Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner

Everyone dreams of the perfect Thanksgiving dinner. The aroma of the turkey stuffed with perfect stuffing like grandma used to make wafting through the house, the fragrant selection of fall vegetables and of course, the pumpkin pie. Yet, many are intimidated with the process of cooking a turkey and preparing the whole meal. Plus, Thanksgiving is early this year. Don’t let it catch you off guard. Plan ahead.

I remember my grandmother always made a cranberry orange relish for Thanksgiving. The one in this menu isn’t her exact recipe but it always reminds me of the security of a family Thanksgiving. When you see how easy this one is, you’ll wonder why anyone ever buys canned cranberry sauce.

You can have that perfect dinner without going to grandma’s and without being in New England. So, invite family and friends over, make the old-fashioned turkey dinner and top it off with the perfect pumpkin pie. This menu offers all the parts you’ll need without being so full of vegetables, pies and extra work that you’ll have to start on it a week ahead. Additionally, I’ve included the timetable here so even a novice cook can have everything come out on time.

With a meal as terrific as this one you won’t want to wait for it once a year. Why not serve it frequently? Next time your local grocery store has whole fresh turkeys on sale for a great price, pick one up. They will keep uncooked in the refrigerator for up to a week. Keep it until Sunday and make a special “Sunday for giving thanks” dinner. You will have wonderful leftovers for the following week.

Dinner Plan

This dinner plan is a slightly modified version of the one found in my book HomeMade Memories—where each meal comes with a complete timetable and shopping list. With the Four Vegetable Puree and the Brussels Sprouts with Garlic Cream Sauce, this plan has a slight gourmet flair—though brussels sprouts has gained in popularity in recent years. You can simplify things a bit by just making mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole—which is what my husband requests. The shopping list is broken into two categories: Stock Item and Special Purchases. The Stock Items of those that you likely have in your kitchen already. Just skim the list to be sure you are well stocked. The Special Purchases are the things you’ll need to buy just for this meal. Each recipe is in a graphic that you can copy, download and print.

Let me know how it goes! I’d love to see pictures.

Time Table

1 ‑ 3 days ahead:

Prepare the Cranberry Orange Relish

The night before:

Make the Perfect Pumpkin Pie

3 1/2 hours before serving:

Prepare stuffing and turkey

3 hours before serving:

Stuff the turkey

Put the turkey in the oven

2 1/2 hours before serving:

Prepare all the vegetables and set aside

1/2 hour before serving:

Boil the carrots, turnips and rutabagas

Boil the brussels sprouts

20 minutes before serving:

Puree the carrots, turnips and rutabagas

15 minutes before serving:

prepare garlic cream for the brussels sprouts

10 minutes before serving:

Remove turkey from the oven and cut the bag

Place the turkey on a serving platter

5 minutes before serving:

Make the gravy

Shopping List

Stock Items

Sugar

Ginger

Unbaked Pie Shell

Brown Sugar

Eggs

Butter

Flour

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Salt

Pepper

Milk

Parsley

Tarragon

Basil

Whole Garlic

Special Purchases

1 Orange

1 Bag of fresh or frozen cranberries

1 large bag of pecan pieces

1 16 ounce can of solid pak pumpkin

3 regular size (1 cup each) whipping creams

11‑13 pound turkey

2 6 ounce packages of corn bread stuffing mix

Onions, 2 large, 1 medium

Celery

1 8 ounce can of water chestnuts

1 can of chicken broth

12 brussels sprouts

2 medium turnips

2 medium rutabagas

1 pound of carrots