Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes

[ownsmany]

Thanks Denise. I will definately try the sweet potatoes.

Thanks so much for the suggestions and recipes!

 

[JoeWilly]

Hi Denise,

Would love to have your recipe for the berry cobbler.

 

[DeniseM]

Hi Joe - it is very basic. Just berries, sugar, 1/4 c. flour, dash salt, & 1 T. lemon juice for the filling and a basic home made piecrust top. I make enough pie crust dough for 2 crusts and then roll it out to fit an 9 x 13 in. pan.

 

[JoeWilly]

Thanks Denise


What's the measurements for the berries, sugar? Do I bake the crust first, then bake again. Or just bake it? For how long and at what temp?

 

[MuranoJo]

I'm done! - all I have to make on TG is the turkey and garlic mashed potatoes.

Wed. night I will peel my potatoes and refrigerate them over night covered in water, in the pot I'm going to cook them in - on Thurs. the pot goes directly to the stove. That saves me a lot of time on Turkey Day.

I will also bake my pumpkin pies on Wed. night. (I made the crust a couple weeks ago.)

Thurs. morning early I will put the pre-made stuffing in the crockpot to cook.

I will time my turkey so it's done an hour before dinner and then I will pop my pre-made green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole in the oven.

I will bake the pre-made berry cobbler while we are eating dinner and serve it hot!

Yuuuummmmmmm....

You aren't going to try the make-ahead mashed potatoes that you can put in a crockpot? They really do work very well. Anyway, I'm going to try your sweet potato recipe, too. Sounds great.

 

[DeniseM]

You aren't going to try the make-ahead mashed potatoes that you can put in a crockpot? They really do work very well. Anyway, I'm going to try your sweet potato recipe, too. Sounds great.

I've been thinking about it, but haven't tried it. Do you just make them in advance and heat them in the crockpot? Do you freeze them?

 

[linandbri]

Denise,

Would love to have your recipe for the stuffing. I am curious how long your cook it in the crock pot.

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving.

Linda

 

[BevL]

Denise,

Would love to have your recipe for the stuffing. I am curious how long your cook it in the crock pot.

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving.

Linda

It's included in the first post of the thread here.

 

[DeniseM]

Thanks Denise


What's the measurements for the berries, sugar? Do I bake the crust first, then bake again. Or just bake it? For how long and at what temp?

Berry Cobbler Filling
12 c. berries
3 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
dash salt
1 T. lemon juice

Stir together and spread filling in 9 x 13 in. pan
Make a double batch of pie crust and roll out until it is 9 x 13 in.
Lay crust on top of berries.
If you are going to freeze it, cover it tightly with foil and freeze it now.

Thaw at room temp. the morning you are going to bake it.
Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.
Preheat oven to 375º
Cover top of pan with foil and bake for 20 min. covered.
Remove foil and bake Approx. 30 min more, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Serve hot with real vanilla ice cream!

*I bake my cobbler in a disposable aluminum pan that is a little deeper than most 9 x 13 pans. To make sure 12 c. berries will fit in the pan you have on hand - measure the berries and place the berries in the pan first, to see if they fit. This is also an easy recipe to cut in half and use with a smaller pan.

 

[JoeWilly]

Thanks Denise - the berry cobbler sounds great.

 

[pjrose]

A different take on sweet potatoes (or yams)

Denise, your vanilla ones sound scrumptious and from the comments so far they're likely a real winner! I want to skip the sweet potatoes and just slurp up the sauce

I usually go for savory, rather than sweet, and this is really easy:

Scrub - do not peel - fresh sweet potatoes or yams. About 3-4 medium sized ones will feed 6-8. Cut them into bite-sized chunks - about 1".

Thickly slice some onions - about 2-3 medium or 1-2 biggies. Thick slices mean those who aren't into onions can easily avoid them.

Peel as many garlic cloves as you want and keep them whole - I'll use an entire bulb of big ones. Same comment as for the onions.

