Cooking Your First Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving Dinner

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time is intimidating to say the least.  What to make, when to make it, in what order do things need to happen and what recipe to use are all questions that have to be answered.  Here I provide a shopping list, timeline, recipes and a logical and practical order in which to prepare everything to make your dinner a sucess and impress your guests.

What to make:

Traditional and Simple-

Turkey
Mashed potatoes
Gravy*
Dressing*
Vegetable*
Desert*
Cranberry Sauce*

*Please see recipes below for these items

Timeline:

Four days before Thanksgiving

          Grocery Shopping

                 buy: Turkey, frozen (if using fresh then buy two days in advance)
                         10# bag of Yukon gold potatoes
                          1# real butter (quarter sticks work well)
                          1- bag of cooking onions (yellow or spanish)

                          Cranberry Sauce
                          1-package of fresh cranberries
                          1-orange (navel or otherwise)

                          Roasted Vegetables
                          3# bag of carrots
                          1-container of white mushrooms
                          1-bulb fennel (optional)

                          Homemade Stuffing
                          1- bunch of celery
                          2-large loaves of cheap white bread
                          4 small or 2 large cans chicken or turkey broth
                          poultry seasoning, rubbed sage

                          Apple Pie recipe
                          pre-made pie crusts, deep dish, (two pack=one pie)
                          Five or six Granny Smith or Honey Crisp apples

                          Lemon Meringue Pie
                         1-bottle of lemon juice (not the small yellow plastic lemon)
                         1-lemon

                          Have on-hand sugar, salt, pepper, oil (olive or vegetable), eggs, cinnamon, allspice,
                          flour, cornstarch (for lemon pie)

****Suggestion:  buy two rolls of paper towels, an extra pack of toilet paper, more soda or drinks than you think you will use and some frozen dinner rolls that you can bake in the oven.

Timeline:

Four days before Thanksgiving

     Move your frozen turkey from the freezer to the bottom shelf of your refrigerator. Leave it in the package and place it in a pan in case it leaks.  It will take several days to thaw in the refrigerator.

Three Days before Thanksgiving

     Rest...there's not much you can do in the kitchen.  Make plans for seating and decorations.

Two Days before Thanksgiving

     Make the cranberry sauce recipe. Store in covered plastic container in the refrigerator. This tastes better as if it sits for a couple of days.

     Begin drying out cubed or torn bread for stuffing. Leave out at room temperature in shallow pans turning twice a day to allow for even drying.

One Day before Thanksgiving

     Make the apple pie recipe and/or lemon pie recipe. Store covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

     Chop the onions and celery for the stuffing. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

     Quarter onions and fennel and chop the carrots for the roasted vegetable recipe and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

     Finish drying bread in oven at 200 degrees if it is not completely dry.

Thanksgiving Day or day of dinner

     You are going to prepare your turkey according to the directions on the package.  The directions will give you an estimate of how long to cook the turkey to doneness depending on how much it weighs.  You will want to count backwards from the time you plan to serve the dinner counting back the number of estimated hours it will take to cook your turkey.  I recommend giving yourself an extra 1/2 hour.

     If you are stuffing the turkey, give yourself another extra 1/2 hour before your turkey must go into the oven. Otherwise, prepare the turkey as you wish and put it in the oven according to package directions at the time you have determined it needs to start cooking.

     Prepare the stuffing.  If you are stuffing the bird, prepare the stuffing and get the bird in the oven on time.  If you are cooking the stuffing alone (outside the bird), get the turkey in the oven and place the stuffing in the refrigerator until time to cook.  Cook at 350 degrees at 30-45 minutes before serving. 

     Hint: To prevent the turkey from becoming too brown on top, place a tent of aluminum foil loosely over the top while baking.

     Prepare the roasted vegetable recipe and set aside.  This item will be cooked at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes before dinner is to be served. 

     Check turkey for doneness according to package directions.

     Pull the apple pie and cranberry sauce from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. If making lemon pie, leave it refrigerated until time to serve.

     Set the table.

     One hour before dinner,

     prepare mashed potatoes (use your own recipe)

     Forty-five minutes before dinner

     place the roasted vegetables and stuffing (if not in the bird) in the oven at 350 degrees.

