This Thanksgiving is going to be different…I am not going to be able to cook most of our meal ahead of time as I usually do. This means I had to think about what we were going to have and how I was going to get it cooked.
Frankly, I don’t think what type of food we have is really that important in many ways (I know, blasphemy). What is important is family, friends, being truly thankful, and tradition.
Family and friends are scattered literally across the globe; thankfulness is always present although it sometimes requires reminders. The only thing left is tradition. I wanted to keep some of our traditions, especially for my daughter. Some of our traditions include the Macy Thanksgiving Parade, watching football, playing board and video games, and some foods.
Thus, I needed to figure what I wanted to keep and what I would sacrifice this year. After deciding on having some of the basics, I formulated a plan to have a somewhat homemade, somewhat not homemade Thanksgiving meal.
Here is my plan:
1. Order cooked turkey. I ordered a smoked turkey from a barbecue restaurant. We had one from there our first year in this house and it was good. (I was going to order a deep fried turkey, but they were $5 more and served 4 less people).
2. Order corn muffins. I ordered it from the same place as the turkey. They are wonderful. Slightly sweet, moist, and very tasty.
3. Order pecan pie. Also ordered from the same place. I guess I could have baked one ahead of time a froze it, but there’s are really yummy and value priced.
4. Make a pumpkin roll and freeze it. I still have to do this one. I had planned to have it done yesterday, but things have been crazier than normal here.
5. Complete Thanksgiving shopping more than a week before the event. Done. Tomorrow is one week before Thanksgiving and I have everything purchased.
6. Buy Bob Evans mashed potatoes instead of trying to make them on Thanksgiving. Okay, before you say anything let me say that I am slow peeling potatoes. I dislike potato peels in my mashed potatoes. I like mashed and sweet potatoes both on Thanksgiving. They make very yummy mashed potatoes that I was able to buy for $1 a package with sales and coupons. Finally, yes, I occasionally eat processed food.
7. Dry bread for stuffin muffins in oven the night before. I usually set the bread in bowl for several days to dry before making the dressing on Thanksgiving, but I have used this method before and it works as long as the oven is on super low.
8. Make everything else late Wednesday/early Thursday. Sweet potatoes, simple green beans, broccoli, and something with cranberries can all be done in the amount of time I have left.
I am not preparing a meal for large gathering this year. There is not any pressure to have the meal on at a specific time. It is a laid back holiday at our house this year. The funny part is I would rather be stressed because there is a large crowd of family and friends coming. Oh well, maybe another year.