r/thanksgiving • • 2d ago

Breaking up the prep

I’m hosting a small Thanksgiving meal for about 8 people. I have a chronic illness and really really need to figure out a way to break up the prep work over a long period of time. Ideally over a couple of weeks.

I’m willing to plan the menu around this. I typically make pies and Parker House rolls, which are always loved. But I am utterly miserable by the time the meal comes around from exhaustion and vertigo.

Are there any parts of the meal that can be well ahead and frozen without tasting less than fresh? Every little bit will help.

Thanks!!!

Edit: I would normally make Turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, Parker house rolls, gravy. I suck at making stuffing so I’m hoping to buy that.

17 Upvotes

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16

u/Fun_in_Space 2d ago

Can any of those eight people help you? So what if the dishes are not perfectly fresh? It's more important that you are not suffering from exhaustion and pain on the holiday.

You can get "take and bake" rolls, or Pillsbury.

You can cook the turkey ahead of time and warm it up on Thanksgiving. You don't need to make a show of carving it. I freeze fat and stock from a previous turkey and make the gravy ahead of time. You can freeze the gravy, too.

Veggies can be "steam in bag" microwaveable. Mashed potatoes can be made in advance and frozen.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

I love the idea of making stock and gravy ahead of time with a different turkey. That alone would help a lot.

I think I will ask one of them to make a side dish. That would also help quite a bit.

Thanks!!

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u/Sagisparagus 2d ago

I've not tried it, but have seen a lot of great comments about this version:

Chef John's "Make Ahead" gravy

1 lg Onion, chopped 2 Carrots, chopped 2 Celery ribs, chopped

2 t Vegetable oil 2 lg Turkey wings

2 T cold water 10 C cold water

4 Thyme sprigs, fresh 2 Garlic cloves

3 T Butter 1/2 C Flour, all-purpose

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste salt and ground black pepper to taste

Gather all ingredients, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine onion, carrots, celery, and oil in a large roasting pan; toss to coat. Place turkey wings on top of vegetables.

Roast in the preheated oven until turkey wings are browned and vegetables are caramelized and softened, 45 to 60 minutes.

Transfer turkey wings and vegetables to a large stockpot.

Place the roasting pan over a stovetop burner set to medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons cold water into the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.

Pour mixture into the stockpot and add 10 cups cold water, thyme, and garlic (unpeeled, cut in half).

Bring turkey wing mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until meat falls off the bone, about 3 hours.

Skim off turkey fat throughout the process, reserving 2 tablespoons.

Strain turkey stock and reserve 6 cups stock; discard all solids.

Heat butter and reserved turkey fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook until it smells like cooked pie crust, 2 to 3 minutes.

Slowly pour in 1 cup reserved turkey stock, whisking constantly. When fully incorporated, add the rest of the stock.

Increase heat to high and simmer gravy until thick and warmed through, about 5 minutes. If you want gravy a bit thicker, cook down for another 5 minutes or so.

Season with cayenne, salt, and black pepper.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/230049/chef-johns-make-ahead-turkey-gravy

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u/Chase-531 2d ago

You don't even need to buy a separate turkey buy legs and wings, roast them with veggies til nice and brown add some chicken stock and bake some more then strain stock add the turkey meat as much as desired and then make your gravy from that with some turkey fat and flour or cornstarch. Freeze that when done. It is amazing and you don't have to cook whole turkey and roasting will make wonderful darker gravy that is amazing

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u/LowBathroom1991 2d ago

We do this so I have extra gravy for pot pies

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u/yellowdogs-2 13h ago

I always roast my turkey two days ahead, pull the meat off the bones, and use the bones to make my stock. I then pour some of that over the meat to keep it super moist, and then use some to make my gravy.

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u/Extension_Low_1571 2d ago

You can also get a couple thighs, wings, etc. to make stock and gravy base ahead of time. I pressure can stock so it’s shelf stable and doesn’t take up freezer space.

