Countdown to Thanksgiving Timeline and Favorite Dishes

Hi friends,

In just one short week we will celebrate Thanksgiving, the quintessential American holiday.  What started as a simple celebration of the harvest and thanks for survival by the first English settlers has evolved over the years into a big national holiday where we come together with family and friends to give thanks for all the blessings in our lives.  No matter how small or how big your gathering is this year, food will take center stage as it does every year!

For many of us the menu planning has most probably already begun.  To help with the cooking schedule of the days ahead, I have put together a Countdown to Thanksgiving Timeline which I use every year to help me stay organized in the days ahead.  I hope you will find some of these suggestions useful as you create your own schedule.  Most importantly, remember to accept help if your guests are kind enough to offer some!

☙ Countdown to Thanksgiving Timeline ❧

Sunday – FOUR DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

1. Finalize the dish selections, print out the recipes you are making and create a detailed shopping list
2. Reorganize your refrigerator, to make sure you have lots of extra free space. You will need it!

Monday – THREE DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

1. Do all your shopping.  If you have not already done so by this point, buy your turkey.  You can find some useful info about turkeys here.
2. Prepare a dry brine for the turkey.  Ever since I tried this way of brining several years back, I have never gone back to use any other method.  Dry brining is a mess-free, fool-proof way of infusing incredible flavor into the bird and it always results in a very moist turkey!  Check out my post on how to dry brine and roast your turkey.

Tuesday – TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

1. Prepare the pie dough, then wrap it and store it in the refrigerator for the next day.
2. Make Ina Garten’s “make-ahead” gravy with sage and store it in the refrigerator until Thanksgiving.
3. Make your favorite recipe for cranberry relish and refrigerate.  See below for one of our family favorites.
4. If you are serving a soup, this is the day to make it!

Wednesday – ONE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

1. Trim and wash all your vegetables and greens.  Store them wrapped in paper towels and then in zip-topped bags in the refrigerator.
2. Prep all garnishes and toppings.
3. Assemble your favorite stuffing (or dressing), cover, and refrigerate it to be ready to bake on Thanksgiving day.
4. Bake your bread rolls or biscuits and store them to reheat the next day.
5. Bake the pies and store them in a cool place in your house.

Thursday – THANKSGIVING DAY:

1. Early in the morning, preheat the oven.  Remove the turkey and the turkey stock from the refrigerator.
2. Chill white and sparkling wines.
3. Bake the side dishes and the stuffing/dressing so they can be re-warmed later.
4. Roast the turkey and cook the stove top side dishes.
5. When the turkey is done, and while it is still resting, finish the gravy and reheat the bread rolls or biscuits.
6. Turn the oven off and place the fruit pies in the oven.  By the time you get to the dessert, they will be at the perfect temperature to enjoy with some ice cream or whipped cream.

☙ Favorite Thanksgiving Dishes❧

Cranberry and Orange Relish

Easiest Buttermilk Drop Biscuits with Thyme

Delicious Filo Cheese Pie Bites: Easy Make-Ahead Appetizer

Best Pumpkin Bread

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Fool-Proof Thanksgiving Turkey

Make Ahead Gravy with Sage and Onions (Ina Garten)

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes 

Delicious Sweet Potatoes with Sherry

Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Orange-Shallot Vinaigrette 

Green Beans with Shallots and Pancetta

My Favorite Thanksgiving Dessert:  Best Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Easy Pear and Pecan Tart

Apple and Cinnamon Filo Rosettes with Caramel Sauce

Wishing you a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!

To all of you who have been following my blog since its beginning and to the many new readers too:

I am very grateful that you have signed up to receive my weekly posts and for following along with my culinary adventures. I am very thankful that you take your time to read my posts, try my recipes, and leave your comments!