My Guide for Creating a Cozy & Delicious Thanksgiving
I can’t remember the first time I hosted Thanksgiving but I do remember we didn’t properly thaw the bird and my mom came over to rescue me (that was the last year we bought frozen!) I also remember the year one of the boys accidentally unplugged the fridge in the garage to charge a scooter and I found a room temperature turkey waiting on Thanksgiving morning. Poor Jimmy went to all the local grocery stories to find a new one. Those mishaps do make for the best stories, even if they cause some momentary panic in the moment. Somewhere along the way Thanksgiving became my holiday and I’ve been hosting it ever since. I honestly love it - such a cozy and warm holiday, centered around gratitude and family, truly one of my favorite days of the year! My mom used to pitch in helping to make a few sides but she is not longer able to cook and now the dinner is made entirely by me. I do have very handsome and helpful guys on dish duty though, which is a BIG help. After almost 15 years of hosting, I’ve got a pretty solid game plan and repertoire of recipes which I will share in this post, along with some table setting elements and tips that I find helpful.
links to recipes listed below
MY TOP THANKSGIVING HOSTING TIPS:
Have a prep schedule! Mine will look something like this:
Monday - Cranberry Conserve and Pecan Squares (I will half the recipe - it makes a ton)
Tuesday - Buy flowers, make arrangements, set table. Make cheese sauce for mac and cheese (can’t link this recipe, I have it saved from her stories). Pull all serving dishes and platters - label them.
Wednesday - Make turkey breast, save drippings. Bake pumpkin tart. Make chipotle smashed sweet potatoes.
Thursday - (I will make this day’s schedule hour by hour just to keep track of everything). Make: stuffing, pasta for mac and cheese, the second turkey breast (we have a smaller group this year otherwise I would make a whole bird), gravy stock (see #2), green beans and mashed potatoes. If making a full bird this recipe is my favorite.
Learn how to make homemade gravy. It’s worth the extra effort. My mom’s recipe is my all time favorite. Here it is:
Recipe | Best Homemade Turkey Gravy
Turkey giblets and neck
2 TBS butter
1 celery stalk, cut up
1 medium carrot, cut up
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
1 tsp salt
8-12 whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup flour
turkey drippings, at least 1/3 cup
Wash and dry neck and giblets, then brown them in butter on all sides in a medium saucepan. Add everything else, except the flour to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to very low and simmer for 2-2.5 hours, until you have 2 1/2 cups of broth left. Remove turkey parts and discard. Strain broth, pressing vegetables in a sieve. Set aside. When turkey is removed from roasting pan set drippings in a measuring cup in a bowl of ice water. Once the fat separates (it will rise to the top, the oily looking liquid) skim it off. Add 1/3 cup of the remaining drippings + 1/3 cup flour to the saucepan and whisk over low heat for a minute to cook the flour. Remove from heat and gradually whisk in the broth. Add any additional drippings if you have them. Continue to whisk over low heat till thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Will be the best gravy you've ever had.
Double Turkey!! Make a turkey breast the day before and a full bird the day of. This alleviates a couple stresses… you know you have turkey should something go awry on Thanksgiving (see paragraph one of this post!!) and you know you have plenty of turkey for leftovers the next day! I look forward to the leftovers more than the day of meal itself!
Have the right cooking equipment: sharp knives, a working digital thermometer, a great roasting pan, a carving board and a baster.
Choose flowers for your table that will work with your Christmas decor if you plan to decorate after Thanksgiving. I’ve made the mistake of buying lots of flowers for my table and then wanting to pitch them all on Friday when I put up Christmas. Using things like boxwood, magnolia and berries will transition so much better. I also love to use elements like nuts, nectarines, pumpkins and acorns in my table settings.
Pewter, copper, rattan and bamboo look especially good when pulling together a Thanksgiving table. Here is a link to a collection of beautiful items to help create a pretty table. Be generous with candle light!
Skip the appetizers and salad. I love this salad recipe and will make it to enjoy with leftovers, but on Thanksgiving no one is trying too hard to hit their daily fiber goal, at least not in my home. As for the apps, have people save their appetite for the actual meal.
Have plenty of containers to store leftovers and for people to take leftovers home!
Don’t buy canned cranberry sauce! It’s the easiest thing to make and can be made days in advance. If you want to lighten the cooking/prep load, order your pies and desserts from a local bakery.
Have good bakery bead on hand for sandwiches the next day. The last thing you want to do on Friday is make a trip to the grocery store!
