Emergency Thanksgiving Holiday Shopping List, Menu and Recipes

Congratulations, you're hosting the Thanksgiving fest this year. Nervous? Well don't be; here's a surefire planner for shopping, preparation and cooking with grocery list recipes and timetable.

Supply List: (for a party of 6)

large foil roasting pan with handles
4 disposable baking pans with lids
heavy duty aluminum foil
turkey ( 2# per guest)
3 16 oz bags frozen or 4 cans cut green beans
2 cans mushroom soup
1 large can french fried onions
one large sweet potato per person
1 # bag brown sugar
2 # stick butter (2 boxes)
one can orange juice concentrate
1 24 oz loaf of white bread
one large onion
one stalk of celery
one can chicken broth
one bag fresh cranberries
one can refrigerator biscuits
5 # white round potatoes
frozen pies (any flavor you like) or use recipes for pumpkin custard, Dutch Apple pie
whipped topping
one cup white sugar
one and 1/2 - 2 cups of milk
flour for gravy (1/4 cup)
sage
garlic powder
salt
pepper

Timetable:

If you can, try to do these tasks on Tuesday;Wednesday if necessary.

Thaw turkey in refrigerator.
Use up leftovers.
Clean out refrigerator.
Shop.
Use large blunt bread knife to cube loaf of bread ( cut four slices both ways).
Spread bread cubes in a single layer to dry out. Cover loosely with towel. (Protect from pets and kids who for some reason love bread cubes.)

Wednesday or Thursday if necessary. I use ITMT (In the Mean Time) to mean 'do this while another process is taking place. This helps you to multi-task and get a lot done at once.

Bake pies (Save boxes and put baked pie back in box. They will keep for one day.)

ITMT: Set two large pans or kettles filled about two inches with water to boil. You will add more water later but they will boil faster with less water.

ITMT: Wash and poke white potatoes with fork.
Wash sweet potatoes.
Add sweet and white potatoes to each pan. Add about two more inches of water. Cover.
Boil with skins until you can easily poke with fork. White potatoes: 20-30 minutes, sweet potatoes: 45.

ITMT: Rinse cranberries.
Place in sauce pan with one cup of water and one cup of sugar.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat: simmer about 40 minutes.
Berries will begin to pop and whistle as they soften.

**ITMT: Skip this step unless you want to add turkey giblets to stuffing:
Remove turkey from refrigerator.
Remove packaging. From chart on wrapping, calculate cooking time based on size of bird and when you plan to eat.
Remove giblets bag from neck cavity if you have not done so already.
Remove tail from tail cavity.
Rinse all giblets except liver.
Place neck, tail and all giblets except liver in small sauce pan.
Simmer until tender.

ITMT: Rinse entire bird, including cavities to get any ice out.
Place bird in foil pan with lift out handles.
Cover loosely with foil.
Return to refrigerator

ITMT: In a large frying pan, melt 2 sticks of butter on low, for stuffing.
Season with one teaspoon of sage, black pepper and marjoram if you have it.
Watch it as butter burns easily.

ITMT: Pare and chop onion.
Add to melted butter.
Wash, pare and chop celery
Add to onion and butter.
Simmer until vegetables are tender.

ITMT: Drain and cool white and sweet potatoes in cold water until you can handle them without getting burned.

ITMT: In a saucepan, melt four sticks of margarine for sweet potato sauce.
Add one pound of Brown sugar and one can orange juice.
Blend and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thickened.

ITMT: Place dried bread cubes in a large mixing bowl.
Pour butter, onion and celery sauce over bread.
Add can of chicken broth.
Blend until butter and broth have soaked into bread.
Place stuffing in baking dish.
Refrigerate over night. (Stuffing is best if it marinates overnight. After you stuff the bird, you will have extra stuffing. Bake this separately in baking dish.)

ITMT: Remove skins from sweet potatoes.
Arrange in one baking dish.
Set aside.

Remove skins from white potatoes
Place in a large bowl.
Mash with potato masher or fork until smooth.
Return to pan with two sticks of butter, one cup of milk, salt and pepper.
Heat on low and blend all ingredients, stirring constantly.
Pour into disposable baking dish.
Cool, cover and refrigerate.

ITMT: Pour orange brown sugar sauce over sweet potatoes
Cool, cover.
Place in refrigerator on top of white potatoes.

ITMT: Pour cranberry sauce into baking dish.
Cool, cover and refrigerate.

**ITMT: If you opted out of the giblet stuffing, now follow all steps to prepare turkey, except to simmer giblets. Toss them out or give to animals.

On Thanksgiving Day:

Remove bird from pan.
Fill neck and tail cavities with stuffing.
Replace in pan and cover loosely with foil again.
Place in oven on 325 degrees.
Bake leftover stuffing in baking dish with turkey.

ITMT: Rinse and drain green beans.
Place in baking dish.
Mix with two cans of mushroom soup.
Season with pepper.
Top with French fried onions.
Bake about 30 minutes with turkey.
Bake rolls or biscuits.

ITMT: Bake cold mashed white potatoes if you have room in oven.
In the last 30 minutes of baking turkey, remove foil and increase heat to 400 to brown.
Add sweet potatoes at this time and bake for 30 minutes.
Remover turkey from oven when timer pops up.
Let turkey sit for 15 minutes before you cut.

Enjoy your labors and your family. Happy Thanksgiving!