Thanksgiving is Less Than 3 Weeks Away + an amazing Hot Onion Dip recipe!

Happy Monday!  If you’re looking for the new Hot Onion Dip recipe, that is for paid subscribers at the bottom.  My new Thanksgiving 2024 cooking class video and recipes are up and available! If you’re looking for new modern recipes with visuals and tips to go with them, this is a great class! You can buy one class for $27 or subscribe for $29/month and access the entire library of classes for the past 6 years!

I have also made available my Thanksgiving e-book as just The Thanksgiving E-book (no different from last year) if you need a guide/bible/manual with literally everything you need to know to have fun and execute a stress-free Thanksgiving! 

Here’s what I am getting done this week:

I completed my menu last week and now I can get busy. If you have no menu, you can’t start getting ahead.  Commit to your menu!

• Grocery shopping: I did 90% of my shopping over the weekend. This includes, anything frozen, in a bottle, can or box; all your baking ingredients, dried spices and herbs, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, butter, eggs, most dairy (check exp dates), root vegetables, onions, potatoes, booze, sparkling water. 

• Order your turkey.  it’s a good idea to order it now. I have always ordered a fresh, free-range, organic turkey, because in my opinion it has a tasty turkey flavor and is higher quality than most other alternatives.  I order 1 fresh turkey, spatchcocked and 1 fresh bone-in breast.  I plan on 1 ¼ pounds per person.  A roasted spatchcocked bird is the best and easiest and most reliable method, in my opinion. I do the breast in the slow cooker.

Avoid “self-basting” turkeys which are injected with anything from chicken fat to salt to chemicals. True, they are easier to cook, but I think they taste more like salt than turkey and they are just full of stuff you don’t want to feed your family. Here are some questions that will help you decide what size to order:

How many ovens do you have? If you have one large oven that can accommodate two turkeys side by side and an extra oven to spare (you’re so lucky!), then you have the option of cooking two smaller birds versus one large one. But with two small ovens, you may not want them both being monopolized by turkeys.

Are your guests dark meat-eaters or white meat-eaters? You will get more white meat by weight from one large bird than from two smaller. Likewise, you will get more dark meat from two smaller birds than from one large one.

Do you have a bad back? What does this have to do with anything? A very large turkey is mighty challenging to keep pulling out of the oven to baste. I find two smaller turkeys much more manageable, if you have the oven space.

• Plan your table decor and check your supplies. Look at your linens and check for stains. Check your supply of candles, votives, cocktail napkins and glassware. Order anything you need. 

• Make ahead and freeze: I like to make stock, savory granola, salad vinaigrettes, pie dough and freeze.  You can also make stuffing up to the point of baking and freeze it, as well as cranberry sauce and applesauce.

• Check your inventory of helpful tools and appliances Here's my list of Thanksgiving essentials:

1. Instant-read thermometer -- the only way to know if your turkey is ready.  I like my Thermapen, but this is another great thermometer that you leave in while the turkey cooks and it’s very affordable.

2. Roasting pan(s) and rack(s) I go with stainless steel. There’s no need for a nonstick pan. If you do a spatchcocked turkey, you need a large sheet pan and wire rack.

3. Fat separator I have linked to my favorite glass one with a strainer by Norpro.

4. Twine for trussing

5. Baster

6. Potato Ricer -- for making the Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Also ask yourself if you have enough pie plates, casserole dishes, pie servers, platters etc. Borrow from a friend if you don’t want to buy more stuff.

Also, let me know if you have any Thanksgiving questions or if you want to share favorite resources or must-have items! 

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 very delicious hot (i.e. warm, not spicy) onion dip that would be perfection to serve with drinks before Thanksgiving dinner.