I want to start with this post from Sheri Hawley, Nathan’s fabulous mom-in-law. In the post she does a great job of describing the hours leading up to Nathan’s trip to El Salvador as Nathan had just 24 hours to decide to go and then make preparations to be gone for 10 days. Her writing gives you a glimpse of the wonderful family he married into and the amazing church he is a part of.
Thanks, dear Sheri, for all that you do for our kids. I couldn’t ask for a better “‘nother mother” for my son.
For the fifth year in a row, we are hosting the man of Dare Challenge for Thanksgiving Dinner. You can find a post about one of the past dinners here.
This year we will have a total of 18 people and happily some women from the church will help with cooking. The first couple years, we did it all ourselves and that was a bit overwhelming. Our church has some of the best cooks east of the Mississippi and I am thankful that there will be a whole posse of them bringing side dishes and desserts through my front door on Wednesday and Thursday.
Which brings me to a question . . .
I would like to get as much of my cooking done ahead of time as I can, especially the turkey. If I cook and slice the turkey on Wednesday, does anyone have any foolproof ways to reheat it before the big meal?
Also, does anyone have any good tips for making mashed potatoes ahead and reheating them?
Do you have any other good make-ahead recipes you would like to share with me and all the other cooks who hang out here?
Thanks in advance!
Speaking of recipes and tips, I did see something yesterday that I wanted to pass along. Since it’s always difficult to lift a big turkey (or ham) out of a roasting pan, this article said you could put oven mitts on your hands and then put plastic bags over the oven mitts and lift your meat out of the pan that way. I thought that was pretty helpful since I have done my share of trying to wrestle hefty gobblers out of a pan.
And speaking of turkeys, I found this old post in the archives about a day when Steve and I tried to cook a whole turkey together.
It made me laugh so I thought you might enjoy revisiting it as well.
In the interest of full disclosure I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a professional turkey cooker. In fact, while I do quite well with turkey breasts, I am extremely intimidated by whole, entire turkeys. You know, the kind that come complete with legs and cavities stuffed full of rather yucky things enclosed in slimy bags? Those kinds of turkeys?
Well, a few weeks ago, some friends of ours generously gave us a whole turkey which I laid gently in the freezer to deal with at a later (and more courageous) time in my life.
Last week, that time arrived. The grocery budget was a little (a lot) slim and I thought, “I’ve got that 13-pound turkey in the freezer. I can create a whole bunch of meals from that!”
And so I thawed it. And then set it on the counter. And surveyed it from a distance. And pondered it. And surveyed it again. And pondered it some more.
And then I crept slowly and cautiously up to the turkey (as though it might leap upon me at any moment) and conducted a little exploratory excursion into the “cavity.” And in the midst of my excursion, I touched the mysterious innards.
I shuddered! I backed away slowly! I did what I have done for twenty-seven years in times of duress.
I yelled, “STEVE!”
Steve appeared on the scene with great expediency to see why his wife was in the kitchen yelling like a panicked maniac.
I said to him, “Steve, you’re an Eagle Scout. You have camped and foraged for food and dealt with many yucky things along the way. So I need for you to please remove the innards from the turkey for me because I just can’t handle doing it myself.” (Yes, I AM a bit squeamish, in case you’re wondering.)
So Steve gallantly scrubbed his hands (as though preparing for surgery) and began to rummage around inside Sir Turkey while I stayed a safe ten feet away and made lots of “Ewwww” noises in order to further encourage him.
I was also being very helpful by reading the instructions to him which were going on and on about all sorts of lovely things such as:
Tie legs together; skewer the neck skin to the back. If there is no band of skin, tie the drumsticks securely to the tail using 100 percent cotton string. Twist wing tips under the back.
And other inspiring words.
Well. Once we had figured out (Steve close up; me from a distance) what all we were going to skewer, tie, and/or twist, we had to decide how we were going to season the turkey.
And might I just add that this entire process had been accompanied by many shrieks, giggles and guffaws on our part as we wrestled ye olde turkey to the mat. (Although you can’t really tell it from this particular picture where Steve is so seriously concentrating on the job at hand.)
