Thanksgiving is less than 1 week away + The Best Cheddar-Chive Biscuits EVER!

Happy Monday! If you’re here for the Cheddar-Chive Biscuit recipe, that is a bonus recipe for paid subscribers.  Scroll to the bottom.

Not to sound like a broken record, but the most important tip to get you organized for Thanksgiving or any major meal is to COMMIT TO YOUR MENU ASAP.  That way, you can start doing.  We will be approximately 18 people, including two of my children and one fiance who are coming home for the holiday. My kids always help me and are very competent in the kitchen.  I had a stroke of genius 11 years ago, which was to tack my Thanksgiving to-do list on the refrigerator and have everyone sign up for three tasks.  Even Hubs helps out!

I have done most of my grocery shopping other than a few items which I need to buy when I pick up my turkey.  I plan the days leading up to Thanksgiving pretty carefully so I don't forget anything and I think about regular meals and activities, too. Here's what my schedule will look like from Sunday until we eat on Thursday at 4:00 pm (-ish). This shouldn't make you feel exhausted, but merely show you what you can do ahead for your own Thanksgiving!  The Chalkboard Mag published a really great blogpost 8 years ago with tons of tips from lots of food experts (including me!)  I highly recommend giving it a quick read.

As if I hadn't already told you, my Thanksgiving ebook is available for only $15!

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Here's my menu for Thursday and after that is my timeline so you can see how everything can get done.  This just to give you some idea to plan your menu.

BREAKFAST

Streusel coffee cake (I've been making this for 21 years, but it's from an old, out-of-print book. It's not healthy.  Not even a little. But it’s fabulous. Recipe is in my e-book or in the caption of this IG reel.)

(My Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal would also be a great choice - you can prep it the day before and bake it in the morning.)

Veggie frittata using up some of the egg whites I will have from making ice cream.

LUNCH (honestly, probably not making soup. Everyone seems to push out breakfast to 10 or 11 am, so it’s not necessary)

Butternut squash soup

Mini Cornbread Muffins

HORS D’OEUVRES

Apple Bourbon Cocktail (Hubs is in charge of the bar and all beverages)

Crispy cauliflower (weird, I know, but my husband and kids MUST have it and I don't have the bandwidth to make it for Thanksgiving dinner. In fact, the past two years it has been off the menu and I make it for dinner a few nights before Thanksgiving.  Doing that again this year!)

Zucchini cheese tart

Small cheese board (my daughters will assemble) 

DINNER ( I think this is too much food, but no one will let me take anything off the menu!)

1 Roasted Turkey and Gravy (14 pounds) I will be spatchcocking my turkey once again this year, which is a technique I taught in my in-person and online cooking classes 6 years ago.  It's just the best, easiest method. 

1 Slow Cooker Turkey Breast (5-6 pounds)

Cranberry Sauce (x2)

Applesauce (x1)

Mashed yukon gold potatoes (6 pounds)

Sweet potato casserole (x 1)

Stuffing (herbs and leeks) (x1.5) It’s my mushroom stuffing, but minus mushrooms

Roasted Vegetables Agrodolce (probably 3-4 sheet pans of vegetables)

Cheddar-Jalapeno Corn Pudding (Nov 2024 online cooking class)

Salad with Pomegranate, Persimmons, Savory granola   and this vinaigrette x2

Parker House Rolls (Hubs makes)

Cheddar-Chive Biscuits (recipe for paid subscribers below)

 DESSERT

1 Perfect Apple Pie

1 Pumpkin Pie

1 Chocolate Chunk Pecan Slab Pie

1 Tart Cherry Pie

Whipped Cream and CocoWhip

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

Berries brought my my mother-in-law

Schedule:

Sunday

Grocery shop (I'm already done) for everything that hasn't been purchased other than turkeys and herbs, lettuces, Brussels sprouts and a few veg

Arrange tables & chairs

Make cranberry sauce and applesauce (done and already frozen - will start defrosting in fridge today)

Savory Granola (already done and frozen)

Write placecards

 

Monday

Make salad vinaigrette (done and frozen; will put in fridge today)

Make 2 qts. ice cream

Dry mix for sweet potato casserole with a note about adding butter

IG Live at 5:00 pm PT - Anna and her fiance may join me!