     Once you remove the turkey from the oven,

     let is stand for about 10 minutes and drain off the drippings for the gravy recipe (see below).  Cover turkey to keep it warm.

     Prepare gravy.

     Place dinner rolls in the oven.

     Remove roasted vegetables if they are done.

     Take everything to the table and enjoy your dinner while trying to graciously accept the compliments!

Please comment and let me know how this worked for you. I will feature you in my blog.

Allan
                                                                       Recipes



   

Apple Pie - My Favorite Recipe

Apple Pie

make or buy a two layer pie crust

5-6 Granny Smith apples (or other sturdy, hard apples)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
pinch of ground cloves
2 tbls of butter
____________
1 tbls of corn starch

peel, core and cut apples into slices

place apples, sugar, butter, spices and two table spoons of water into a large sauce pot and heat on medium to high heat on top of stove

cook until the the apples begin to soften. drain off all but about two table spoons of liquid and add the corn starch by sprinkling it in and stirring to avoid clumping.

pour apples into unbaked pie shell, add top crust, pinch sides, brush with egg wash (beaten egg) or milk if you like

Bake at 375 degrees until the upper crust turns dark golden brown.  Let cool before serving.

Homemade Stuffing - Savory Holiday Stuffing

This is my mother's famous recipe-We'll call it Jeanette's Famous Stuffing

2-large loaves of white bread, torn apart or cubed and dried (about 2 days at room temp, or 1/2 hour oven)
1-medium onion
2-3 stalks celery
3 small or 1 large can chicken broth or 4 cups chicken/turkey broth from giblets
2-tsp rubbed sage
2-tsp poultry seasoning
1-stick real butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan bring chicken broth, butter, onions and celery to boil and cook on slow heat until the celery and onions are tender; about 10-15 minutes

In a large bowl, add bread and sprinkle evenly with the sage and poultry seasoning.

Pour hot broth with the onions and celery evenly over the bread and mix as you pour just enough to evenly coat the bread (you can add more broth if necessary to moisten the bread).  The stuffing should be moist but not mushy. Slightly hard or solid on the inside of the pieces is desired as the remaining moisture will slowly seep in especially if the stuffing is cooked in the bird.

If stuffing a chicken or turkey, my mother fills the bird's cavity with hot stuffing and immediately cooks the bird until done.  This makes the best stuffing in my opinion as the juices from the turkey are absorbed for added flavor. 

If cooking the stuffing separately, bake until the consistency is to your liking.  Remember, everything is already cooked and all you are doing is baking away some of the moisture while leaving all of the flavor at this point.

According to television chefs, if stuffing a bird, heat the stuffing in the microwave until piping hot so that it does not keep the inside of the bird cold while the bird is in the oven and never stuff the bird and then refrigerate without cooking immediately.

People ask my mother for this recipe constantly. I think once you try it, you'll never make stuffing differently.  Simple but oooh sooo savory.

Roasted Vegetables

Roasted Vegetables

This isn't really as much of a recipe as it is a dish recommendation.  I make these each year for Thanksgiving and other big dinners and everyone loves them. Very simple and savory.

Use whatever amount of the following veggies that you need to serve your guests.  These are the ones that I find work well together and that everybody likes:

Carrots (cut into pieces about an inch to two inches long)
Cooking onions (quartered and left in large pieces)
White button mushrooms

*****OPTIONAL*****
Fennel (one bulb quartered and cut up into one inch pieces)


Wash and clean vegetables appropriately trimming mushrooms as needed.

Toss cut up veggies in a tablespoon or two of olive oil, season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste.

Roast uncovered at 350 degrees until the carrots are soft serve hot.  If cooked ahead of time, reheat in the microwave just before serving.

Homemade Gravy

Pan Dripping Gravy

Homemade gravy from pan drippings.  This is so easy to do, always has great results and is so savory that you will NEVER go back to using corn starch or instant!!!!

This recipe is basic and works by thickening broth or pan drippings with an equal mixture of fat and flour that is cooked and then mixed with the broth or drippings. Real butter is recommended although you can use the fat from the pan drippings.

You will need:

2- cups of pan drippings.  Drain off all of the drippings adding enough chicken or turkey (or beef) broth to make two cups.

