A Beginner's Guide to Preparing Thankisgiving Dinner

Of all the holiday meals Thanksgiving seems to intimidate more people than any other. Is it the idea of wrestling a rather large bird? Is the different traditional dishes that are expected on Thanksgiving? Maybe it is just the expectations in general. Thanksgiving dinner does not have to be overwhelming.

It is all about having a plan. When planning your Thanksgiving dinner or any other special event you need to start well in advance and then back into the timing. Pick your target time and you are ready to plan.

You will first need a menu. Since this is your first attempt at this we are going to keep this simple. Feel free, of course, to create your own menu or to edit to fit your taste.

Turkey and Stuffing (recipes on box)
Mashed Potatoes (recipe included)
Candied Yams (recipe included)
Green Bean Casserole (recipe included)
Ambrosia (recipe included)
Relish Plate with dip-baby carrots, celery sticks, olives, pickles, radishes (think eye appeal and color)
Cranberry Sauce
Crescent Rolls/Dinner Rolls with butter and jam
Pumpkin Pie with 'Whipped Cream' (recipe included)
Cherry-Orange Punch (recipe included)

Now you need a shopping list-amounts listed for 8-10 servings

Turkey-try to get one with a pop-up so you know when it is done
Stuffing Mix (bread or cornbread) how much will depend on how much you like stuffing and how big your turkey is read the box of stuffing for amounts.
celery
2 onions
potatoes 5#
pint 1/2 and 1/2
4-15 oz cans of green beans
6 oz French's Onion Rings
1 can each mushroom soup and cream of chicken
lg can of yams
2 15 oz cans fruit cocktail
small can manderin oranges
mini marshmellows
2 pkgs. gravy mix
3 liter lemon-lime soda
packette of cherry drink mix
lg frozen oj
15 oz crushed pineapple
shredded sweetened coconut
2-8 oz or 1-16oz containers whipped topping (ie Cool Whip)
Marchino cherries
bag of baby carrots
broad leaf lettuce/parsley (garnish)
fresh orange (garnish)
olives black and green
pickles-bread and butter, dill, and sweet
2-16 oz sour cream
Dip mix (any flavor-green onion, french onion, ranch etc.)
or buy 8oz sour cream (for the mashed potatoes) and a 16oz ready made dip
2 cans cranberry relish (jelled, whole, or maybe one of each if you aren't sure what everyone likes)
pumpkin pie (from a bakery or frozen)
Crescent Rolls (deli section)
Dinner Rolls (brown and serve/bakery)
Butter/Jam

(I prefer home made and it is an easy pie to make. If you would like to try your hand at baking one or two you need to add the following things to your list. No shame if you opt out for pre-made though.)

1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 12 oz evaporated (not condensed) milk
cinnamon, ginger, cloves
frozen deep dish pie crust (they come in 2's so if you want to use both just double the above ingrediants.
eggs)

You will be needing a few other items.

A large cooking bag
roasting pan (disposible are nice-no scrubbing)
turkey lacing kit (opt)
serving platters, utensils, dishes and tableware including table covering.

You may want to borrow some things and for other things maybe look at your local $1 stores. I tend to stick to plain and clear dishes and plates so as to let the food do the shining. Think about your table dressing and of course dinnerware etc. Start gathering all these thing well in advance.

This can be as fancy as you want it to be. Buffet style or served by your French maid, it is up to you. You can use your grandmother's best china or disposible plates. If you go disposible route don't skimp. Nobody wants your wonderful dinner on the floor.

We are now ready for the final count down. You will need to go shopping at least 4-6 days before the big day. Most turkeys are frozen and on an average need about 3-5 days (24 hours for each 5 lbs.) to defrost safely in the refrigerater. Make sure before you go shopping you have 'eaten' the frig down to the bare essentials. You will need all the room you can find.

Read your turkey. Well maybe I should say read the bag that the turkey is in. There will safe handling instructions and defrosting tips.

2 Days Before

make homemade pie(s)
mix punch base and put in freezer
refrigerate the soda and the cranbery sauces,

1 Day Before

make the Ambrosia
mix dip if you didn't buy it pre-made
assemble the yams
make the stuffing (DO NO STUFF THE TURKEY YET). Recipes are on the box. Some years I make it very very simple.
assemble the green bean casserole
double check how long your bird will need to be in the oven and add about 20 minutes for it to 'set-up' before carving and make a note of when the bird needs to go into the pre-heated oven. Example: If you want to eat at 3pm and it will take 2 hours for your stuffed bird to cook you would need to turn your oven on at 12:20 and put the turkey in at 12:30 removing it at 2:30 and it will be ready to carve at 3pm.

The Big Day: Target Time 3 pm

First thing on your list-DO NOT PANIC and eat something. You have a busy day ahead of you in a warm kitchen and a trip to the emergency room because you fainted and bumped your head will not get the meal on the table on time.

10:00 assemble the relish plate(s). Use the broad leaf lettuce and parsley to garnish. Cover with clear wrap/foil at put in frig.

10:30 peel potatoes, cut into quarters, put in large pot, cover with salted water (approx. 12-14 potatoes 1 T salt).

