Let It Begin

I began my regular descent into holiday planning madness today. We have been taking every precaution to make sure that Thanksgiving is laid back, cooking-wise. The majority of our dishes will either be made ahead or purchased premade (*gasp* Blasphemy! Mmm, delicious blasphemy…).

Our menu for Thursday looks like this:

·         Brunch

o   Orange Crepes, Wednesday – Reheat

o   Bacon and Eggs

·         Dinner

o   AB’s Roast Turkey Breast, Thaw/Brine Tuesday, Complete Thursday (3 hours, inactive)

o   Turkey Gravy, Thursday (15 Minutes)

o   Simply Mashed Potatoes, Premade - Reheat

o   Sweet Potato Souffle, Premade - Reheat

o   Cornbread Dressing, Premade - Reheat

o   SL Collards and Apples, Thursday (25 Minutes plus Prep)

o   SL Buttermilk Pecan Green Beans, Thursday (20 Minutes plus Prep)

o   Cranberry Relish, Wednesday

o   SL Icebox Rolls, Begin Wednesday, Complete Thursday (10 minutes plus Prep)

·         Dessert

o   Pumpkin Pie, Wednesday

o   Pecan Pie, Wednesday

Really, it’s not a terribly taxing menu with just over two hours of active cooking time Thursday afternoon. It is a little heavy on the carbs, of course, but what can you do?

We specifically purchased some of these items because they are either time consuming or only enjoyed by a few people at our table. I’m trying to scale back the portions for the homemade dishes, making only enough for a little on Thursday and no leftovers. With so many side dishes, there’s no reason to make a lot of any one thing. The plan is to use up whatever remains on Friday with hash for brunch and sandwiches in the afternoon.

I’m adding to my own work with the green beans and homemade rolls. Really, we could skip the extra greens and just purchase rolls. But part of being Southern is going just a little over the top, right? At least, that’s what my bestie has always taught me and who am I to argue with the southern born and bred. He’s hosting Thanksgiving for a group of 20 on Thursday with a menu that includes apple cheddar stuffed squash and truffled mac and cheese. My table of five is small potatoes here, people!

In other news, the house is completely clean! Yay! All that’s left is the tablecloth (grrr) and Home Depot. And a last-minute grocery run. Should be fine!

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How are your Thanksgiving plans coming along?