I thought back to the only time in my life that I had prepared a whole turkey before (with my friend, Leeanne’s help), and remembered that she had lifted up the skin and put butter underneath it.
So, from my vast well of whole turkey roasting expertise, I informed Steve that we needed to put butter under the skin.
He strode boldly over to the fridge, got half a stick of butter and just STUCK it under the skin.
Well, that caused me to succumb to utter hysterics. I said, “Oh, it looks like the poor turkey has a GOITER!”
We both lost it. Entirely and completely.
After we had finally gotten ourselves back under control, I convinced Steve that we had to soften the butter and then put it under the skin. So he surgically removed the “goiter” and I ventured forth bravely from my hiding place at the end of the counter to soften it in the microwave.
We eventually got the tying, twisting, skewering, buttering, and seasoning all done and put the poor, traumatized bird in the oven. Which was probably a nice, quiet sanctuary for him (or her?) after all the turmoil it had been put through.
Despite our amateurish efforts, the turkey was delicious and yes, I did make a lot of meals from it.
And even though I was never in the Girl Scouts, I hereby declare that I do hithertofore and henceforth forever more deserve an official Cooking Badge because I, Rebecca C. Smith, have had a (small) part in roasting a turkey. With a goiter.
The end.
We have an excellent do ahead cranberry relish recipe. 2 cans whole cranberry sauce, I 20oz can crushed pineapples drained and 1 pound frozen strawberries. Slice strawberries while partially frozen into bite sized pieced, drain pineapples and mix all together. Refrigerate over night.
Mary,
I love the idea of adding strawberries to the relish. Yum. Sounds like a keeper!!
Becky, this is a family favorite for make-ahead potatoes…
5 lbs. potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 (3 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. butter
Cheddar cheese
Peel, slice and boil potatoes until soft. Drain. Mash and add cream cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper and butter. Mix until creamy. Place in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Dot with butter and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Place in refrigerator. Will keep for several days. To use: Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until hot.
Karen,
Great; thank you! I always like to use recipes that have been personally recommended by someone who’s made them instead of just blindly picking something off the internet. This looks wonderful!
Karen,
I actually ended up using this recipe; thanks so much! Only changes I made were to leave off the cheddar and add a little garlic powder. They turned out great.
looks like crock pot is the winner for the mashed potatoes.
i use to go to early Christmas Eve service with friends, and then back to their house for dinner, and the potatoes were always reheated in a double boiler.
i know the Dare folks will enjoy your whole meal and wonderful friendship.
Anonymous,
I agree. The crock pot is where it’s at! It was interesting to see your reference to a double boiler; my mom used to use that but you don’t hear people talk about it much anymore.
why did “Mrs. Pam” show up as Anonymous? I’ll have to see if my message I left today is identifiable.
Mrs. Pam,
Good question! Try logging out of your account and logging in again.
Hi Becky, Wanted to make the Thanksgiving meal super easy this year so purchased a deep fried pre-cooked boneless turkey breast from Sam’s and a large package of paper plates and napkins. Next, went to http://www.foodnetwork.com for the make-ahead recipes including one for turkey gravy which makes about 8 cups ( we really like gravy). Hope you have a wonderful day.
Judy,
Sounds like you have a great plan in place–easy and delicious. I also love gravy so 8 cups sounds about right to me. 🙂 Enjoy!
Have cooked a whole turkey but we are too small for that now. I think they are so pretty. My Mama always made casseroles and dressing ahead of time and cooked them on the day. She liked her veggies freshly cooked except collards. I am cooking on Wed to take to our son’s that night. We will have lunch with his family and his in-laws on Thursday. Enjoyed the turkey story. I know someone who did not take the inside package out on her first turkey cooking. Not me. Our church served dinner Wednesday night to one housing complex and will serve Monday night to another one which has three floors and many residents. Such fun. These are both elderly and disabled people.
Ann,
I love that your church serves Thanksgiving dinner to the elderly and disabled. What joy that bring everyone–the ones being served and the ones doing the serving!
