The Day After

I am thankful for good friends. I’m also thankful for a cooked turkey in much less time than anticipated.

We Americans sure like to celebrate being gluttonous. After a day filled with more food than most of us eat in a week, many of us spend a ton of money on worthless crap because it is on sale. I mean, where else do people gather together and give thanks for friends and family and a few hour later push, shove, trample and do everything humanly possible to get that “great deal” advertised in the newspaper the day before? I don’t know about you, but I have only ever ventured out into the abyss known as Black Friday once in my life and that was because I had spent the night making music videos with my cousins (because that’s just what we used to do) and were all planning on leaving to go shopping with most of my aunts and grandma so I tagged along. It was a nightmare.

Then, just for arguments sake, I’ll take the other end of the spectrum and say that the day after Thanksgiving when you work retail, as I did for nine years, was crazy. I’ll have to admit that it was kind of fun watching a stampede in progress filled with some of the most ghetto people who couldn’t be bothered to dress in regular people clothes or do their hair racing towards you in a panicked frenzy to grab the latest Elmo or pick over pajama sets. Sometimes you just gotta know when to step aside and let the craziness happen. After all, most of these people hadn’t been to bed in days so they could save a couple bucks.

I’m not sure if it is because I’m already a bargain hunter to begin with or if the idea of being trapped with a bunch of strangers in a building where there are only one or two exits and the sheer amount of people well exceeds fire code and my claustrophobia might cause be to have a panic attack, but shopping on Black Friday doesn’t appeal to me. Especially since it is simply a day to get most big box retail stores out of the red, as in debt, and back into the black, as in profit. Alas, if I had the money, I’d do my shopping tomorrow instead on Small Business Saturday. I would feel much better spending money at a mom and pop shop then at an evil corporation made with evil parts for the sole purpose of committing evil.

Thanksgiving: Minus One Day

Turkey Day is tomorrow which means only one thing… PANIC!!! Unless, of course, you’ve done your homework.

The big day doesn’t have to be stressful if you do as much ahead of time as possible. The day before Thanksgiving is perfect for baking pies, making cranberry sauce, even getting your stuffing ready to be baked if you are so inclined. My husband has decided to make a pumpkin and his famous chocolate pie, so I will make the crusts using the same recipe I’ve used for years but with a little alteration I did recently when I made an apple pie that made that crust amazing. Yes, sometimes I surprise myself with just how good I am.

Now with the cranberry sauce, I typically make this a day ahead to allow it to cool and congeal slightly, but in a pinch can be made the morning of if, say, you decide to whittle away today by being lazy. Or, in my case, cleaning dog pee and poop from the carpets again after weeks of having no accidents. Frakking dog. Grrr. Something tells me she won’t be sleeping in the living room tonight. Also I will probably be making the Bacon Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing and Apple Sausage Stuffing today as well, which will give both of these dishes time to soak in all of the flavors. By prepping these ahead of time, all I will have to do is slip them into the oven after taking out the turkey. Of course, a little foresight is required in that these both will cook best if brought up to room temperature ahead of time, so I need to remember to take them out of the refrigerator at least a half-an-hour before, if not an hour.

With the gravy you’ve got options. Personally, I prefer to make the gravy using some of the drippings and the juices from the turkey. However, if you don’t, make it ahead of time and reheat it before serving. Just remember to use less thickener than you normally would as it will thicken significantly during cooling. And nothing says you can’t have two gravies, especially if you like to make giblet gravy and have guests who are opposed to such culinary delectableness. Mmm… giblets.

Lastly, go ahead and set up the dining room table. It may not seem like an important thing to do ahead, but with all the busyness bound to happen tomorrow, why not do as much ahead of time as possible. If you don’t have any decorations, don’t worry. A small vase with a few branches from a tree and some dry leaves from outside are both simple and free and this time of year quite abundant. Besides, with the table already set and ready, it will surely give your guests a true sense of being welcome for dinner. Okay, so I’m blowing smoke out of my ass right now. I just think a set table looks pretty and allows me more time to mingle and less time worrying about where everyone is going to sit.

By spreading out the load you can make the day as stress-free as possible. That is, assuming, that all hell doesn’t break loose.

Thanksgiving: Minus Two Days

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving is usually the earliest I will start any of the sides. It is also the last day I will step foot into a grocery store until after the holiday madness is over.