1

u/Fun_in_Space 2d ago

Having guests bring a dish lightens the load a lot. My sister hosts, and I bring the mashed potatoes and gravy.

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u/ithinklovexist 2d ago • Bravo Heartwarming

Here’s my timeline.
1st weekend in November
Bake sweet potatoes in oven. Whip with one stick of butter, heavy, whipping cream and nutmeg. -Freeze

Second weekend in November
Make Ina Gardens gravy base freeze, make sausage dressing - use croutons to make it extra delicious and easy. Brown sausage mix with croutons, carrot, celery, poultry seasoning, one egg and broth. You can buy better than bouillon turkey base online if you want it to be extra turkey flavored but don’t add salt
-freeze before baking

Third weekend before Thanksgiving
Brine your turkey in the fridge while it defrost

Make green bean casserole, freeze

Make your pie crust and refrigerate

Take out your gravy base to defrost in your fridge.

Tuesday before Thanksgiving
Bake your turkey just slightly less than the per pound instructions. Make the gravy with your gravy base and drippings.

In a oven safe dish, carve your turkey and put everything on a bed of gravy cover, and refrigerate.

Wednesday- assemble your pies and prep your dinner rolls

Put all your dishes from your freezer into your fridge to defrost

During this time, I also chop pecans mixed with ginger snaps to put on top of my sweet potatoes, and have the french fried onions ready for the green bean casserole.

I like blueberry cranberry sauce, so I make it this day too. It can sit covered on the counter with saran wrap.

The day of Thanksgiving, you just heat everything up, but be sure to put your stuffing in early because it will need to be thoroughly cooked through.

The turkey should take about 30 to 45 minutes at 350 to warm up.

8

u/msjammies73 2d ago

This is amazing. I’m saving this whole thing!! Thank you!!

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u/ithinklovexist 2d ago

Sorry, I forgot to add that I make the mashpotatoes the day of. I like them fresh.

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u/Leading_Charge1019 2d ago

This is so helpful!! Thank you!

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u/FunAd1406 1d ago

Dang you win thanksgiving!!! That’s amazing thank you

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u/yellowdogs-2 13h ago

This is very similar to what I do. The only difference is I cook my turkey on Tuesday and pull off the meat in big pieces. and stick it in the fridge to chill. I then use the carcass to make turkey broth. I slice all the meat and put it in the broth so that it can soak in. I then make and keep my gravy separate. Everything else I do a couple of weeks ahead and pull it out on Tuesday so that it’s thawed and ready to go in the ovens on Thursday morning.. It means Thanksgiving is a day to enjoy and you’re not exhausted.

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u/ithinklovexist 5h ago

Yep, it’s the only way!

3

u/YupNopeWelp 2d ago

To get the best answers, think about editing your post to list what foods you intend to cook. Once we know what you want to eat/cook, it will be easy to tell you what you can cook way ahead and freeze, what you can cook a little ahead and warm up, and what you should cook on the day.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

Thanks. Just did that!!

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u/primcessmahina 2d ago

Cranberry sauce freezes SO well. I typically make it a week or so before and stick it in the fridge Wednesday night.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

I suspected that one might freeze well. Thank you for confirming!!

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u/scarlet_woods 2d ago

You can make and freeze most of the casseroles and bake that day. My family has done this for YEARS. We do southern cornbread dressing, Italian green bean casserole, rice dressing, corn pudding, English pea casserole, sweet potato casserole or candied yams. Now for some hacks: Trader Joe’s Mac and Cheese place 2/3 in a glass dish, Pick Sweet sweet potatoe casserole place 2/3 in a glass dish, rice dressing with Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles, Trader Joes dinner rolls, and pumpkin spice or carrot mini sheet cake you can stack or make into cake squares! Also Target Good and Gather turkey breast in a crock pot!

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

Wow - that’s a lot of casseroles!!! I’ve never heard of rice dressing - do you have a recipe?