No advice on cooking ahead…I’ve never been that well organized! Just want to say that I’m impressed as can be with Steve’s skills that he was able to get that stick of butter so far into the turkey!
The Hawleys are such a wonderful “village” to have at your back. Imagine what they could accomplish if they’d had a dozen children!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
Jan,
The Hawley Village is a wonderful one, indeed.
And yes, Steve’s butter-placing skills are legendary. 🙂
We use Reser’s mashed potatoes every holiday for years and they are fantastic. They are very creamy and taste just like homemade and best of all take just three minutes in the microwave. Super easy right before you sit down to eat to take care of without a second thought.
http://resers.com/
Anna,
i have never heard of that brand but it sure sounds like a whole lot easier than peeling dozens of potatoes. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for the brand new time I shop and buy it one of our own family meals since it would take quite a lot of it to feed all those guys!
Becky, thank you so much for introducing us to your story of the turkey with the goiter! Thank you also for asking about cooking-ahead-of-time tips. The following answers have answered questions I was having in preparation for our own Thanksgiving dinner. May your Thanksgiving Day be filled with family, friends, the men of Dare Challenge, laughter and, yes, Tom Turkey!
Margaret,
I’m so very happy the the question and answer post was helpful to you. It is nice to get tips from other people and add their knowledge to the things we already do. Sharing advice is so much fun.
We (meaning my sister) roast the turkey the day before, slice and put in disposable pans.Pour the drippings or chicken broth over top, cover with foil. refrigerate, then pop in the oven to reheat on Thanksgiving Day. I used to be in charge of pies/desserts, but since Marie C, Mrs. Smith, and Edwards do such a fine job and are usually on sale for the holidays, I am now relegated to dinner rolls. I’m thinking I may do those the day before – I think I have a recipe for brown and serve rolls somewhere. Happy Thanksgiving!
Jan,
I love your “royal we.” 🙂
And yes, I also truly appreciate the other Mrs. Smith and Marie C. and all their cohorts. They make life easy and delicious!
Thanksgiving is the best holiday! With my ever growing family I like to think I have become somewhat of an expert on cooking for large crowds (I expect around 30 this year)
The weekend before, I always make applesauce, muffins, cranberry relish and pies. In addition to lessening the load on Thanksgiving, they always taste better after a few days!
I also chop up a bunch of celery and onions the weekend before and place in zip lock baggies. (for the stuffing)
I rinse the vegetables, trim the green beans and also place in zip lock baggies.
I cook the turkey thanksgiving day, but get it ready the night before to put into the oven. I really love the smell of a turkey cooking on Thanksgiving.
Several years ago, as a joke, I gave my kids and several of my nieces potato peelers for Christmas. It’s become a tradition that 5 or 6 of them sit around the kitchen table on Thanksgiving peeling potatoes (and sweet potatoes). Lots of laughter!
I layout several loaves of bread on the kitchen table the night before so it is just right to make the stuffing on Thursday.
Because of the large crowd, getting the table ready can be a challenge. Usually start working on that Monday after work.(I move my dining room table and set out some plastic tables to create a “U” shape. Looks great when all are covered with table cloths!
I have found that the more folks I have for dinner, the more help I have Thanksgiving day!
Bless you for your generosity and Happy Thanksgiving!
Anonymous,
What a treasure trove of great ideas. Thanks for taking the time to share them with all the readers.
You have inspired me to get going on some cutting and chopping today and at least get those things out of the way. (onion, celery etc.) Your comment also reminded me that I have a great applesauce recipe that I may make. My secret is to make the applesauce and then mix it with chunky purchased applesauce (low sugar) to double the quantity and have it still taste (and look) homemade without having to peel SO many apples!
I love your idea of putting the tables in a U shape. Thanks again for your wonderful tips!