Time to go over my checklist and see where I am at on supplies and replenish any stock required for the big day. The last thing anyone wants is to finally be ready for dinner and have the sudden realization you’re out of butter! Okay, so perhaps this is mainly my concern. However, with just a few people and only a few sides, this year should breeze by pretty easily, right? Alas, one can never be too prepared.

I am thoroughly amazed at just how much butter I go through on Thanksgiving. Last year, for example, and albeit that was for thirteen people, I went through two pounds of butter like it was, uh, er… butter. This year I am planning on using about the same, even though it’ll only be four of us. Why so much? Because I’m making the same amount of food. What is the point of making a huge turkey feast if there won’t be leftovers? With that in mind, another couple pounds of butter will be added to my grocery list today, along with bread, milk and onions. This house can never have too many onions because I will find a use for them.

Also on my checklist is to make sure the turkey is thawed or on its way to being so. I really don’t feel like dealing with the frozen inner cavity of a bird again. If it does, however, come to that, I have no idea how I’ll be able to do what I did last year which was continue thawing it with water in the sink since our sinks in this house are much shallower than our previous ones. But I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thanksgiving Checklist

It’s always a good idea to plan ahead. Especially when food and company are involved.

With Thanksgiving coming up in just a few short days, I’ve decided to make a checklist to make sure everything is in place and ready to go when the big day comes. Last thing anyone wants is the realization that their turkey is still frozen and solid as a rock when it needs to be in the oven baking. It is also wise to know what your guests are planning on bringing as well so duplicates aren’t overbearing. Although admittedly, I don’t mind duplicate dishes in large gatherings of twenty or more people, but with a small group of ten or less a little variety is welcome.

So today, five days before, and a day or two longer than suggested, I’m taking out my turkey from the freezer and putting it into the fridge. The nice thing about having a fridge out in the garage is having the extra space to do this. Last year was a bitch and the bird was still frozen in the center after four days of her taking up a large portion of the only refrigerator we had. Perk one of moving. The downside is not having a dining room, so kitchen Thanksgiving dinner it will have to be.

I also like to make sure that I’ve got all my provisions ready for the sides. Yukon gold potatoes, heavy cream, butter and garlic for the mashed potatoes; stock, cornstarch and sage for the gravy; sausage, apples, onions and stock for the stuffing; cranberries, oranges, cinnamon and cardamom for the cranberry sauce… CRAP! I still need cranberries! Our guests are bringing green bean casserole and dessert, but I’m still tempted to make a pumpkin pie too. Or an apple pie. Maybe I’m just craving pie right now because it is so cold and wet outside. I’m also tempted to get some baby shrimp for my husband’s shrimp salad, another surprisingly festive addition to a holiday meal. Of course, with so much starch in the meal as it is, any green salad would be welcome.

Lastly is drinks. I’ve got three bottles of red wines, a cabernet sauvignon (okay, half a bottle), a merlot and mixed red, both from Rex Goliath or as I like to call it, the Forty-Seven Pound Cock since there is a picture of a forty-seven pound rooster named Rex Goliath on the label. While I’ve always loved Rex Goliath’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, their Free Range Red is deliciously smooth and goes well with a variety of foods. I’m not much of a white wine drinker, but we do have an unopened bottle of Riesling in the fridge leftover from something. Coffee, milk and filtered water should also be on hand too.

So, from my checklist, the only thing I have left unchecked is cranberries because when I went grocery shopping Tuesday the store didn’t have any. I think that is a crime. But, alas, another grocery store in the area has them so I suppose I’ll just have to pick them up this Tuesday when I gather final provisions. And decide whether or not to also make cornbread stuffing and rolls too.

Planning Thanksgiving

At the grocery store yesterday I noticed it was obviously time to start stocking up on canned and nonperishable goods. Must be close to Thanksgiving.

It never fails that this time of year has some of the best prices on those center aisles of the grocery store. It also never fails that our cupboards are filled with chicken and beef stock, soups and green beans. Yes, I know fresh is better, but canned has a nostalgic taste that simply cannot compete. Of course one of the things I missed that I forgot to put on my list was flour. Ah, next week I suppose.

