turkey day time change! pie question

[mtemm]

my husband just threw me off tonight. we host every year and are happy to. some years we have a crowd, some years are small. this year, we only have my MIL and her boyfriend coming I think. maybe dh's grandmother. but only 7 of us this way, and easy to rearrange plans.

we usually eat around 4pm but dh suggested maybe this year what about eating early, around noon or 1.

well, why not? okay. but here is my question. I normally make my pies the morning of thanksgiving before the turkey gets going. now I don't think I will have time for that, so my dilemma is do I make them the night before, or do I make them after the turkey comes out? I am only making pumpkin and apple, so they aren't particulary time consuming. just wondering if making the day before if they would be fresh enough.

any thoughts?

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Definitely make the pies the day before and put them in the fridge overnight. They will taste just fine the next day and you won't have to rush to get them ready on Thanksgiving day.

 

[Tess]

I always make my pies the night before and they are fine. I have just the opposite dilemma from you this year. Normally, we eat around 1 p.m. and this year we will probably eating later 4-5 p.m. I will still be baking my pies the night before just to spread out the cooking process a bit.

I bake pumpkin and pecan-cheesecake pies.

 

[luvsJack]

I don't make pies but mom and mil always cook theirs the day before. Ones like apple and pumpkin they leave out on the counter in a pie carrier with the plastic lid, chocolate and coconut go in the fridge. Always YUMMY!

 

[vicb]

My mom and I are the pie bakers, always apple and pumpkin and always baked the day before. We live in a cold climate so we usually put the pumpkin pies in the garage (in tupperware of course) overnight to keep or in fridge if room. The apple pies are in tupperware at room temp. I think both pies taste better the next day as the flavors meld together more.

This year mom is doing 2 pumpkin and I am doing 2 apple plus a small chocolate dessert for an alternative.

 

[SaraJayne]

I always make my pies the day before, since we travel on Thanksgiving. Never had a complaint yet.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Unless you have a double oven, which I have never had, pies are always made the day before. In fact, I would never make pies the day of. I mean how am I going to eat my pumpkin pie while watching the Macy's Parade?

Now, I am making stuffing and mashed potatoes the day before. I have no choice my mom and I are cooking for 50. This should be interesting.....

 

[Hannathy]

Now, I am making stuffing and mashed potatoes the day before. I have no choice my mom and I are cooking for 50. This should be interesting.....

I have to ask how are you making mashed potatoes the day before?

I always think leftover mashed potatoes don't taste the same and never as good so I'm really curious how you are doing this so they taste good. I want to learn your trick, please?

 

[akhenaten]

My mom and I are the pie bakers, always apple and pumpkin and always baked the day before. We live in a cold climate so we usually put the pumpkin pies in the garage (in tupperware of course) overnight to keep or in fridge if room. The apple pies are in tupperware at room temp. I think both pies taste better the next day as the flavors meld together more.

This year mom is doing 2 pumpkin and I am doing 2 apple plus a small chocolate dessert for an alternative.

I agree! The apple especially tastes better the next day!!!

I have always baked my pies the day before!!!

 

[bettymae1121]

In my family dinner is always around 1 or so, deserts get made the night before. Also a lot of prep work gets done the night before, anything that can be chopped/toasted/shreaded/sliced/drained etc. gets taken care of so that the next morning it's all ready to be cooked. Some things you can't do ahead of time but we try to get as much done as possible. Makes for less stress and better organization when cooking starts. Plus it gives us a chance to make sure we have everything we need while the stores are still open, just in case something was over looked.

 

[LilyWDW]

I have always done my pies the night before, as has my mom. Which means a LOT of pies over the years.

This year I will be doing the following on Wednesday:
-Making the corn bread
-Cubing the corn bread and french bread and drying it for dressing
-Breaking up the hamburger buns for the stuffing
-Dicing the onion and celery for the dressing
-Making the cranberry sauce
-Making the pies (one pumpkin and one peanut butter)

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I have to ask how are you making mashed potatoes the day before?

I always think leftover mashed potatoes don't taste the same and never as good so I'm really curious how you are doing this so they taste good. I want to learn your trick, please?

Well, there is a make ahead recipe you bake however I am doing just regular mashed pototoes. Now I may add a tad more butter, milk, and perhaps look at some recipes to see if I can get a good one, so it will reheat better.

My mom is doing 10lbs of the "make and bake". Basically you add cream cheese, lots of butter, etc. Not sure of the exact recipe she uses.

I refuse to spend 4 hrs in the kitchen making 10lbs mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day in my sister's kitchen. If they do not taste "as good", I don't care. She is having at least 40 people or more show up.

Normally I do not do this but I am going to have to do other stuff and I know I will not have the time for the potatoes.

So no secrets yet....just winging it this time.

 

[mtemm]

thanks all! I do have a double oven so the turkey will go in the larger one. I think what I will do is make my apple the day before, and then do the pumpkin that morning while the turkey is cooking. it won't be so crazy as to try to do all of them, and I really am not using that oven unless dh wants to do squash (I do my stuffing in a crock pot).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

thanks all! I do have a double oven so the turkey will go in the larger one. I think what I will do is make my apple the day before, and then do the pumpkin that morning while the turkey is cooking. it won't be so crazy as to try to do all of them, and I really am not using that oven unless dh wants to do squash (I do my stuffing in a crock pot).

Nice you have a double oven.


However pumpkin pie for us, has to be COLD. Make the day of is ewww for us.

 

[Tess]

Well, there is a make ahead recipe you bake however I am doing just regular mashed pototoes. Now I may add a tad more butter, milk, and perhaps look at some recipes to see if I can get a good one, so it will reheat better.

My mom is doing 10lbs of the "make and bake". Basically you add cream cheese, lots of butter, etc. Not sure of the exact recipe she uses.

I refuse to spend 4 hrs in the kitchen making 10lbs mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day in my sister's kitchen. If they do not taste "as good", I don't care. She is having at least 40 people or more show up.

Normally I do not do this but I am going to have to do other stuff and I know I will not have the time for the potatoes.

So no secrets yet....just winging it this time.

I love leftover mashed potatoes--add a bit of butter/milk reheat and smother with gravy or turkey/noodles--I need nothing else. I think reheated mashed potatoes taste fine. I will be making 8-10 # of mashed potatoes for just my little gathering. It is a mashed potato loving crew I guess.

 

[Nancyg56]

I have made teh do ahead mashed potatoes adn if you like loaded bake potatoes you will love these. I liked them but my DH and the kids preferred their potatoes without the cream cheese flavor. I loved them though and I thought that the recipe was a real time saver. I would not hesitate to bring them to a pot luck either.