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PLAN! And anything you can do ahead of time and reheat do it. And don't stress. As long as you have a good time and remember that nobody expects you to be perfect you will do great!
Are your in-laws local? Depending on the type of people they are, they might like to be included in the preparation and planning. My MIL is a very good cook and very crafty. While she probably wouldn't like to spend the whole day cooking with me, I know she'd love to know that I need her help. Kind of a mother-daughter-in-law bonding session. Maybe ask her for some suggested recipes or about her favorite Thanksgiving dishes. If she has any traditional family dishes, maybe see if she wants to bring something over. Don't feel like you need to do the whole event by yourself. And make sure your husband is involved as well!
Potluck! Pick one to three big dishes to concnetrate on and have your guests bring the rest. For example, my mom hosts, and she does the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Everything else (corn pudding, broccoli casserole, pies, rolls, etc) comes from others. Also I think the rolls are usually frozen now, not from scratch. So also you can look for fast, easy fixes like that. It doesn't ALL have to be from scratch.
ITs a big day to host so dont feel bad using shortcuts and ask for help.
Ask someone to bring dessert or buy it from a bakery.
Turkey cooks another 5-10 degrees after its pulled out of the oven and it stays hot a long time. Cover in aluminum foil and then with bath towels. This will give you up to 2 hours (really!) to finish up the rest of the meal. It gives you flexibility.
Borrow a second microwave to make it easier. Make your mashed potatoes the day ahead and reheat in the microwave. Make anything you can ahead and reheat!
And remember dont apologize even if it comes out not the way you expected. They probably are not going to be as picky as you.
And when all else fails double up on the wine before dinner for everyone :) Everything will taste better!
And set the dinner table the night before along with deciding what platters and serving bowls to use! Trust me that is the last thing you will want to be thinking about that day.
EDIT: you dont really need a baster if its tented. start the turkey for the first 45 minutes at 425 then drop it to 325 and then make a tent out of heavy duty aluminum foil. (it doesnt really touch the bird, but hover over it)
Thanks ladies for all of your suggestions.
@sacbride10 my MIL is local so I think I will invite her over to at least keep me company. My husband will be too busy watching football to be involved.
Do you ladies have any suggestions of certain cooking appliances I may need? Since I am not really ever in the kitchen I didnt register for much in terms of the the kitchen. We have just the basics. thermometer? pan?
Large roasting pan with rack
2 instant read thermometers
enough serving dishes and spoons
gravy boat (or other pour-able vessle)
a sharp knife for carving (the electric ones are great)
the rest depends on what you are making?
potato masher or mixer (stand up kind or hand)
Be sure to have chicken boullion on hand. A lot of recipes call for it and it can be used to extend the gravy (IE make more of it) in conjunction with gravy master (or similar branded product)
You can buy those one time use large roasting pans for the turkey at the grocery store. Remember that turkeys take days to thaw in the fridge and a while to cook. I like to have all my veggies chopped the night before and make my list and check it twice, so I don't have any crazy grocery store runs the day of. If you make dessert, make something that keeps well overnight, so that you can do it the day before. As far as special kitchen things, I'd definitely get a meat thermometer, they have the proper cooking temps printed on them, and make sure you have plenty of foil to keep things warm. You'll do fine, just prep as much as possible. Good luck.
@astayer: Definitely get a turkey roaster. They have them at Target, Walmart, etc.
Something like this:
The turkey is easy to cook in there. Then, pull the turkey out when it's done and make the gravy from the juices on the bottom. You can also make garlic mashed potatoes, have someone who really knows how to cook bring stuffing. Buy rolls or some of those pillsbury rolls (easy and good), you could make a green bean casserole easy too. Cranberry sauce is soooooooo easy from scratch. Just pick up some cranberries from produce and the directions are on the back.
Buy lots of Martinellis, wine, even real apple cider would be nice (Trader Joes). You could totally pretend to be domestic with these ideas and it's not too hard. Buy pies, make easy cookies, and turkey should be easy. Good luck, I am hosting too, AHHH!!! lol :)
You will also need a BASTER along with meat thermometerand gravy boat (we always forget these things and then the store is sold out when we remember)
Get a cooked turkey from Whole Foods so that at least the main part of the meal is off your shoulders. It'll also free your oven up to make all the sides, which is key!
http://www.bettycrocker.com/menusholidaysparties/mhplibrary/holidays/shortcut-thanksgiving
I use the turkey bags, I think Reynold's makes them. I love them!!! I used to baste the turkey and one year even used cheese cloth in a Martha Stewart recipe. Nothing ever really worked great for me. Yeah it was still a turkey, but it wasn't moist.