And so while perusing the aisles trying to gather provisions for Thanksgiving, the thought that there is still a week away grabbed my attention and I had to also plan meals leading up to it as well. While I’m not always adept at purchasing foods based off of meals I plan on making, I decided instead to focus on getting whatever we would eat and was cheap. Typically this is how I shop anyway, stocking up on what I consider basics for a multitude of meals such as garlic, onions, red bell peppers and either pork or chicken. Add rice and I’ve got a stir fry. Add corn tortillas and I’ve got fajitas. Add corn and apples and I’ve got pork chops, chunky applesauce and creamed corn. And of course there are standbys with few ingredients as well, like spaghetti, Tuna Gemelli (though I make mine with penne) and Fettuccini Alfredo.

This year we are spending the day with friends who have family back east and have already figured out who’s making what. Of course, my problem is that I can’t not make a lot of food, so we’ll see if I can tone down this year what I failed to do last year. Then again, last year our small family gathering turned into thirteen people so perhaps overdoing the whole food thing isn’t such a bad idea. And if it does turn out to be just the four of us, then there will be plenty of leftovers for turkey sandwiches! Now, if I can only locate fresh cranberries for the cranberry sauce.

Tips I've Learned

When it comes to preparing a Thanksgiving Feast, the best advice I can give you is to not take on the challenge alone. Unless, of course, you’ll be alone.

Preparing a big meal for a large family get together or close friends you consider family can be a huge undertaking. Growing up we never had one person who was in charge of everything, we were all expected to bring something to the table potluck style. Of course, there wasn’t a randomness as you’d expect from a potluck, but rather one person was in charge of contacting everyone and informing them of their options of what they should bring. This eliminated too many duplicates, but also made it easier for the person bringing the dish to know what they were expected to bring rather than freaking out at the last minute trying to prepare a dish. So if you want Aunt Martha’s Green Bean Casserole, tell her to bring it rather than trying to make it yourself (and no, I don’t actually have an Aunt Martha. Well, I might. I don’t know. My family breeds like rabbits.)

The host should be responsible for the turkey. I’m not saying this out of malice for anyone else who might be inclined to bring the bird, but out of practicality. Then again, in my family, the host was responsible for one of the three turkeys. Anyways, transporting turkeys, with all those lovely juices and drippings, can be quite the messy ordeal. However, if you are the host and you prefer someone else to take on the turkey task, then by all means, delegate. Hell, you could probably delegate the entire meal out if you do it right which leaves you with just cleaning the house and setting the table. Hmmm…

Don’t overdo it. Seriously, why take extra time out of an already hectic day to make a ton of cute little appetizers to snack on before dinner (unless those happen to be deviled eggs, which sadly, I’m not making this year) when you’ve already got a ton more dishes to make? Get yourself a meat and cheese tray and a veggie tray and call it good. Save your energy for the side dishes. Personally I tend to take on more than I should, but only because I’m a control freak and want to make sure all of my bases are covered as well as have a backup plan in case anyone flakes out on their duties. Not that I’m expecting anyone to flake out (lies, all lies) but it does make sense to have a few things on hand in case your guests decide to bring guests, which I swear would never happen in my family (again, lies, all lies!)

Keep it simple. Don’t spend all day in the kitchen. Enjoy the company of your guests. And above all, remember to have fun. And yes, wine helps.

Planning Thanksgiving

So with only a few short days away until Thanksgiving, I suppose I need to head to the grocery store to make my purchases. Of course, planning ahead in case the few guests we are having over forget to bring their respective dishes will prevent any (food) disasters.

We are keeping the menu simple, as there isn’t really a need for 20 different side options when there will only be five people, but still, having a variety will be nice. It would be a good idea while grocery shopping to pick up a few cans of green beans, corn, and any other simple veggies, and perhaps even a frozen pie… just to be prepared for missing items your guests may forget. Getting cans and frozen items will make it look like you have a well-stocked pantry and freezer without insulting your guests that you are anticipating they’ll forget something.

I’m also thinking that anything that can be done ahead of time should be, but looking at my list of items we’re preparing, that only leaves the cranberry sauce. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing really aren’t make ahead items, but cranberry sauce can be prepared a week or two in advance. Hmmm… I sense tomorrow’s post. Oh! And how could I forget that my partner is making homemade rolls?