Dinner: Spinach-Artichoke Spaghetti Squash Boats, simple salad

Tuesday

Pick up turkeys and last-minute ingredients

Brine turkeys

Buy and arrange flowers (I'm going to keep this SUPER simple.)

Set tables

Wash and dry greens

Shred cheese for tart

Dry bread cubes for stuffing (I already made and froze my stuffing, but I'll leave the steps here on the timeline as an FYI.)

Chop onions for soup, stuffings, roasted veg tray

Defrost turkey stock and chicken stocks

Dinner:  slow cooker chicken tacos (aka, the easiest dinner on the planet!)

Wednesday

Make butternut squash soup

Steam cauliflower; bread and refrigerate

Make sweet potato casserole

Make stuffings (again, I made and froze this already)

Prep zucchini

Blind bake tart crust

Prep vegetables for roasting as well as Brussels

Make pumpkin pie

Make pecan pie

Make dry mix for corn pudding

Saute onion and jalapeno for corn pudding

Set up coffee and tea service

Check powder room

Uncover turkey (makes the skin crispier)

Leave butter, eggs and sour cream out for cake

Dinner: maple-mustard salmon, whatever miscellaneous vegetables I want to use up

Before bed: make sure garage refrigerator door is closed! (15 years ago, I left the door open to my extra fridge in the garage all night long. OMG. Nightmare! Needed to buy two new turkeys on Thanksgiving morning!)

Thursday

6 am Wake and take a 30-minute walk

Shower

Make coffee cake

Make coffee

Make cornbread

Make apple pie and cherry pie

Prep turkey breast

Put turkey breast in slow cooker (cooks for 4 hours, but best to pad with a little extra time just in case since I can always keep in the slow cooker on the warm setting)

Get dressed and do hair

Prep coffee machine for after dinner

12:00 roast vegetables

Prep spatchcocked turkey

Reheat soup

Herb oil for tart (actually made this and froze it)

Remove sweet potato casserole, stuffings, salad dressing from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temp

Prep gravy ingredients

Add melted butter to sweet potato topping

Start corn pudding

2:00 Put turkey in oven (spatchcocking makes the cook time much shorter!)

Peel potatoes; make mashed potatoes; keep in bowl over simmering water

Prep tart

2:15 Bake tart in small oven

2:30 make cauliflower and serve hot

3:00 sweet potato casserole in small oven

3:15 Take turkey out to rest, oven to 350

Reheat stuffing at 450

Bake corn pudding

Make gravy

3:30 remove foil and add topping to sweet potatoes

Consolidate roasted vegetables and reheat on one sheet pan

Light candles, water in glasses, butter, cranberry sauce, and applesauce out, assemble salad

3:45/4:00 Carve turkey

After dinner: whip cream, coffee and tea, sparkling water

After everyone leaves, write notes for next year!

Friday

Make turkey stock

Start holiday shopping!

Even More Musings is an extension of my weekly newsletter, Monday Musings. My newsletter is a sponsor-free zone and is fully supported by readers like you. Consider becoming a paid subscriber to get Even More Musings! Each week, I share my tips and tricks along with a new recipe. For only $5/month or $50/year (less than $1 a newsletter), you'll also gain access to the entire archive, featuring favorites like My New Hyper-fixation High-Protein Fluffy Breakfast Bowl  and the Hillstone Copycat Emerald Kale Salad.  This week I am sharing a recipe for the easiest, flakiest, tastiest Cheddar-Chive Biscuits. They are 100% going on my Thanksgiving menu.  I’ll share how you can make them and freeze them and bake them from frozen!