A Thanksgiving Meal that’s as Easy as Pie, or, no martyrdom in this year’s gathering
Our country’s appetite for Thanksgiving and all the elaborate prep involved doth protest too much. You think, I want a meal that’s lighter and easier and won’t exhaust me for days ahead, the day of and afterward, when you barely can get out of bed.
But, as we approach the national holiday, we know the heat is on.
Will you be able to hold your head high if you make it easy on yourself? Holiday prep does not have to be backbreaking or for you to become a martyr. If truth be told, some Thanksgiving foods lend themselves to simple, straightforward cooking that can be prepped ahead of time.
There are ways to make it easy for yourself and keep the textures, flavors and traditional dishes without the stress on a time-pressed, harried host. These ways can also cut the budget, pare the trips to the grocery store (yes, it’s me again you say to your favorite cashier), calls to the Butterball Hot Line and simplify clean-up. What a recipe for joy! And we haven’t even mentioned how to make the conversation less political and controversial and the seating chart a snap. For those you’re on your own.
Having prepared well, you can relax at your own party, enjoy and join in the conversation. What a concept. So, take a deep breath, have some good stories and jokes to tell at the table, don’t even think you have to run back and forth to the kitchen but instead luxuriate in the holiday repartee and enjoy the food and wine.
And, of course, the best scenario to concoct is to hand the holiday off to one of your grown children to host or to another relative who’s been dying to take it on. Yes, time to pass the baton as we’ve previously written, and without any guilt, which is not invited to this festivity.
Here are six ideas to make your holiday calmer, which can work for other holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Passover, when preparing any big traditional meal.
1. Order the food from a caterer or store owner to prepare it, halfway. Then take all the foods home, doctor them up—add marshmallows on top of the sweet potato casserole, stir in mushrooms in the gravy or put slivered browned almonds in the green beans--and finish cooking dishes exactly how you like.
2. Make it informal and easy. Have a buffet—yes, your dead relatives won’t turn in their graves if no white tablecloth and formal setting are part of the decor. Maybe, set all out in the kitchen with pots and pans still on the stove from which people may serve themselves. On this basis, each can put together a big meal or sample individual dishes that appeal. Many will thank you for not making them eat that green bean casserole your kids insist upon having, again!
3. Work ahead. Do as much as you can and refrigerate the food or freeze it rather than killing yourself the day of Thanksgiving. Prepared fresh cranberries freeze well; the stuffing can be prepped days ahead but not cooked until the day of the holiday. There are mashed potato casserole recipes that change up that dish, too, and in a good way. You don’t need to have pounds of butter and cups of cream stirred into your potatoes the day of to have them be good. And another new concept; you don’t have to almost kill yourself with the calories and carbs you think you should eat.
4. Do it on the down low. Make the table nice but don’t kill yourself, paper napkins are okay, as are cute paper placemats and a runner (that can be paper too) rather than that a starched white tablecloth that costs a fortune to have dry cleaned afterward and won’t be used for another year. Use nice china and silverware that can go in the dishwasher rather than be hand washed and dried.
5. Extra hands. You don’t have to do it all yourself and be the only chef; this year we’re calling for sous chefs to help. And most people when invited to your home will offer to bring something. Let them. Everyone has a specialty. Make a list of what people bring, so you don’t duplicate or have too many of this or that. And if it’s not as good as yours, who cares! But don’t say that out loud, thinking it is still okay. Being kind is part of the holiday conversation this year.
6. Have a pre-prep gathering. If any grown kids or friends invited live nearby have them over a few days ahead to make desserts together or chop vegetables and put them in baggies. Turn on the music and have fun. Most restaurants work this way. You think they made pumpkin and pecan pies on the day of the party? Dream on; they’ve been sitting on their shelves for days. Just save the turkey for the day of the event; it's the star, unless you hate turkey and then the fried chicken, spaghetti and meatballs or steak are!
Former New York Times food editors Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs cooked up some good suggestions last year on their Food 52 website that they founded in 2009 (we posted this in last year’s Thanksgiving blog and it is so good we’re offering again to our readers). In a newsletter, they wrote: “There are some dishes that have be made on Thanksgiving Day. Turkey cannot be roasted—or deep fried—ahead of time, mashed potatoes will not stay fluffy, and Pot-Stuck Brussels Sprouts will not remain crisp.”
An addendum to the dictum about frying: If you want to avoid frying something at the last minute, you can do so an hour in advance and keep it on a baking sheet at room temperature. Just before you’re ready to serve perhaps a fried turkey or maybe fried sweet potatoes, put them in a 300-degree oven for 10 minutes to gently warm them up.
The Food 52 authors offer a timeline, listing recipes divided by those you can prepare the day of, a couple of days or even a week or more ahead of the holiday. The list includes salads and stuffing as well as breads, which “last in the freezer for up to five months…”
https://food52.com/blog/28234-make-ahead-thanksgiving-recipes?utm_term=32723580&utm_campaign=32723580_09172023_am_full_eds_weekenddigest_roundup&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email
And from the Washington Post a Thanksgiving boost: Tell us how many people you’re cooking for and their preferences, and we’ll plan your Thanksgiving feast for you. “Whether a first-time Thanksgiving host or just looking for a little recipe inspiration, our new holiday menu planner will help you build a meal to meet your needs. You can filter based on gathering size or dietary considerations and choose your recipes, and we’ll compile a printable grocery list to give you a head start on the holiday.” Here’s the link for those who are interested:
Build your own Thanksgiving dinner menu with recipes to suit every taste -
Washington Post
A recipe to consider
Make Ahead Italian Chopped Salad
Ingredients/Dressing
1/3rd cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white vinegar
1-2 teaspoons sugar or honey
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad
1-pound fresh Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and outer leaves removed
1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4-6 ounces of Genoa salami, thinly sliced and halved or julienned (skip if a vegetarian crowd)
1½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup kalamata, pitted and sliced or black olives, sliced
1/4th cup pepperoncini, sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup provolone cheese, cubed
1/4th cup parmesan, shaved or shredded
Directions
1. Three or four days ahead…In medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
2. Day before: In a food processor using the slicing attachment or a knife, pulse or slice the Brussels sprouts until they are thinly sliced. Place the thinly sliced Brussels sprouts into a large bowl
3. Thirty minutes before serving dinner, pour the dressing over the Brussels sprouts to marinate. Use tongs to toss and coat them in the dressing.
4. Then, throw in the rest of the ingredients. This salad is a wow!
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