Early Planning Tips For Your Thanksgiving Dinner
Written by kmcgra
Saturday, 27 September 2008
We were out for a drive last Sunday morning. Along the side of the road we came upon a gaggle of wild turkeys. There were 20 to 30 of them shuffling along the road. I wish I had my camera because they were just a few feet from my car. There was no place for them to run since they were cut-off, between my car, and a steep hill. Once they found a gap on the hillside, they all shot up into the woods. This got me thinking...
Thinking about Thanksgiving Day! Turkey Day is nearly here!
Looking at those wild turkeys made me really wish for some turkey.
I think turkey is one of the better tasting poultry meats. It is better than chicken, and it is not overly expensive. It seems like it still loses out to chicken when you think about how often Americans consume poultry.Yes, sometimes it can be dry. But if your bird ends up to dry, you can take the turkey carcass, and place it in the pot and make a delicious soup.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter are the only days many Americans eat turkey. There may be some folks that like a turkey club sandwich every once in a while, but that is about it. Perhaps the work that goes into preparing a roast turkey on Thanksgiving Day gives the impression that it is more difficult make turkey than chicken. The stress of having guests for the holidays, preparing the stuffing, and all of the side dishes that go along with the meal, places turkey on the back burner for the remainder of the year. Why would you want to go through that more than once a year?
When you think about it, preparing a Thanksgiving meal really is not all that much difficult then making dinner any other time of the year. The only real difference that I see is the quantity of food we prepare. We make much more of it on Thanksgiving, and serve many more side dishes than normal. Most of the stress and strife can all be alleviated with just a little prior planning.
Most people start a week before the big meal to start getting ready. But if you start even earlier, say, like a month, than you will find yourself in good shape for once you start plating your dishes. But what kind of things can you get accomplished a month ahead of Thanksgiving? Here are a few things I plan on trying this year.
Shop Early
Last year, there was a run on stuffing at our local grocery store, They actually ran out of stuffing! People were going nuts. Running their carts up and down the aisle, slamming into each other. Shouting. Even a couple of days ahead of Thanksgiving! We drove around to several different places to find a one that had stuffing. I got a little nervous, and even started thinking about how I was going to make it from scratch. It's not hard, I just was not excited about the prospect of making something for the first time without trying to get it right before guests start arriving at my doorstep. Luckily, in the end we found our trusty bag of Pepperidge Farm stuffing.
Stuffing is something you can pick up early. It will keep for a while in the pantry. There are also other items to buy well before hand. For example, canned goods, like cranberry, (if you like the Jello stuff), or potatoes. Make a list of things you thing you can store ahead of time.
Shop Often
Take a walk through the aisles and really take a look at ingredients in the store. If you do this a month ahead of time, you will not be caught up in the rush to get it done the day or two before the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Take a walk up and down the aisles and let you mind wander and try to come up with different ideas. If you think of something, get the ingredients and take them home.
Try cooking different things ahead of time
Experiment in the kitchen a little bit. Who says you can't buy a couple of turkeys at a time. Make one a month or two early. Try to perfect your roast turkey. Or maybe try to deep fry one. If you cook one or two birds ahead of time, then you will not be too stressed out on turkey day because you will have it down to a science. Try making other dishes as well. I think just might try to make my stuffing from scratch this year.
Other things to consider
Think of how many people will you invite. Where will they eat? Is there enough room at your table? Will you need an extra table for the kids? Do you even have an extra table? Chairs? Will you need a new table cloth? How about candles. Silverware. Glassware? Get all this shopping out of the way early. Why would you want to rush out to the department store a day before Thanksgiving because you forgot that your finest serving platter broke last year and you need a new one.
Get all of these little things out of the way weeks before Thanksgiving arrives, and enjoy the bird!
Thinking about Thanksgiving Day! Turkey Day is nearly here!
Looking at those wild turkeys made me really wish for some turkey.
I think turkey is one of the better tasting poultry meats. It is better than chicken, and it is not overly expensive. It seems like it still loses out to chicken when you think about how often Americans consume poultry.Yes, sometimes it can be dry. But if your bird ends up to dry, you can take the turkey carcass, and place it in the pot and make a delicious soup.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter are the only days many Americans eat turkey. There may be some folks that like a turkey club sandwich every once in a while, but that is about it. Perhaps the work that goes into preparing a roast turkey on Thanksgiving Day gives the impression that it is more difficult make turkey than chicken. The stress of having guests for the holidays, preparing the stuffing, and all of the side dishes that go along with the meal, places turkey on the back burner for the remainder of the year. Why would you want to go through that more than once a year?
When you think about it, preparing a Thanksgiving meal really is not all that much difficult then making dinner any other time of the year. The only real difference that I see is the quantity of food we prepare. We make much more of it on Thanksgiving, and serve many more side dishes than normal. Most of the stress and strife can all be alleviated with just a little prior planning.
Most people start a week before the big meal to start getting ready. But if you start even earlier, say, like a month, than you will find yourself in good shape for once you start plating your dishes. But what kind of things can you get accomplished a month ahead of Thanksgiving? Here are a few things I plan on trying this year.
Shop Early
Last year, there was a run on stuffing at our local grocery store, They actually ran out of stuffing! People were going nuts. Running their carts up and down the aisle, slamming into each other. Shouting. Even a couple of days ahead of Thanksgiving! We drove around to several different places to find a one that had stuffing. I got a little nervous, and even started thinking about how I was going to make it from scratch. It's not hard, I just was not excited about the prospect of making something for the first time without trying to get it right before guests start arriving at my doorstep. Luckily, in the end we found our trusty bag of Pepperidge Farm stuffing.
Stuffing is something you can pick up early. It will keep for a while in the pantry. There are also other items to buy well before hand. For example, canned goods, like cranberry, (if you like the Jello stuff), or potatoes. Make a list of things you thing you can store ahead of time.
Shop Often
Take a walk through the aisles and really take a look at ingredients in the store. If you do this a month ahead of time, you will not be caught up in the rush to get it done the day or two before the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Take a walk up and down the aisles and let you mind wander and try to come up with different ideas. If you think of something, get the ingredients and take them home.
Try cooking different things ahead of time
Experiment in the kitchen a little bit. Who says you can't buy a couple of turkeys at a time. Make one a month or two early. Try to perfect your roast turkey. Or maybe try to deep fry one. If you cook one or two birds ahead of time, then you will not be too stressed out on turkey day because you will have it down to a science. Try making other dishes as well. I think just might try to make my stuffing from scratch this year.
Other things to consider
Think of how many people will you invite. Where will they eat? Is there enough room at your table? Will you need an extra table for the kids? Do you even have an extra table? Chairs? Will you need a new table cloth? How about candles. Silverware. Glassware? Get all this shopping out of the way early. Why would you want to rush out to the department store a day before Thanksgiving because you forgot that your finest serving platter broke last year and you need a new one.
Get all of these little things out of the way weeks before Thanksgiving arrives, and enjoy the bird!
Last Updated ( Saturday, 27 September 2008 )
