Are you a list maker? Do you love having a plan for everything and then checking things off? If so, this post is for you. Have you hosted Thanksgiving in the past, but always wind up feeling overwhelmed by dinner time? Want a game plan for the week before to make it all feel doable?
Are you cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time? Wondering where to even begin? I’ve got you covered here. Even though this year’s Thanksgiving day may look different than years past, you can bet that I’ll be preparing a feast and we’ll be remembering how many things we do have to be grateful for this year. Keep reading, friends. I’ve been following this exact plan for several years now and I swear by it. I’m all about planning things out in advance and prepping as much as possible ahead of time.
Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Tips
Okay, brace yourself, the key to a hassle-free Thanksgiving day for me has been using multiple crock-pots. And just to clarify, I do not actually cook anything in the crock-pots. Everything is simply warmed in the slow cookers on Thanksgiving day. I realize it might sound crazy, but not having to juggle side dishes in and out of the oven for hours and then trying to keep things warm? That’s been the best thing ever for our holiday meals. I use 4QT Crock-Pots for Rustic Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Corn. Most years, we alternate between Creamed Corn and Corn Pudding Casserole – though truthfully, I wouldn’t be sad to serve both corn dishes. An oval 6QT Crock-Pot works well for Green Bean Casserole, and a 2 QT Crock-Pot for Vanilla Bean Whipped Sweet Potatoes. Pretty much any size slow cookers will work, but these are the sizes that I have and they work for me. While I maintain that it would be worth stashing a couple of extra crock-pots in the garage just to have the easiest holiday meals ever, I actually use them all throughout the year. I watched for sales and picked them all up inexpensively and I’ve used the heck out of them over the years. That said, if you aren’t ready to invest in a couple of extra slow cookers, I highly recommend using what you have to reheat as much as possible without using the oven.
When To Thaw A Turkey
The general rule for thawing turkeys, according to the USDA, says that you should move your turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator:
4 to 12 pounds — 1 to 3 days 12 to 16 pounds — 3 to 4 days 16 to 20 pounds — 4 to 5 days
Most of the time, I move the turkey to the refrigerator on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I’d much rather thaw it a couple days early than be dealing with a partially frozen bird on Thanksgiving morning.
Best Turkey Ever
Roast Turkey with Wine and Herbs lets you skip carving at the table and speed up the roasting process. By cutting the turkey into parts before cooking, you get a faster and easier way to make a great roasted turkey. Using this method, you can cook a 12-pound turkey from start to finish in under an hour!
Clean Out The Refrigerator
It isn’t the fanciest part of the holiday cooking prep, but spending an hour or so prepping the fridge will make the whole week easier. I try to clear as much space as possible the weekend before Thanksgiving, since the fridge is about to become Thanksgiving central.
Plan Ahead
Please note that there are two printable recipe cards here. The first one will give you the timeline for the week leading up to Thanksgiving. The second card is the timeline for Thanksgiving day. We like to eat dinner around 3pm, however, the hours are easily adjustable. Feel free to tweak the timeline for your preferred meal time. I highly recommend printing off your holiday recipes and saving them in a binder. I’ve been using binders to save my favorite recipes for as long as I’ve been married. And I’ve been using this holiday binder for several years now. It makes holiday meals a breeze. When it’s time to start prepping for Thanksgiving, I grab the holiday binder and the grocery list and the schedule is as easy as can be. Want a peek into my old-school recipe binders? This was what my recipe files looked like before I started blogging. Yes, I have always been this nuts about organizing my recipes. Starting this recipe website made sorting through all of those recipes easier and in the process gave me the greatest job ever. So, thanks for being here and making Barefeet in the Kitchen the most fun I’ve ever had while working. Happy Thanksgiving planning, friends!
