Next Year: Thanksgiving

alan said:

The garlic mashed potatoes we're great and we riced them. However,
ricing 20 pounds of potatoes takes lots of biceps and triceps so we
have to make sure we have them available. I wonder, can that be made
the day before?

I don't see why not. We've been enjoying leftover mashed potatoes for
a few days now. If you heat them in the oven hot enough, the steam
will "fluff" them up. Put them in a refrigerator-to-oven casserole
dish and heat them while the turkeys are "resting."

Quoted message said:

Anything illogical about any of the above?

No, just pray that your wife's friend with the curious fingers won't
be incubating the flu! Your wife ought to have a talk with her about
next year's asparagus dish.

Good luck- 41 people, you'll need it!

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

alan wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

The garlic mashed potatoes we're great and we riced them. However,
ricing 20 pounds of potatoes takes lots of biceps and triceps so we
have to make sure we have them available. I wonder, can that be made
the day before?

<snip>

I made roasted garlic smashed potatoes because they can be done in
advance and reheat well and actually taste better when the flavors have
had a chance to blend. The texture seemed slightly dry upon re-warming
so I stirred in a little heavy cream and all was right with the world.

Cut yukon gold and red potatoes into large chunks (skin on) and boil in
salted water until tender. Drain. Dump potatoes back into the pot and
heat on high while shaking the pot to drive off excess moisture. Turn
off the heat, add roasted garlic, butter, salt, pepper and sour cream.
Mash to a chunky texture. Turn into an greased oven safe dish.
Refrigerate. Microwave or bake to re-warm, stirring occasionally. Add
heavy cream if they seem too dry.

Kathleen

alan said:

This year we had 18 people for Thanksgiving, Next year we will have 41
and the extra 23 are bigger eaters than the first 18.

<snip>

Quoted message said:

That means 15 pounds of brisket, which is no big deal because we can
make that the day before, especially with the remote thermometers so
that I can be in the office while the brisket is cooking and 7.5
pounds of brisket is going to take at least 6 hours anyway.

What's the max distance on that remote function ?!!!
<snip>

TammyM

Quoted message said:

I think we'll be able to get away with two 25-27 pound turkeys because
we'll have so much brisket but someone else will have to make it one
of the turkeys.

have you thought about one of the table top roasters? i have a nesco that i
haven't tried yet but mine will hold a turkey. i've seen them pretty
inexpensive
some places. you could also put some things in crockpots to keep warm.

Quoted message said:

Anything illogical about any of the above?

Nobody but us chickens said:

Quoted message said:

I think we'll be able to get away with two 25-27 pound turkeys because
we'll have so much brisket but someone else will have to make it one
of the turkeys.

have you thought about one of the table top roasters? i have a nesco that i
haven't tried yet but mine will hold a turkey. i've seen them pretty
inexpensive
some places. you could also put some things in crockpots to keep warm.

Quoted message said:

Anything illogical about any of the above?

When I read his post my first thought was a tabletop roaster! Frees up
the oven entirely for other things. The crockpots are a great idea
too, to keep things hot for hours.

That many people, I would be asking attendees of your choice to bring
contributions to the feast, including turkeys, meat, potatoes etc. Food
can be transported hot under foil for an hour without spoiling. Why
should you land yourself with all that work and expense? Its like
running a restaurant for the day and not charging folk!
This isn't meant to sound uncharitable; but it seems you are the bunny
who always provides <g>. Maybe next year you could have it catered
for; most reasonable folk would be happy to contribute, they would if
they were my friends <g>.
Cheers
Bronwyn

Bronwyn,

The worst time I've ever had entertaining was on the Saturday of the
last July 4th weekend when we had our tennis group over for a BBQ and
Pool Party. Stupidly we volunteered to do this and we collected $22
per person. It just so happened that we caught everything just right
in buying department and got some great food to BBQ and we gave
everyone back $3

However, the work never ended, even with all the help. Just because
it was in the backyard made it a horrendous effort. People complained
why this or that is not done, they complained about the price, and
even though some of it was half joking, it was annoying and people
asked me for everything, from where is there more water to do you have
....whatever. After it was over, we told the group, make that I told
the group, never ever will it happen again. It was for 44 people and
I hated it and it ruined the best July 4th weekend that I have ever
seen weather-wise and because we were so tired on Sunday, we missed
seeing the Tokens at a free concert near us because the concert was
1:00 PM.

