As you gear up for Turkey Day, there are a lot of details that need to be tended. So that you don’t forget one of the “big ticket” items, here’s our recommendation of a Thanksgiving timeline:
Now
- Order your fresh, local turkey.
1 week before
- Finalize menu
- Assign guests dishes to bring
- Choose and purchase wines
- Make shopping list
- Buy staples (flour, sugar, etc.)
- Make pie crusts and freeze
3 days before
- Clean out refrigerator and freezer
- Shop for fresh items
- Set table
- Match serving pieces to each dish
- Pick up fresh turkey (today or tomorrow)
Day before
- Make cranberry sauce or cranberry relish
- Pre-chop onions, celery, herbs, etc.
- Prep vegetables for side dishes (cut and peel squash, trim beans, etc.)
- Bake rolls, corn bread, etc.
- Make appetizers (dips, spreads, etc.)
- Calculate when turkey needs to go in the oven based on pounds and cooking method
Thanksgiving Day
- Bake pies
- Peel potatoes and keep covered in cold water
- Make stuffing
- Put turkey in the oven
- Cook and mash potatoes (keep warm in slow cooker)
- Make side dishes
- Take turkey out 30-45 min. before serving time and cover with foil
- Put stuffing and any other side dishes that need to warm up in oven
- Make gravy
- Warm rolls or bread
Serve and enjoy!
