Thanksgiving stress

November 8th, 2006 at 05:35 am

Well, I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year for the first time for my family... there should be around 20 folks coming - eek! The thing is that I don't cook much so this is definitely stressing me out. I have hopped online and found some recipes so it's just a matter of following them to the letter and hoping that everything will work out. My biggest concern is that everything won't be done at the same time. Also how do I keep everything warm until serving time? I also didn't budget for Thanksgiving dinner as we usually go to a family member's but who was to know that I'd draw the short straw this year. What have I gotten myself into?

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11 Responses to “Thanksgiving stress”

robex Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 07:00 am

Do you have to cook the whole meal or is everyone bringing something? I like having the dinner because I get to write up the menu, make the easiest items--the turkey and the mashed potatoes--and tell everyone else what to bring ( appetizer, vegetable, dessert)...Dh is in charge of arranging drinks and we buy buns and cranberry sauce.

Make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and stick them in the crockpot on low.

Take a deep breath and relax. Your family is coming to see you, not your dinner!
rduell Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 07:29 am

I 2nd that advice. Have everyone bring a dish and then you have the easier slice of the pie! :-) Keep the menu simple. I do as much as I can the day or evening before and then usually just have the things that absolutely need done that day to tend to.

Do you have a roaster oven? That comes in handy for either keeping things warm or making the turkey. Then your oven is free for other things.
happyzookeeper Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 08:20 am

I second the roaster over comment! Best thing I ever got for holiday meals.
janh Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 08:30 am

My MIL introduced me to the oven bag routine with my first turkey. It is a no fuss, easy way to cook the turkey and it comes out awesome. I leave it in the bag after taking it out of the oven while the rolls and stuff are finishing up and it stays warm. Just a thought if you've never cooked one before.
Ima saver Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 08:32 am

Be glad that you have family. My husband and I, will be all alone.
Broken Arrow Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 10:54 am

Ima's right... sigh.
LuxLiving Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 12:26 pm

Let me introduce you to the restaraunt/grocery store take out Thanksgiving dinner. Here we have Homeland (formerly Safeway) that offers a complete meal for $45.99 - all ready at the same time! Throw a little flour on your face and viola - a feast!

You can also probably pick a complete dinner up from one of your local restaraunts or even hotel kitchens will make you a dinner for a price and you just drive on down the morning of and viola - a feast!

If you do choose to cook it yourself don't make it harder than it has to be - buy a couple of frozen pre-cooked turkey breasts or a spiral cut ham.
tinapbeana Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 01:48 pm

sorry for the OT, but i vote that BA ask Ima if he can visit her for TG...
LuckyRobin Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 07:01 pm

I don't have to cook it this year! I'm excited about that. LOL I third the electric turkey roaster. Then I can have a ham in the oven taking up half the space and the stuffing on the other side and keep the taters warm in the crockpot and the gravy gets turned back up to simmer for about 5 minutes before serving time. We nuke the green beans and dinner rolls, no problem. We don't do cranberry here or pies, but if we did do pies I'd buy them from the store and serve them at room temp.
baselle Says:
November 8th, 2006 at 08:47 pm

Your best friends in this situation are: delegation, the microwave, and a lot of liquor. . If you just take care of the turkey (ham, roast beef, large festive tofu dish), you encourage folks to bring sides that mean the most to them, and you have a person who can make gravy...it'll be alright. The gravy maker is key, though.
paigu Says:
November 9th, 2006 at 07:22 am

20!! My apartment can't fit that many people at once.
Would it be possible to ask people to contribute a dish? As is very typical from the many Asian-style gatherings I've attended, it's almost forbidden to come empty-handed. What my friends have done is the host will make the main dish, then they ask everyone else to bring side dishes or alcohol/drinks.
If all else fails, I agree, look into catering or precooked dishes from the supermarket. 20 people is quite the crowd, you need all the hlep you can get.

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Thanksgiving stress

11 Responses to “Thanksgiving stress”

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