Like the other posters said, cover the turkey and towels will keep it warm longer, and PLAN.
I made a schedule for my oven like a staff schedule I make at work. I put things that could share temps close together and the most sensitive foods were put on the schedule after the turkey according to how well they would keep. Look for things you can do on the stove top too. I made another schedule for that.
Label post its and put them in your serving bowls and pots so you can plan out what bowls you will need and what serving spoons will work best. I set the table the night before, another poster suggested that too, and then I put all of my bowls with their post its on the table. It makes it a lot easier when people want to "help". They can grab a bowl and load it up....
And finally the best advice I ever heard, and ignored quite a few times, is KISS, keep it simple stupid, I am not calling anyone stupid, but I sure did feel foolish when I made it so much bigger and harder than it needed to be. Do fewer dishes of larger quantities.
Good luck and remember to enjoy yourself, it is your holiday too!
The first step is to plan our your menu! Then divide up your menu into three categories: Items to be purchased, Items to be made ahead of time, and items to be made on the day of.
Here are the staples I love for Thanksgiving.
Make sure you have to-go containers on hand for all your left overs or ask your guests to bring some with them. My aunt and uncle host all the big family parties so they just buy styrofoam to-go containers from Costco like these..
If you are new to cooking, start small! Pick a few dishes (like 3) to make and ask others to bring the rest (or buy them). The hardest part about Thanksgiving dinner is being able to coordinate the many different dishes being prepared at the same time (not enough room in the oven, different oven temp requirements, sauces being ready at the same time as the turkey finishes, etc) so limiting the number of dishes will be a huge help.
If you are doing a pie, use a store-bought refrigerated crust (making your own is tricky and takes time if you are new to it) and make your pie the day before. You can warm it in the oven while everyone is eating dinner. Pumpkin pie is easy and the pie recipe on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can is fool-proof.
I think the key to Thanksgiving, especially your first one, is simplicity. No one will miss having 12 side dishes. Just stick to the basics (turkey, gravy, stuffing, pie), and then add whatever YOU love and are comfortable making. Maybe add cranberries, another starch, and a vegetable. That's all you need. Make as much beforehard as possible (I usually only make the turkey, gravy, stuffing, and vegetable on the day of). Most everything can be made ahead, and some things - especially cranberries! - taste better if they have a night to sit in the refrigerator and meld. (I have an awesome cranberry relish recipe if anyone wants it!) Definitely ask for help/potluck contributions if you want to.
OMG! I couldn't have asked for better advice ladies, thank you! I was thinking I should invest in something like a roasting pan. I saw this deal this morning on a new deal site I have been following. www.tada.com
I know my Mother said to purchase a nice one because I will use it a million times. This seems like a nice quality piece. What do you ladies think?
A great way to make turkey is to dry brine it for 24-48 hours ahead of T-day. Just clean the (defrosted) bird, rub with salt and pepper and some lemon zest (optional, but very good!), cover with plastic wrap and let it hang out in your fridge for a day or two. Very juicy meat!
Another tip is to figure out which pans you will use for what dish, and make sure that if they are items that will be cooked together, that the pans you select will all fit in the oven at the same time. If you don’t have many pans, you can pick up disposable heavy foil pans this time of the year at grocery stores / shops.
A great and super simple cornbread stuffing recipe we use:
-cornbread (make the day before)
- couple of slices of whatever sandwich bread you have around (leave these out so they are dry)
- celery and onion – dice up and sautee (can be done the day before)
- sage, salt and pepper
- turkey/chicken broth
Just crumble up your cornbread and bread slices, add sautéed veggies, and season with sage, salt and pepper (you want it to taste slightly “sagey” before cooking – the flavor will intensify with cooking.) Add broth until it’s a sort of mushy texture (much like a thick cake batter). Then pop into the oven and cook until done (browned on top and when you insert a fork into the middle, it comes out clean). The measurements depend on how much you want to make, and the seasoning is “to taste”.
@astayer: That's nice. But, get the one that plugs in because then it will free up your oven!! :)
@DanielleZara: issue is I have a double stacked oven, but not much counter space. I was just going to use the tick of covering the bird with foil and dish towels to keep it warm.
If your oven is small, also make sure that your turkey is small enough to fit in your oven! A large bird won't fit in a small oven.
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I am new to the site, but I love reading the blog and the discussion boards. Thought I'd reach out for some help. I was recently married in July and this will be my first Thanksgiving that I host. We are having my in-laws over and I really want to impress. Buttt... I am less than domestic. Does anyone have great cooking tips or hosting suggestions?