How to Prepare for Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving!  Next to Christmas, it is my favorite holiday.  Each year I look forward to it, but I must admit, the pandemic has put a damper on it.  It doesn’t have its same promise this year. 

Why Celebrate Thanksgiving

This has definitely been a difficult year for everyone.  However, no matter what is going on, we all have something to be grateful for.  Taking a day to acknowledge our blessings is a fun way to express our thankfulness to God.  He is worthy of our thanksgiving and praise. 

“O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness endures forever.”

– 1 Chronicles 16:34 AMP

A Thanksgiving Menu

Deciding what to make for Thanksgiving dinner can be very overwhelming.  There are so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow them down.  You should, therefore, start planning your menu one month before Thanksgiving, which is right about now.

The Perfect Turkey

Before I made my first Thanksgiving dinner, for example, I learned that cooking the turkey upside (or breast-side) down helps your turkey turn out juicy.  It definitely works, nevertheless, I was so excited when I was doing research for this post to discover that Martha Stewart confirmed this tip!  Here are her suggested steps:

1. Season the turkey overnight and up to 24 hours for the best flavor throughout and extra-moist meat.
2. Line the roasting rack with buttered ciabatta.  The buttered bread prevents the skin from sticking to the rack and getting damaged when it’s flipping time.  Bonus: the butter melts, creating delicious pan juices.
3. Use a kitchen towel and a wooden spoon to flip.  Place the wooden spoon inside the cavity and a kitchen towel on the neck side to flip it over.
4. Add low-sodium chicken broth to the pan to make a basting liquid with the melted butter and turkey drippings.  Use it to baste the turkey every 20 minutes.
5. Let the turkey rest 30 minutes before serving.

Turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving show, so make a plan for the kind of turkey you will be serving.

Gravy

1. One Pan (whisk flour into the turkey drippings right in the bottom of the roasting pan then strain through a mesh sieve before serving to remove any lumps)
2. Rich Gravy
3. White-wine Gravy
4. Bourbon Gravy
5. Turkey Gravy
6. Classic Mushroom Gravy
7. Aleppo Pepper Gravy
8. Perfect Turkey Gravy

I think the One Pan gravy may be the most practical to learn how to make since I imagine that you can use the same technique with any recipe and on other occasions.  

Exciting Sides

I look forward to the sides much more than to the turkey.  Just because the turkey is the star does not mean that you get to serve it with boring, run-of-the-mill sides!  You can choose sides that are both easy to make and fun to eat.  Here are some traditional sides:

1. Classic Cranberry Sauce.  Instead of serving the canned stuff, here is a simple homemade recipe.
2. Stuffing.  There are so many amazing stuffing recipes out there.  If you are looking for a new stuffing recipe, check out these.
3. Green Beans. My favorite is green bean casserole, but there are many other types of green bean recipes to choose from:
   • Green Bean Casserole
   • Garlicky Green Beans with Crispy Onions
4. Sweet Potato Recipes.  As with stuffing, there are quite a few sweet potato recipes, some extravagant.  

Breads & Rolls

Desserts 

Desserts are easily my favorite recipes, but I always have a hard time deciding which ones to make.  I think it is best to pick ones that you can make ahead and that need minimal finishing touches on Thanksgiving Day.  Here are some desserts from one of my favorite food bloggers.

1. Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
2. Spiced Sweet Potato Cheesecake
3. Brown Butter Maple Blondies
4. Brown Sugar Pound Cake

Beverages

Thanksgiving Timeline

Making Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of work, but is made less stressful with a plan.  Below is a general timeline that you can follow:

See Related: How to Practice Hospitality and Preparing for Guests

Right Away

After you decide on your Thanksgiving menu, make a list of all of the ingredients you will need.  Divide it into a list of perishables and non-perishables.  Buy all of the non-perishables as soon as possible. 

Two Weeks Before

Figure out what size turkey you will need. Here’s a chart to help you decide.

The Weekend Before Thanksgiving

Check your list of perishables and make sure that you haven’t missed anything.  Divide it into the things you need now and the things that should wait until a day or two before Thanksgiving.  Buy the things you need now and the turkey, if buying frozen, so that it will have time to thaw in the refrigerator.  You may also want to buy your beverages at this time.

The Monday Before Thanksgiving

Buy your remaining perishables (dairy, eggs, produce, meats).

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The Tuesday Before Thanksgiving

Make the cranberry sauce.  Cover and store it in the refrigerator.

Peel and chop the vegetables, and trim and rinse the herbs that you need for the turkey and the stuffing.  Peel and slice the potatoes for your sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes recipes.  Pat dry, cover, and refrigerate in labeled containers.

Measure and combine the spices for the stuffing and for your potato recipe and set aside in labeled containers.

The Wednesday Before Thanksgiving

If you are getting a fresh turkey, pick it up today.  Take inventory and pick up anything else from the store that you need while out.

Assemble the stuffing in a baking dish and refrigerate.

If you are having macaroni and cheese, make it today and any other side dishes that can be made completely or partly in advance and refrigerate.

Early Thanksgiving Morning

Make the turkey.  While it roasts, make the sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes.  

While the turkey rests, make the stuffing and green bean casserole, make the gravy, and reheat the sides you made the day before.

During Thanksgiving Dinner

Reheat the desserts.

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Your timeline will greatly depend on the recipes you have chosen.  Look them over and note how long it will take to make each thing. Creating a more specific timeline will ensure that your Thanksgiving dinner is a success.

What will be on your Thanksgiving menu this year?  Please comment below.

Until next time,

Blessings!

“Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP