How to Plan a Week Ahead for a Thanksgiving Dinner

For the perfect Thanksgiving Dinner, plan at least a week ahead to make the holiday cooking a little less stressful.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Saturday:
   Write out a day to day game plan.
   Decide on your menu, how many guest you will have and your budget.
   Pull out your favorite recipes or go the web for new ones and prepare a food list.

2. 
   20-24lb Turkey.

   Sunday:
   Purchase the turkey on the Sunday previous to Thanksgiving.
   It takes 4 days to defrost a 20-24lb turkey.
   Each raw pound of turkey will yield approximately 8oz of cooked meat, so a 22lb-24lb bird will yield approximately 10-12lb of cooked turkey. Allow each guest 8-10 oz and of course a little left over for sandwiches and turkey tetrazzini later.
   Defrost your Turkey in a refrigerator.
   Purchase the ingredients for the cranberry relish.

3. 
   Cranberry Lemon Jello Relish

   Monday:
   Prepare the first step for a Cranberry Relish, please go to my recipe, "How to make Cranberry Lemon Relish".
   Chop and macerate the cranberries with the sugar for 24 hours.
   Shop for the vegetables and ingredients for soups, dips and any other appetizer items.

4. 
   Vegetable Platter

   Tuesday:
   Complete the cranberry relish recipe this will allow three days for the relish to develop it's flavor.
   Do the basic preparation for the vegetables, blanch and refresh green beans and asparagus.
   Make any casserole type vegetable dishes, they will taste better by Thursday.
   Put raw veggies such as carrots and celery in ice water to maintain crispness.
   Make any soups and dips they will develop more flavor too.

5. 
   Creme Brulee Cheesecake.

   Wednesday:
   Bake breads, desserts and cookies.
   Try my Crème Brulee Pumpkin Cheesecake.
   Chop the onions, celery and other ingredients for the stuffing/dressing.

6. Thursday, Thanksgiving Day:
   Roast the turkey using a vegetable mirepoix.
   Make the dressing/stuffing.
   Make gravy after turkey is fully cooked.
   Finish the vegetables.
   Reheat soups and casseroles.
   Tray up appetizers and desserts.

Tips & Warnings

• Related How to articles from Chef bob:
• Blanch and Refresh vegetables.
• Remove the Flesh from a Pumpkin using a Dishwasher and other methods.
• Make Crème Brulee Pumpkin Cheesecake.
• Make Fresh Green Beans with Anchovies.
• Make Turkey Gravy using a Vegetable Mirepoix.
• Make Cranberry Lemon Jello Relish.
• Dressing is usually baked separately from the turkey.
• Stuffing is usually baked inside the turkey.