Thanksgiving Tips Part 4 – Barbecued Turkey – Great Tasting and It Frees Up Your Oven!

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barbecue, Barbecued Turkey, Grilling, Holidays, how to, Thanksgiving

Inside Kel's Kitchen

I think we can all agree that the backbone of a great Thanksgiving dinner is the turkey! I know for me, if I screw up the turkey I feel like I have failed as a Thanksgiving host.

I forget exactly how we discovered it, but about 20 years ago my husband and I discovered the joy of the barbecued turkey. This moist, smokey flavored bird is definitely the star of the meal. An unexpected perk to barbecuing the bird, is that you don’t have a huge turkey hogging up your oven. I have never been blessed with two ovens, so on a big cooking day oven space is at a premium. Since I usually put my husband in charge of the barbecuing, it keeps him occupied and out of the kitchen. Prior to putting him to work on the barbecue, he was always sticking his finger in to taste things…

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Thanksgiving Tips Part 3 – It’s All In The Prep!!!

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food prep, Holidays, organization, Thanksgiving

Inside Kel's Kitchen

The planning and shopping are important, but it’s the prep that will really reduce the stress of preparing a large dinner like Thanksgiving. As you do your prep, try to think of every litle thing you can do ahead of time. Even if it doesn’t seem like much, unwrapping your butter to put on a dish or opening the cans of cranberry sauce, will shave minutes off your Thanksgiving Day work. Trust me! It all adds up and you’ll cherish those free moments on the day of thee holiday!

Let’s Get Prepping!!!

My key to a relaxing Thanksgiving day is to hit the prep activities hard. I usually take the day before Thanksgiving off from work and work my rear off that day Go dish by dish and think about what you can do in advance

• Brine your turkey?

• I usually stuff my turkey with fruit, so I have that…

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Thanksgiving Tips Part 2 – Making That Grocery List and Shopping

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grocery list, Holidays, shopping, Thanksgiving

Here are my Thanksging tips continued from my earlier post… 1. Decide what to make and what to buy. I’m not a great baker and my husband LOVES the sweet rolls from our Win…

Source: Thanksgiving Tips Part 2 – Making That Grocery List and Shopping

Thanksgiving Tips Part 1 – The Details of Menu Planning

Tags

Holidays, Meal, organization, planning, Thanksgiving

Last year I posted a series of Thanksgiving related posts discussing everything from planning to recipes. Since most of you started following my blog after that time, I thought I would re-blog some of these entries. I really enjoy the Thanksgiving meal and would love to help others learn to make a delicious meal while keeping stress to a minimum. If you haven’t already, follow my blog to see my Thanksgiving series.

Inside Kel's Kitchen

It’s probably no surprise that November is this foodie girl’s favorite month to cook. In addition to it being the beginning of soup and slow cooker season, it also means Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner!!! I love cooking it and I love eating it! Because I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner numerous times over the years for groups both big and small, I think I have really developed my large meal preparation skills. Over the next few weeks, I would like to write a few blog entries highlighting recipes, strategies and techniques that you all might find helpful in preparing your own Thanksgiving meal.

My goal for the Thanksgiving meal is to serve delicious food, while trying to keep it healthy and not killing myself with the stress. This is where careful planning comes into play. My Thanksgiving days are usually pretty relaxing as I get…

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Thanksgiving Tips Part 3 – It’s All In The Prep!!!

Tags

Cooking, Food, food prep, holiday, Holidays, meal planning, preparation, Thanksgiving, Tips

  
The planning and shopping are important, but it’s the prep that will really reduce the stress of preparing a large dinner like Thanksgiving. As you do your prep, try to think of every litle thing you can do ahead of time. Even if it doesn’t seem like much, unwrapping your butter to put on a dish or opening the cans of cranberry sauce, will shave minutes off your Thanksgiving Day work. Trust me! It all adds up and you’ll cherish those free moments on the day of thee holiday!

Let’s Get Prepping!!!

My key to a relaxing Thanksgiving day is to hit the prep activities hard. I usually take the day before Thanksgiving off from work and work my rear off that day  Go dish by dish and think about what you can do in advance

• Brine your turkey?

• I usually stuff my turkey with fruit, so I have that all chopped and in a zip lock ready to go the next                     morning.

• Mashed potatoes? When you peel potatoes they will turn brown, BUT if you submerge them in water they won’t turn, so I peel mine the day before the holiday, put them in the pot I’ll cook them in, cover with water and stash in the fridge.

• Stuffing and Sweet Potatoes? I do all the dish preparation and cooking, except the last baking step. I cover them, put them in the fridge and then they are just ready to slide into the oven the next day. Just keep in mind the baking time will need to be extended due to the refrigeration and if you’ve increased the recipe.

• Anything you can put in a bowl, cover and refrigerate? Cranberry sauce? Olives? Appetizers? Do it!!! Any little bit of work you can do, will decrease your stress on the day of the holiday!

• Have your recipes pulled out and ready to go.

• Line up your spices and any cooking tools you’ll need the next day.

• Beverages? Be sure to chill those that need to be and set out what you plan to serve that doesn’t need to be chilled. You can find an excellent recipe for non-alcoholic sangria in one of my previous blog posts. This is great for company and you can make it ahead of time!