Put the cut up yams, onions, and garlic in a roasting pan or casserole (they should be only about 1 layer deep), drizzle with a few T of good olive oil, and sprinkle with fresh or dried thyme, fresh or dried rosemary, and some Cavendar's Greek seasoning (basically a s/p/oregano/garlic blend). Toss them around so everything is coated.

Roast uncovered for around 40 minutes or so at 350 tossing them around occasionally. (Temp and time are flexible; they're done when they're fork-tender.)

Made this tonight with a pork roast, and I'm going to make a huge pan on Wednesday to take to New York and reheat for Thursday's dinner.

 

[Janette]

I'll have everything ready to go in the oven by Wed evening. My son and his wife are running a 10k Thursday morning and hubby and I are walking the 5k. We hope to make this a family tradition and hope other family members will join us in years to come. We get good exercise and help a charity. I have two ovens so I can have the meal ready as soon as the turkey cooks. We are trying to walk the 5k in a faster time than the kids run the 10k.

 

[MuranoJo]

I've been thinking about it, but haven't tried it. Do you just make them in advance and heat them in the crockpot? Do you freeze them?

I've never frozen them, but I think that would also work. I peel, boil, mash and season the day before (or a few days before), then put them in the frig.

T-Day, I get them out in the morning and let them come to room temp, then put them in the crockpot (I make a large batch, so use a 5-qt. crockpot), dot with butter on top, and put them on low--I've done this for up to 5 hours before dinner, but you could go longer. I've done this for 3 years and have never been disappointed--and it saves a lot of time on T-Day, not having to peel, boil and mash when you are so busy.

 

[MuranoJo]

I just made the syrup for Denise's sweet potatoe recipe, but I thought it tasted awfully salty. I wonder if we should use unsalted butter, as the recipe also calls for salt. Thinking about dumping it and running to the store for unsalted as I'm all out. Anyone had a similar experience?

 

[DeniseM]

I think the sweetness of the potatoes balances out the salt.

 

[MuranoJo]

OK, Denise, I'll stick with what I have made. But the sauce really isn't sweet, it's hard to describe. I think Jim said he could eat the sauce alone, and it tasted 'off' to me. I'm wondering if the Tablespoon of vanilla is right, too--so I'm using 2 T of vanilla. Thanks for the quick response!

 

[DeniseM]

OK, Denise, I'll stick with what I have made. But the sauce really isn't sweet, it's hard to describe. I think Jim said he could eat the sauce alone, and it tasted 'off' to me. I'm wondering if the Tablespoon of vanilla is right, too--so I'm using 2 T of vanilla. Thanks for the quick response!

I was saying that the sweetness of the sweet potatoes balances out the salt in the sauce. You put in the brown sugar - right?

 

[MuranoJo]

Yes, I did put in the brown sugar. I trust it will be ok since it sounds like many have tried this & like it. Thanks!

 

[Myrtle]

Hi all, This is my favorite make ahead recipy for the holidays. You do need to remember to ask your local market to order the wings for you but its a great time saver and gives you lots of gravy for a big get together.
Myrtle

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

Makes 8 Cups
Time about 3 hours, mostly unattended

Can be made up to a week ahead, refrigerated and reheated. Also can be made up to 3 months ahead and frozen in an airtight container. Refrigerate 2 days to thaw. Reheat in a saucepan, whisking often.


Four turkey wings (about 3 lbs)
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1 cup water
8 cups chicken broth, divided
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Have ready a large roasting pan.
2. Arrange the wings in a single layer in pan; scatter onions over top. Roast 1 1/4 hours until wings are browned and the onions dark and carmelized. (makes the gravy a rich color)
3. Put the wings and onions in a large (5-6 quart) pot. Add water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom and add to the pot. Add 6 cups of the broth, refrigerating the remaining 2 cups if necessary. Add the carrot and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours.
4. Remove the wings to a cutting board. When cool, pull off skin and meat, saving the meat for another use. Can be refrigerated overnight at this point to make removing the fat easier.
5. Strain broth into a 3-quart saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard vegetables; skim off the fat and discard.
6. Whisk flour into the remaining 2 Cups of broth until blended and smooth.
7. Bring broth in the pot to a gentle boil. Whisk in the broth-flour mixture and boil 3-4 minutes to thicken the gravy and remove floury taste. Stir in the butter and pepper. Serve

Per 1/2 cup: Cost $. 47 - Nutrition: 52 Calories, 2 g protein, 6 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 2 g fat, 4 mg chol, 516 mg sod.

