Hi everyone! Thanksgiving is only 8 days away! That’s right NEXT WEEK! I know it seems like there is still a ton to do, but do not fret-we are here to help! We have talked about inviting your guests with some easy and great looking invitations (or just calling them!), we have talked about using the beauty of Autumn to plan your tablescape and decide what will work best with what you already have (remember, you do not have to break the bank to provide a beautiful Turkey day feast-this holiday is about food yes, but it is mostly about friends and family and being with those you love.) We have also talked about planning your menu and about pairing some lovely traditional favorites with some new and exciting spins on the traditional routes. I personally love to change my menu up every year but keep with the same basic concepts of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and some kind of tasty bread. Mix up the traditional with something new, you never know it may just end up being a new FAMILY FAVORITE!

Today, we are going to talk about a few more things to get you ready for the big day. First, turkey- fresh vs. frozen. I have personally only had fresh turkey once at a friend’s house and was not super impressed. I find that you can buy a nice frozen bird and depending on what you do to it, it can taste much better than the fresh one. The only true difference between a fresh and frozen turkey is that fresh turkeys get ordered from a deli of a grocery store or a butcher ahead of time because they will never be frozen and you pick it up two or three days before Thanksgiving instead of buying a frozen one that is like most of the ones we find normally in the store. While the fresh one doesn’t have to be defrosted like the traditional frozen one, the frozen ones are easier to brine because they will start to defrost while they brine and you don’t have to worry about it as much as a fresh one. Fresh turkeys are also quite a bit more expensive and you can’t hand pick yours like I do mine every year (we even name ours lol this year it will be Tom the turkey).

If you do notice a taste difference, feel free to stick with the fresh turkey you know and love and just remember that you need to order your bird ahead of time (today would be a great day to do that!). Otherwise, keep an eye out for the frozen version because the Thanksgiving sales will be starting right about now (we actually just bought ours here in California at a place called Nob Hill for 47 cents a pound! It was less than $7 total!!!). You can also start looking at other non-perishable items such as canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, stock or broth, canned pumpkin or even the canned cranberry sauce (I will be adding some SUPER easy, great recipes for homemade cranberry sauce that will blow the canned stuff away!-Although I do actually make some AMAZING and super easy meatballs as an appetizer with some of the canned stuff). Being prepared is the way that we are going to rule this Thanksgiving and make your house the one to come to every year!

Here is one example of a luscious cranberry sauce. Now, doesn’t that look much better than the canned stuff?

I like to do a theme every year and tie my turkey recipe in with my cranberry sauce. One year I did an orange and thyme bird and had an orange and thyme flavored cranberry sauce. Last year, I had a spicy pomegranate turkey and a great Asian inspired cranberry sauce that was flavored with Sriracha (yum!) This year, I am doing a whole Apple Cider theme with an Apple cider brined turkey and apple cider glazed ham with an apple cider cranberry sauce with fresh Macintosh apples. They should be delicious!

Here is my pomegranate turkey breast from last year-it was delicious! Notice the nice color? It comes from a pomegranate butter under the turkey’s skin and basting the bird well during the cooking process.

I tend to create cranberry sauces that cook for some time and build flavor but there are lots of other ways to do cranberries: cranberry relish that is processed in a food processor instead of being cooked, cranberry chutney that is cooked but adds water and dried fruit like raisins to create a chunky style of sauce, and even jellied cranberry sauce! You can’t go wrong with any of these techniques and all of them are much simpler than you might think! You pour fresh or frozen cranberries in a small saucepan and add some flavorings like apple pieces, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, fresh herbs (if you are using them), and then season it with some salt. Any different recipe works well and feel free to experiment with it! You could always buy a canned cranberry sauce as a back up, just in case!

So far, you should be well on your way to being prepared for the big day: you have invited your friends and family, you have planned your tablescape with the bounty of season, you have planned your menu and made a categorized grocery list to make life as easy as possible, and have ordered your fresh turkey (if not going that route-feel free to buy frozen, trust me, it tastes just as good!). Now is the time to start preparing your house for your guests. Clean the sheets, clean the towels, dust the bookcases, prepare the guest room, and start to take stock of your supplies like toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, shampoo/conditioner/body wash, and dish & dishwasher soap.

Next, you will need to take stock of your kitchen and ensure that you have all the utensils and pans that you need to make your feast (a great cleaning shortcut you can do is use aluminum disposable pans). You do not want to be searching around on Thanksgiving for your baster or meat thermometer and realize that it actually broke last year and you meant to replace it. Also, make sure you have enough staples like salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, vanilla, flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, pumpkin pie spice, and anything else you use that you might need for the big day. Don’t forget to make sure you have enough utensils too! Make sure that you have all the place setting pieces for your tablescape and an extra full setting (in case someone brings someone unexpected). The biggest help that you can do for yourself is to plan ahead as much as you can and do as much work as you possibly can ahead of time. You’ve got this!

Thanksgiving Countdown 4: Turkey Time