Things that didn't work for us:
- a big menu--we decided to scale back the menu quite a bit just two days before, and still it seemed like a lot of work, and an abundance of food to choose from. We went with the turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, an assortment of pickles from the summer and 1 kind of dessert, pumpkin pie. We left out a kale and broccoli dish and a salad, plus the other dessert, and rolls.
- getting the turkey thawed--is it just me, my fridge and the turkeys I buy, or does everyone else think it takes longer to thaw frozen turkeys than it used to? My mom's old cookbooks all seem to think that a turkey should thaw in the fridge in just 3 days. I had the turkey in the fridge for 5 days and it still had some icy-ness to it. Perhaps modern fridges are set to a lower temp or do a better job keeping things cold. Or maybe modern turkeys are processed in a way that slows the thawing process (injected with flavors, water and fats?). I don't know. But this year I moved the turkey from the freezer to the fridge on Saturday. Next year I'll try Friday.
- timing the turkey roasting--sadly, in our house, Thanksgiving dinner is ALWAYS an hour late. I need to just start telling everyone that dinner will be an hour later.
Things that worked well for us this year:
- having everyone in the house help with the cooking. My son made the cranberry sauce, (following a recipe in Joy of Cooking), a couple of days before. My two daughters were left completely in charge of the mashed potatoes. Each daughter helped with an individual side dish. All three kids cleaned up the dining room and set the table. I'm in the process of teaching my husband how to roast a turkey. He did about half the turkey work this time, up from last year. Next turkey, I'll teach him the glaze.
- keeping the casseroles hot in a warm oven while I made gravy and sliced the turkey. Everything was hot and ready at the same time. Next year I'd like to try warming the dinner plates as well, so the meal stays hot longer on the plates.
- saying grace before everyone hit the buffet, so all were free to take their plates to the table and begin eating when they pleased. In past years, we've waited on grace until everyone was seated at the table with their filled plates, which meant much of it was cold too soon.
- having my two daughters in charge of serving dessert and my son doing the table clearing. This meant I could just sit and enjoy the evening.
I know I will probably think of other things I'm glad worked one way, or wish I'd done another way. But having written this down, I now have a resource for next year's Thanksgiving planning.
How about you? When planning a holiday meal, do you find some things work particularly well, and others, not so much? Any tips to share to help me with my plans for next year?
And the promised recipe?
With the Thanksgiving leftovers always come a challenge of how to use things up, without the telltale "leftoverness". Here's how I use up any remaining whipping cream (yes, believe it or not, we do have leftover whipping cream! LOL!) I created this recipe back when I was a newlywed, and later published it in a newsletter I wrote when my children were all small.
Super Easy Chocolate Mousse
I receive such amazing praise when I serve this mousse for dessert in our house. Yet I don't know if I make anything simpler or quicker. Believe it or not, this mousse only takes 5 minutes of hands-on time.
(yields 4-6 small, but rich, servings)
8 oz. whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
dash salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
Use an electric mixer in a medium bowl to begin whipping the cream. Just as the cream is beginning to look fluffy, whip in remaining ingredients, being careful not to overbeat.
If the mousse still needs mixing, but is beginning to look overbeaten, use a rubber spatula to finish combining. Spoon into small dishes and chill 10-15 minutes.
(I usually make this dish just before serving dinner and it chills while we eat.)
*tip* If your powdered sugar or cocoa is lumpy, spoon it through a sieve before adding to the cream. Mixing will be quicker if lumps are minimized.
And the promised recipe?
With the Thanksgiving leftovers always come a challenge of how to use things up, without the telltale "leftoverness". Here's how I use up any remaining whipping cream (yes, believe it or not, we do have leftover whipping cream! LOL!) I created this recipe back when I was a newlywed, and later published it in a newsletter I wrote when my children were all small.
Super Easy Chocolate Mousse
I receive such amazing praise when I serve this mousse for dessert in our house. Yet I don't know if I make anything simpler or quicker. Believe it or not, this mousse only takes 5 minutes of hands-on time.
(yields 4-6 small, but rich, servings)
8 oz. whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
dash salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
Use an electric mixer in a medium bowl to begin whipping the cream. Just as the cream is beginning to look fluffy, whip in remaining ingredients, being careful not to overbeat.
If the mousse still needs mixing, but is beginning to look overbeaten, use a rubber spatula to finish combining. Spoon into small dishes and chill 10-15 minutes.
(I usually make this dish just before serving dinner and it chills while we eat.)
*tip* If your powdered sugar or cocoa is lumpy, spoon it through a sieve before adding to the cream. Mixing will be quicker if lumps are minimized.
