What do you make ahead and what do you make at the last minute?

14 years ago

I have this thing about hot, fresh food. I add more stress to Thanksgiving because I want all food very fresh. I like the apple and pumpkin pies to be made that morning so they are still slightly warm when we eat mid afternoon. The pecan pie sets up better when I make it the night before.

I make the rolls that morning too along with the squash casserole and whipped cream.

The turkey is carved by me "a la carving station" in the buffet line- whole and hot.

What do you make ahead that works for you?

I'm toying with the idea of making the dressing tomorrow and freezing it.- I'll have 18 people coming.

Comments (7)

beanthere_dunthat
14 years ago
Isn't it amazing how oven space is at such a premium on Thanksgiving, and yet so many of the favorite Thanksgiving foods require the oven? You'd think over time we'd have shifted to foods that used another method of cooking.

I used to go through a shameful amount of plastic bags the two days before Thanksgiving. Anything that could be chopped, diced, sliced, or measured got put in bags with the amount and dish they were to go in written on the outside. Then all the ingredients for a single dish went into a bigger bag. That saved a lot of time (and dishes). I also made the bread to be used in the stuffing, the cranberry relish, and the desserts the day before. DH set the table the night before.

Just thinking about it makes me miss it. I love cooking for a crowd. Maybe next year. :)
lindac
14 years ago
Well I am not the "boss" this year....
But when I was "The big boss lady", the cranberry jelly and the jezabel got made ahead, the celery and veggies for the relish dish were made ahead and the frozen fruit salad got made ahead ( no one particularly liked it but it was frozen and easier than anything else.
Often I baked and froze the rolls....but the potatoes, veggies, pies, stuffing all get made at the last minute.
Oh and sometimes we have hor d'ouvres other than just cheese and crackers and veggies....and that gets made ahead.
But the killer at my house is Christmas....I traditionally have a huge hors d'ouvre spread at noon... meatballs, shrimp, salmon, veggies and dips, tacos and a dip or 2 one hot and one cold, 5 or 6 kinds of cheese, cold sliced beef little smokies in BBQ sauce...
Then clean that up and take the turkey out of the oven, mash the potatoes etc etc!!!AARGH!
For several years I had a cocktail party the Wednesday before thanksgiving....about 10 couples....to kick off the holiday season! I would make several different kinds of quiche and just keep baking them.
I was younger then.....
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aprile421
14 years ago
I make my dressing, pies, cookies and other desserts the day before the holiday. I think the flavors have a chance to mingle in the dressing and it tastes better if it sits over night. We also cook one Turkey the day before. We use this turkey for our left overs and any extra we need on Thanksgiving day.

On Thanksgiving we cook another turkey that is served fresh out of the oven and all the other foods except the dressing is prepared and cooked right before dinner is served. I just heat the dressing up in the Advantium and it comes out wonderful. Rolls, mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus are the last thing to come off the stove when dinner is served.

We usually have 20-25 people for the holidays. We host quite a few people who don't have families of their own to eat with, or are not close by that they can go home. I have tried so many different ways to try and get things done ahead of time but this method seems to work best for me. I am lucky that I have 2 stoves plus the Advantium that makes things easier for me.
kathleenca
14 years ago
When I worked & made Thanksgiving for 15 - 20 people I did an awful lot of prep work ahead like beanthere_dunthat. This year I am retired (so weird) & have all the time, but there will be only seven of us.

Tonight, I'm making Cranberry Jezebel sauce to put over cream cheese for an appetizer, & Spiced Cranberry Chutney with Oranges for a side. Wednesday, I will make the sausage stuffing (I think it tastes better when the flavors have time to meld), Party Potatoes (which I have done for quite a few years in lieu of last-minute mashed), & woodie2's Make Ahead Turkey Gravy. To me, making the gravy is a dreaded last-minute item & I was thrilled to see woodie's post.

I love Thanksgiving dinner & always feel happy the whole week. :)
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
14 years ago
That Cranberry Jezebel soudn interesting: I have never heard that name.
mikes100acdreamfarm
14 years ago
Guess because of the farm and time being a premium as well as oven space we got use to a lot of things made ahead. We usually have 12-15 people. I make my desserts (cakes, pies but not the Pistachio Salad) ahead and freeze them. Definitely make the cranberry relish ahead and after letting it set a day freeze it. It gets better with time.(Usually make several gallons for the rest of the year.) Sometimes I'll make up my crescent rolls and freeze them before baking but they are better fresh Then the night before I make up all my casseroles, (squash, sweet potatoes, onion, etc._ and get them ready and in the dishes. Cover them with foil and mark the temp and cooking time on them and put them in the frig. On TD I start at about 4 am. I mix up my stuffing, and get the turkey going. I cook my ham in my roaster, the turkey in the gas oven and the last 2 hours I'll use the electric oven to cook the casseroles. Veggies like corn, peas, mashed potatoes are last minute. Mom makes her Waldorf salad :-/ last minute usually so it doesn't get watery. Some of the family and friends I don't get to see very often so I'd rather be visiting with them instead of trying not to miss something in a recipe listening into all the fun in the other room or measuring while trying to have a conversation. (Not one of my strong suits. I always leave something out when I'm talking to somebody and cooking) It's not all fresh but a lot of the folks that come fix dinner out of a TV dinner box so they're always happy and stuffed with the fare that's put on the table. And I get to spend time with everyone.
kathleenca
14 years ago
linnea56, I'm sorry I didn't see your remark until now. Here's the Jezebel sauce recipe to save for next year. It's from lindac.

CRANBERRY JEZEBEL SAUCE
Yield: 2 1/2 cups Can be made ahead

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 (12 oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
3 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Add cranberries, and return to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temp.
Stir in horseradish and mustard; cover and chill. Garnish, if desired. Serve with beef or pork; or spoon over cream cheese, and serve with crackers.
Sauce may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to two weeks.

What do you make ahead and what do you make at the last minute?

Comments (7)

beanthere_dunthat

lindac

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