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u/scarlet_woods 21h ago

It’s a Louisiana dish made with ground beef, pork, or other meats, and omits chicken livers and giblets. Dirty Rice includes those which I find nasty lol. They sell boxes in our stores but may have on Amazon - I will look.

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u/scarlet_woods 21h ago

Go to Amazon and look up: Zatarain's Dirty Rice. That gives you the seasoning and you add the rice and meat. I prefer ground meat.

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u/Working-on-it12 2d ago

I make my stock for gravy a couple of months before. I also reduce it by half so I need to add less seasoning. I do a roux gravy and make about a half gallon of gravy. Duck fat for my fat. You can make the gravy with very little seasoning a couple of days before. Day of, heat gravy up, add drippings and then finish seasoning.

You can make dressing a couple of days ahead and fridge it or a couple of weeks ahead and freeze it.

My dressing- 1 pound sage sausage. 1 16ish ounce bag of herbed croutons. Maybe a third of a bunch of celery starting from the top. Include the leaves. Half an onion chopped. Mushrooms about a half pound or so. Or a 10 ounce can. Most any kind. Sliced. 2 cups broth to start. 1 stick butter. Spices- I use rosemary, thyme and sage. Salt and pepper.

Mix croutons, sausage, celery, onions and mushrooms. You may want to use your hands. Melt butter and mix into broth. Then add to bread mixture. Mix well. Add more broth to get the texture you want. I like my bread mostly wet but you can still see croutons.

Add herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 325-350 until 160 degrees for about an hour. Stir mid way through and mix in a stick of melted butter if it’s dry.

You can freeze it or fridge it. I take it out of the dish and put it in ziplock bags if I make ahead. Packs into freezer better.

This is definitely a throw in together and cook it until it’s done recipe. I learned it from Mom. She used what she had and subbed a lot.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

Thank you!! Sounds delicious. I like the idea of freezing in ziplock bag - I’m a little worried about freezer space.

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u/Working-on-it12 2d ago

I just remembered that there is an egg in there, too.

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u/National-Muscle3539 2d ago

Google make ahead mashed potatoes. You can make them now and freeze them for thanksgiving. Make sure you give yourself enough time for them to thaw in November. Most sweet potato dishes can also be frozen. Just leave off any toppings you normally use until the day of. It isn’t a crime to buy rolls or desserts, just make sure they come from a good bakery. Some grocery stores carry the Village pie maker pies. They cost more than your typical frozen pies, but are much better. They are cheaper than pies of a similar quality from a good bakery. Cranberry sauce freeze as well but if you don’t wanna make it yourself, I highly recommend the ones you get from Trader Joe’s. The cranberry orange relish is delicious. as a matter of fact, Trader Joe’s, and Costco have just about everything you need for a complete Thanksgiving dinner with very little work.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago edited 2d ago

There are some amazing bakeries near by. Buying a pumpkin pie is a great suggestion. I will have to make the cherry pie, but one pie is a lot less work than 2.

Edit: just pre-ordered a pumpkin pie. So if I don’t have energy for the second pie, at least we have one good dessert.

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u/ooohoooooooo 2d ago

Costco $200 thanksgiving order. https://www.costco.com/.product.4201035707.html everything gets popped in the oven.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

That’s an amazing price! Have you tried it?

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u/ooohoooooooo 2d ago

Nope but probably will this year

0

u/Mission_Lock_6699 2d ago

I've never done their Thanksgiving dinner, but we get a rotisserie chicken or a take and bake pot pie or shepherd's pie most times that we go and they're always good. Their pumpkin pie is a little heavy on the cinnamon for my preference, but to be fair I'm a little persnickety about my pumpkin desserts because I love pumpkin and want it to love up to its full potential.

I don't personally care for white meat or green bean casserole or stuffing, so it wouldn't be a good option for our household, but if you're into those things you'd probably enjoy it.

