I don’t mean to brag but I’ve been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my family since like, forever. Well, since high school and I’m almost 25 so let’s call that “forever,” okay?
Since I am a turkey baby (born at the end of November), Thanksgiving is ultra special to me. When I was younger it meant family members were always over my house on my birthday so even if they forgot I was turning one year older, I could count on them pulling out some cash.
I’ve been preparing for Thanksgiving 2010 since I put the leftovers of Thanksgiving 2009 in the fridge. Yes, it’s that big a deal.
Want to see my menu? Here it goes:
Traditional turkey (similar to this Barefoot Contessa version except I add celery to the pan)
Cornbread stuffing and gravy
Potato gratin (Might try out this Tyler Florence recipe)
Emeril Lagasse’s three-cheese mac and cheese
Greens with smoked turkey
Roasted green beans
Hawaiian sweet rolls
Sweet potato pumpkin pie (Yes, a hybrid! What y’all know about that?)
I’ve got my game plan on and I’m ready to roll. What advice can I share with you? Read on for your complete guide to a Thanksgiving that ROCKS!
Two rookie mistakes:
- Don’t wait until Thursday to cook. Prep and/or make as much as you can on Wednesday. If you’re like me, your kitchen is not that big and you don’t want to get overwhelmed when you’ve got hungry (and nosy!) family members in the other room. You should basically be reheating your side dishes and giving your attention to the turkey. Which brings me to my next point…
- Go small(ish) with the turkey. There are sooo many things that can go wrong if you’re fussing with a big turkey. It’s hard to keep a large bird moist, even if you baste it constantly. To figure out how many pounds you really need, check out the Portion Planner on Butterball.com. If you can, get a smaller turkey (12 pounds or smaller) and an additional turkey breast to serve with it.
A word of caution:
Pick three side dishes and a large salad. No more, no less. More than three side dishes and you will get freaked out. (Yes, I have five side dishes but I am a freak of nature.) Less than three side dishes and it’s just dinner. LOL.
Need some inspiration on what to make? Check out my favorite recipes below:
Maple-Glazed Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy
There are 50 (count ’em, 50!) stuffing recipes here. Craziness, but good if you want to make something different.
Tara – Thank You so much for sharing! I’ll be cooking my first Thanksgiving next week for my daughter and myself and I have been avoiding thinking about a menu because I’m really nervous. I’ve always depended on my Mother or Sister to do all the hard work. All I’ve every had to do was simply show up!! My daughter is thankfully not too picky so I’m sure she’ll be happy with whatever I come up with. Great idea about picking 3 sides, I think anything more (for me) would be way too overwhelming. You’ve given me alot of yummy options to think about, and I cant wait to check out these links. I’m really excited about trying out the cornbread stuffing, and definitely want to try to make a Sweet Potato Pie..let’s hope I don’t butcher it!!
@Alexandra – Don’t be freaked out! Cooking a Thanksgiving dinner for two sounds divine!
I would love it. Maybe you can slow-cook a turkey breast (maybe 3 pounds or so) – that way it’ll be manageable and ultra moist. Cornbread stuffing is my favorite, just make sure you start cooking on Wednesday!! Make the cornbread (or buy it ahead of time) and chop the veggies early!
Yes Yes, that sounds soo doable!! Thanks Tara! I’m getting hungry thinking about it! You’ve inspired me!
Your menu sounds GREAT!!!! Mmmmmm!!! I cant wait for Turkey Day – this got me all excited.
.-= Yakini´s last blog ..Pink Eye & the Small Guy =-.
Thanks Tara…believe it or not..this is my first Thanksgiving at home. I have always lived away from my parents and I traveled to their home on thanksgiving. I am 37 years old and have never cooked a turkey. I know how to make a lot of the side dishes though.
So I am a little nervous. I have been practicing. I have been making hot rolls for a month now. And still can’t get it quite right. Actually, my family is now sick of my rolls ….so I probably will not even make them on Thanksgiving now.
I made a great turkey sausage stuffing recipe last night…I liked it and will make it a little different on thanksgiving day. So I will keep practicing.
Thanks for the tips!!!
I’ve been making Thanksgiving Dinner forever too, but I still love this advice. It’s getting my mind activated. One brilliant trick to making an easy super moist turkey is using an oven bag. The reynolds turkey baking bags help make a perfect turkey every time. Although, I don’t eat turkey anymore, I make one every year with my mom.
I’ve got to try the pumpkin and sweet potato pie. Pumpkin is truly my fav, but someone always tries to swipe my black license when I reveal this. Maybe blending will solve my problem.
BTW- I always overdose on making sides. Last year I had just had my new baby and hadn’t been in the kitchen for about a month, so I whirled and whirled around in the kitchen and came out with 11 dishes including fake turkey.
.-= Jewelry Rockstar´s last blog ..The Circle of Life Bracelet =-.
@Rockstar – I haven’t used an oven bag but EVERYONE I know who has used one swears by them. Thanks for sharing the tip!
11 dishes? *faints* I love Thanksgiving but man, oh, man you must have missed cooking something awful! LOL
@Rockstar – I haven’t used an oven bag but EVERYONE I know who has used one swears by them. Thanks for sharing the tip!
11 dishes? *faints* I love Thanksgiving but man, oh, man you must have missed cooking! LOL
Turkey tip: Do NOT stuff it. Instead, fill the cavity w/ a whole onion or two, a lemon, lots of garlic cloves and a lot of fresh sage and thyme. Cooks faster & more evenly, and you won’t get salmonella from stuffing. (I’ve done 16- to 20-lb. birds in ~2 hrs.) Do your “stuffing” separately.
Also: Once the breast browns, cover it w/ foil – just the breast.