Making Thanksgiving Dinner Easier.

 I tend to notice that people love making everything on Thanksgiving day.  I remember my mother getting up at the crack of dawn to put the turkey in a hot oven.  Then as the day progressed, she'd make each item until it was time to serve.  As I got older, I began helping but I'm now into the easy way to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

There are some things you can do to make your Thanksgiving day so much nicer because you are not spending all day cooking.

First, you can make mashed potatoes ahead out of real potatoes by cooking the potatoes ahead of time, adding lots of butter, milk, salt, and pepper until they are rich and wonderful.  At this point you can freeze them for a couple of weeks,  then thaw just before you want to eat them and heat on the stove,  or refrigerate for. a couple of days before reheating till golden brown in the oven. On the other hand, if you don't mind the instant variety, you can always use those to quickly whip up a batch but honestly, I prefer making mine from scratch.

As far as sweet potatoes, cook them a head of time so they are ready to have the marshmallows, butter, brown sugar added and baked the morning of Thanksgiving.  You can also prepare the green bean casserole ahead of time but don't put the crunchy topping until the last minute as heat it up in the microwave.

Next you can prepare home made gravy from scratch so you get the flavor you want.  The great thing, is you can also freeze this for a couple of weeks before thawing it, heating it slowly over low heat, stirring it so it doesn't separate.  If you aren't that motivated, you can make it from a mix, or buy a can, heat it and open it.

I opt out of making cranberry sauce by simply buying the canned variety, usually with cranberries, so I only have to open a can.  I never learned to make it from scratch and I've never been particularly interested in learning.  On the other hand, you can make the stuffing a day or two ahead of time.  I usually make it so it is mostly cooked but finish it off in the oven so it is hot and steamy.  Of course, there are lots of versions you can buy that you add water and cook on the stove in a few minutes.

I always make my pies one to two days in advance because I love mine from scratch because the flavor is great.  Even if you buy the pies in frozen form, you can bake them a head of time so they are cooled and ready to go. Furthermore, rolls can be purchased from the store and heated up so they are ready just as the meal is served.

On the other hand, if you want to make it even easier, you take responsibility for cooking the turkey and use the drippings for the gravy but assign visiting family members something specific to bring, such as your brother might bring the mashed potatoes and rolls, your sister is responsible for the cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes,  Aunt Matilda can bring the pies, etc.

The last choice is to preorder a full meal from any one of a number of places that offer to do it all so all you do is serve it.  It is all up to you and how much work you want to expend.  As you can tell, I love to make most things from scratch but the last few years, several of us have gotten together for a meal and we each bring something.  This year, I'll probably spend a quiet day at home with just a few things I made from scratch.

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.