How to Prepare an Easy Almost Homemade Thanksgiving Dinner

Here is your shopping list and step by step instructions for an easy almost homemade traditional thanksgiving dinner. This is a step up from using all convenience foods, but not very complicated. The secret is preparing a few things before the big day.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• for eight people
• frozen turkey 8 lb
• cooking spray
• butter or margarine, 1 pound
• two boxes instant stuffing
• jar of olives
• jar of pickles
• can of roasted nuts
• 2 lbs green beans
• can of whole berry cranberry sauce
• crushed pineapple, 8oz can
• 3 oz package strawberry gelatin
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup whole pecans
• 5 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 and 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon orange peel
• 1 & 1/2 cup marshmallows
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1 unbaked pie shell
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• dried chopped onion
• beef bulion
• two dozen rolls
• aluminum foil
• electric mixer
• coffee
• cream
• sugar
• gelatin mold
• casserole dish
• roasting pan
• meat thermometer
• 2 sauce pans
• small serving platter
• large serving platter
• pie pan
• relish dish
• creamer
• butter dish
• sugar bowl
• salt and pepper shakers
• two serving bowls
• glasses for 8
• china service for 8
• silverware for 8
• meat fork
• 3 large serving spoons
• 3 small serving spoons
• pie server
• 9 napkins
• table cloth or 8 place mats
• centerpiece
• one oven

1. A few days before Your Thanksgiving dinner put your turkey to defrost in the refrigerator. Allow one day for every four pounds for defrosting plus an extra day in case your refrigerator in too cold. This means you would put an 8 pound turkey to defrost in the refrigerator three days before you want to cook it. One day ahead put the pie in the refrigerator and set the table.

2. 
   Cranberry congealed salad

   At least 1 day before thanksgiving prepare Cranberry Congealed Salad. The recipe is in the related articles section. Set the table and get out your serving pieces. This will help make tomorrow easy.

3. 
   Pecan pie

   Day before Thanksgiving bake Ma's pecan pie (recipe in related articles sections) Bake until it is almost set in the center. This pie is good hot, but if you only have one oven it is hard to have hot pies or make homemade dressing.

4. 
   Meat thermometer

   For an 8 pound turkey start 3 hours before you want to serve dinner. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the wrapper and package of giblets. Drain juices. Pat the turkey clean with paper towels and put it in the roasting pan breast side up with the wings tucked under. Spray with cooking spay. Insert the meat thermometer in the breast not touching any bones. Place turkey in the oven. You have done the hard part. The rest is really easy.
   
   3

5. Check the turkey after an hour. If it looks too brown put a large piece of foil which you have folded in half and opened to make a tent over the breast. Roast until thermometer reads 180 degrees.

6. Put sweet potatoes in to bake with turkey 1 hour and forty-five minutes before dinner will be served. They should bake in a little over an hour.

7. While turkey is cooking snap beans and wash lettuce. Wrap rolls in foil. Set up coffee pot. Fill sugar bowl and put nuts in dish. Put pickles and olives in relish dish, cranberry sauce in small bowl, butter on dish, and cream in pitcher put all these in refrigerator. When sweet potatoes are soft make boarding house sweet potatoes but wait to brown marshmallows (recipe in the related articles section)

8. 
   Green beans

   Cook beans until tender in a small amount of water with beef bullion and dry onion. Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Cover the large platter with lettuce leaves. Fill water glasses.

9. When the turkey comes out of the oven allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Put rolls in to heat 15 minutes before serving. Put turkey on lettuce lined platter and garnish with crabapples and peaches.

10. Take out rolls and put sweet potatoes under broiler for two minutes to brown marshmallows. Watch carefully.

11. Put beans and stuffing in serving bowls and rolls in basket. Put your thanksgiving dinner on the table and be thankful you are almost done.

12. 

    Serve your homemade pie and coffee. Let everyone else clean up.

Tips & Warnings

• If you must have mashed potatoes and gravy remember they are available in a box and an jar
• The centerpiece does not have to be elaborate. A paper turkey is fine. Or bowl of gourds and autumn leaves.
• call 1-800-butterball or go to [e-mail] for any turkey questions.
• If you this is more than you want to do see my article "how to fix a very easy thanksgiving dinner"
• For an even better dinner see my article how to "prepare a southernThanksgiving dinner"
• Immediately wash your hands and any surfaces or utensils which come in contact with raw turkey.
• Before the big day make sure your oven will hold your roasting pan and the sweet potatoes with room for air to circulate. If it will not you can use canned yams and heat them on the stove or in a microwave.

Resources

• How to m

[veryirie]

on 11/6/2008 Super detailed steps here and I think you win the award for longest list of ingredients. ha I don't think you could possibly have forgotten anything. And, it does sound delicious! :)

[Alisiane]

on 11/5/2008 I cannot BELIEVE it's already November and time to start thinking about all of this already....argh!

This is an incredibly detailed and well presented article. (Big props on mentioning the paper turkey centerpiece by the way...we had those when I was little and now, no matter how fancy the china and silverware, I always have that accordion style paper turkey on the table...lol)