Can I sneak a few questions in here too? This is my first time hosting and I'm not known for my cooking skills...
I was following a thread on my local board about mashed potatoes, and a bunch of them recommended the Pioneer Woman recipe--but that has cream cheese, which sounds super weird to me. Is it?? Or am I just naive a about what makes mashed potatoes delicious?
Otherwise I was looking at a Martha Stewart one that's just potatoes, butter, cream, etc., but then nutmeg? Would that be better? Also-- if the potato recipe serves 10, and I'm having 16, I should just double it, right?
Pity my family. At least my mom is making the turkey
Do not double the recipe! I would just add a bit more. You will have so many mashed potatoes left over you will never want to see them again.
This! You will have way too much if you double. I think a serving size is for a normal dinner, not Thanksgiving where you have 80 million other sides to eat.
Post by simpsongal on Nov 24, 2014 10:35:43 GMT -5
Another word of advice - make a list! Write down the big stuff as well as the things that get overlooked. E.g., I have "make water pitcher" on my Thursday list b/c it's one of those annoying tasks that gets left to the last minute and delays my meal. Or set out the butter so it's not rock hard cold on the table.
More do-ahead stuff - If you can, set the table tonight and set out your serving pieces.
For easy mashed potatoes, I cook them in the microwave the night before in a covered glass casserole dish (peel/cut potatoes, put in casserole dish with 2 or 3 tbsp of water, microwave on high for 8 minutes or fork tender). Mash them up however you like (I use the skinny taste recipe as a guide) and put them in the fridge. The next day put them in the oven to warm up when you take out the turkey.
I would cry if there were no mashed potatoes at thanksgiving.
The first year my SIL was married (and the first time she spent Thanksgiving away from her family of origin), her ILs did not serve mashed potatoes, and she actually did cry. We all still mock her for it.
We just do the standard, no recipe traditional version (boil potatoes and beat with butter, salt, pepper, and milk or cream) for Thanksgiving because the purists in my family would freak if the mashed potatoes were suddenly different, but if I had my druthers, I would make Tyler's.
You can do pies tomorrow. Make up your casseroles (leave off toppings), mashed potatoes, and stuffing the day before. Keep extra stock on hand in case the stuffing dries out and extra butter for the potatoes.
Can I make ahead & freeze macaroni and cheese (homemade)?
Whenever I make mac and cheese I do double and freeze a pan. This will be fine. If you do a topping leave it off though. Make sure you have milk in case it gets to thick.
I have a recipe from a 1950s Good Housekeeping for Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes, you can make up to two weeks ahead. We serve them every Christmas. I can post when I get home if anyone wants.
SERVE THE FLUCKING POTATOS AND SERVE THOSE BITCHES MASHED AS ALL HELL.
This is hilarious. I'm not even doing Thanksgiving, but if I were, I would totally be on board with this.
Vehemently agree. We are traveling to DH's sister's house and we are making some stuff but not the mashed potatoes. I have asked at least 10 times if DH can confirm that THERE WILL BE MASHED POTATOES. Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without them!
I do zero prep for Thanksgiving other than drive/ride in a car. I don't shop or cook one single thing. Show up, eat, go sit in living room. It's like I am a 1950's man, and I love it.
There are too many aunts/uncles/grandparents already in the kitchen- I wouldn't add anything at all.
I do zero prep for Thanksgiving other than drive/ride in a car. I don't shop or cook one single thing. Show up, eat, go sit in living room. It's like I am a 1950's man, and I love it.
There are too many aunts/uncles/grandparents already in the kitchen- I wouldn't add anything at all.
When I was young, around Kindergarten, I watched a Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Special. My mom says from that point on, I always was involved in Thanksgiving and kept asking her if she put sage leaves under the skin like Martha did. (She did not.)
Apparently I watched this special whenever it was on, even in the spring/summer according to my mom, lol.
