Tasty Tuesday: Thanksgiving Timeline

I definitely want to continue to share how I plan our weekly meals with you, but today I thought I'd share how we are planning Thanksgiving.

Let me tell you a little bit about my parents and cooking. They rarely cook. My dad is a pretty descent cook. He can make food and he's working on following recipes for the flavor. My mom on the other hand is lucky to boil water. When I was in first grade she made cookies for my class. After that she was asked to bring in paper products. While she may not be a chef, she was blessed with decorating skills.

This leads me to Thanksgiving. I can't remember the last time we made Thanksgiving food. Usually my mom will open a can of cranberry sauce but other than that, it's catered from a local restaurant. You heard that right. We pick up everything the day before and all we have to do is heat it all up on Thanksgiving day. It definitely makes for a much more relaxing holiday, but it's just not the same.

I finally convinced my mom to let me help her by cooking some sides and only getting the turkey and pies from the restaurant {I'm not superwoman}. My aunts and grandma will also be bringing a few things. This is a pretty big deal for us because it will almost all be homemade. Something that is not commonly said aloud in my parent's home. But I just couldn't help myself this year with the wonderful recipes from The Pioneer Woman and The Chew {love both shows}.

I've thought this all out and made a plan. Definitely something that had to be done with a three month old! This year I am making: mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted broccoli, cornbread, and pumpkin pie (for the fire/police).


Saturday

• Grocery list made and shopping done

Monday

• Pick up last minute items and anything else forgotten
• Find serving dishes to be used

Tuesday

• Make cornbread for stuffing/to eat
• Candy pecans for pumpkin pie going to police/fire department Thanksgiving dinner

Wednesday

• Cut up cornbread for stuffing (let sit out 24 hours)
• Make mashed potatoes and keep in fridge
• Bake police/fire pumpkin pie and deliver
• Cut up all ingredients for stuffing (onion, celery, etc)
• Prepare broccoli

Thursday

• Put together stuffing and bake
• Heat potatoes
• Make broccoli

I'm really hoping by spreading the cooking out over a few days it will make Thanksgiving day much more relaxing and easier to handle. I love cooking at my parents because they have a huge kitchen and a new wonderful stove. But my mom hates messes, especially when company is coming over. So, I'm going to prepare everything at home in my kitchen so it can hang out in their warmer. Honestly, what I'm making is not hard and doesn't really need a lot of space to be made it. I just have to keep with my, "clean up as you go" motto! So important!!

How does your Thanksgiving cooking map look this year? I love learning about how others prepare for their Thanksgiving feast!