Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner Planning Ideas For An Enjoyable Day!
Thursday, October 30th, 2008![]() The American Patriot’s Treasury of Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas: Old-World Table Settings, Recipes, Games, Hand Crafts, and Party Ideas for Cultural Enrichment and Pleasure |
I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving Day preparations had me at my wits end by the time the family sat down to dinner. It was an all-day episode, launching with prepping the turkey at the crack of dawn and winding down with a flurry of last minute bustle.
Checking each dish for proper flavouring, it seemed like I’d been smelling and tasting the whole day. At last, after many years of this chaos, I was given a do-ahead cookbook, which filled my head with lots of thanksgiving dinner planning ideas! These days, the most stressful thing I have to do on Thanks Giving Day is popping the bird in the oven and making some coffee afterwards. Below are some tips for simple and tasty Thanksgiving dinner menu ideas.
As an alternative to tackling the mammoth job of moving all the food in the frig to free up some space for that massive bird, try this idea from a seasoned Naval cook. Only collect your frozen bird at the store the day before the big day. (Make sure you order ahead of time!) Fill up a big cooler with plenty cold water to cover the turkey. Close the lid and just before you go to bed, turn over the bird. The bird should be ready for cooking by morning. This system has been used for years and requires very little effort.
If you’ve ever wondered why the bird didn’t cook according to the time given on the packaging directions. Opening the oven to baste the bird is why. This thanks giving dinner idea is a gem. Melt a stick of butter and add some seasonings. Slip your fingers between the skin of the turkey breast and leg, gently lifting the skin clear of the meat. Put the turkey on end and tip the butter down between the skin and meat, using your (washed!) fingers to spread the butter. Set the bird breast side up on a rack, wrap with foil and set it in the oven. The bird should baste itself. Fail-safe.
A large amount traditional Thanksgiving pies, like mincemeat and pumpkin, are ideal do-aheads. Just freeze, remove and thaw the day before and bake the evening before Thanksgiving Day. The same goes for bread rolls and biscuits.
As your pies bake, prepare any vegetables you’ll use in your stuffing. Flavour and put in a bag in the fridge until morning. Clean and boil potatoes, then bag them for mashing tomorrow. Cranberry sauce? This can be cooking while you’re chopping.
Great Thanksgiving feast ideas have one thing in common – a reduced work load and more thanks giving on T-Day! Do-ahead appetizers are often the most involved and delicious. Search for recipes online that good with your menu and likes and dislikes. Buy these items a couple of weeks before hand and spend a Sunday get ready these appetizers. Put them on ice and forget until the big day. As you prep the turkey, bake your snacks.
These Thanksgiving meal ideas leaves plenty of time for meet & greet and chatting, with a scrumptious banquet everyone adores!
