Thanksgiving Journal

When I first learned to cook, I was impressed by people who could get all the food on the table ready to serve (hot things hot; cold things cold) at the same time.   At first, I would make a plan for myself to get the timing right.  As I got more experienced in the kitchen, the timing of the process came easier to me.  But for an affair such as Thanksgiving, I revert to my planning mode.  The night before Thanksgiving, I sketch out a plan.  This year, as the Thanksgiving cooking unfolded, I kept track and made pictures so that I would have a digital record of the process.

The Thanksgiving menu was a very traditional traditional feast:

- roast turkey

- mashed potatoes and gravy

- cranberry sauce

- cornbread dressing

- roasted brussels sprouts

- sweet potato casserole

- cheese & crackers

- rosemary rolls

- pumpkin pie with whipped cream

The days before Thanksgiving, I made the pumpkin pie and the corn bread for corn bread dressing.  Thanksgiving morning, I was up early to get things started.  The goal was a 1 pm Thanksgiving feast.

7 am - set rolls out to rise

 8 am - get turkey out of the fridge to bring to room temperature (it was already defrosted)

- prepare cornbread dressing

- prepare cranberry sauce

9 am - prepare turkey to roast; set oven to 400 degrees

- prepare sweet potatoes to roast

9:30 - turkey in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

- sweet potatoes roast for 30 minutes

10 am - hit a snag with the sweet potatoes, which I hoped to remove roasted from the oven; they need to roast longer

- stir together streusel topping for the sweet potato casserole while the potatoes roast some more

- add broth to cornbread dressing

- place room temp cranberry sauce in the fridge to cool

- reduce oven temperature to 350; continue to roast turkey

11:45 am - assign T to peel potatoes while I trim brussels sprouts for roasting

- brush rolls with melted butter & sprinkle with fresh rosemary

noon - set potatoes to boil

12:15 - remove turkey from oven to rest

- increase oven temp to 425; roast sprouts & start sweet potato casserole, cornbread dressing

12:30 - remove roasted sprouts

- lower oven to 350; continue cooking sweet potato casserole & cornbread dressing

- T carves the turkey.....whose picture I failed to make when I fetched it from the oven....oops!

12:45 - place rolls in the oven; make gravy

- start to set food on the table

1:15 Happy Thanksgiving!