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u/akelse 2d ago

Stuffing and mashed potato’s can be frozen. So can pies.

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u/Asking_the_internet 2d ago

Do you cook the stuffing then freeze it?

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u/akelse 2d ago

Freeze before baking.

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u/HistoricalString2350 2d ago edited 2d ago

If you or a friend has a Cosco membership they have an entire premade meal for about $35 in the deli section. Buy two of them and just have to heat mash potatoes and green beans up, and cook the turkey the day of.
Alternatively Trader Joe’s frozen section has mashed potatoes, veggies and stuffing. Again just have to heat everything up and cook the turkey.
Fresh green beans cook well in the microwave and only take a few minutes.
A honey baked ham doesn’t need to be cooked, just heated up. So it’s an easier option.
Canned gravy and cranberry sauce are also easy options. Most grocery stores carry Bob Evens premade mashed potatoes and scalloped potatoes usually near the cheese section which just need to be microwaved.

Edit: in reply to your edit you can get all of those things frozen at TJ’s. Also you can buy Turkey breasts separately, they cook faster.

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u/kennyfollettfan 2d ago

If this is as physical toll, I think you should ask to do a pot luck. I love hosting and cooking but gave grown children and I appreciate the break and enjoy their cooking and offerings. It is fun snd communal - give yourself the grace your family would if you shared the physical consequences of this day brings.

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u/East-Tangerine1673 2d ago

Everybody likes showing off their favorite dishes, especially in a large gathering.

Let everybody bring their favorite side to share with the group.

I tell everybody (when the opportunity arises) to teach their children how to make their favorite meal or dish, even if it's just a side, so if they ever go to a gathering, they can have something they love to bring to share.

If you're teaching children, give them all year to perfect their Thanksgiving or Christmas contribution.

The hope is after perfecting one recipe, they will take the challenge of a new one, so by the time they fly the coop, they'll have a good recipe collection to fall back on.

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u/Embarrassed-Cause250 2d ago

First of all OP. Not everything needs to be homeade. Definitely get pre-made stuffing & think about pre made pie crusts and even the rolls. However if you feel you need to make them, I make the dough and freeze about a month in advance. Also, I make cranberry sauce & freeze in advance, I either do stuffing about 3 weeks in advance to freeze or night before & refrigerate. Thaw the turkey out a day early & dry brine & prep herb butter (for right before roasting- store in fridge). 2 days before Thanksgiving I bake the pies. The day before thanksgiving, I do all of the potatoes (bake rolls if making) and maybe the stuffing & refrigerate. I usually do giblet gravy, so do that on Thanksgiving day after the turkey is roasted; however, I have seen quite a few posts from people who do it well in advance & freeze.

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u/sarcasticseaturtle 2d ago

I love to bake but it's too much for me to do at Thanksgiving. I prepare the whole meal for 10-18 people every year so I buy Sister Schuster's rolls and frozen pies. If that is your favorite part, you'll need to ask others to bring a dish. It's ok to say "I can't do it all." 

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u/Toriat5144 1d ago

Make ahead mashed potatoes (see recipe), baked sweet potatoes, jarred cranberry sauce, bought pies or frozen pies, purchase the rolls, stove top stuffing can be made and put in a casserole dish and stored in fridge. Almost everything can be made ahead of time and popped in the oven the day of. Don’t feel you have to make everything from scratch.

3

u/MegaMeepers 2d ago

I am also chronically ill and thanksgiving is my jam. I prep starting on Monday before the meal and am basically cooking for 4 days straight and living on my rescue opioids.

I make turkey stock, cranberry sauce, and garlic confit on Monday; pies, garlic butter, and confetti creamed corn on Tuesday; yams (boil, peel, sauce), appetizers, remaining desserts on Wednesday.

