Groceries are bought, turkey is in the brine, how are your thanksgiving preps going?

pies tomorrow, and maybe potatoes...I was reading a recipe for making them ahead so they wouldnt get too dry, but not sure if I trust it....I dont usually like leftover potatoes.

Tomorrow (Weds) will be making 3 pies ahead of time...two are meant to be cold, and one is hot, but will make it anyway to be heated up on Thurs. Then I'll probably do the deviled eggs, cut up all of the veggies for Thurs....won't do the mashed potatoes ahead of time as I would have to leave the peeled potatoes in water for a day, and I rather not do that. After I get done with all the prep work, then I'll focus on the rest of the day just cleaning up my house.

For Thurs, it will be making the mashed potatoes, the turkey, steaming up some veggies, gravy, and yams with marshmellows. (I'm doing moderation for this day....)

Thinking about on Weds, going to Blockbuster for a few movies for Thurs to watch....I've got a toddler that will be running around wild, so I'm thinking of renting that new rat cartoon that's come out....Plus, it's my nephew's birthday, which just happens to fall on Thanksgiving this year, so I also gotta get an ice cream cake for him.....ahhh....I can hear my treadmill groaning already....

We're having THanksgiving on Saturday because everyone in the house works on thanksgiving. So Thursday the turkey will be defrosted and Friday will be in the maple brine.

potatoe salad, dressing, homemade cranberry sauce, fruit salad and pies will be made on saturday.

There won't be many people for thanksgiving this year, maybe six or seven (most of the time we had around 10-15)

NemesisClaw - Flushed Away is a really cute movie too.

I am having Thanksgiving at my mom's so I am bringing a veggie tray and mac and cheese (lightened up version). It will definitely be a moderation day. I am saving points as much as possible this week!

we bought a fresh turkey..dh will put ours in the brine today. Then we'll cook the rolls tonight (won't have the oven while the turkey cooks...we slow cook our turkey). Everything else will be done the day off...but i cheated...i bought store pies. So no pies to make. Didn't feel the need for only 3 people

We're going to Cracker Barrel. One great plate of food and no dishes to wash.

Well I ended up with the cooking this year, usually we rotate with DH's sister but this year she isnt cooking, I cooked last year too....grrr. I hate having the entire family to my house. Our current house is just not equipted for lots of people. So when I get off work today I will be rushing home to CLEAN, and peel potatoes, get the pies cooked, get some dressing started, get my roasters out, get the rolls ready for cooking...and CLEAN some more. I have to work Friday and Saturday (and we have to go to his sisters for ANOTHER dinner that day, since that is the day she picked to cook) so our dinner tomorrow will be smaller. I am just not going to go to great lengths if we are doing it again on Saturday!

My best friend and his family meet at a local Indian Gaming Casino for Thanksgiving. His family loves to gamble, it's centrally located, and the buffet is fabulous, so they refer to it as celebrating the holiday in a way that is "historically accurate."

I lucked out of Thanksgiving this year but we are hosting an engagement party on Saturday so I still have to cook and clean. Aaaah!

Have one pie in the oven right now. Have brownies, cookies and a cheesecake to make. Then will also do all my chopping and dicing and such for tomorrow. Also going to make the hashbrown casserole and then just have to throw it in the oven tomorrow. Will make the ambrosia today too...going to do as much as I can today so I will have most of the day tomorrow to put up lights. In the morning I will prep the turkey and stuff it but it won't go in the oven until about 2'ish...the meanwhile I will cook the greenbean casserole and a ham and peel potatoes...geez, I need two ovens...and all this food for 6 people, lol. I cook a lot on TG and Christmas so we have leftovers for at least a day, lol. Plus everyone is picky so they get their favs on these days.

Every year I say we are going to go out to eat but it's just not the same.

Have 4 different rolls to make. The dough for the first (whole wheat french bread loaf) is sitting - it is a no-knead bread that takes 24 hours from start to finish. Other rolls will start being made today - First the plain dinner rolls and cheddar/cracked pepper crescents, then the cornbread muffins.

T-day is usually 30-40 people...so it is a LOT of bread, but for a crowd. And I just like having variety, including healthy options, so people can eat what they like. The cheddar crescents are particularly popular.

Amanda,
Can you share your recipe for the cheddar/cracked pepper croissants? :-)

Sure!

I make a basic white roll dough (I make it in bulk, then split it to make both normal white rolls and the cheddar rolls). This is the recipe I use for the dough itself:

18 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour
1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) rapid-rise yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) unsalted butter
3 large egg yolks


how to make
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Put the bowl in the mixer stand and fit it with the dough hook.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter, stirring until the butter melts and the liquid is very warm, between 115° and 125°F.

Dump the warm milk-butter mixture and the egg yolks into the flour and mix on medium-low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until the dough is smooth and shiny, about 8 min.

(If you don't have a stand mixer, you can make a well with the dry ingredients, gradually add the wet, and then knead the dough by hand until smooth and shiny.)

Let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour if you use rapid-rise yeast. Punch dough down, cut in half, and pat each half into a round disk. Roll each disk out to a circle about 1/4 inch thick.

In a small bowl, combine 1 stick of softened butter, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, a pinch of paprika, and 1 tsp cracked pepper. Spread half of this mixture over each dough circle (this year, unbeknownst to the fam, I'm using a lighter, yet transfat free margarine, as well as a 2% reduced fat sharp cheddar).

Cut each circle into 10 equally sized triangular wedges. Starting at the thick end, roll up tightly and bend to create a crescent. Place on a cookie sheet and let rise again until doubled.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

They are really VERY good, though incredibly decadent.

Thanks! This sounds like something I can do with my little chefs in the house.

Aaaaaggghhhhh!!! I am still doing last minute shopping today when I should be at home cooking up the giblet gravy. I will be doing the chopping, slicing and dicing while DH will do the actual turkey early tomorrow morning. Rolls, stuffing, potatoes and veggies will be made in our cramped little kitchen tomorrow. I am attempting to make a WW friendly pumpkin pie and maybe a pumpkin whip today. I have my sisters bringing the other desserts, ham and drinks over. We usually have a Thanksgiving day lunch then we all sit around and just be.

We went out to eat T-day dinner once, while the food was really good, it was really sad when we went home and there were no leftovers . We'll probably never do that again.

Just making a butternut squash dish to bring to my mum's house. But of course when I get there I'll be helping her clean. Plates that is. >_>