Am I the only one who doesn't use a mashed potato recipe? My recipe: peel and cut up potatoes, boil, drain, throw in kitchenaid stand mixer on low. Add 1/2 stick of butter (I like butter), a little salt and then milk until the consistency looks right. Taste as I go.
Sub mixer for potato masher, and that's exactly what I do too.
I do zero prep for Thanksgiving other than drive/ride in a car. I don't shop or cook one single thing. Show up, eat, go sit in living room. It's like I am a 1950's man, and I love it.
There are too many aunts/uncles/grandparents already in the kitchen- I wouldn't add anything at all.
My siblings and I never host holidays. That is the job of the parents--our parents. . Never mind that we have kids of our own and the oldest of us is 40. Same story in DH's family. We do all get assigned a dish or two to bring, and I will help my mom bake pies Wednesday night, but even that is a fairly recent development.
I don't think my mom trusts any of us enough to hand over the reins. She has a healthy streak of Martha in her, so Thanksgiving is an elaborate and meticulously-decorated affair. I would barely be able to get my house picked up enough to host, let alone calligraphy table cards and taste test signature cocktails. Ain't nobody (but my mother) got time for that.
We're ordering pizza Wednesday night and I'm plopping DS in front of the TV so I can prep. I'm making the herbed stuffing, pre-cutting the potatoes and soaking in water (so they don't brown), making cranberry sauce, pre-cutting the veggies for the roasting pan (which contribute to the pan gravy), chopping the Brussel sprouts, and making the cheese plate.
I do zero prep for Thanksgiving other than drive/ride in a car. I don't shop or cook one single thing. Show up, eat, go sit in living room. It's like I am a 1950's man, and I love it.
There are too many aunts/uncles/grandparents already in the kitchen- I wouldn't add anything at all.
Me too. My mother always insists that I just come and don't bring anything. Every other year or so I will bring an appetizer and she groans that I didn't have to. This year I'm bringing a mince pie from the Amish market for my dad. My MIL only asks me to make a pumpkin pie, which is the easiest pie to make IMO. Besides baking, it takes me 10 minutes, max, to put together.
This year, our main contribution is the baby to pass around to all the relatives, lol.
I do zero prep for Thanksgiving other than drive/ride in a car. I don't shop or cook one single thing. Show up, eat, go sit in living room. It's like I am a 1950's man, and I love it.
There are too many aunts/uncles/grandparents already in the kitchen- I wouldn't add anything at all.
This is my Thanksgiving wet dream.
Alas, I have no family nearby & regardless, my family wouldn't do this even if we all lived close by.
I didn't read 98% of this thread and I'm sure this has been covered 20 times over but yes you have to do mashed potatoes. I don't even like most Thanksgiving foods. Mashed potatoes are the only saving grace, outside of desserts. Well, gravy, too but that goes back to what you put on the mashed potatoes.
My CW is being induced tonight (OMFG I'm so excited for her but anyway) and I just texted her that I will drive her down a damn Thanksgiving dinner in the hospital if she's still in. Her whole pregnancy, she's been like, "as long as I get my Thanksgiving dinner she can come after that!" because she's not due for another week.
If anyone deserves Thanksgiving dinner, it is someone who just gave birth.
Post by simpsongal on Nov 24, 2014 15:28:56 GMT -5
I'll confess, one of my knicknames was "Martha" growing up....so tag me or redheadbaker if you have more questions about prep and dishes.
I love that the mashed potato debate is about having them or not. I'll twist the knife and note that the best mashed potatoes are made with a ricer, or a food mill, and they're prepped right before serving (using an electric beater and even a potato masher brings out too much of the starch and can make them gluey). But who has time for a ricer or food mill right before dinner on turkey day? (If you want to go that route, make 'em as close to service as possible and keep them warm on a double boiler).
As for using a reipce - mash some rusets/yukon gold, w/lottsa butter, cream, and whatever else floats your boat and everyone is happy.