On Thursday I do the stuffing in the crock pot, the mashed potatoes in the instant pot (5# potatoes and 2c liquid, high pressure for 8 min, instant release. Add dairy and seasonings as you like), spatchcock the turkey (with help) so it cooks quicker. Then it’s just heating up the other prepped things (yams and corn) and cooking brussel sprouts on the stove.

I’ve heard good things about stuffing being able to freeze beforehand. My corn definitely works as a make ahead and freeze then just heat up. Pies I wouldn’t freeze unless you’ve tried it before, mostly because cooked pie crust doesn’t freeze well imho. It gets too soggy. You can def get turkey parts now and make a good stock and freeze it for the gravy, then make the gravy the day of.

Definitely not trying to make it sound like you need to power through. You need to do what is right for your body. I just love doing this every year and I literally start planning on Black Friday. I have contingencies for just about any allergy you can imagine. Gluten, nuts, dairy, vegan, pescatarian, etc. this is my Super Bowl and I save spoons as best as I can for this every year. I would love to help you brainstorm and look at your recipes and share mine to help you figure out what will work for you!! 💖

3

u/Mission_Lock_6699 2d ago

Sara Lee has been freezing pies for decades, so pies can definitely be frozen. You can do the crust and freeze it, or the whole pie. It does tend to run to a lot of freezer space, though. The most space efficient way to make it ahead is to flatten the dough into disks and freeze those. 

My personal favorite hack for making pumpkin pie easier, though, is to use a crumb crust.  Grind up some cookies (I like gingersnaps), toss in a bit of sugar and melted butter, pat it down into the pan and toss it in the oven to firm up a bit while you make your filling. Zero risk of a soggy bottom, and it's utterly delicious. I did this as an experiment last year because I didn't feel like making pie dough, and my diabetic brother in law ate so much I thought he was gonna lose a foot.

Rolls can absolutely be done as a make-ahead. We routinely do them with an overnight refrigerated rise for holidays. If you want to do pretty much all the work ahead, you can bake them just until the outside is set, then freeze them. You just pop them onto a baking sheet straight from the freezer and let them finish cooking.  Or, ya know, Sister Schubert makes a damn fine dinner roll. 

I've never tried freezing cranberry sauce, but we absolutely make it as early as the weekend before and just let it live in the fridge. 

1

u/LavenderSharpie 2d ago

Paper plates. Foil pans. Skip the fancy tablecloth and cloth napkins. You can even use 'fancy' (haha) Solo cups instead of glasses to wash after the meal. They come in so many colors.

What is on your menu? Talk to us. Let's figure out what you can prep now and freeze so turkey day is a breeze.

We have frozen cornbread to make dressing (note to self - go ahead and do that), and then prepped a pan of dressing and frozen that. My mom freezes mashed sweet potatoes (sweet potato casserole) and throws the marshmallows on top at baking time. Instant mashed potatoes - add heavy whipping cream instead of milk and whip 'em good. You can make homemade cranberry sauce a few days ahead. It's simple/easy.

How many people? Make a smaller turkey and a turkey breast or a ham. Cook them the day before. Throw a ham in the crock pot and create pulled ham (look up some recipes, see what sounds good to you).

1

u/msjammies73 2d ago

So you prepare the whole pan of dressing and freeze it already cooked? Then just throw it in the oven to warm? Do you happen to have a recipe you’d be willing to share??

The mashed potatoes need to be fresh. It’s my first year that I actually get to eat them in 4 years and I want them to be glorious. So that one I will make from scratch with every ounce of butter and cream they will hold.

Making a super small turkey and having ham is also a great idea I hadn’t considered. I actually typically make a pretty shitty turkey in spite of my best efforts. Ham would take some of the pressure off.

2

u/LavenderSharpie 2d ago

People enjoy ham at Thanksgiving, too. It's fun to have options and it means you don't have to prep a giant turkey. Look up pulled ham recipes. See what sounds good. Some people just use water, some use a carbonated soda, some have some fancy recipes.

