Low Price Cooking

I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving Day preparations had me worn out when we sat down to dinner. It took us all-day, beginning with prepping the turkey at first light and winding down with a frenzy of last-ditch hustle and bustle.

Tasting every course for proper seasoning, it seemed like I’d been smelling and tasting all day long. At long last, after too many years of this routine, I was given a do-ahead recipe book, which filled my head with tons of thanksgiving cooking ideas! These days, the most stressful thing I have to do on Thanks Giving Day is getting the turkey in the oven and making a pot of coffee after dinner. Below are some strategies for simple and tasty Thanksgiving recipe ideas.

As an alternative to shifting mountains and all the food in the frig to make room for that huge turkey, try this tip from a seasoned Marine chef. Pick up the frozen bird at the store the evening before Thanksgiving. (Be sure to order ahead of time!) Fill up a big picnic style cooler with plenty cold water to submerge the bird. Close the lid and just before you go to bed, turn the turkey over. The turkey will be ready for cooking when you get up. This procedure has been used for quite some time now and requires very little effort.

I always wondered why the bird don’t cook according to the time given on the wrapping directions. It’s because we have to continually open the oven to baste the turkey. This thanksgiving dinner recipe idea is a gem. Melt some butter and add your seasonings. Slip your hand between the skin of the breast and leg, gently pulling the skin away from the meat. Position the bird on it’s end and pour the butter in between the meat and skin, using your (clean!) fingers to distribute the melted butter. Put the turkey breast facing up on the oven rack, wrap with thin-foil and place the turkey in the oven. The bird bastes itself. Perfect.

Nearly all traditional Thanksgiving pies, such as mince pies and pumpkin, make for ideal do-aheads. Just freeze, remove and thaw a day ahead of time and bake the evening before Thanks Giving. The same applies for rolls and cakes.

While your pies are baking, chop any vegetables you’ll use in your filling. Garnish and put in a bag in the fridge until morning. Prepare and bake potatoes, then put them in a bag for mashing the next day. Cranberry sauce? This can be cooking while the vegetables are being chopped.

Great Thanksgiving menu ideas share one thing in common - less work and more thanks giving on Thanksgiving Day! Do-ahead cocktail snacks are normally the most involved and tasty. Browse for recipes online that suit your dishes and likes and dislikes. Shop for these ingredients a couple of weeks ahead of time and spend a Saturday prepare these treats. Freeze them and forget until the day its self. While you’re prepping the bird, bake your appetizers.

These Thanksgiving dinner ideas affords for lots of free time for meet & greet and entertaining, with a scrumptious banquet everyone enjoys!