11:00 Catch up on dishes. It is not a bad idea to always keep a sink of soapy water and wash as you go. Sit down go over
your list, have a cup of coffee. It is almost time to wrestle the turkey.

11:45 Prepare the cooking bag according the the instructions on the box. Place the bag in the roasting pan and on a cookie
sheet. Place a large clean towel by the sink. Place the bird in the sink and cut open the bag.

Inside the bird there will be a bag of organs and the neck. Wash the neck and put it in a pan with water. You can add
the heart and the giblets. This is totally optional. If you do decide to use them you just need to bring to a boil and
simmer. Be sure and watch and add water to the pot as needed.

Wash the bird. Place on the towel and pat dry. Loosely stuff the bird in both cavities. Be sure and take the clamp off
the legs. Lacing the turkey is optional, though some would disagree with me on that one.

12:20 Turn on the oven as directed on the baking bag directions. Place turkey into the bag following again the package
directions. Don't forget the slit in the bag for a vent.

12:30 Put turkey in the oven. No need to baste the bird when using a bag. One less thing to worry about.

1:00 Plate the relish using the broad leaf lettuce as a base and thin slices of orange for garnish. Plate the jam and
butter.

2:00 Make the gravy. Set aside.

2:20 Turn on the potatoes and boil for approx. 20 minutes until fork tender. Drain immediatly, put back into the pot and
cover with a towel. Shape crescent rolls, place on cookie sheet, and set aside. Check baking time for both kinds of
rolls. They will most likely be the last thing to go into the oven.

2:30 Finish making the punch. Remove the neck use 2 forks to take the meat of, chop ant other organs you cooked. Set
aside.

2:30 Turkey should be ready to come out of the oven. Transfer the stuffing to a bowl immediately. As soon as the bird is
out put in the yams and the green bean casserole. If you have double ovens you can start this stuff about 10-15
minutes earlier. You may want to save the dripping and make more gravy later.

2:45 Remove foil from green bean casserole to brown top.

2:50 Mash to potatoes (cover with heavy towel and keep over very low heat), put out the relish plate, cranberry sauce, jam
and butter and the ambrosia. Reheat gravy and add neck meat mixture.

2:55 Take yams and green beans out. Turn up the oven to boil. Arrange marshmellow on the yams. Watch them very
carefully until they are toasty golden brown. Turn the oven down to suggested temp as directed on the crescent roll
and dinner rolls. If the are different temps/times I split the difference.

3:00 Time to carve the bird, plate the mashed potatoes, and bring the yams and green beans to the table/buffet. Don't
forget the rolls.

All you have to do now is to save room for pie and get ready for the left-overs and if you work it right the dishes will be taken care of by someone else.

Mashed Potatoes

12-14 cooked hot potatoes, add 1 cube real butter, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup 1/2 & 1/2 (warmed in the microwave). I use a hand mixer but some prefer a hand masher. Add milk mixture slowly. Add garlic and onion powder to taste. Garnish with a pat of butter and sprig of parsley.

Candied Yams

Drained yams and place in 9 x 9 pan. Dot with butter, sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cover with foil.

Green Bean Casserole

4 (15 ounce) cans green beans, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken and mushroom soup
10 3/4 fluid ounces milk
1 (6 ounce) can French fried onions
salt and pepper to taste
Worchester to taste (opt)

In a large bowl, mix the green beans with the soup and milk. Gently stir in half the French fried onions. Transfer to a non-greased 9x13 inch baking dish, and season with salt and pepper. Top with remaining French fried onions.

Ambrosia

Pour the fruit cocktail, crushed pineapple, manderine oranges, and marchino cherries in a colander to drain. Set aside a few cherries in the jar for garnish. When all the fruit is drained put into a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup shredded coconut, and either 1/2 of a large whipped topping container or one small one and fold into the fruit mix. Store in a covered container.

Pumpkin Pie

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped topping (optional) sprinkle with cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large mixing bowl, stir together white sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
When these ingredients are well mixed, stir in the eggs followed by the pumpkin and milk.
Transfer mixture to the pie crust. Cover the edges of the crust with foil to avoid burning it.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 1/2 hours

I personally up all the spices. Again a personal preference. In our family two of us liked theirs ice cold and two warm so we always had at least two pies.

Cherry-Orange punch

Prepare the cherry drink according to the directions. Add the orange concentrate and 2 1/2 cans of water. Mix and pour into freezer 3 gallon size ziplocks and freeze.
About 30 minutes before serving empty into serving/punch bowl and pour about 1/3 of the chilled lemon-lime drink over the top.

We all like the old stand-by of hot turkey sandwiches and soups etc. but our all time favorite is a cold turkey sandwich with a twist.

sliced turkey
dill pickle slices,sprouts, mayo
and here's the twist-cranberry sauce

Here are a couple of helpful links:

http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/hometips/dhp/Turkey.htm
http://www.butterball.com/en/files/PDF/Top_Notch_Turkey_tips.PDF#search=%22butterball%20turkey%20tips%22