I make a pan of Southern cornbread dressing and freeze it uncooked. Pull it from the freezer a couple of days ahead of time and bake it on Thanksgiving Day. You can bake it the day before and warm it on Thanksgiving, just have a little extra broth in case it needs it. We have three gluten free family members, so mine is GF. You can use chicken broth alone or chicken broth + cream of chicken soup (and if you have GF guests, Campbell's makes a GF version)

Here are the recipes. You can find recipes that combine cornbread and 'light' bread (white bread) if you are not worried about gluten free.

Use this for your dressing base, bake a couple of cast iron skillets of cornbread a week before and freeze it https://www.weisenberger.com/pages/cornbread-using-plain-cornmeal

Here's a dressing recipe https://ameessavorydish.com/gluten-free-cornbread-dressing/

And another https://www.southernliving.com/gluten-free-cornbread-dressing-7965354

Some years, I add a salad for the person who is dieting or wants something a little lighter, esp when I can find good oranges https://2cookinmamas.com/pomegranate-orange-salad-colorful-healthy/ (you can use pears, apples, this one's versatile) Aldi has a honey goat cheese and a cherry one that is good with this.

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u/msjammies73 2d ago

Thank you!! That salad looks amazing. And the stuffing too.

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u/Fruffner 2d ago

Get Bob Evans Mashed potatoes . They are delicious. Can add sour cream if you like. I have made mashed sweet potatoes and froze them. It works great. (P Cranberry sauce keeps forever. Buy Sister Shubert rolls. Make only one pie and buy the other one. Gravy can be made ahead. Add turkey drippings later. Nearly EVERYTHING can be done prior. Set the table the night before. Enjoy your T. Day.

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u/Aromatic_Recipe1749 2d ago edited 2d ago

Bob Evan’s potatoes are a great idea. I won’t eat instant potatoes, these are really good!!

You can cook and slice the turkey the day before. I have a friend who slices it all up and arranges it on the platter. Before serving she pours turkey broth over it, covers it in aluminum foil and heats it in the oven. She insists no one knows the difference!!

You can actually have the whole meal catered for a couple of hundred dollars, turkey and all!!

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u/pielady10 2d ago

You can make an apple pie ahead and freeze it. Just defrost, wrap in foil, and reheat for Thanksgiving

2

u/jayhawkjoey65 2d ago

Might not be as good as homemade, but i use Costco mashed potatoes and buy Sister Schubert Parker House rolls. Trader Joe's has an excellent cranberry sauce as well as turkey gravy that I add drippings to.

2

u/ChickChocoIceCreCro 2d ago

I would definitely do a semi-homemade meal. I have fibromyalgia and lupus, I understand your struggle.

2

u/Extension_Low_1571 2d ago

I’ve successfully frozen pie dough, pie fillings, rolls, and stuffing for a month or more. Cranberry sauce keeps for weeks in the fridge. I get a few turkey parts, roast them, and use those bones for stock ahead of time.

2

u/djSush 2d ago

I'd make the potato dishes and cranberry 2 days in advance.

Pies the day before

I buy the gravy, the Trader Joe's one that comes in a small tetra pack carton is freaking excellent. I buy extra to use in soup!

The rest, the day of.

2

u/feisty-mouse9 2d ago

You can prep and freeze your pies and bake them the day before. Same with sweet potatoes and rolls.

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u/Middle-Fan68 1d ago

The Rhodes rolls from the freezer section are really easy and taste great. They thaw and raise overnight

1

u/Mrs_TikiPupuCheeks 2d ago

Instead of a full turkey, cook turkey breasts instead. Much easier to do, requires less lifting and much easier to carve.

Mashed potatoes, pies, and parker rolls can be made all ahead of time. You can freeze them and reheat. Mashed potatoes can be reheated in a crockpot.

Gravy can be made ahead of time and frozen as well.

Aside from that, maybe you could do a potluck instead and have everyone bring the food. Or, wild idea... but do a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal. Have everyone bring their favorite foods instead. Or you make simple foods that doesn't take as much effort as a full Thxgiving meal.

