My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It truly says "Family" to me. There is no pressure for gifts or shopping, it is just about gathering around the table to give thanks. It is particularly fun for me because I get to use the foods I have preserved or frozen from my garden or farm stands. Thanksgiving makes me proud to be an American; it reminds me of the perseverance of the spirit of the Pilgrims and early Colonists.
But...as much as I love Thanksgiving, it represents the beginning of a two month time of stress for me. Family coming in and out of the house...staying for who knows how long...lots of food to cook...presents to buy...gifts to wrap...house to decorate...Christmas parties...ARGH! I find that if I make a plan it helps me to cope. Below are my tips for making Thanksgiving less stressful and helping to enjoy it.
I love to buy a turkey from a local turkey farm. I go to Miloski's Poultry Farm in Calverton, NY. Ever since I was a kid I can remember driving passed the farm and looking at a sea of white out in the fields. I could watch the turkeys grow until there is nothing but a scattering of turkey feather blowing in the yard right before Thanksgiving. There is nothing like a fresh turkey raised in your community. You can support your local economy and you can speak to the person who raised the animal. You can ask questions of the farmer and see where it all happens. How often do you get to see where your food comes from? The birds are fresh and full of juices. Miloski's does not take orders any more. You simply go there and ask for a bird the week of Thanksgiving. I highly recommend this Long Island landmark. You will not regret it. The Garden of Eve Farm is also selling fresh free range turkeys now too. If you cannot get a bird locally, Whole Foods and Uncle Giuseppe's sell great fresh birds. You do pay more for these birds, but it is once a year and so worth it. I like to buy a bird between 18 and 20 pounds. It gives me enough to feed the 10 guests who sit at the table, give them left overs to take home, leftovers for my house and my Dad's Turkey Rice Soup.
I also like to find recipes that mean something to the history of Thanksgiving. "The Williamsburg Cookbook: Traditional and Contemporary Recipes" is a great cookbook to use for this. While it is not a Pilgrim recipe book, it does take you back to Colonial America and provides great recipes to link your family meal to the past. My favorite recipe is the Spoon Bread. Finding an old cookbook like this is a great resource and fits right into the Thanksgiving feeling. I like to make something for Thanksgiving that provides me with a connection to those who came before me and this cookbook is a great way to do that.
I love to have a beautiful floral centerpiece. I have a turkey shaped flower holder that I use every year. Someone gave me a centerpiece in the turkey one year and now I bring it to my local florist each year to have a new piece made for that year's table. I simply tell them how much I want to spend and they make me up a beautiful floral display for the table or sideboard. It is amazing how each year it is so different. The creativity of the person who makes it really comes through each year. If you have a favorite vase you use every Thanksgiving, try bringing it to your florist to do some magic.
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| Thanksgiving 2010 Centerpiece |
Linens. I love them. I know it is corny, but I really do. The problem is they can stain and need to be thrown away. I do not like to spend too much on linens when I have to get rid of them. I always spray the table cloth with a stain remover right after dinner to help, but somethings are just impossible. To save myself heartache, I go to Bed Bath and Beyond armed with a 20% off coupon and buy a decorative tablecloth and napkins. The one I have now has lasted 3 years so far. I have gotten my money's worth out of this one. I also go to stores after Thanksgiving to find cloths for the next year. You can usually get a great bargain and are ready for the next year.
Getting ready for the meal is the hardest part. I compile my recipes at the beginning of November and make a list of what is on the menu. Then, I make a shopping list based on the menu. During the month, I pick up the items I need when they are on sale. This prevents the last minute shopping trip and spreads the cost out over the entire month. There are some things that cannot be purchased in advance. Those items get their own list - the last minute items list. I also make another list based on the recipes. It is a list of times when each item needs to go into the oven or taken out of the fridge and out on the table. It helps me stay organized and helps me remember each thing. This also helps to schedule oven time. If the turkey is in, then nothing else is. A list gives me a realistic idea of how much time I have for the limited space in the oven. It lets me see if I have too many items to go in at the same time. A little preparation at first will allow me to see the whole picture.
Prepare as much as you can in advance. I like to chop all the celery, carrots, onions and apples the day before. I also saute those veggies for the stuffing so on Thanksgiving morning I can just add it to the dried bread cubes. I saute the sausage for the stuffing in the morning too. I cut up the potatoes for mashed potatoes and place them and water in the pot I am going to boil them in. This prevents browing and drying out and they are ready to simply put on the heat. The turnips/rutabagas get the same treatment. The sweet potatoes for the sweet potato casserole are baked in advance and the casserole is put together in the casserole dish so it simply gets placed in the oven when needed. I also leave out some butter the night before so it will be softened for when I slather it all over the turkey. I prepare the pumpkin pie filling in a bowl and place it in the fridge so it simply gets poured into a pie shell and baked. The pie crusts are made the day before and store in plastic wrap until they are ready to be rolled out and out in a pie plate. I also make the apple pie filling the day before - cut the apples, add the spices etc and put that in a zip top bag so that is also simply put inside the pie crust. Think of all the things you can do a day or two in advance to make your Thanksgiving day much easier.
Setting the table the night before is a great time saver and makes it easy on Thanksgiving to get it all done. Doing this in advance allows me to spend the time to make the table look great and I do not have to rush to get it done. The linens are already ironed and on the table waiting for dinner. The centerpiece is properly placed. The plates and silverware are clean and set. Glassware is waiting for the wine. It gives me great pleasure to wake up on Thanksgiving morning and see a big task already done.
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| Place setting |
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| Stemware with floral leaves wrapped around |
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| The Thanksgiving Table 2010 |
My last tip is to schedule some pampering time. I schedule a manicure and pedicure the week of Thanksgiving. This allows me to take the time to decompress and relax. I highly recommend a long bath on Thanksgiving evening. You will have sore muscles from standing in the kitchen all day and a bath will ease the pain...now get ready for Christmas!
I have put up my Thanksgiving menu for you all to see and to follow my recipes. Good luck.
Can't wait to see the 2011 table and centerpiece~~
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