So, you are right and I was thinking about having people bring things
this morning. My wife thought her friend could make one turkey (this
is the same friend of asparagus fame and last time she made a turkey
for a thanksgiving here, she asked us for paprika). However, you are
correct, We shouldn't make the mashed potatoes, my sister can do
that. Same is true for the sweet potatoes, stuffing (which we didn't
have this year) cranberry sauce, salad..etc. It's Ok as long as we
can keep the control over quality.

After this year, when everything came out perfectly, I wouldn't want
to give up control of the brisket and turkeys but the rest should be
up for grabs if everyone promises to prepare it themselves and makes
it well. My nephew lives a few minutes form here and they just bought
a house with a nice big oven so I'll run over there and put one turkey
in their oven with a timer/thermometer, I'll make one myself here and
the briskets I will make and slice the day before. If there are
people left over with nothing to do, One family always brings the
cakes and pies for a restaurant in Rhode Island and there is always so
much left over that if they get one more pie, we'll have more than
enough. If there are any left with nothing to make I'll them what
kind of desserts or wine to bring.

It is such a nice thing to do on Thanksgiving and you get a lot of
good feeling when you see everyone eating and happy and arguing about
Iraq and Bush and taxes. This coming thanksgiving will be after
election day and I hope we will all have some great things to
celebrate!

I just heard something drop downstairs. My father-in-law is here and
he's is going back to Florida tomorrow morning. He's god a
personality like Sheldon, god bless him or them! This house is like
the TV Show "The King Of Queens" when he's here. If Jerry Stiller
decides to give up acting, my father-in-law would be great!! (if he
can act).

However, we will hire two people to help serve, take away things and
clean up because it was quite a job with 18 people, again, even with
the help, as Thanksgiving creates lots of dishes!

Alan

Bronwyn said:

That many people, I would be asking attendees of your choice to bring
contributions to the feast, including turkeys, meat, potatoes etc. Food
can be transported hot under foil for an hour without spoiling. Why
should you land yourself with all that work and expense? Its like
running a restaurant for the day and not charging folk!
This isn't meant to sound uncharitable; but it seems you are the bunny
who always provides <g>. Maybe next year you could have it catered
for; most reasonable folk would be happy to contribute, they would if
they were my friends <g>.
Cheers
Bronwyn

Buy a couple nesco roasters. They will save your sanity.
Good luck .

Fair enogh Alan! I know what you mean about controlling the quality -
us cooks can't help ourselves <g>. I guess I am lucky I have like
minded friends whom I can trust to bring food that is fabulous. That
said, you are a brave person catering for so many. My limit is about 12
at the most!
You f-i-l sounds fun!
Cheers
Bronwyn

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful for, and
spending the holiday with my Borther, SIL , Niece, kids and sister and
nephews is one ot more things to be thankful for. Great food, great
company--- what more ddo you need ?
Rosie

Bronwyn said:

Fair enogh Alan! I know what you mean about controlling the quality -
us cooks can't help ourselves <g>. I guess I am lucky I have like
minded friends whom I can trust to bring food that is fabulous. That
said, you are a brave person catering for so many. My limit is about 12
at the most!

I can't handle a large crowd. I don't have the space or the facilities to
do more than a dozen or so. The guests make a big difference when it comes
to pot lucks. There are some people who will make something really special,
and who really help to make it a special occasion. And then there are the
cheap SOBs who will make a little bit of something mediocre. Not
surprisingly, it always seems to be the latter group who head right for the
good stuff and pig out.

No,

I wouldn't let anyone else touch the turkey, now that ABs method
worked out for the best turkey I ever made and the brisket is my
recipe. However, you are right, there are things that can be done by
others and we have to focus more on that, especially for the potatoes,
vegetables, salad and all the desserts.

We've also decided to either get help or use throw away dishes and
even serving bowls and platters. The dollars stores have big serving
bowls for $1 each and that cuts down on the washing and dryingand for
the few hundred dollars that help would cost, we could get some very
substantial throw away dishes, utensils and cups. We're a little torn
about that one rather than using the china, silver and stem ware
because what else are we going to use if for. If it's up to me, we're
going to Costo et al to find the best plastic we can find and then to
Home Depot for a few extra garbage pails.