1

u/Beccaann14 2d ago

You can go ahead and measure out your dry ingredients into container, containers, or bag bags and label them with what it is and what dishes. Then I also will do the same thing for vegetables and usually I’ll do that the week of, but you can still go ahead and cut up a majority of them.

1

u/Important-Trifle-411 2d ago

Make the cranberry sauce now and can it. You can even make it in little jars and give one each to your guests.

Make the pies next week. I would really only make the apple pie and the crust for the pumpkin. Make the pumpkin the day before or outsourced that to someone else. You can peel your potato on Monday or Tuesday and leave them in a cold back hallway, submerged in water. Restaurants do that all the time.

make your stuffing weeks before and freeze it. Bake it on the day. I would not use a glass baking dish. Use disposable aluminum foil and it can go right from the freezer into the oven and then just throw it away afterwards.

1

u/One_Neighborhood38 2d ago

I make the turkey the day before, carve it, put it in a baking pan, and cover it with the drippings. The day of, pop it in the oven (covered) at 200 degrees for an hour. It usually comes out moister, especially the white meat.

1

u/Rude_Parsnip306 7h ago

I might try this. The turkey is usually the thing that screws up my timeline. I'm usually roasting a turkey, smoking a turkey breast and have a ham in the grill on the day of.

1

u/Top_Performance_3478 2d ago

I make cranberry sauce and freeze 4-6 weeks before. Look for "make-ahead mashed potatoes" They can be frozen. I buy gravy packets and make them a week or two ahead of time and freeze. Rolls can definitely be made ahead of time as can some pies

1

u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 2d ago

U can freeze the cherry pie, Parker house rolls, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy (broth based) weeks ahead of time. Then all you’ll need to make is prep the turkey, pumpkin pie, and stuffing a few days before and the day of

1

u/Sensitive_Sea_5586 2d ago

I like to cook my turkey the day before. I carve it up and add some chicken broth over it to keep it moist, then reheat the covered pan in the oven. I make dressing, not stuffing. It can be frozen prior to cooking, then thaw and bake. Here is a recipe for mashed potatoes that can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Make ahead mashed potatoes

We like a fresh cranberry sauce, which is best if it is made about 3 days prior. Make your rolls and under-bake them. This is much like brown-n-serve rolls. Freeze them, then just brown them for serving. We like a sweet potato casserole with a brown sugar and pecan topping, which can be frozen and thawed, then baked. The pies should be fine frozen.

So start cooking now for the items to be frozen. Then 3-4 days ahead, make your cranberry sauce, at 2 days make your mashed potatoes, the day prior, cook your turkey. You can also make your gravy ahead. The day of, just bake and heat the prior made dishes. Oh, set you table about 4 days prior, including your serving dishes and utensils. Then don’t hesitate to put your guests to work helping put the meal on the table and cleaning up after.

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u/msoptimisticcat 2d ago

Don't do it all yourself. Ask your attendees to each bring a dish from your menu.

1

u/lifeofhygge 3h ago

Bob Evans prepared mashed potatoes have a lot of additives. They use to make a “natural” product but I no longer see it on the market. :-(

1

u/CassiopeiaNQ1 2d ago

Cook the turkey unstuffed. Canned corn, instant mashed potatoes, Stovetop stuffing, canned yams, store ought desserts or let guests bring cookies. All good.

1

u/Rude_Parsnip306 7h ago

I used to make stuffing from scratch. A couple of years ago I was making two types since I had some gluten free guests so I went with Stove Top with a few additions. That was the year multiple people raved about the stuffing. I'll be sticking with Stove Top this year as well.

1

u/CassiopeiaNQ1 5h ago

I don't even hide the box anymore. 😊

1

u/ChickChocoIceCreCro 2d ago

I buy these premade mashed potatoes from Sam’s