Mom's Complete Thanksgiving How To Guide

Tuesday - Two days before Thanksgiving
Clean out your fridge; you will need the space for all your sides;
Decorate.

Wednesday - One day before Thanksgiving
Prepare Turkey for cooking and put back in fridge;
Prepare Dressing, Sweet Potato Souffle; cover both and put in fridge;
Cut up Yukon Gold Potatoes, cover in water and put in fridge;
Make Blue Cheese Dressing, put in fridge;
Set the table while you thank God that you cleaned out the fridge on Tuesday.

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day - Dinner at 4:30p.m.
8:30 a.m.
Start the turkey early. Give yourself the cooking time plus 1 hour for it to "set" while you bake everything else. Put the turkey in the roasting pan with 1/2 cup water. Baste every 30 minutes or so.

Start cooking the Turkey Stock down, add 6 cups of water to the pot and cook down again to about 2 cups. This will take a few hours... just watch it on and off.

1:30 p.m.
Put Yukon Gold Potatoes and Pole Beans on stove;

3:00 p.m.
Turkey: Remove the Turkey from the oven and pan; pour the pan juices into the gravy stock pot; put turkey back in the roasting pan and cover with foil to let it rest for about an hour (till carving time). It will stay warm, just keep cotton picken fingers away from it;
Gravy: Remove meat from the neck, cut up ALL the giblets and add back into the stock pot. Do this even though you don't like the meat. Mix 2 tablespoons Corn Starch in 1/2 cup of water until lumps are gone. Add salt and pepper. Be patient, better to have thin than pasty gravy. Remember, gravy should always be a little salty.

4:00 p.m.
Ask John to carve the turkey;
Start putting dressing and all the other stuff in the oven;
Make green salad and refrigerate (you won't have any room in the fridge until now);
Put condiments on the table - Cranberry Sauce, Salad Dressing, Butter, Salt, Pepper, etc.

When the last guest arrives or you are ready to serve...
Remove all the oven side items;
Reduce the heat in the oven to warm;
Put the rolls in the oven and turn the timer on to remind you not to burn the bread!
Start arranging food on the table;

Remove the rolls;
Put any pie that has to cook in the oven;
If you have pre-cooked pie and want to serve it warm, then turn off the oven when you remove the rolls, place the pie(s) on a cookie sheet and leave them in the cooling oven.

If guests are running late
Just remove the oven things and put them on the top of the stove covered.

Turkey Ingredients:
1 turkey
1 stalk of celery cut in 3" sections
1 small onion
1 small apple
1 stick of butter
salt/pepper

Turkey Preparation:
Thaw & rinse turkey well; Remove neck and from cavity and bag of giblets from the other end; Put neck and giblets into large pot of water with salt and pepper for turkey stock; Cut celery, onion & apple in large chunks & place in cavity (this keeps the meat moist); Melt butter & spread evenly over turkey; Salt & Pepper; Cook according to package directions.

Dressing Ingredients:
Pepperidge Farm Herb Dressing Bread Crumbs
2 Medium Coarsely Chopped Onions
Celery (sliced from end - include leaves for flavor)
Rubbed Sage (Add until you can barely taste it - it grows)
Turkey Stock
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Dressing Preparation:
Mix first 5 ingredients; Add enough turkey stock to just moisten the mixture. Save the rest for gravy; Salt & pepper to taste; Place pats of butter on the top; Cook at 350 covered for 30 minutes, then uncovered for 30 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Half n Half
Salt/ Pepper / Butter

Mashed Potatoes Preparation:
Cut in cubes the night before, cover in water and refrigerate; Boil until tender, whip with butter, add cream, salt & pepper to taste.

Pole Beans Ingredients:
Fresh/ Frozen/ Canned Italian Beans
Crisp Bacon pieces / Ham / Salted Pork / or Jowel
Onions
1/2 Clove Garlic
Salt and Pepper

Pole Beans Preparation:
Put it all in a pan on the stove and cook. Fresh takes about 1 1/2 hours, Frozen or canned takes about 30 minutes to mingle flavors.

Sweet Potato Souffle Ingredients:
3 Cups Cooked Mashed Sweet Potatoes
1/2 Cup Butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
Salt
Topping:
Chopped Pecans
2/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Flour

Sweet Potato Souffle Preparation:
Mix first 6 ingredients well
Place in lightly oiled casserole dish;
Sprinkle topping mixture on top;
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Happy Thanksgiving!

Accept all compliments graciously, you earned them.
When you hunger, nourish your mind;
When you thirst, drink deep from the spirit's well;
When endless cravings enfold you, find your soul and feed it;
The bread we eat was once a living spirit;
Our communion then, is a sharing, soul with soul,
Earth and Heaven made whole, to live again with us.
So we pause in blest gratitude this hour,
To utter our word of thanksgiving,
For this gift which is all ours,
Not to hoard but to share, till all the world is fed.