,cover and keep on High). I spray the sides with Pam, then put the mashed potatoes in and turn on low. This keeps them warm and ready to serve. We do dinner buffet style so I just put the crock and all on the table plugged in. If you are doing family style, you can remove the crock and use it on the table.

I like this because I am not frantically mashing potatoes while guests are milling around etc

Deb

 

[story1267]

I do as much as possible the day before -

bake and mash my squash
break up the bread for stuffing
fish the neck out of the turkey and make my stock for the stuffing and the gravy
saute my chopped onion and celery for the stuffing

I love Deb's idea about putting the mashers in the crock pot! That leaves a burner free for all the last minute blanching of green beans and creation of the all-important gravy.

 

[L Sass]

Here is an unhealthy YUM-O! We brine our bird and then do this. Melt 3 sticks butter and add in one bottle white wine. Keep this mix on a low burner. Soak a cheese cloth in this mixture and place it over the bird as you begin to cook. Every half an hour, baste with the balance of the buttery wine mixture. So tender and so flavorful!

Lorrie
www.picturetrail.com/lsass

 

[lainiefig]

I also do as much as possible the day before. The night before I line up all the pots, pans, or baking dishes I'll be using, set the ingredients for each dish alongside it's pot (except for what is in the fridge, of course) and set the recipe next to it. I also have a nice list made out of what I'll be making, how long it will take to make, when I'll start, etc.

Some of you already knew I was anal retentive with the lists and so forth.

[font face="comic sans ms" font color=purple]***Lainie***
My fitness blog: http://fitnessfig.blogspot.com/ http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/7.gif[/font]

 

[delfin]

How's this tip: let another family member prepare the feast for you. My DH and DD LOVE thanksgiving food, while I'm kinda luke warm about the whole turkey, stuffing, potato meal (much rather have a roasted salmon or something like that). So they volunteer to cook up the meal!!

 

[alsrnbsn]

My favorite is not just used for Thanksgiving, but all year around....I don't roast a whole turkey for just DH and myself, but just the turkey breast. We all know just how dry the turkey breast can be, but I find that if I toss the frozen breast in the crockpot and put it on high for a couple of hours, then drop it to low for the rest of the cooking, it comes out super moist and flavorful.

Heck, I'm munching on some turkey I did this way right now!

Oh, and I used to also do my dressing in the crockpot, but I found that it doesn't get that nice, crunchy crust on top. It just has the texture of a souffle (not what I'm looking for in dressing!)

 

[nancy324]

Here's my best tips:
1. Drive to Mom's house
2. Enjoy!

:+ :+ :+ :+ :+

 

[Miss Lee]

>Here's my best tips:
>1. Drive to Mom's house
>2. Enjoy!
>
>:+ :+ :+ :+ :+


Bwahahahahaha!!!

 

[Govtgirl]

I love the mashed potatoes in the crock pot trick! I'm doing that this year!

Like everyone else, I make as much as I can the day before, but I do a "bulk preparation": chopping up 5 onions because I know I'll use them in the quiche, stuffing, etc, making up a quart of bechamel sauce, etc. Saves a lot of time.

Also, for the day-after-TDay-breakfast, I've got a new favorite that can be made ahead of time: French toast casserole with praline topping, and "Cracker Barrel" hash brown casserole. YUM!!

 

[tneah]

Oh dear, that french toast casserole sounds too yummy!:9 So does the Cracker Barrel dish.

Am I the only one that feels like they spend half of their lives in a grocery store? Granted, we have people here all the time, but sheesh, I am constantly there buying, buying food and more food. I sometimes feel like I run a catering business! We are having my folks and step daughter down for the holiday, and I try and make everyone's favorite dish, which means I inevitably forget ingredients and have to run back to the store.

I have no words of wisdom, Oh! Yes I do in fact. I read that Rachel Ray said if you love a crispy skin on your bird, crank up the oven as high as it will go, then when you put the turkey in, turn down the oven to the regular temperature.

Double up your disposable cooking pans-less chance of you eating your bird off the floor!

If your drippings are burnt(the stuff you use for gravy) put equal amounts of butter and flour in a saucepan, add stock, salt and pepper-stir and yum!

Boy, that Rachel knows her stuff huh?

