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View CartStep-by-Step Thanksgiving Prep
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, I don’t like to leave anything out. Thanksgiving is a day for me to really do it up…turkey, sides, pies, cocktails; the whole thing. While I love making this meal for my family, spending the day in the kitchen is also a lot of work, and typically I don’t have much help. Therefore, I’ve found a few ways to still make dinner a success but a little less stressful along the way. I am excited to be sharing my Thanksgiving step-by-step with you all today…who is ready?
Step One: The Menu
Thanksgiving prep all starts with creating a menu that everyone is going to love, but also one that’s doable for you to get on the table at a reasonable hour. I mean, sure I’ve served many late-night Thanksgiving dinners, but I’ve found that most guests prefer eating before it’s time for bed… A few things to think about when creating your Thanksgiving menu, how much oven space do you have, how many people are you serving, and does anyone have any dietary restrictions. It’s important to be thinking about these things before the big day so that everything can go as smooth as possible. If you know you will have limited oven space, plan to make sides that can be served raw (salads), made on the stove-top, in a slow cooker, in an Instant Pot or made cooked ahead and quickly reheated.
Step Two: Make a Master Grocery List
Once I have my menu set, I sit down to make a grocery list. My first trip is for everything I can buy in advance. I then I make another list for items that need to be purchased closer to Turkey Day, which is mostly produce. It might surprise you, but you can actually get the majority of your groceries way in advance. Trust me, this is a big stress reliever and time saver vs having to Go Big the day before Thanksgiving. No one likes fighting the grocery store crowds the day before or even worse, Thanksgiving Day.
Step Three: Make a Thanksgiving Checklist
About a week or so before Thanksgiving, I sit down and make a checklist
of everything that needs to be done before we sit down to eat. I make my
list by the days leading up to Thanksgiving. It might look something
like this:
Monday
Grocery shop
Buy wine and alcohol
Tuesday
Bake pies
Make cookies
Make cranberry sauce
Make sweet potato soup
Wednesday
Prep the veggies
Prep stuffing
Prep Rolls
Prep Thanksgiving morning breakfast
Final quick grocery trip for produce and flowers
Set dinner table
Thursday
Cook turkey
Make gravy
Roast veggies
Bake rolls
Make salad
Step Four: Make an Oven/Food Schedule
I know this might seem like over kill, but trust me, when cooking so
many dishes at once it’s really helpful to know what needs to go in and
out of the oven and at what times. I normally start my oven schedule on
Thanksgiving morning and it runs all the way until we eat. This is
probably my number one tip to easily getting dinner on the table at a
reasonable hour. This will also help you decide if you have too many
things that need baking. It’s better to know in advance than the day of.
Below is a sample of my oven/food schedule for Thanksgiving Day.
9:30 am – Remove the turkey from the
refrigerator, allow to sit for 1 hour at room temp.
11:15 am – Preheat the oven.
11:30 am – Begin roasting the turkey
12:00 pm – Make the slow cooker mashed
potatoes
1:00 pm – Prep cocktails and chill white
wine.
3:00 pm – Roast the delicata squash and then
warm right before serving
3:30 pm – Bake rolls
4:00 pm – Begin checking the temp of the
turkey, it’s done when it reads 160-165 degrees.
4:10 pm – Warm sweet potato soup on stove
4:15 pm – While the turkey rests, make the
gravy.
5:00 pm – Dinner time! Call family and friends
to the table to enjoy the meal you’ve worked so hard to create with
loved ones!
Step Five: Set the Table
As you can see from my Thanksgiving Checklist, I like to set my dinner table the night before. This is something that my grandma taught me and it’s truly one of the greatest tips. Having the table set and ready to go frees up so much time on Turkey Day. It’s also one more thing you can cross off your checklist early. Setting the table the day before also guarantees that when guests arrive the table will be set and looking pretty.
Step Six: Time to Cook
After all the planning, it’s finally time to cook! I’m sharing a few of my no-fail Thanksgiving recipes below to help you with your meal. My Perfect Roasted Turkey with White Wine Pan Gravy is going to give you the juiciest bird with a golden skin every single time. My secret? Using a butter soaked cheese cloth to protect the turkey’s skin from browning too quickly. Not only does it create perfect, crispy skin, but it also helps to lock in moisture and keep the bird from ever becoming dry. Low on oven or stove-top space? My slow cooker mashed potatoes are the answer! I love this recipe. It’s so simple and easy and requires almost no thought. And of course, they are so buttery and delicious! Need a good side but want to serve up something a little different? Enter my honey and thyme roasted delicata squash with pomegranate arils on top. This squash is sweet, with a little spice, and all things delicious. And lastly, how could you do Thanksgiving without a little soup? I love serving up a simple sweet potato soup that is sweet, creamy, and the perfect light accompaniment to any turkey dinner. All in all, pretty simple. With some good planning, a few lists, and two trips to the grocery store you’ll be all set to host the perfect Thanksgiving!
