My house smells like thanksgiving!

[lovin'fl]

Finished my grocery shopping today. Got the turkey in the fridge to defrost. Have some holiday scented glade plug-ins in and it smells yummy in here. Will start my acini de pepe fruit salad tomorrow (it has to refrigerate for 24 hours) and clean on Wed. Will do most of my cooking on Thursday. Got some other errands to run tomorrow and had a friend's kids over and to the movies today while she worked (she will take my girls on Wed). Can't wait for Friday!

 

[Terry36]

Well so far mostly cleaning not cooking. Today is cleaning ovens day- one done one to go.

While that was happening I made cranberry sauce. mmmmm my favorite leftover of thanksgiving I love eating it on sandwiches days later.

I am debating baking I think that will happen tomorrow. (pumpkin cinnamon chip cookies and a cake of some kind= probably chocolate something) and rolls will be made tomorrow. Or maybe now.... hmmm depends when the oven finishes up.

I will also make the potatoes tomorrow. But the biggies- turkey and spinach pie wait for Tday! I will rub down my turkey tomorrow and leave it uncovered in my hurricane Sandy cleaned fridge- I heard that tip today- gives you a drier skin so it crisps up nicely.

The problem with Thanksgiving is everyone expects to eat all the days leading up to and following! darn kids. So I feel like it's constant cooking. But I agree these are my favorite smells.

Please share your cranberry sauce recipe.

 

[java]

Please share your cranberry sauce recipe.

I tried a new one this year
Bag of cranberries
1cup maple syrup
1cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp OJ
Zest of orange


In the past I have made Tyler florences
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/cranberry-orange-sauce-recipe3/index.html

Easy and yummy.

 

[ilovemk76]

Rude. End of story.

The rule is four days is for the trash. Thursday is the day four. Leftovers would be even longer.

 

[Southernmiss]

Not cooking, yet.

DH and I put together a list tonight (we are big list makers) of what we need to do before Tday. We now have a plan for tomorrow and Wednesday and Thursday. Taking it all bit by bit.

Put the turkey in the fridge tonight.

Doing my final shopping tomorrow. Will start to chop vegetables, etc. tomorrow night and then begin to assemble casseroles, dressing and desserts on Wednesday.

Wednesday will be full of final cleaning and arranging tables to accomodate 21.

Starting the turkey at 8 a.m. Thursday with the goal to eat at 1 p.m.

 

[PebblesMK]

We will be having Thanksgiving up in Kansas with my husband's family. I'm making my apple blueberry pie, but I'm waiting until tomorrow to do that. I have my pumpkin spice candles lit, though. Does that count? It's all the smells of Thanksgiving with none of the calories and none of the temptation to eat it!

Oh my lanta!! (is that how that phrase even goes?!?!), apple blueberry pie sounds delicious. Care to share your recipe?

 

[java]

The rule is four days is for the trash. Thursday is the day four. Leftovers would be even longer.

Said the person that has not cooked for a holiday crowd. And do you know what is in cranberry sauce? It lasts way longer than 4 days. According to Ocean Spray homemade cranberry sauce is safe in the fridge for about 10 days.

 

[Christine]

Said the person that has not cooked for a holiday crowd. And do you know what is in cranberry sauce? It lasts way longer than 4 days. According to Ocean Spray homemade cranberry sauce is safe in the fridge for about 10 days.

I agree about the cranberry sauce. It really can last a long time due to the high acidity. However, I think the major contention might be the sweet potatoes.

 

[Iforgetmypassword]

I usually cook for 20 people for Thanksgiving, and I only fix the cranberries and sweet potatoes on Wednesday. I only make pies ahead, and cut up leftover bread. They go in the freezer.

Wednesday is prep day. That's when I fix the cranberries, sweet potatoes, mix the dressing. And that's only because I'm serving 20! If we're having a smaller crowd, say, under 10 people, I'd still make the pies and cut up bread the weekend before, but I'd fix everything else on Thursday morning.

And we always have the meal at noon. Cooking a Thanksgiving meal isn't that complicated.

 

[ilovemk76]

Said the person that has not cooked for a holiday crowd. And do you know what is in cranberry sauce? It lasts way longer than 4 days. According to Ocean Spray homemade cranberry sauce is safe in the fridge for about 10 days.

You know this how?


The hardest part of making a turkey is getting ready for the oven and starting it early enough. The only cranberry sauce I will eat is the one I make from whole berries. I would not eat it 10 days later. It is NOT hard to make.