Tneahs holdiay tip: Start drinking as soon as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts!:7

 

[copwife]

"Tneahs holdiay tip: Start drinking as soon as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts!"


Hey, bet this one will make the food taste better also.:7

 

[lainiefig]

>"Tneahs holdiay tip: Start drinking as soon as the Macy's
>Thanksgiving Day Parade starts!"
>
>
>Hey, bet this one will make the food taste better also.:7

Maybe I should try this on my husband--start him drinking early enough that he won't notice what I've cooked or not. Except that he holds his alcohol way too well. And he'll look for leftovers after he sobers off. I guess there's no hope I can get out of cooking.

[font face="comic sans ms" font color=purple]***Lainie***
My fitness blog: http://fitnessfig.blogspot.com/ http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/7.gif[/font]

 

[MSJ]

I love the crockpot potato idea and I love Lorrie's basting with cheesecloth, wine and butter idea, but I'm the one doing those dishes this year. I'll have to file those ideas away though. And yes! to disposable pans.

I'll start my cooking tonight (sugar cookie dough) and do a little each day until Wednesday, when major preparations will begin and Thursday will be insanely busy.

I've delegated the turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, and green veg to my wonderful MIL and drinks and rolls and veggie tray to various other guests. I'm doing the rest of the sides and desserts (my favorite). Oh and it's at our house and so we have to clean and decorate.

I use pretty thanksgiving theme paper plates,cups,napkins and plastic flatware. I tell you I'm so exhausted by the time dinner is over that the last thing I want to do is wash a bunch of dishes. Paper plates are a must on major holidays when one has a crowd and there are so many pretty ones available now. Besides I don't have any nice regular stuff that matches for so many people.

Maggie
I'm stalling on that dough....

 

[lederr]

my fail-safe best time saving tip every year...run the atlanta turkey day half marathon, then lie around and use as an excuse not to help with the cooking but let DF do it. remind him that he did not run 13.1 miles that morning.

 

[tneah]

Lorie, you are such a stud!:7 Wow! 13.1 miles, I used to run and trained for a half, never did it, but I can die a happy woman knowing in my lifetime I actually ran 13 miles-twice!:7

 

[andtckrtoo]

Brine your turkey. I bought a cheap Safeway bird and brined it in an Apple Juice/Apple cider brine and it was fabulous!! One of the best turkeys I have ever made. (we had our family Thanksgiving Dinner last night, so I'm done with the major cooking!). Oh, and use a disposable aluminum pan. Makes clean up so much easier!

 

[copwife]

Those of you that brine your turkey

Could you share your recipe/instructions? I would love to try this.

Thanks

 

[andtckrtoo]

RE: Those of you that brine your turkey

Happy to Michelle

I had a 12 pound turkey and I used 1/2 gallon apple cider, 1/2 gallon apple juice, 1.5 cups of salt and 2 cups of water. I mixed the brine up first. Then I line a big soup pan with an XL plastic bag, put the turkey in and poured the brine on top, making sure the turkey was covered. Sealed the bag, removing the extra air, and used a rubber band to secure it so the turkey could not float up. I let it sit for 24 hours, then when I was ready to start prepping for dinner, I took it out and thoroughly rinsed it. Stuffed it, and baked it. I had it completely covered in aluminum foil the first hour, then I pulled that off. Because of the sugar in the apple juice, it did brown more than my turkeys normally do, but it was sooo good.

There are a lot of different recipes for brining on the internet. This was kind of a hodgepodge of recipes and what I had on hand. It worked well. Add cider and/or juice and more salt if you have a bigger bird.

 

[Poochy]

<<<< "Tneahs holdiay tip: Start drinking as soon as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade starts" >>>>>

I second that!!! {{ clink }}

First of all the grocery store list is a must .. I make my list .. plan on getting everything in one trip .. upon going home I notice that I am missing a key ingredient to a dish .. go back the next day to get the ingredient ..this continues every day/night leading up to Thanksgiving .. then on THE day I usually end up realizing I STILL forgot something else ... then the frantic phone calls to relatives begins... to see if just by chance they have said missing ingredient .....

This year {{ crosses fingers }}...I am hoping I have everything .. I fought the grocery store today .. will check tonight to see just what I have inevitabley forgotten!

:+