Shopping!

Today was grocery shopping day for Thanksgiving and I dutifully went out and shopped my little heart out.  Of course, the plans have changed a little bit as plans tend to. 

1 - There will be 2 more for dinner

2 - I won't be cooking dinner at home

3 - Cranberry Souffle has been added to the menu

These are all good changes, I assure you!  We will be traveling to Connecticut and cooking dinner at my dear friend Laurel's house (yea!).  She and her dear hubby are great company - and she has a fantastic kitchen!  

So, Laurel and I went grocery shopping today and got all of the goodies that we need to flush out our pantries and make this moveable feast.  Here they are - pictures compliments of the fine grocery store that put up images on Google.

Crackers for Antipasto Platter

Fresh fruit for Antipasto Platter

Fresh vegetables for Antipasto Platter

Assorted olives for Antipasto Platter

Asiago cheese for Antipasto Platter

Jarlsberg cheese for Antipasto Platter

Salami for Antipasto Platter

More Salami for Antipasto Platter

Walnuts for Cranberry Souffle

Gelatine for Cranberry Souffle

Mayonnaise for Cranberry Souffle

Lemon for Cranberry Souffle

Pineapple for Cranberry Souffle

Sugar for Cranberry Souffle and Pumpkin Pie

Ginger for Pumpkin Pie

Cloves for Pumpkin Pie

Cinnamon for Pumpkin Pie

Flour for Pumpkin Pie

Fresh eggs for Pumpkin Pie

(I get my eggs from the Farmer's Market and they come in all sorts of pretty colors.  I personally believe that this makes them taste just that much better!  Or maybe it's just that they are really fresh?  Nah, it's the colors.)

Evaporated milk for Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Puree for Pumpkin Pie

(This will be my first "if it's not fresh, use Libby's pumpkin" pie so I was nervous choosing this brand of pumpkin which I have never heard of before. However, I have been assured by Laurel that this is a great pumpkin puree.  And I know that it is made in New England, so buying local is a bonus on this purchase!)

Pillsbury Grands Southern Homestyle Biscuits

(We debated back and forth about the biscuits.  After all, they are there to sop up any leftover gravy once the potatoes have run out - and the odds of the potatoes running out are slim to none.  There were frozen dinner rolls, fresh dinner rolls, crescent rolls, butter, high fat, low fat, buttermilk.  Ack!!! So many choices!!! We picked these.  Maybe it was because we were in the refrigerator aisle?)

Fresh Cranberries for Cranberry Souffle

(Laurel will also be making her dear hubby's cranberry and orange cranberry sauce - so we will have 3 cranberry dishes this year.  What a treat!!! I think it's the northerner in me that is rejoicing the most over the cranberry feast.  Tangy, tart, sweet, acid - without the cranberry you may as well just cancel Fall!)

Jellied cranberry for Cranberry sauce

(Yes, we will make sure it comes out in one piece with the indentations in place.)

Pearl onions in cream sauce for the Creamed Pearl Onions

(Okay, we could have made these from scratch - but why?  This is easy and it is a side dish, so we are saving some time and effort on this one.)

Mushrooms for the String Beans Almandine

Slivered almonds for the String Bean Almandine

String beans for the String Bean Almandine

Corn for the, well, Corn

Wondra flour for the Gravy

Milk for the Mashed Potatoes

Potatoes for the Mashed Potatoes

Baking powder for the Stuffing

(It makes it fluffy.)

Celery for the Stuffing

Onion for the Stuffing

Black pepper for the Turkey, Stuffing and String Bean Almandine

Salt for - pretty much everything

Fresh Sage for the Stuffing

(This is why we overwinter our herbs.  SO much better fresh!)

Bread cubes for Stuffing

(another time saver)

Butter for Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, String Bean Almandine and Rolls

Turkey for the Turkey, Gravy, Giblet gravy and Au Jus

Chicken broth for the Stuffing

Some of the items were already in the pantry.  When you live far away from a grocery store, you learn to stock up.

Here is the grocery list.  It has all of the ingredients listed and the approximate amount of each item.

So far we are on target for Thanksgiving, but I feel that the clock is ticking faster!  

Timing Is Everything

Thanksgiving Day is nearly here.  Somehow I don't think that this year I will be meeting the gold-standard depicted in my watercolor interpretation of the classic 1943 Norman Rockwell painting, Freedom from Want.

There are just a few differences, really.  I don't wear my hair in a bun.  My glasses are not wire rimmed.  And I swear that I do not, and never have, worn a frilly white apron - honest!

All of that aside.  It's a week from Thanksgiving and haven't spent a minute of time thinking about just what I will do for the day.

I know what the expectations are from my man and beast.  A perfectly cooked meal, football and lots of leftovers in the freezer.  

I am so not prepared!!!

Fortunately for me, I've been down this road before.  I've danced the dance.  I've sung the song.  I've ... you get the picture.

So here's the plan.  This year since we are not having guests I will do Thanksgiving "light".  Just the traditional dishes.  No extra stuff.  I swear as God as my witness I will not be baking 24 pies the night before!!! (It really wasn't that hard, but I was exhausted the entire weekend and they took hours to deliver.)

Okay, so the plan:

  Menu:

     Pumpkin Bread for breakfast

     Antipasto platter for snacking

     Turkey - 12-15 lbs. (I will not have to cook for a week!!!!)

     Stuffing

     Mashed potatoes

     Creamed onions

     Green beans with almonds

     Corn

     Cranberry sauce

     Rolls

     Gravy, Au Jus, Giblet gravy

     Pumpkin pie with whipped cream

  Guests:

     Me

     Dear Honey

     Puppy

  The Secret Weapon:

     Timeline

Saturday before Thanksgiving:  

     Grocery shop

Sunday before Thanksgiving:

     Locate all holiday cooking pans, serving utensils, corny turkey flower vase

     Make pumpkin bread for Thanksgiving breakfast

Monday before Thanksgiving:

     Make cranberry sauce

Tuesday before Thanksgiving:

     Make pie crust

Wednesday before Thanksgiving:

     Make pie

     Prep all vegetables

     Put together antipasto tray for snacking

Thanksgiving:

     8am - Make the stuffing

     9am - Bird in oven, cook giblets

    10am - Set the table

    11am - Cook Potatoes, go pick some flowers for the table

    12 pm - Cook vegetables, put in oven-proof pans (1940s Pyrex, of course!)

     1 pm - Mash potatoes, put in over-proof pan

     2 pm - Bird is done, bake rolls, make gravy and au jus

     3 pm - Dinner is served

     4 pm - Wash up, food away

     5 pm - Nap

     6 pm - Play with puppy

     7 pm - Whip cream, eat pie

     8 pm - Nap some more

Day after Thanksgiving:

     Process leftovers:

          Mini turkey casseroles

          Turkey soup

          Turkey sandwich prep

          Turkey broth cubes (for winter cooking)

     Make more pumpkin pie for my Dear Honey and the neighbors.

This is my plan.  It's a good plan.  This year I pledge to follow the plan and have dinner on the table before 9pm.  I really will.  Honest.  Seriously.  Stop laughing!