Thanksgiving Meal Prep

Last year, I did way too much on Thanksgiving Day and was so tired by the time the day was over so I started early this year.

Yesterday I did the following:

For the dressing, I chopped all the celery, green onions and garlic, measured the cranberries and pecans, baked and crumbled the cornbread, I already had bread cubes in the freezer from leftover bread last week. I mixed all the seasonings and everything went into separate zipper bags and all that went into a grocery sack and into the fridge.

For the mac & cheese, I grated 4 cups of cheddar, 2 cups of Gruyere, put all that into one bag. The topping is a mix of panko and Parmesan cheese so I missed that, and added the smoked paprika. In a separate bag I put the butter that gets melted and mixed with the Panko. All that went into a grocery sack and into the fridge.

For the pumpkin pie, I made the crust and it can sit in the fridge til I get home this afternoon and then I’ll make the pumpkin pie. I used lard that I had rendered from leaf fat, and the Rumiano butter I love but am too cheap to use every day.

The crusts are so pretty and feel so good. Can’t wait to have pumpkin pie!

For the Cranberry Cherry Salad, I got it made completely and in the fridge.

For the rolls, I fed the sourdough. This evening I will make a batch of Jailhouse Rolls. These have been a favorite for probably 40 years. At every church dinner I attended as a young adult, several people would bring these rolls. I’m also making sourdough dinner rolls so we can have a taste test (and leftover rolls)!

The turkey is brining in the fridge. When I get home from cross stitching with my friend tomorrow, I will take it out, rinse it well, dry it, butter it and season it, stick it back in the fridge and get it started roasting on Thanksgiving morning.

This evening I will also make the pumpkin pie so it can be chilling in the fridge overnight.

There’s still a lot to do but getting this much done has to help a lot!