Bronwyn said:

Fair enogh Alan! I know what you mean about controlling the quality -
us cooks can't help ourselves <g>. I guess I am lucky I have like
minded friends whom I can trust to bring food that is fabulous. That
said, you are a brave person catering for so many. My limit is about 12
at the most!
You f-i-l sounds fun!
Cheers
Bronwyn

Joan,

Table top roasters can handle 25 lb turkeys? I have to Google it and
see I guess.

itsjoannotjoann said:

Nobody but us chickens said:

Quoted message said:

I think we'll be able to get away with two 25-27 pound turkeys because
we'll have so much brisket but someone else will have to make it one
of the turkeys.

have you thought about one of the table top roasters? i have a nesco that i
haven't tried yet but mine will hold a turkey. i've seen them pretty
inexpensive
some places. you could also put some things in crockpots to keep warm.

Quoted message said:

Anything illogical about any of the above?

When I read his post my first thought was a tabletop roaster! Frees up
the oven entirely for other things. The crockpots are a great idea
too, to keep things hot for hours.

Dave, isn't that the truth or they bring an undrinkable bottle of
wine. This year when my wife's friend brought the aspargus uncooked
and asked us for oil, salt, pepper and sugar, that really showed the
height of manipulation. If it was up to me, I would have sent her
home to cook it or throw it in the garbage right in front of her. The
fact is, she knows better but she uses a 30 year friendship as a
hostage and she knows my wife will give in. It's kitchen terrorism
and it's really pretty disgusting.

Dave Smith said:

Bronwyn said:

Fair enogh Alan! I know what you mean about controlling the quality -
us cooks can't help ourselves <g>. I guess I am lucky I have like
minded friends whom I can trust to bring food that is fabulous. That
said, you are a brave person catering for so many. My limit is about 12
at the most!

I can't handle a large crowd. I don't have the space or the facilities to
do more than a dozen or so. The guests make a big difference when it comes
to pot lucks. There are some people who will make something really special,
and who really help to make it a special occasion. And then there are the
cheap SOBs who will make a little bit of something mediocre. Not
surprisingly, it always seems to be the latter group who head right for the
good stuff and pig out.

Yep, I am going to go check them out in a sec...thanks

pamjd said:

Buy a couple nesco roasters. They will save your sanity.
Good luck .

Rosie, it certainly addiciting, that's why we're doing it again. We
also go to where we are entertained on other holidays so it works out
that 3 or 4 times a year, some very nice get together is going on. On

27 Nov 2005 19:33:08 -0800 said:

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There is a lot to be thankful for, and
spending the holiday with my Borther, SIL , Niece, kids and sister and
nephews is one ot more things to be thankful for. Great food, great
company--- what more ddo you need ?
Rosie

alan said:

Joan,

Table top roasters can handle 25 lb turkeys? I have to Google it and
see I guess.

I've cooked 20-pounders in my 18 quart roaster. 25 pounds might be
pushing it, but should fit OK in a 20-qt roaster. Or roast an 18 pound
turkey and toss in a few extra drumsticks.

Bob

"alan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This year we had 18 people for Thanksgiving, Next year we will have

41

Quoted message said:

and the extra 23 are bigger eaters than the first 18.

We have one oven and it's not very wide. It fits a large roasting

pan

Quoted message said:

sideways but not 2 lengthwise.

These are some of the things we have learned after some large
Thansgiving dinners.

This year we had nearly 60 people for Thanksgiving. It was hosted by
my aunt & uncle who have been doing this every year but the event
keeps growing as the family expands. Fortunately they have a home and
kitchen big enough for this kind of gathering. But if it were not a
joint effort with a lot of people pitching in, it just wouldn't work
out. And one thing we learned is that you can't just let everyone help
out in any way they feel like it because then you have chaos. We have
one person who coordinates the menu and the food people are bringing
so that we don't wind up with 2 dozen identical casseroles or
desserts. Other people take charge of certain chores and enlisting
volunteers for such things as kitchen help and food prep or setting up
the tables and seating or for cleaning up afterwards. Our tables and
chairs are rented from a company that delivers them and picks them up
afterwards. We also rented dinnerware and 2 additional chafers (we
have 2 of our own). We decided against buying these items even though
in the long run it would probably be cheaper. But by renting, we don't
have to store them.

We cooked one turkey outside in the Weber bbq and 2 others were oven
roasted. We also had a ham. The gravy was made in advance from turkey
wings. The mashed potatoes and glazed sweet potatoes were also done in
advance. The food is set up buffet style in the dining room and the
seating is normally set up outside. The chafers are a huge advantage
because they eliminate the stress of having to get all the hot items
ready at the same moment. If you use them, be sure to have extra fuel
cans on hand.

Every year before Thanksgiving my aunt and I each buy a used
refrigerator which goes into the garage and then gets re-sold after
the holidays are over. Anyway, that is our basic routine.

