Day3 - 2013 #Thanksgiving preparations: my favorite three days of the year! #motherhood #cooking #mealplanning

Have you been following along with me in my Thanksgiving preparations?
If not, I'll catch you up.

I'm writing a three day series on meal planning and preparing for Thanksgiving, which started Tuesday.

You can read yesterday's entry Day 1 by clicking HERE, Day 2 by clicking HERE, and then, come back to this post.

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So, what was on today's list?

Here's a reminder:
My husband was up at 8:00am with Nolan so he rinsed the turkey, patted it dry, and let it sit in a bowl so it could come to room temperature. At 10:30am he rubbed it with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup of the fresh herb mixture. At 12:30pm he placed it on our smoker to cook for about 5 hours at 225-240 degrees. Is that not a beautiful sight?!?


Once I rolled out of bed at 9:45am and had some caffeine and watched a little bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (it's a tradition!), I was ready to work!

I made the buttermilk biscuits first. Notice I didn't say Heavenly biscuits? Yeah, I didn't have any yeast. So much for triple checking my grocery list. {sigh} Buttermilk biscuits are the same thing without the yeast and sugar so, off I went. Once rolled out and cut, I placed them on a baking sheet and covered them with a dishtowel to let them rise and relax.

Next, I combined the following into a medium sauce pan to be warmed up around 4:00pm today:
  • one can of evaporated milk
  • 2 sticks of butter that's been sitting at room temperature
  • 2 garlic cloves I crushed by smacking them with my knife
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh herb mixture (it's equal parts fresh sage, thyme, rosemary and parsley)

Once it's been warmed over medium heat just until it begins to simmer and is pipping hot, I'll ladle it about 1/4 cup at a time over the potatoes I'll mash. I won't need all of it. Probably only about half.

My last side dish to prepare was my Brussels sprouts.



I washed them, trimmed the ends, and cut them in half length-wise. I placed them cutside up on parchment paper laid on a baking sheet and drizzled them with olive oil. Using my hands, I tossed them around to coat them well. Then I sprinkled on 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt and about 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. They will roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Once roasted and slightly cool, I'll drizzle Balsamic glaze over the top. YUM!

Lastly, I set out my already prepared and assembled macaroni 'n cheese and cornbread dressing onto the counter top to come to room temperature and be ready to bake around 5:00pm today.

It's 1:45pm and I'm done for now!

Everyone's had lunch, Nolan is half an hour into his nap, David and Emily are playing wallball and watching the smoker, and I'm off to watch the rest of the parade (thank goodness for DVRs!) and maybe even take a nap myself!

Later today, I'll post my final update with photographs of our fest and family.

Hope your preparations are coming along and for those who enjoy Thanksgiving lunch, I hope it was delicious!

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