Thanksgiving Timeline 2024

Thanksgiving Timeline

 4 weeks prior:

Invite people

3 weeks prior:

Confirm how many people will be attending.

Plan the menu.  Keep in mind oven space and temperatures needed.

If making pie crusts, make now, put in pie pans, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.

1 week prior:

Make a detailed grocery list.  Divide it into things you can buy now and things you will need to buy right before Thanksgiving.

Sunday before Thanksgiving: 

If using frozen turkey, remove it from the freezer and place it in the refrigerator to thaw.

If you don’t use the table you will be using for Thanksgiving, go ahead and decorate it and set out the place settings.

Tuesday before Thanksgiving:

Make everything that will be served chilled, like cranberry sauce.  Cover and refrigerate.

Clean, cut and chop vegetables for stuffing and other recipes.

Wednesday before Thanksgiving:

Brine the turkeys.

Cut up bread for stuffing.

Make and bake the pumpkin pies.  Refrigerate after cooling. 

Make any side dishes that can be done ahead of time.

Review remaining recipes and make sure you have all the ingredients needed like whipping cream, butter, etc.

If baking rolls from frozen dough, put them in a greased pan, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.

Thanksgiving Day:  (Times are planning around eating at 2 pm using 7 lb. turkey breasts.  Adjust as needed to fit your schedule and turkey size.

9:00 AM

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and let rise.

9:30 AM

Take the turkeys out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Assemble the stuffing.

Peel potatoes and put in cold salted water.

10:00 AM

Bake rolls.

Cook the potatoes.

10:30 AM

Put turkeys in the oven.

Drain the potatoes and mash them.  Put in a buttered crock pot to keep warm.

11:00 AM

Assemble the stuffing and bake.

Make the green bean casserole.

1:00 PM

Remove the turkey from the oven.  Cover with foil and let rest.

Put green bean casserole and sweet potatoes in the oven to bake.

Make gravy then put in crock pot to keep warm.

1:30 PM

Greet your guests.

Carve the turkey.

Enjoy your wonderful dinner!

Halloween Goblin Head

 

Halloween Goblin Head

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz. pkg. low-fat cream cheese

• 4 oz. shredded taco-flavored cheese

• 2 T. butter

• 1 T. milk

• 1 8 oz. pkg. low-fat cream cheese

• 1 pepperocini pepper

• 9 pimento-stuffed olives

• 1 carrot

• 1/4 green pepper

• 1 can whole beets

• Tortilla chips

• 8 arbol chiles

Instructions

1. Bring 1 package of cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Place 1 package of cream cheese, shredded cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Add the milk to the bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, stopping occasionally to scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl and chill from 4 to 24 hours. Bring the second package of cream cheese to room temperature. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Form the refrigerated cheese mixture into a ball and place on a serving platter. Cover the ball with the softened cream cheese. Press in tortilla chips for ears. Drain the pepperocini, olives and 1 beet on paper towels. Place the pepperocini pepper in the middle of the cheese ball for a nose. Cut 1 pimento-stuffed olive and use for the eyes. Remove the pimentos from 8 of the olives and insert arbol Chile’s for the toes. Cut zigzag pieces of green pepper for eyebrows. Shred the beet to use for hair. Cut small pieces of carrot sticks to use for teeth. Serve with crackers.

Halloween Bat Bites

 

Halloween Bat Bites

Ingredients

• 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

• 4 oz. soft goat cheese

• 1/4 c. pesto

• 3 T. coarsely ground black pepper

• 3 T. poppy seeds

• 12 pitted black olives

• 48 pink peppercorns

• 48 triangular blue corn chips

Instructions

1. Soften the cream cheese and goat cheese to room temperature. Use an electric mixer to blend together the cream cheese, goat cheese and pesto. Chill the mixture for an hour. Shape the mixture into 24 balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Combine the poppy seeds and ground black pepper on a small plate. Roll each ball into the poppy seed and pepper mixture to cover. Cut the black olives in half. Press 2 olive slices into the balls for eyes and place a pink peppercorn in the center of the olive slice for the pupils. Insert a corn chip on either side of the ball for wings. Serve.

Halloween 7-layer Dip

 Halloween 7-layer Dip

1 can (15 oz.) refried beans

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 c. sour cream

1 c. mild or medium chunky salsa

1 c. grated cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese

1/2 can (15 oz.) black olives, drained

1 c. prepared guacamole

1 T. milk

In a small bowl, mix the taco seasoning with the refried beans.  Spread this mixture on the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate.  Spread 3/4 cup of the sour cream on top of the beans.

Add the salsa on top of the sour cream and spread.  Spread the guacamole in the center of the dip.  Sprinkle the grated cheese around the edge of the plate.  

Thin the remaining sour cream with the milk.  Put it into a plastic bag and cut off one corner.  Squeeze the sour cream into a spider web pattern over the guacamole.

Make olive spiders by cutting a few of the olives lengthwise and then cut a few olives into small strips for the legs.  Place the halved olives on the spider web using the strips to make the spider legs.

Slice the remaining olives and spread around the outside of the plate.

Serve immediately with tortilla chips.  

                                                                                  

Corn and Poblanos

 

Corn and Poblanos

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn on the cob husks and silk removed

• 2 T. olive oil

• 2 poblano peppers seeded and diced

• 1 onion chopped

• 2 T. butter

Instructions

1. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add the corn and cook until slightly charred. Reduce the heat to medium then add the poblano peppers and onion and continue to cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the butter to the skillet and simmer for a few minutes to let the flavors combine.

   
   

   If fresh corn is not available, you can use frozen corn.

Triple Lemon Pie

 Triple Lemon Pie

 3 T. unsalted butter

2 pkg. (5.25 oz.) Lemon Thins cookies

2 T. sugar

3 T. minced lemon zest

3 large egg yolks

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

2⁄3 c. fresh lemon juice 

1 c. heavy cream

2 T. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter. Crush 44 Lemon Thins cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a mixing bowl. Mix sugar and 1 T. lemon zest into the crumbs with a fork until combined. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture clings together. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie plate. Bake the crust at 350° for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove crust from oven to a cooling rack. Cool to room temperature.

Beat the egg yolks with a hand mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 3 - 5 minutes. Slowly pour in condensed milk while beating the mixture on medium high until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and 1 T. zest and continue beating on medium-low until combined. Pour filling into cooled crust. Bake pie at 350° until center is set, yet still jiggly, 10 - 12 minutes. Remove pie from oven to a cooling rack; cool to room temperature. Refrigerate pie until chilled, 3 hours or overnight.

Beat the heavy cream in a bowl with a hand mixer to soft peaks. Add powdered sugar, 1 T. lemon zest and vanilla. Continue beating until medium peaks. Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream.

I couldn’t find lemon thin cookies the last time I made this.  So I bought Oreo Lemon thins and scraped the filling out of the cookies and set it aside at room temperature.  Use the cookies to make the crust.  Then beat the cookie filling in with the heavy whipping cream for the whipped topping.  This was delicious!

Cheddar Bacon Dip

Cheddar Bacon Dip

2/3 c. low-fat sour cream
2. T. mayonnaise
1/2 c. finely shredded Cheddar cheese
2 T. Finely chopped chives
1/2 c. real bacon bits
Freshly ground black pepper

 Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, cheddar cheese, chives, bacon, and pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine. Refrigerate 1 hour to blend flavors.