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Thanksgiving Meal IdeasThanksgiving Meal Ideas for a Stress Free Thanksgiving For
many people, the biggest part of their Thanksgiving Day is spent in
the kitchen preparing many dishes, basting the turkey and preparing the
desserts. If this sounds like your Thanksgiving Day, then you
want to check out these meal ideas so you can get
in on the holiday fun as well. Thanksgiving Meal Ideas - Planning Here are some meal planning ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner to help you spend less time in the kitchen and more time actually enjoying the holiday festivities.
Thanksgiving Meal Ideas More than One Way to
Cook a Turkey
There is more than one way to do almost everything. This includes preparing the Thanksgiving turkey. We all know just how good a slow roasted turkey from the oven tastes and smells. But if you’re looking for something a little different this year, here are some other choices for your Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to adjust your meal planning ideas to accommodate the way you plan to cook your turkey. Thanksgiving Meal Ideas - Barbequed Turkey Grilling isn’t just for summer time. We put everything else on the grill so why not a turkey? Grilling a turkey gives it a unique flavor and texture much like chicken parts grilled to perfection for a family outing. The difference is that here we are grilling an entire turkey at once. Instead of putting the turkey on the grill slats, place it in a baking pan over the flames. This way the turkey can be basted and seasoned during the grilling process. As your turkey is close to being done, add your favorite BBQ sauce to it for an extra kick. Thanksgiving Meal Ideas - Fried Turkey Although I love the smell of a turkey baking in the oven, the taste of a deep fried turkey is wonderful. Many people think there is not a pan big enough to fry an entire turkey and up until several years ago, they were right. Not that long ago we started to see turkey fryers everywhere. Using peanut oil in a large frying pot, once the oil reaches a certain temperature, a clean and dry turkey is slowly lowered into it. The turkey can be seasoned beforehand or injected with a marinade to seal in flavor. It takes at least an hour to cook a turkey thoroughly. Depending on your marinade on the outside, the skin will be crispy and dark, but don’t worry. That crunchy and tasty skin hides the most tender, perfectly cooked meat underneath. Deep frying a turkey requires attention and care. Be sure to understand and read all directions for proper heat, amount of oil, etc. Your meal planning ideas for this type of turkey will require a spot outdoors. Thanksgiving Meal Ideas - Turducken What the heck is a turducken? It sounds like something that rises out of the graveyard on Halloween night. Actually it is a combination of various de-boned fowl: turkey, duck, and chicken. They are all put together and layered with stuffing to create this newest addition to the Thanksgiving table. The turducken looks like a turkey on the outside, but all you have to do is cut into it to see that it is anything but. Those who have tried them, say that turduckens taste great. Thanksgiving Meal Ideas - Smoked Turkey If you want a turkey fresh off the coals, try a smoker to cook your turkey this year. I loved smoked meat and smoked turkey is absolutely delicious. The bird is cleaned and seasoned. It can then be injected with a marinade if you want. Once the coals have burned hot and come to a temperature that is not so hot it will burn the outside skin, place the turkey on the smoker. It will take several hours for this turkey to cook, but placing a pan of water on the smoker will help hold in moisture and create a juicy yet well smoked turkey for everyone to enjoy. Review your grocery list and adjust your meal planning ideas to compliment a smoked turkey taste. Regardless of which method you select to prepare your turkey, you and your guests will be pleased with the results. Thanksgiving Meal Ideas Turkey or no Turkey?
Turkey has been a tradition for many households for many years for Thanksgiving dinner. At one time Benjamin Franklin suggested that the turkey be the national bird instead of the bald eagle. Honestly, Tom the Turkey doesn’t always want to be the center of attention - especially at dinner. Tom the Turkey is happy to see many people substituting other dishes as the main dish for the Thanksgiving meal. Maybe you are not having a big family get-together this year and everyone is fending for themselves. If that is the case, there is no need to fix a fifteen pound turkey with all the trimmings and dessert for less than a handful of people. Increasingly, more people are jumping on the vegetarian bandwagon. For these folks’ Thanksgiving dinner, meat will not be on the menu. This is not what the majority of people consider a traditional holiday, but Thanksgiving doesn’t stop because there is no meat on the table. Traditions are created differently for everyone’s lifestyles and beliefs and vegetarians can celebrate the same holiday everyone else does, just minus the turkey. Your meal planning ideas need to fit the number of people as well as food choices. Health is also a big concern for many of us. More and more people are cutting back on what they eat in exchange for a healthier, longer life. Thanksgiving is one of, if not the biggest eating holiday of the year. In lessening the amounts and types of food they eat, these health conscious people are making other Thanksgiving meal idea choices to reflect their improved well being. Here are some alternatives to Turkey to use for your Thanksgiving meal ideas.
Thanksgiving Meal Ideas Less Stress for the
Cook
Preparing the Thanksgiving dinner is just one part of all the work that you need to do. Here are some ideas to help you feel less stress and give you more time to get it in on the fun. Clean up Early Clean your home before Thanksgiving Day. We all want the place to look great for our guests but the same day as the meal is not the best time to do it. If everyone chips in and takes a different section of the house, it’ll get straightened out in no time. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate! Delegate duties. There is no written rule that says mom has to cook it all. The kitchen is everyone’s place on Thanksgiving Day. Even the kids can do their share by peeling potatoes or slicing up fruit and vegetables for a salad. For younger ones, stirring and adding ingredients prior to cooking is a fun task they are sure to delight in. Just be careful that they aren’t tossing in army men or dolly shoes while you’re basting the turkey. Get Set Before Turkey's Done Set the table. We always leave that until last but there really is no reason to. If dinner will be buffet style, arrange the buffet servers, utensils, sterno jars, and the dinnerware a day or two ahead of time. Make your List Make a list and check it twice. Don’t end up with more turkey than you need. Write the names of everyone who is coming so that there is enough turkey for a full serving for each person. This cuts down on leftovers which seem to take over the refrigerator for at least a week. Disposables Use disposable pans. When roasting the turkey, ham, chicken, and/or other meats, do so in disposable roasting pans. The last thing anyone wants to do is wash dishes after eating a big meal. These pans come in various sizes including ones perfect for side dishes and even breads. When it’s all over, throw them in the trash can instead of spending the evening washing every pot, pan and casserole dish in the house. Plan Ahead for Leftovers Buy containers for leftovers. No one ever has enough to store food in so they use the pans that they cooked in. This is a bad idea. Choose smaller rather than larger containers so there is no space inside the container that is not occupied by food. The cheaper ones are disposable as well so once the food is gone, get rid of the container without worrying about anything being wasted. With these tips your Thanksgiving day will be enjoyable for everyone. In fact, you may find yourself with a bit of extra time to enjoy some family activities. Use these Thanksgiving meal ideas to save you time so you can ty some Thanksgiving kids crafts that the whole family can enjoy (after all, we are all "kids" when it comes to the holidays). For more Thanksgiving meal ideas, try searching for some new recipes with this recipe search tool. Related Articles Eating Healthy These simple and easy tips will have you eating healthy in no time. Exercise 4 Weight Loss
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