 

[brigechols]

Awesome sweet potatoes

Last night, I made the Vanilla Glazed Sweet Potatoes. The aroma was incredible! Worthy of duplication by Yankee Candle I could not resist adding a pinch of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Yum-oh!

 

[MuranoJo]

Glad to hear it smelled so nice! I went ahead and made it and it's in the frig--waiting to go into the oven tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a hit.

 

[MuranoJo]

Well, Denise, your sweet potatoe recipe was a hit! People were asking for the recipe and wanted to take leftovers home. My finicky nephew said, "I really like these carrots or whatever they are." LOL--I'd say the sections were a bit larger than carrots, but loved the compliment from him anyway.

 

[Passepartout]

The sweet potatoes were a big hit at our timeshare Thanksgiving dinner. Only problem was needing a 350 oven for turkey and reheating sweet potatoes and 400 for rolls and roasted brussels sprouts (Barefoot Contessa's from Food TV) and just one oven. We got by (used the gas grill) and everything was fine. Now, what to do about those extra lbs that we came home with..... Oh well, they were fun to walk off the first time, so we'll walk 'em off again.

Thanks, Denise.

Jim Ricks

 

[Amy]

A few years ago we had Thanksgiving up in a cabin in the Sierras. We drove up TG morning and I had to make everything in advance and cook it when I got there. I was unsure about this, but it worked out great and everything tasted completely fresh. Now I make all my casserole type dishes in advance and freeze them - it sure makes Turkey Day easier.

Here is my recipe for make-ahead dressing - I am making it right now. Last weekend I made Vanilla Glazed Sweet Potato Casserole, Berry Cobbler, and my pumkin pie crusts. Tomorrow I'm making the Green Bean Casserole. . . .

Denise:

Ever since you posted your non-stuffing "stuffing" recipe, I've made it every Thanksgiving (with minor modifications such as the addition of dried cranberries and skipping canned mushrooms). This dish is a big hit with the family. I always make this the weekend before turkey day and double the recipe so I can freeze an extra pan for later in the year. (We've eaten one of the frozen batches as late as 6 months later and it still tasted great.)

This morning it suddenly occurred to me that this is the weekend I need to start cooking. Since tomorrow will be a hectic day, I should stop by the grocery store after work to buy ingredients. I had a brief moment of "darn it I forgot to bring my print copy of the recipe from home" before it occurred to me that I can just find this thread on TUG! Thanks again for the yummy recipe and introducing the idea (to me) that I can make this well ahead of time without sacrificing the "fresh" taste.

Also, thank you for the "peel potatoes and keep in pot of water in the frig" the night before idea. I also follow that each year and it saves me time (and counter space) on turkey day.

The only thing that I've tried that hasn't worked for me = keeping mashed potatoes warm for hours in the crockpot. I didn't like how the prolonged heat (even on low) affected the texture.

 

[MuranoJo]

Glad you brought this back!

I've done the shopping today and plan to do the make-ahead gravy and broth with turkey wings this weekend, and I even found some turkey backs which should help make some good roux with the drippings.

I've always had great success with the make-ahead mashed potatoes reheated in the crock-pot. The texture has been fine for us, in fact, I've been doing this for about 5 years.

I always like to experiment with dressings, so once again this year, I'll make a second dressing--this one I found in the Food Network magazine: Ina Garten's Mushroom and Leek Bread Pudding.