My thanksgiving Menu and Plan (Plus Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving Planner)
By JULIE - 6:58:00 PM
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I use to always try to make something different every year (that means experimental), but I've learned it's usually not worth the effort to go to far from the basics. Also it's better to just make a lot of the basics, rather then having lots of dishes to chose from. It's a lot less work and less overwhelming for guests.
Here's my menu of what I'm serving this year:
My Menu
Snacks (always good to have in case the turkey takes to long):
raw unsalted nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds) and olives (for my niece). I did chocolate pretzel peanut butter bites last year and they we're actually to big of a hit, everyone filled up on them before diner and were not very hungry for the huge feast I made.
Drinks:
Organic Crockpot Apple Cider
Naturally Sugar free Berry Iced Tea
Meal:
sides Asiago, garlic mashed potatoes, sweet and spicy mashed sweet potatoes, , stuffing, carrots and squash, cherry cranberry mint sauce,
bread sweet potato biscuits,
Main Brined Turkey with spiced butter (from Martha Stewart's Planner)
Gravy I plan to make it from scratch but bought some from Whole foods as a back up just incase
Desserts:
Raw pie crust (same as in my raw cheese cake recipe), filled by organic chocolate pudding pie mix and topped with chocolate shavings (recipe will be posted soon)
White Chocolate pie
My Weekly Planner
Wed (the week before) Make Sweet potato Biscuits and freeze
Thursday (the week before) Make pies and freeze
Fri (the week before)
make bread as filler for stuffing (10z isn't enough) I use a bag mix from local health stores and add some of my own bread I make to it as filler
Sat
Shopping Buy 16 lb Turky and place in fridge (it takes 4-5 days to defrost) (be aware of
possible blood leakage)
light
cleaning (so it's not so bad on Wed)
Fill pantry items
and salt and pepper shakers
Monday
Pick up any
remaining ingredients from the store
Fill all ice trays
we have
Take sausage out of
freezer
Mince onions, and celery (for stuffing )
Make Spiced herb
butter (3/4 of a stick) and cinnamon honey butter spread
2 days before
(Tues night)
Chop up about 2 lbs
of carrots and squash and put into a plastic bag
Make cranberry sauce
Do all dishes (make
sure serving-wear is cleaned), clean kitchen
pull out table
Day before (Wed)
Brine the Turkey: according to Cook's Illustrated If you have room in your refrigerator, brine
the turkey this afternoon, dry it off, and leave it uncovered in the
refrigerator overnight (at least 8 hours). Roasting an air-dried turkey
makes for exceptionally crisp skin
Take out biscuits from freezer to counter
Take out biscuits from freezer to counter
Make Sweet potatoes
and place in a dish to heat in oven
Make Stuffing
Chop up potatoes and
put in water
Clean roasting pan
and put tin foil down
Do all dishes, clean
kitchen
Take out trash and recycling
Set up card table in
kitchen for food buffet (napkins and paper plates, plates, candle, etc.)
Clean Mr cat’s
litter box
Make sure drinks are
in the fridge or basement
Make sure room for
peoples shoes
Clean bathroom
Vacuum, set up
table, clean coffee table
juice apple juice for crockpot cider and clean juicer put juice in crockpot in fridge
make iced tea in
pitcher
Thanksgiving day
Here's what I wrote last year: (Our Turkey is 14 lbs stuffed it should take 3-5 hrs depending on your
source my experience in past years is that it took 5 hrs with a stuffed
Turkey on 350 degrees to reach 170 degrees, so I am assuming 6 hrs this
year and if it starts getting close to being done to early I will put
the oven on low or warm. I'd rather have it ready on time then have
hungry guest waiting for hours to eat)
6:00 take out Turkey
from refrigerator take out neck and gizzards (keep for making Turkey stock) Pre heat oven. Make coffee for me.
6:30 Take stuffing
out and add eggs, and stuff Turkey, add carrots, squash and broth or water to
bottom of pan and tinfoil
6:45 – 7:00 put
Turkey in oven as soon as you can (425 for first hour 350 after)
basting every hour, keep adding water or broth if necessary
12:00 check Turkey
temp if close to done. (According to Cook's Illustrated when the thickest part of the breast should register 165 degrees and the
thickest part of the thigh 170-175 degrees). If it is done bring temp of oven to 300degrees or lower depending on how close to done it is.
Set table before guest arrive.
12:30-1:00 should be
done (6 hrs of cooking time if it is done or close to being done
bring temp down again)
12:30 start cooking
mashed potatoes, depending on when guests are arriving, reheat sweet
potatoes in small oven on low (we have a double oven). Start whisking broth, butter and flour as a base for gravy and add drippings as soon as I can.
1:30
(I gave 2 hr
lean way time if done early just have on warm) start carving turkey,
and reheat gravy on the stove (if I have to use my back up store bought) and mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and stuffing in the oven on 325
degrees for 30 min.
2:00 should be ready
to eat.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'll be adding more Thanksgiving recipes soon so check back often.
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