4-tablespoons butter

4-tablespoons white flour

Let drippings sit in a cup or measuring cup for about 10 minutes until most of the fat collects at the top.  Pour off or skim off most of the fat leaving maybe a tablespoon on the broth.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk in the flour stirring quickly to and thoroughly to avoid lumps.  Cook over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes.  The mixture will darken slightly which is fine.  This mixture is often referred to as a roux and can be used to thicken any broth to make gravy.  The longer you cook this roux, the darker it will get.  Four to five minutes is time enough for the flour molecules to mix well with the fat and begin to expand.

At the four or five minute mark slowly begin adding about 1/2 cup of the broth and continue to cook over a medium flame stirring quickly to avoid lumps. After the initial broth is mixed in and lump free add the rest of the broth and continue to cook until the mixture thickens.  It will reach a point where it will not get any thicker while cooking (about three to four minutes) and it is done. Serve immediately.

Points to remember:

*It takes about 2 tablespoons of roux to thicken one cup of liquid.  Three tablespoons will make it thicker.  Two per one works best in my opinion.

* When thickening with this mixture or even corn starch (not recommended) you avoid lumps by always mixing one cold item and one hot item such as cool broth and hot roux.  Trying to mix both together while hot will cause lumps.

*Keep in mind that the gravy will now thicken as it cools.

*Pan dripping make the most flavorful gravy especially if the bird (or roast) was cooked with vegetables or stuffing with it as the spices add to the flavor. However, you can make gravy out of canned broth or even reconstituted bullion.

This is VERY inexpensive so try it ahead of time with a can of broth so that you are confident on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.

Lemon Meringue Pie -- Strawberry Lemon Pie

I have to give credit to the following cookbook for this recipe.  I highly recommend getting a copy if you can. All recipes I've tried work and are delicious.  Cooking a commonsense guide , Murdoch Books,
(ISBN 174045-171-6).

Lemon Meringue Pie

Filling:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

3/4 cup lemon juice (bottled works just fine, otherwise you will need about 6 or more lemons)

2 oz butter (I use about two tbls.)

3 egg yolk (save the whites for the Meringue)

Meringue:

3 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

I also add about 1/8 tsp. of cream of tarter to help meringue with structure

Preheat oven 415 degrees. Bake a pie crust (deep dish works well) for 7 minutes until cooked and set.

Filling-

combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon rind, lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan.  Mix with whisk until well blended.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the mixture turns thick and begins to boil.

Add the butter and stir over medium heat for one minute until the butter is incorporated.

Remove from head and add egg yolks one at a time stirring them in quickly to avoid the eggs cooking from the heated filling.  Be sure each egg is well mixed in before adding the next.

Allow the filling to cool and then spread in the pre-baked pie shell.  Placing a piece of waxed or parchment paper over the top of the filling while it cools will help prevent a "skin" from forming.

Meringue-

Prepare this while filling is cooling.

Put the egg whites in a mixing bowl and begin mixing on high speed.  Add the cream of tarter if you are using it.  Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar while mixing on high speed.  Continue mixing the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.  This will be achieved when you can pull the stopped beaters out and the meringue stands up stiffly: about six minutes of so.

Spread the filling into the pie shell.  Evenly spread the meringue over the top of the pie all the way to the crust edges.  Bake at 415 degree for about 5 minutes until the meringue begins to brown.  Cool before serving.

*** Here is what I do sometimes to make the pie unique.  I like to add about two big tablespoons of strawberry jam to the hot filling to make strawberry-lemon pie. 

This is the basic recipe in the book and it is delicious!!! I have altered the wording slightly.  You will love this pie!  Comment and let me know how it worked out for you or if you have a great addition to this recipe.

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce

1-cup sugar
1-cup water
1-bag cranberries (12 oz bag)
Zest of one orange (grated peel)

Rinse cranberries 

Mix cranberries, orange zest, sugar and water in a medium sized sauce pan and cook on medium heat stirring occasionally until all cranberries pop

Refrigerate to set into jelly. Serve at room temperature for a sauce.

See my recipe suggestions at http://allansrecipesuggestions.blogspot.com/