Yes, I agree with the either putting your turkey sliced into the crock pot or in a pan tightly covered with some of the turkey drippings or with some chicken broth from a can. You can get the potatoes done ahead and instead of whipping them with milk use sour cream and butter and they will stay together and not get runny in a crock pot or mash them and put them in a casserole dish as well and reheat them, or do the Cheesy hashbrown potatoes. recipe on the back of Mr Dell’s hashbrowns. Sooo good. Make Green bean casserole ahead of time to bake or baked corn? Cherry cheesecake salad is great made ahead of time but I wonder if you don’t have to do those? Will the church ladies help with the side dishes? It’s great that they are willing to help out again 🙂 What a wonderful ministry you have in having the group from the Dare Challenge over for a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. It must just plain warm your hearts too to have them there. Wendy
Wendy,
Very interesting tip about using sour cream and butter instead of milk in the make ahead potatoes; I never would have considered the runnyness factor! This is why I love all these suggestions!
Have you every made cheesy hashbrowns? I’m not sure how much room will be in your oven the day of, but you could prep them the day before if you have room in your fridge. Get the 9×12 disposable cake pans with covers – http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hefty-EZ-Foil-Cake-Pans-With-Covers-3ct/17177487 to prep in. Bake the next day for an hour and then you can throw the pan. We make our green bean casserole in these too for easy prep and clean up.
Rachel,
Yum. That sounds delicious! And items for easy prep and clean up are definitely the way to go on such a busy day!
I always cook my turkey the day before. Slice and layer in a foil pan – use your baster and put the pan drippings over the slices in each layer. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate. When reheating – wet a tea towel and wring out excess water. Lay it on top of turkey slices and cover loosely with foil. Reheat on low heat for approx. 45 minutes. No-one ever knows that my turkey was not cooked that day! I called Butterball one year for instructions and they were very helpful.
Elaine,
How interesting to use a wet towel on the turkey slices. I’ll have to remember that!
Can you imagine working the Butterball hotline? I’ll bet they get all sorts of interesting questions. 🙂
I was going to suggest pioneer women’s mashed potatoes as well. I’ve never tried it, but I’ve had friends bake the turkey ahead and then reheat it slowly in a crockpot with chicken broth to keep it moist as needed. They always saved the drippings and made the gravy the day of. Happy Thanksgiving!
Google “turkey lifter forks” – these are great! I have a set my mom used for years – they have a sentimental value also but they work wonderfully for turkeys, roasts, a weapon (just kidding). I don’t have many make ahead recipes other than my cranberries which is the recipe on the bag of cranberries – I just cut the sugar in half. Another one of my mom’s fabulous dishes. I will be cooking for several on the day after Thanksgiving – including my grandson! Can’t wait – have the whole week off of work – have a wonderful Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday because it is simply about a good meal and family. I feel so badly for Thanksgiving – it is lost and so overshadowed by the commercialized Christmas – it should shine as bright or brighter as a holiday where NO STORES are open and it is just families and friends that gather and have conversation. ENJOY! Stepping off my soapbox now…..gobble, gobble.
P.S. I love the generosity and companionship of your Thanksgiving dinners. God Bless you and all who attend.
Mary,
A turkey lifter fork! Sounds very interesting. And helpful!
So glad you get some time off of work and have family coming to cook for. Happy, happy!
And I agree with you about Thanksgiving getting overshadowed. Having a Thankful Day is a great thing to do!
I make my mashed potatoes earlier in the day and then put them in the crock pot on low to heat up.
Dale,
Crock pots seem to have a lot of fans around Thanksgiving!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/
These are wonderful make ahead (a day or two) and warm in the oven or in a crockpot!
Mary,
Thanks for looking that up!!
You can also go to Taste of Home and find some make ahead recipes for mashed potatoes. I am going to use the one for Creamy Make-Head Mashed Potatoes. You can make this the day before and then cook the next day. You can also double to make 2 – 9×13 size pans. Happy Thanksgiving!
Laura,
Two 9 x 13 pans sounds like it would be about right for our crowd. (We’re up to 20 now.)
I haven’t used Taste of Home before. I’ll have to check them out!
Becky you can go to Allrecipes.com & search for make ahead mashed potatoes. There were some there.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Margie,
What in the world did we do back in the days before recipe websites? 🙂