Thanksgiving is here! Well American thanksgiving is. I live in canada, so technically my thanksgiving is in october. I didnt grow up celebrating it, so when i met curtis, i didnt care that he wanted to celebrate it in November. For those of you who dont know, curtis was born in raised in America.
We have been together for 5 years. So i thought i would give all of you a breakdown of the day along with tips and tricks. And you can definetly apply these to any big dinner party or holiday.
I will start off with football. This is curtis's favorite thing about thanksgiving. He loves football, especially because the Dallas cowboys are playing. He sits in front of the TV with his beer and watches. This year we are having 2 guests over, which is perfect for us, since our table only sits 4.
I had my menu planned in October. I had appetizers, main and deasert planned. I also bought my turkey in october since i knew i would get a good deal on it.
On the menu this year is:
Appetizers
Antipasto platter
Bread
Dipping sauce for bread
Mini cheeseburger bites
Cherry tomatoes stuffed with goat cheese
Main
Turkey
Macaroni and cheese
Cornbread stuffing
Cornbread
Gravy
Collard greens
Dessert
Banana pudding
Cookies
Ice cream
Coffee
Over the past few weeks i have slowly gathered the ingredients and extra supplies i needed to make thanksgiving complete.
Since we are inviting curtis's bosses, we will be eating later. One boss took the day off and the other has to work. Since he will be getting off around 6ish dinner will most likely be at 7:30. I want an hour in between courses, because there is nothing that drives me up the wall more then eating food back to back with no gap.
I plan on putting the turkey in around 4pm (with curtis's help). Then during the last 30 minutes i will put the dressing around the bird. A little tip, i bought a cooking bag that you can get from any grocery store. This is fullproof, it cooks fast and keeps the turkey juicy. While the turkey is cooking i am going to make collard greens. When the turkey is done i will put the mac n cheese and cornbread in the oven.
I plan to do prep work before any of our guests come over so i can spend even less time in the kitchen. I want to cut up the vegetables for the cornbread stuffing, cook the pasta noodles and grate the cheese.
I know you all are wondering why? Why is she so crazy about this? Well first of all this is a major holiday in the states, even bigger then christmas dinner. And last year i didnt get to enjoy it. I spent the whole time in the kitchen, our guests ate dinner, then had to leave before dessert. Essentially i didnt get to sit down or interact with them. I felt left out. Who wants to put in all that work and not be able to enjoy themselves?
I bought a black tablecloth, which i think will be a lifesaver. I will use it for all 3 courses (as long as it doesn't get dirty). I am hoping at the end of the night i won't have to clean off the table mulitple times, and i can throw it in the wash. Easy cleanup. I am also going to use the dishes i already own. We have square black plates (i bought an extra one) so its going to be a black theme. I have small pumpkins i am going to use as decorations as well. Even though in canada everyone is in the mood for Christmas, i am going to try to keep it as fall-ish as i can.
My tip: if your dollar stores are anything like mine, you can find amazing buys. I found some serving platters, that are the same quality as any big box store, for a third of the price. I also picked up some napkins for appetizers and a basket for the bread. My greatest find, were the cutest straws. They have cute little sayings.
For appetizers and dessert i am making some if the items. The key is to mix it up. It allows you to relax a little bit, and the guests get a mixture of homemade and premade. I know some people like to do everything, but you need to cut yourself some slack.
Heres a glance at my thanksgiving week:
Sunday
I am going to take out my turkey from the freezer and put it in the fridge. My turkey is 15 pounds, so this gives it plenty of time to thaw out.
Wednesday
I was going to make pies, but our guests request was banana pudding, that is all they wanted. I personally dont mind, since it means less work for me. But if i was baking, i would make all my pies wednesday night.
Christmas tree will also go up today! As i said in canada, after mid october we have no holidays. Since November people have been slowly putting up their decorations. This also gives me a chance to see if i need anything else for my tree.
I will also be picking up any items that i didn't have time to buy, or items that i need fresh. As well as any alcohol.
Thursday
I am going to put the turkey in the oven about 3-4 hours before i want it done.
I will also be doing my prep work 2 hours before my guests come. Cutting up vegetables and boiling my pasta.
1 hour before i will start to get ready and take the dog out.
When they are on their way over i will plate my appetizers.
I hope my tips will be able to help you on this special day, or any future dinner.
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