Perfect Roasted Turkey with White Wine Pan Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- Turkey:
- 1 pound turkey giblets + neck removed patted dry, 14-16
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened 1 cup
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage plus more for stuffing the bird
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme plus more for stuffing the bird
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- zest of 1 lemon
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 piece large of double lined cheesecloth
- 2 lemons halved
- 1 garlic head tips sliced off
- 1 onion halved
- 7-8 cups low sodium chicken or turkey broth
- Gravy:
- 1 cup white wine divided
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- drippings from the turkey
- 2-3 cups chicken or turkey broth as needed
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Remove the turkey from the fridge one hour before roasting. Remove the giblets + neck and rinse the bird off, pat dry and allow to come to room temperature.
- To make the compound butter, finely chop the sage, thyme, and parsley and add to a bowl with the butter. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper, mix well to combine, making sure the butter is smooth and the herbs evenly mixed throughout.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Place the turkey in a large roasting pan.
- Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper and fill the cavity with the, lemons, garlic, and onion. Gently lift the skin of the turkey by using your fingers and going in between the skin and body of the bird. Rub half of the compound butter under the skin of the bird, spreading some of the butter on top of the skin as well. Take the remaining butter and melt it over the low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Dampen your cheesecloth with warm water and squeeze dry. Submerge the cheesecloth in the melted butter, making sure all the cheese cloth has soaked up the butter. Lay the cheesecloth over the bird, covering most of the bird. Drizzle any remaining butter over the turkey.
- Pour about 4 cups of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting plan. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 45 minutes at 450 degrees F. After 45 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue cooking for another 2 hours (until the turkey registers 160 F. on a meat thermometer), adding 1-2 cup of broth half way through roasting. I like to baste the turkey with the drippings 2-3 times throughout cooking and when doing so rotate the roasting pan.
- Remove the turkey from the oven and remove the cheesecloth, transfer the turkey to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil and let rest 20-30 minutes before slicing.
- To make the gravy, strain the liquid from the roasting pan, skimming off most of the fat. Once you have skimmed the fat, add enough broth to equal about 4-5 cups total of drippings/broth.
- Place the roasting pan over two burners and add a slash of wine (about 1/2 cup) to deglaze the pan. You want to scrape up all those brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is thoroughly deglazed, add the butter and once melted, add the flour whisking to combine. Cook stirring constantly, until the mixture is golden, around 5 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium high and add the remaining 1/2 cup of white wine, whisking as you go to let the wine reduce down. Slowly add reserved broth, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the sage and cook, continuing to stir, until the gravy has thickened to your desired thickness, around 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm with the turkey.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russets or Yukon Gold potatoes peel (if you like) and cube
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper plus more to taste
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon sage
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Directions
- Add the potatoes, garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. When the potatoes are fork tender, add 1 ½ cups milk and mash, using a potato masher or a hand-held mixer, mix until completely creamy, adding the remaining 1/2 cup milk if needed to thin. Stir in the cheese, cover and cook another 15 minutes or until melted and creamy.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet melt the butter over medium heat until just browned, whisking the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Stir in the sage and let cook 30 seconds. Pour the browned butter onto the warm mashed potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Honey Thyme Roasted Delicata Squash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 inch delicata squash sliced into ¼ rounds and de-seeded
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- arils from 1 pomegranate
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together the honey, apple cider vinegar, crushed red pepper flakes, and thyme.
- On a baking sheet toss together the delicata squash, olive oil, and a pinch each of kosher salt and pepper. Pour the honey mix over top of the squash and transfer to the oven. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the honey glazes the squash and the squash is tender.
- Transfer the squash to a serving plate and top with pomegranate arils.
Maple Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of cayenne pepper to your taste
- kosher salt and pepper to your taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
- Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 1 hour or until soft and tender. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, slice them in half and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, add the maple syrup and cinnamon to a large soup pot, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer, simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the maple has thickened and reduced to a syrup. Be careful not to let the syrup get too thick, you just want it to thicken to the consistency of honey.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and add the orange sweet potato flesh to the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender. Add 1 cup of broth and puree until smooth. Slowly stir the sweet potato mixture into the thickened maple syrup. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, the apple cider, thyme, nutmeg, cayenne and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the cream. Continue to cook another 5 minutes and then add the butter, cook until the soup is silky smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more broth to thin. Keep over low heat until ready to serve. Serve each bowl with a drizzle of cream.