 

[mhsjax]

NO fixing Thanksgiving dinner isn't that complicated. I have done it for 20-30 people many times. Everyone is different. I for one would never put anything in the freezer and serve it, others do, but I am totally against stuff from the freezer. If people want to fix stuff early fine, it they want to freeze fine, I do mine all the night before and the day of.

 

[mhsjax]

You know this how?


The hardest part of making a turkey is getting ready for the oven and starting it early enough. The only cranberry sauce I will eat is the one I make from whole berries. I would not eat it 10 days later. It is NOT hard to make.

YOu got that right on the hardest part. I HATE that job.

 

[java]

You know this how?


The hardest part of making a turkey is getting ready for the oven and starting it early enough. The only cranberry sauce I will eat is the one I make from whole berries. I would not eat it 10 days later. It is NOT hard to make.

Not hard to make at all but it takes up a burner on my stove that will used to be making the things that need to be made day of- like mushrooms, stuffing, the bird. And I have eaten it more than 10 days later and I am still alive. But to each their own.

I'm afraid to mention that I read about seasoning the turkey and leaving it uncovered in the fridge the day before. - Supposed to crisp the skin better by drying it out a bit. I'm trying it. I better figure out what time it needs to go in the oven.

 

[Jedana]

I made an apple pie yesterday. Mainly because I wanted something sweet..not because Thanksgiving is coming up. And I didn't feel like making cupcakes.

I'll make the pumpkin pies Wednesday (moms recipe, makes 3 and I can't cut the sucker down--doesn't taste right). I'll also make the cornbread for stuffing Wednesday (and lightly cover, let it sit overnight to stale a bit). I'll chop the onions and celery for the stuffing as well. the only other thing I do on Wednesday is brine the turkey.


Thursday is easy.

4 hours before wanting to eat, I put the turkey in the oil-less fryer. I fry sausage, onions and celery for stuffing and assemble it, minus the broth. Chop potatoes and sweet potatoes, and soak in water (to remove some of the protein [I think, thanks Alton!] and potassium.) Get the neck in some chicken stock to simmer (no organ meats---bad for DH) with some onions and celery.

2 hours out, put out some snacks...veggies and dips, cheese/slice meats platter (smoked sausage, etc), crackers. Toss a salad for dinner.

1 hour out, strain stock. add to stuffing, put in oven. drain potatoes. Quick boil sweet potatoes until barely done, drain and mix with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Boil potatoes, make mashed. Cook green beans (boil to just al dente)--drain and toss with a bit of olive oil, chunk garlic salt and pepper. Bake sweet potatoes, toss green beans in oven to crisp. Bake rolls. Make gravy.

Sit, eat, relax.

 

[Minnesota!]

I agree about the cranberry sauce. It really can last a long time due to the high acidity. However, I think the major contention might be the sweet potatoes.

I bake sweet potatoes/baker potatoes on Sunday nights and have one each day thru the week. Been doing this for years! Anything not eaten thru the week gets turned into breakfast potatoes on Saturday morning. Never would even bat an eye at pre-baked potatoes.

We are going to DH's aunts on Thurs, but we are having our own T-day dinner on Friday at home (there are never leftovers at dh's aunts). I took my turkey out last night, I have everything purchased for our meal. But since it's just the 4 of us, no cleaning to do, and I can do everything on Friday morning after I toss the turkey in..

 

[Kennywife]

I bake sweet potatoes/baker potatoes on Sunday nights and have one each day thru the week. Been doing this for years! Anything not eaten thru the week gets turned into breakfast potatoes on Saturday morning. Never would even bat an eye at pre-baked potatoes.

We are going to DH's aunts on Thurs, but we are having our own T-day dinner on Friday at home (there are never leftovers at dh's aunts). I took my turkey out last night, I have everything purchased for our meal. But since it's just the 4 of us, no cleaning to do, and I can do everything on Friday morning after I toss the turkey in..

Yep. My mom did that all the time I was growing up. She would make meals on Saturday and freeze them. We would eat them all week and I was always happy and well fed.

 

[Kennywife]

We plan to prepare the dumplings....they are my family's speciality, the night before and cook them in the pot the day of. The pies I will make tomorrow and also the cookies. We try to get a lot of stuff done beforehand so one person doesn't spend the whole day in the kitchen.

 

[ilovemk76]

Yep. My mom did that all the time I was growing up. She would make meals on Saturday and freeze them. We would eat them all week and I was always happy and well fed.

This is why it worded.