WE HAD AN EARLY THANKSGIVING MEAL WITH OUR KANSAS FAMILY on Saturday. Wonderful conversation and food. Weather was nice and we celebrated. Thankful for family.
We provided the food while the Kids provided the place to gather and prepare the meal in their HOME. My Kitchen is definitely out of order. So is the house. Best thing to do is to go elsewhere and that elsewhere was with family. Our dear Son.in.law prepared the TURKEY! Thankful for family.
SPATCHCOCKING. I've never done this method, but think I might try it. My Son.in.law prepared the turkey this certain way and it was the best tasting turkey ever. Very moist and flavorful.
Several days ahead of time, we had shopped to get the makings of a THANKSGIVING MEAL with all the ingredients we needed. I wanted to serve the meal on my Thanksgiving china dishes so Hubby went to storage and got enough dishes for the meal. They were neatly stored in see-through storage boxes and we knew where they were in the unit. That part was easy.
We ate at 6 in the evening so about 3 in the afternoon I hand washed all the bakeware, pots and china. At 4, I started fixing the green bean casserole with my sidekick chef, Lil Miss assisting. I walked her through making the dish and it turned out beautiful.
Using a large, long Corningware baking dish, she drained four cans of cut green beans and shook them out into the dish then seasoned the beans with salt and pepper. About two cups of French fried onion rings were sprinkled on top of the beans. Next, two cans of cream of mushroom soup were stirred in a mixing bowl with a cup of half and half until well mixed. The thick cream of mushroom soup mixture was poured on top of the green beans with onions. With the soup being thick I added some extra half and half to the mixture and forked the liquid into the green beans. Added another two cups of onion rings on top. Placed the casserole dish in the oven that wasn't pre-heated. 350 degrees for an hour. After the hour was up, I added some more onion rings on top and continued to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Delicious.
We started on the Sweet Potato Casserole with 2 cans of chopped yams, about a cup of brown sugar and large marshmallows are needed in a casserole dish. Drain the first can of yams placing the yam pieces in the dish. I took a potato masher and gently mashed the yams then sprinkled brown sugar and marshmallows on it. The other can with the liquid was dumped on top of the brown sugar and we added more brown sugar. More marshmallows. If I had to do it again, I would have had 4 cans of yams altogether.
Sat the casserole dish with the glass lid upside down to the side so when the corn was prepped, I could stack the two casseroles on top of one another while they waited for their turn to be heated up for 30 minutes or so.
Prepped the buttered corn dish. Dumped 3 cans of drained corn, then seasoned with salt and pepper plus slices of real butter in between layers of the canned corn. Then dumped the 4th can of corn with the remaining liquid.
Stacked the baking dish on top of the other casserole dish and did other things preparing the meal. The corn and sweet potatoes were ready to heat, but it was too soon to heat them. Needed to wait about 30 minutes before placing in the oven.
Off to fix the cranberry sauce and place it in the fridge to chill. Next, black olives were dumped in a deep relish dish and I washed the baby carrots placing them in the relish dish. Washed and sliced the celery sticks into two pieces. Next time, the olives should be tripled as they seem to be a hit.
In this family the black olives were chosen over the celery and carrots. No Deviled Eggs this year.
The ready made pumpkin pie was sliced and recovered.
Then the stove top dressing was prepared by Lil Miss (sorry no pic of the Dressing, but it did turn out so purdee and tasted great) and Hubby fixed the potatoes with turkey gravy from a jar. He placed the sweet potato casserole and the corn in the oven to throughly heat for 30 to 40 minutes.
I did take short cuts to make the meal come together as easy as possible. Daughter had a tablecloth on their table. The table was set with the china and we waited for the turkey to finish. When the turkey was ready to slice, the dinner rolls went in the oven for three minutes. After the rolls are pulled out of the oven, they are ready to have butter rubbed on the tops of them and be placed in a bowl, on a platter or plate to serve.
Made this routine as easy as possible.
menu written out.
shopping done.
things grouped together with cookware, bakeware, serving dishes.
condiments, aluminum foil, paper towels, measuring cups, spoons, knives, napkins, plates in tubs ready to go.
turkey fixed.
green bean casserole prepared and baked.
sweet potato casserole fixed and sat to the side.
buttered corn fixed and sat tot he side.
cranberry sauce prepared and refrigerated.
relish tray prepared and refrigerated.
pumpkin pie sliced.
dressing prepared and ready to eat.
mashed potatoes prepared and ready to eat.
gravy fixed and ready to eat.
sweet pot casserole and corn placed in oven.
turkey carved.
dinner rolls warmed.
cranberry sauce and relish tray placed on the table.
foods arranged on counter ready to serve.
prayer said with dinner served to 8 people.
ate and visited.
dessert served.
clean-up.
left overs dealt with.
relax.
The meal came together and we had a very nice time. Family and food can be a real blessing if no one talks about politics. We didn't and it was pleasant. Pumpkin pie with whipped cream was dessert and it was wonderful.
I feel like I had a refresher course and dress rehearsal for preparing the next THANKSGIVING meal. I will go shopping again tomorrow and purchase more of what is needed for our another THANKSGIVING meal.
Wonderful MEMORIES about THANKSGIVING TIME. Making memories as we go. This year was pleasant and fun to be a part of.
NEXT MEAL. The turkey has been taken out of the freezer and placed in the fridge to thaw for three days before my son fixes the turkey on Thursday. Once again I will fix the meal for family. Planning on 11 of us. Almost a dozen peeps.
When THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY is over, I will work on a CHRISTMAS letter and start on greeting cards. I hope to get them out early this year. I will continue unpacking the COTTAGE and get in the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. Christmas decorating may not happen this season due to the move, but we'll focus on the Lord's Birthday and be thankful.
I saw a video where a woman placed a spring rod at chest level wrapping it with greenery, bulbs and twinkle lights then raising the rod to the top of inside the door frame. She made it look so simple that I might give it a try instead of putting up a tree. I have hopes that the COTTAGE will be in better shape by Christmas than it is for THANKSGIVING. Hope. Hope. Perhaps we will give ourselves a break and decorate the porch. I know I will have Christmas wreaths on the front doors. Again, I have two front doors. Two matching wreaths. I know just where they are.
Will snow be in the forecast? Not for sure, but I know we have some December medical appointments to attend. That should keep things interesting.
Somebody taught this tot to wink.
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