Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away!
Happy Monday! To remind, you can leave comments or questions on this thread. Scroll to the bottom to see where.
My Thanksgiving class is up and ready to be viewed! You watch on your own time, as many times as you like. The class is only 80 minutes and I have a lot of great tips to go along with the recipes.
Here are the recipes for this class:
Pumpkin Icebox Cake
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Manchego and Dates
Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Salad with Candied Nuts
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Apples and Sage
Root Vegetable Gratin with Miso
You can purchase the class and not a subscription if that suits you better, but if you upgrade to a subscription, you have access to the ENTIRE library of all my cooking classes!
Another reminder that my Thanksgiving ebook is available! For $15, you will get all my Thanksgiving recipes (except from the 2023 class), tips and tricks, do-ahead strategies and more! You will have everything you need to plan and execute your best Thanksgiving ever. Click here to access the Thanksgiving ebook.
Here are some of the tasks I am checking off my list this week:
I completed my menu last weekend and now I can get busy. If you have no menu, you can’t start getting ahead. Commit to your menu!
Grocery shopping: 90% of your ingredients can be purchased today. 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. I plan on 1 ¼ pounds per person and I love to roast a spatchcocked bird. It is the best and easiest and most reliable method, in my opinion.
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:
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.
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.
Fat separator I have linked to my favorite glass one with a strainer by Norpro. It is unclear from the amazon post if this is still made of glass, so here’s another one.
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!
xxPamela
Good morning! I have a few questions. 1. How do you remove set in stains from a linen tablecloth? 2. How do you iron a giant tablecloth? 3. Are those pricey French coated-cotton tablecloths worth it? Do they really just need to be wiped clean? Thanks!