The stress of hosting a Thanksgiving dinner is enough to give you holiday PTSD. But today I’m sharing my free downloadable Thanksgiving Preparation Timeline with tons of recipes (many which can be made in advance) to ensure your Thanksgiving meal goes off without a hitch. And YES…you can even make your mashed potatoes up to four hours in advance!
MY #1 TIP TO A STRESS-FREE THANKSGIVING MEAL
Either make our desserts in advance, or let your guests bring desserts. This way your oven is free for the turkey and dressing, or anything else you need to reheat. As you’ll see below, many of your dishes can be made in advance entirely or at least 70-80% and can be reheated on the day of.
Ok….Ready, set, shop/prep/bake/cook.
When you click the box above, a black screen with the document should appear. In the upper right-hand corner, there will be an arrow pointing downward. Click the arrow to download it to your computer, then drag to your desktop, and print!
THE MENU
APPETIZERS
Make the vinaigrette up to two days in advance, toast the almonds up to one day in advance.
In the south, deviled eggs are a common appetizer to bring to Thanksgiving. And I have an easy hack for easily removing those pesky egg shells without damaging the eggs!
Rolls & Cornbread
For these rolls you don’t have to use spelt flour. You can substitute whole wheat flour or just use only all purpose flour. You can make these up to one month in advance, let cool, wrap really well and freeze. Thaw on the morning of, brush with more butter and garlic, then reheat while the turkey is resting.
P.S. There are three recipes attached to this post because you can also make cinnamon rolls and hamburger buns with the dough as well.
If you want a quick and easy alternative to rolls, then these Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread Muffins work perfectly! You can make these in advance, cover them in an airtight container and freeze them. Thaw the morning of and reheat in the oven. you can brush some neutral oil on top to hydrate them before reheating too.
MAIN DISHES
Read the full post for the 5 Secrets to an Epic Turkey! Buy your turkey ASAP (and freeze), whenever they are available. Allow for at least two-three full days of thawing, plus one day for brining.
If you are having a small gathering or don’t want to tackle a large turkey, then you would be surprised at how easy it is to make an unbelievably delicious roasted chicken instead! There is no brining and required because the baking technique makes the most succulent roast chicken ever. I made two of these roasted chickens for Thanksgiving one year and no one missed the turkey!
There is a recipe attached to the mashed potato post, but you can also make the Creme Fraiche Mashed Potatoes and keep them warm for 4 hours (they’re my absolute favorite)!
This stuffing/dressing is made with all cornmeal so it just happens to be Gluten Free!
Make the cornbread in advance, wrap well and freeze, thaw and let dry out. Then make stuffing. You can par-bake the stuffing, let cool, then wrap really well and freeze. Thaw, then add some turkey drippings on top to moisten, and pop back in the oven while the turkey is resting to finish baking!
Once you make your own cranberry sauce, you will never go back to the canned stuff! Make it up to three days in advance, cover and refrigerate.
Pies and Tarts
Make all of your pie crusts in advance (this recipe makes two). Form into disks, refrigerate, then roll out between two sheets of plastic wrap. Place on a plate to keep flat, then freeze for up to one month (making sure it’s wrapped really well in plastic wrap).
Use the perfect pie crust recipe above, and make a crostata instead of a pie. WHY? Because it’s SO easy to shape. It folds over the filling and bakes on a sheet pan.
If an apple pie and an apple crisp had a baby it would be this apple streusal pie with a bourbon sauce! The bourbon sauce flavors the apples while the the streusel topping adds texture. I have 20 step-by-step photos for how to make the pie crust and pie from scratch so you can easily replicate this utterly delicious pie.
There are step-by-step photos and a video for this one! Make this pie up to two days in advance. Keep covered in the fridge until serving. Tastes great cold!
When you click the box above, a black screen with the document should appear. In the upper right-hand corner, there will be an arrow pointing downward. Click the arrow to download it to your computer, then drag to your desktop, and print!
Here’s to the most EPIC Thanksgiving dinner ever!
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