Cooking Thanksgiving: Less is more

Rather than buy a centerpiece, I had my girls put together this one, in the photo above.  I told them to raid the fruit bowl, the garden - anywhere they could to make this.  I thought it very pretty, seasonal, and a wonderful mix of colors.

I've said it many times - I LOVE the holidays. I love the food, the excitement, the holiday spirit, the hustle and bustle - I really just love it all.  That is...I loved it all until I became overwhelmed by it all.  I pressured myself to do more, cook more, buy more, invite more - MORE MORE MORE - until I decided enough was enough.

I stopped going crazy overboard over the holidays about a year ago.  Don't get me wrong - we still DO the holidays - I just do them differently.  More calmly.  I do them with less instead of more.  I buy less, I cook less, I invite less and I just DO less so as to preserve my sanity.  After all - if I'm insane during the holidays, does it really make it worth it?  I think not.

That being said, this year I spread out my Thanksgiving cooking over several weeks instead of cramming it all into a short period of time.  This year I decided to have a mini Thanksgiving with my two best friends from high school and their kids, and we did this meal in October.  I made a turkey, I made stuffing, I made two pies and did the traditional fixing of potatoes, green beans and sweet potatoes.  BAM.  Done.  I wasn't too frustrated, I enjoyed a meal with my friends, the kids ate well and we even had two desserts. The only thing I worked on ahead of time was dry bringing a turkey and making a bit of pie crust.  The rest was done the DAY OF and it was all perfect and wonderful.  No complaints.

I'm having some family over this weekend and after some discussion, we decided to do a ham, and not a turkey since the family isn't into turkey.  (I happen to love it, but many others don't, so I'm not going to bother.)  The shopping is mostly done, and I'll do a major part of the cooking on the day of the dinner (Saturday) with some prep on this Friday.

The bottom line is that cook what you like to cook, feel comfortable cooking, and enjoy eating for your day. I think we're caught up with the whole it-must-be-turkey-or-it-isn't-Thanksgiving nonsense, and this definitely isn't the case.  We really should more focus on the what-will-I-be-happy-cooking-and-eating with friends and family instead.  I'm liberating you all!!!  Feel free!!  Mix it up!  Make what you like!  Make it a potluck!  Have fun!! Liberate yourself!!

If you find that you ARE going to be cooking, and going the way of the traditional Thanksgiving, below is a bit of guide to help you figure out what you need to do when.

My simple Thanksgiving menu is here.

Thanksgiving Countdown

Thursday, November 15 - MAKE A LIST of what you need.  Buy your turkey and other staples you'll need to make your Thanksgiving dinner.  Chicken stock, whipping cream, flour (if you're baking), cornmeal, onions, celery, potatoes, pumpkin puree. Any staples that you can fit in your fridge or pantry needs to be purchased and put away.  BEGIN DEFROSTING YOUR BIRD!

Friday, November 16 - If you're going to the market again, continue adding to the food that you will need.  Make your dry brine if you'd like.  Begin organizing your plan and have a sense of how much more shopping you have to do.

Sunday, November 18 - Dry brine your turkey.  Rub it with the salt mixture and get it going.
Dry Brined Turkey Recipe

Monday, November 19 - This is your last shopping day.  Make sure you get everything that you need for your big day (unless you have major refrigerator restrictions) and prep easy meals for your family to enjoy before Thanksgiving.  Don't forget to turn your turkey over and rub it.

Tuesday, November 20 - Dessert preparation and planning.  If you are making cookies, or making pie, this is the day that you should make your crust and chill it in the fridge.  Wrap up the crust in saran wrap and then stick it into ziploc bags.  They will be ready to go for you on Thursday.  Rub your turkey.
Pumpkin Pie and Crust

Wednesday, November 21 - If you're making nuts, this is a great day to make it. Make cranberry sauce.  Make corn muffins for cornbread stuffing.
Sweet and Spicy Nuts Recipe
Orange Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Orange Relish with Mint (from Bon Appetit - made it this year and it was refreshing and different)
Honey Cornbread Muffins

Any chopping you have to do - get it done today.  If you're going to make stuffing, chop everything up and put it into ziploc bags ready to go.  If you're making green beans, you can chop up the onions for the caramelized onion topping and have it ready to go in a ziploc bag.
Green beans and Caramelized Onions

At the end of the night, before you go to bed, take your turkey out of the bag, and place it in on a tray or in the roasting rack to dry off.

Thursday, November 22 -The BIG DAY!!!   I always start with my pies.  I wake up early and get those babies into the oven.  However many i'm doing, that is the first that that makes it into the oven.

The next priority is baking off all other desserts that need to be done.

If you're making sweet potato casserole, roast off the potatoes as well.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Apple and Pears

PULL YOUR TURKEY OUT OF THE FRIDGE ONE HOUR BEFORE YOU ARE GOING TO ROAST IT!!!  People underestimate how much better a turkey (or any meat for that matter) cooks when you allow it some time at room temperature.  IF your home is super warm then you may only take it out 45 minutes prior to roasting.

Once the turkey makes it into the oven, make stuffing, blanch green beans, peel potatoes, and prepare things for gravy.
Gravy

For a compilation of all the recipes related to Thanksgiving, check this link.

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