• Set your table! I’m good in the kitchen, but I’m not the most visually creative person. My husband and daughters do have that gift! I usually recruit them to set the table and get creative with decorating that! My 16 year old has discovered a passion for napkin folding!

• Try to think of any little thing you can do the day before! You will be so well prepared that your guests will ask how they can help, but you’ll have nothing for them to do and you’ll have plenty of time to visit with them as you leisurely take care of your last few tasks!

Thanksgiving Tips Part 2 – Making That Grocery List and Shopping

Tags

Cooking, Food, groceries, grocery, holiday, Holidays, list, menu, planning, Thanksgiving, Tips

  

Here are my Thanksging tips continued from yesterday’s post…

1. Decide what to make and what to buy. I’m not a great baker and my husband LOVES the sweet rolls from our WinCo grocery store, so I buy the rolls. I also haven’t been blown away by homemade cranberry sauce, so I use the canned stuff and maybe just add some orange zest to it. That’s just me! You might have some awesome recipes for these items, but if you can shave time off for yourself where it makes sense, it’s helpful.

3. Make your grocery list

a. It’s a big dinner, so attention to detail on this step is important. You don’t want to have to run to the store at the last minute, so plan your grocery list carefully.

b. Go dish by dish and carefully write down every ingredient you’ll need for each dish, including any toppings, seasonings, or sides. Of course, don’t buy stuff you already have, so pay close attention and even if you already have it, make sure you have enough.

c. Consider the number of guests you’ll have and if you’re doubling/tripling recipes and take this in to account as you plan the ingredients you’ll need and make your list

4. Shop! 

This can be done a few days in advance, especially if you’re buying a frozen turkey as those take a few days to defrost. I always try to buy a fresh turkey though. You don’t want to shop too far in advance though and have produce go bad.

Thanksgiving Tips Part 1 – The Details of Menu Planning

Tags

Cooking, Food, holiday, Holidays, menu planning, Thanksgiving, Tips

  
It’s probably no surprise that November is this foodie girl’s favorite month to cook. In addition to it being the beginning of soup and slow cooker season, it also means Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner!!! I love cooking it and I love eating it! Because I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner numerous times over the years for groups both big and small, I think I have really developed my large meal preparation skills. Over the next few weeks, I would like to write a few blog entries highlighting recipes, strategies and techniques that you all might find helpful in preparing your own Thanksgiving meal.

My goal for the Thanksgiving meal is to serve delicious food, while trying to keep it healthy and not killing myself with the stress. This is where careful planning comes into play. My Thanksgiving days are usually pretty relaxing as I get the bulk of the work done ahead of time, so on the special day I’m just taking care of a few basic things.

So where to start? I guess we’ll start where I usually start and move on from there! I found these instructions got pretty lengthy, so I think I’ll split them up in to a couple of blog posts!

Thanksgiving Planning Part 1 – Menu Planning

1. Get that menu started!

  a. Are you cooking everything or are other people bringing dishes?

• My motto, is that if I’m hosting the event I get to decide what I would like to cook and then I can give others a few choices of what to bring. Over time, I’ve found out what type of dishes my various family members are comfortable making/bringing and so I try to play to their strengths.

   b. Figure out what you’re making

• I usually stick to the foundational dishes; turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (I usually only make these in addition to mashed potatoes if it’s a decent size group), gravy, cranberry sauce.
• Search your cookbooks and online resources for the recipes you will use. Over the years, I have assembled a few recipes that are made every year. I’ll be sharing these special recipes with you in future blog posts! Hint: One of these includes cooking our turkey on the grill. It tastes great, takes the same amount of time as the oven, and it keeps your oven open for cooking other dishes, like stuffing and sweet potatoes! Plus, it keeps the men occupied and out of your hair!
• Write out your menu making note of what you’re making and what others are bringing. This will give you a visual of your meal and make sure you’re not missing an important component. For the things I’m making, I also write down the name of any cookbooks, with the page number and/or print out any online recipes. Here’s a sample:

          1. Turkey stuffed with fruit – Weber Cookbook, Page 20 – Me

          2. Stuffing – Me

          3. Mashed Potatoes – Me

          4. Sweet Potatoes – Me

          5. Gravy – Me

          6. Cranberry Sauce – Sierra

          7. Hot Vegetable Side – Stephanie

          8. Side Salad – Cathy

          9. Rolls & Butter – Me

          10. Desserts and Any Toppings – Grandma Barbara

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You – Thanksgiving Tips!

Tags

Cooking, Food, Holidays, Mashed potatoes, recipes, Stress-free, Stuffing, Sweet potatoes, Techniques, Thanksgiving, Tips, Turkey

  
Just a teaser here! I’ve been anxiously awaiting this month! Thanksgiving is my jam and I can’t wait to share my cooking tips, tricks, and techniques with all of my food blog friends! So if you haven’t followed my blog yet and you want to learn some skills that will make your Thanksgiving delicious and stress free, follow my blog now! I’m going to have a series of Thanksgiving related blog posts! 

MMMMMMM! Turkey! Stuffing! Mashed potatoes! Sweet Potatoes! Salads! Veggies! Desserts! The list goes on and on! Come join the glutenous fun!!!!