I hope you’re enjoying our countdown to Turkey Day, and that you plan to try one or more of the recipes we’ve featured here over the past week-and-a-half.
I don’t need to tell you that the big day is imminent – especially if you are the one who will be hosting the annual pig-out (which really ought to be called the annual turkey-out, unless, of course, you’re planning to serve ham).
Around the Johnson house, we’re big on checklists, and no holiday cries out more for this type of organizational approach than Thanksgiving. There’s just so much to get done and so many dishes to prepare that if you don’t plan ahead, you’ll quickly run out of oven space.
With that in mind, and because we are giving people here at Vinesse, I thought I’d share last year’s Johnson family Thanksgiving checklist with you. It’s easily adaptable to accommodate your family’s holiday dishes and traditions.
Remember, if you fail to plan… the turkey may not get cooked completely.
1. Three days before Thanksgiving (that’s today!), finalize menu and make sure we have all ingredients. If anything is missing, go shopping.
2. If any guests will be bringing dishes with them, call to verify so as to avoid duplications.
3. Two days before, Thanksgiving (that’s tomorrow!), select wines to serve and set them aside. This is the holiday that’s perfect for trying different varieties, so skip the Cabernet and Chardonnay and opt for other varieties.
4. The day before Thanksgiving, prepare all side dishes. Refrigerate for re-heating (if appropriate) on Thursday.
5. Verify the amount of time it will take to cook turkey, based on its size.
6. Get up early enough to cook turkey so that it’s done about an hour before the planned serving time. The turkey should be the only thing that the oven is used for on Thursday.
Everybody’s kitchen is different and everybody has their own approach to planning, but hopefully this list will at least get you thinking about some of elements that go into pulling off a successful Thanksgiving dinner.
The clock is ticking… and our countdown will continue tomorrow.
