Yes, you sure can peel the potatoes the day before, best if you can keep them cool and also put some vinegar or lemon juice into the water if you have hard water that might make them turn brown, or even some salt at times will help. Of course you want to rinse them well with the vinegar or lemon juice. I have my cranberry sauce made and frozen, my sweet potatoes, ready to be baked and are peeled, cut into pieces and frozen, and my dressing is made, baked and frozen. I just did the dressing yesterday. All of course will be taken out and thawed a day before and then baked the day of. I also have an applesauce cake in the freezer as well as my rolled out pie dough. Monday or Tuesday, I will make my refrigerator yeast dough and make my rolls Thanksgiving morning. I am not preparing all of our food, just what I have told you about. Oh, also will be making marinated vegetable salad a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving. If I think of anything else I shall post. Many cakes can be baked and frozen. My cake does not have any icing on it. I may just sprinkle powdered sugar on it.

Sue

Sue -- Thanks for the tips, and the reminder about applesauce cake! If you ever want to 'gild the lily' , that cake is wonderful with a cinnamon cream cheese icing.

CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE ICING

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 - 1 cup sifted confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon (+/-) cinnamon

1-2 teaspoons cream or milk (for consistency)

Beat all together and enjoy!

Mizlizzie, what are you serving ? That will help us with tips for things you can do in advance.

Thanks for the frosting recipe, it does sound good. Depending on my time I may try it. I am copying and saving it. Today I am cleaning out my fridge and making room for the things that will be in there soon.

Sue

I do almost everything the day before. Peel potatoes and keep them covered in water in the fridge. I am making the stuffing,Mac and cheese,cranberry sauce, devilled eggs,topping for my olive bread,various dips,etc.the day before,stashed in the fridge,and cooked in the oven at my moms house.Everything except the turkey, gravy and shrimp will at least be started before the day itself. My mom is hosting. I usually cook the whole meal,but i have discovered that when i cook it in MY kitchen,alone,there is less opportunity for my family to irritate me,which is something they greatly enjoy doing , and therefore less chance of my holiday being ruined,as it often is by such behavior. They will still try,as it amuses them. My mom is making the pies and rolls ahead of time and freezing them. My sister is making sweet potatoes and some other veggies, probably the day before, along with some "special" stuffing,mashed potatoes and devilled eggs for her husband,who has just been put on a strict pork,beef,nut,and dairy free diet for the next year,poor thing. He's miserable.

Wow, great tips! Going to make my dressing shortly. Never thought of doing that. We are having a small group — 5 at most — so I’m just doing a turkey breast, gravy, mashed potatoes, dressing, green beans (canned over the summer, so easy-peasy), a citrus cranberry sauce, yeast rolls, and probably apple cobbler w/whipped cream. Friday, however, we will roll out early and drive several hours to my mother’s for a much larger family gathering on Saturday. (Most of my family are hospital staff of some ilk and work or take call so folks with little kids can be home Thursday.) Unfortunately, they are last-minute planners, so no one has yet told me what I’m to bring for that gathering, so I thought I’d better get prepping for Thursday’s lunch — in case Thursday night I have to start all over again . . .

Have you tried make ahead mashed potatoes. Not frozen but actually could be made a couple of days ahead and refrigerated and then baked the day of. An easy recipe is 5 pounds of potatoes, 8 ounces cream cheese, 8 ounces sour cream, 1 stick of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cook potatoes (peel if using bigger potatoes but when I use the little reds, I don't), then mash as usual. Add cream cheese, sour cream and butter and salt and pepper. Mix all together. Put in a baking dish, cover with foil or Saran and refrigerate. Bake at 350 until heated through (about 1/2 hour or 45 minutes).

No, never. I never freeze anything but leftovers, but clearly need to get in the habit. That might be a dish to take to Mom’s. Make a huge batch, use what we need for Thursday and freeze the rest for the drive Friday. Thank you.

I was just watching a program, Sara Maulton's program, and she said you could cook the potatoes the day before, run them through a food mill or ricer, then refrigerate, adding nothing else. The next day microwave & add milk/cream/butter and seasoning. She said it is only when you add butter & milk initially that makes them taste leftover when reheated. I'm going to test this sometime, if I get a chance before Thanksgiving, but I don't want to test for Thanksgiving dinner.

I'm astounded that ANYONE would attempt to make an entire Thanksgiving dinner the day of the meal! Yikes! The dressing tastes much better if it ages for a day or so. The giblets should be cooked the day before - even a day earlier is okay. Sweet potatoes keep beautifully - no need to freeze. Cranberry sauce can be made many days ahead and refrigerated. I do want my turkey baked that day with time to rest - no re-heating the turkey.

I guess I'm lucky that my other was a wonderful cook and taught me how to "schedule" a big Thanksgiving dinner. I guess so few mothers have cooked now for at least 1-2 generations, that it's now a lost art. How sad...

Nancy, we saw that episode of Sara Moulton as well. Very interesting.

Mom always held Thanksgiving and Christmas, and she made the mashed potato with cream cheese and sour cream casserole. That and the turnip puff are made days in advance. I made them as well for our T-Giving which was in October, and made them in advance.

I was well-taught by my mother to DO it all in one day, but I’d prefer not! She is 80+ and can still do it blindfolded. But my stuffing was frozen Sunday. Cranberry sauce just made. Will peel potatoes tomorrow. Thank you all for a relaxing Thanksgiving Day!

What, pray, is a turnip puff? Jasdip, that sounds intriguing.