Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Thanksgiving Dinner Made Easy!

Thanksgiving is coming!!! I'm so excited it's almost comical. I have a crazy relationship with my kitchen I must admit. It's where I go to de-stress and bake up some yummy deliciousness that I then proceed to make everyone try. So Thanksgiving dinner to me is a little weird. It's in my Kitchen (that I love) but it is crazy stressful with the planning and shopping and cooking and chaos and then afterwards the mountain of dishes...So last year I typed it all out. The Menu, the recipes I was using, the  Grocery List, etc. This year...not so stressful. That said I figured I would share the amazing stress free world I'm living in, in this regard :) In this post you will find the Menu, Grocery List, and Recipes. I'll even throw in a few tricks to make it even easier and make you look like the perfect Holly Homemaker this Thanksgiving!

First, the break down of this meal. There are several made from scratch dishes on this menu for the decadence factor. There are also a few box items that are for the sheer ease of things. As well, there are a few classic recipes that no dinner would be complete without as well as some newer items that are family favorites in my family. I will link the recipes from their original spots so you can print them out. As well, the family recipes have been typed up and linked as well for you. Print everything out and put them in a binder (preferably in those awesome cheap sheet protectors that keep your recipes safe and means you can make a mess while cooking! :D) As well, I will mark which ones you can do the day before to make your days easier.Onward ho to the fun!!!!

DB = Day Before

Thanksgiving Breakfast & Dinner

Breakfast:

Bacon
Sausage
Biscuits
Oatmeal
Eggs
(Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake ~ Alternate for easier morning and earlier Thanksgiving meal   ~ [Pinterest Find and AmAzInG:D]) DB - Not included in the grocery list as this is a relatively new find for me. If you choose this option please add to your list :) I know I added it to mine this year!

Dinner:

Stuffing ~ Bag - follow the directions on the bag you choose. As well make sure you add to your menu planning the extra ingredients that it may require as each brand is different.
Green Bean Casserole ~ I personally omit the soy sauce and add 1tsp of salt instead. family              preference :)
Green Beans   
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes ~ Betty Crocker Boxed - follow the directions on back
Gravy 
Hawaiian Rolls (store bought) ~ warm in oven while setting the rest of the food out
Pumpkin Cheesecake ~ Sara Lee (frozen Section) (put in fridge DB)


Now the Grocery List. I personally use a completely separate list only because I start shopping for the things that I can early on. Having a running list of what I need makes it easier for me to keep track of where I am at. I also try to delegate certain shelves in my kitchen just so I don't get carried away one day and make awesome dishes out of food that was meant for another day :)

This will sound weird to some but I have fun with it...go grocery shopping in your kitchen. You will be surprised at what you already have on hand. Mark it off on your grocery list and set it aside in your kitchen. Come your true shopping day it won't seem as overwhelming and your wallet won't seem as empty at the end!
(Yes, this is my shelf of Thanksgiving awesomeness...I nabbed it from my sweet Hubby for a couple of weeks since that is normally his snack shelf :D)

I think that about wraps it up ladies :) I hope this Thanksgiving is a little less stressful and a little more relaxing for you. Let me know if there are any questions you have about the recipes. I know some of them seem too easy and others a little complicated but I'm more than happy to help if I can!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jules

 PS ~ This is Christmas 2010 when Monkey was all of 4 Months and we had three different Christmases in our family. Was I stressed? YES! Too much to play with my adorable love? Never! Plan ahead ladies, you'll appreciate it later on :) Cause that adorable little man is what our holidays are really about. What are yours about? I'd love to hear!

2 comments:

  1. aww he was so little!! or is it the slippers that make him just appear little lol hehehe too cute! well you know me already... if i could just get this crap catered i would... and i totally have in the past! lol

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    1. Seriously Ash you can do this. Everything is geared to be the same temperature, easily timed, very little prep...it's all about being able to have fun and not have to watch things like a hawk the whole day and still have a traditional decadent dinner. I bet you could if you tried...Total faith in you and you have my number so you have a leg up if you need any help! :)

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