Planning a
Thanksgiving Dinner
The task of planning a Thanksgiving dinner marks the beginning of the seasonal holiday feasts and in most households, turkey is the star attraction for the main meal.
However preparation and planning for these family meals can prove a little stressful when trying to balance all of your other household commitments. This seasonal malady can be avoided by planning meals, entertaining, and activities to fit your lifestyle.
CLICK HERE to see my suggested
Thanksgiving Dinner Menu,
Recipes, Tips and Planning Notes
- If your schedule is flexible and can be adjusted to include more cooking for your guests, planning a Thanksgiving dinner menu should begin in ernest, in mid September for Canadian Thanksgiving or early November for USA Thanksgiving. That way, you can cook one to two dishes each week and freeze them ahead of time.
- On the other hand, if you are involved in several activities, children's sports or working and going to school, your schedule probably has less flexibility.
Planning the Menu
When planning a Thanksgiving dinner menu, ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you inviting guests? If so, how many?
- What are the traditional and family favorites people always look for?
- Are there any special diets to consider?
- Who doesn't eat what??
- How much time do I have for preparations?
After this exercise in food for thought make a decision on the main-dish and plan a Thanksgiving dinner menu, around the meat or poultry chosen. If your choice is consistent with most, turkey is likely to be your favored dish. Once you've decided to prepare turkey, make a decision on how it will be cooked.
Consumers today can purchase fresh or frozen turkeys of various sizes. If buying a frozen turkey, make sure you allow time in your preparation schedule for the turkey to thaw. Last minute attempts to thaw a solidly frozen turkey are one of the leading causes of food poisoning!
CLICK HERE for tips on how to roast a turkey.....safely.
If your choice is a fresh turkey, clean out your refrigerator before bringing the turkey home to make sure there is plenty of storage space and the refrigerator is cold enough (40 degrees F or below) to store the turkey until you are ready to prepare and cook it.
To stuff.....or not to stuff?
Traditionally linked to turkey, stuffing (or dressing as it's known in some circles) is equally as important to the Thanksgiving Turkey. The major decision on the stuffing is whether to stuff, or not stuff the turkey. - Many families serve a casserole of stuffing alongside the bird, but personally, I favor cooking the turkey stuffed as it adds to the flavor considerably.
- Whatever your preferred stuffing recipe, NEVER stuff the turkey with a warm stuffing. Most stuffings can be prepared well in advance and then refrigerated until required.
- If grilling or smoking a turkey, stuffing should not be placed inside the turkey, but cooked separately in a casserole dish to ensure that the stuffing reaches the appropriate internal temperature (165 degrees F) within a minimal amount of time.
When planning a Thanksgiving dinner, additional menu items of relishes, vegetables, gravy, and dessert can be selected from family recipes, cookbooks or free recipe sites like this one. And in most cases these recipes can be made from the basic raw ingredients or adapted to use convenience products.
Alternatively, you may want to consider buying in certain prepared dishes from your local supermarket or specialty, online gourmet food suppliers.
Today, holiday meals reflect the individual personality and lifestyles of the host and hostess - when it comes to planning a Thanksgiving dinner,
the choice is up to you!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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MyThanksgiving Menu, Recipes, Tips and Planning Notes
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