Thanks Desert Rainbow,

You have some great ideas and I love the idea of buying a refrigerator
and then selling it. We were talking about buying one because it gets
to be impossible with one.

Tell me how you roast a turkey on the bbq. We have two bbqs. One is
an MHP with two sets of burners and the other is a big charcoal bbq
with 4 grates. I would imagine that one would be better for indirect
heat if we put the coals on both sides of the turkey. Do you use a
roasting pan?

For the two turkeys that are oven roasted, are they brought to
Thanksgiving or made at your aunt and uncle's house. Some here have
mentioned a table top roaster which sounds like a pretty good idea.

We have the dishes, 24, 12 and 12 and we'd ask people to bring bridge
chairs and two tables. The reason I asked about buying the best throw
aways, is because they can go right into a garbage bag and out to the
pails. But, I agree, there is something nice about china, sterling
and stemware.

I like the idea of predetermined responsibilities because there are
those people who never get up to help. I would imagine making the
assignments can be a little dicey when someone would rather not wash.
This year, my wife did all the washing, her asparagus friend and
sister-in-law did the tables and putting away leftovers. I can see
where pre-organized responsibilities would have had other people doing
the washing, because with 18 people, many others were available. Next
year with 41, the job will be much larger and these things tend to
grow geometrically. Definitely we could use designated washers,
dryers and climbers (to put everything away). We have a dishwasher
but it hardly handled dishes for 18 and we did three or 4 washings.
Yes, I definitely think before everyone gets here, they need to know
what to do, if we don't use plastic and if we don't hire help.

The chafers are a good idea and we should have done it this year. I
would think that should allow us to take cooked dishes that people
bring and get them right into the chafers. That would go for hot hors
d'oeuvres too.

This year we had bruschetta from Costco, which surprisingly nobody ate
and it was pretty good and the bread was lightly brushed with an evoo
w/ garlic, thyme, pepper and rosemary. We also had Costco's franks in
a blanket and egg rolls, which again not a lot of people ate but a
bunch of people came an hour plus late and we in the kitchen were too
busy. Finally we had crudités with dip but I think with the
lateness and people a little diet conscious and trying to save room
the hors d'oeuvres didn't go. Again, if everyone comes on time, next
time and they come with their food cooked, the hors d'oeuvres will go.

The good thing about renting chairs is that nobody gets stuck with
flimsy ones.

I wonder if anyone in this group used really good plastic dishes,
stemware and utensils, how much it cost and how it worked out. I
think the only thing that would bother me would be drinking good wine
out of plastic cups.

Alan

Eating outdoors would be great but, being in NY, that's not an option.

Desert Rainbow said:

"alan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

This year we had 18 people for Thanksgiving, Next year we will have

41

Quoted message said:

and the extra 23 are bigger eaters than the first 18.

We have one oven and it's not very wide. It fits a large roasting

pan

Quoted message said:

sideways but not 2 lengthwise.

These are some of the things we have learned after some large
Thansgiving dinners.

This year we had nearly 60 people for Thanksgiving. It was hosted by
my aunt & uncle who have been doing this every year but the event
keeps growing as the family expands. Fortunately they have a home and
kitchen big enough for this kind of gathering. But if it were not a
joint effort with a lot of people pitching in, it just wouldn't work
out. And one thing we learned is that you can't just let everyone help
out in any way they feel like it because then you have chaos. We have
one person who coordinates the menu and the food people are bringing
so that we don't wind up with 2 dozen identical casseroles or
desserts. Other people take charge of certain chores and enlisting
volunteers for such things as kitchen help and food prep or setting up
the tables and seating or for cleaning up afterwards. Our tables and
chairs are rented from a company that delivers them and picks them up
afterwards. We also rented dinnerware and 2 additional chafers (we
have 2 of our own). We decided against buying these items even though
in the long run it would probably be cheaper. But by renting, we don't
have to store them.

We cooked one turkey outside in the Weber bbq and 2 others were oven
roasted. We also had a ham. The gravy was made in advance from turkey
wings. The mashed potatoes and glazed sweet potatoes were also done in
advance. The food is set up buffet style in the dining room and the
seating is normally set up outside. The chafers are a huge advantage
because they eliminate the stress of having to get all the hot items
ready at the same moment. If you use them, be sure to have extra fuel
cans on hand.

Every year before Thanksgiving my aunt and I each buy a used
refrigerator which goes into the garage and then gets re-sold after
the holidays are over. Anyway, that is our basic routine.