Thanksgiving "Cheats"

OK - 'fess up. What shortcuts or cheats do you use to get Thanksgiving on the table in order to remain relatively sane? Instant potatoes? Store bought pie? Kroger catering? Tell us, especially you chef types, so I, uh, I mean WE don't feel so guilty about our heat & serve rolls and canned yams...

Michelle,

My meal is scratch-made and I'm a big baker. But my standard pie crust for years has been Pillsbury Ready Pie crust dough. Use it for any pie where ther's not a speciatty crust ( coconut, almond, etc). I am very frequently asked for my pie crust recipe ; I write " Pillsbury Ready Crust" on an Index card and give it to them.

Deb

I'm not a chef type, but, like Deb, all my meal is "scratch-made." Since I am not a big baker (or even a little baker), my daughter-in-law makes a Bourbon-Pumpkin Cheesecake. Dinner goes on the table with my sanity intact, because of KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid): 1 or 2 passed hors d'oeuvres OR soup (cream of chestnut or curry pumpkin), brined turked cooked on grill, turkey gravy, 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 salad, apple-cranberry chutney, jumbo pitless ripe olives (for grandchildren), bread or rolls and bourbon-pumpkin cheesecake. We are all filled up and don't need anymore! Haven't come to grips with what starch, vegetable, or salad this year.

I know it's not "haute cuisine" by any stretch, but I LOVE green bean casserole with French's onions, Campbells Cream of Mushroom and canned green beans. I also like using White Castle's for making stuffing. I don't really care for sweet potatoes, so I'll use canned ones and everyone seems to like them just fine. I'm also a big fan of Sister Schubert rolls. I do make the turkey, prime rib, apple pie, cranberry relish, corn pudding, mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch.
Also, my house seems to be the new Thanksgiving destination, now that I don't work on the holidays anymore. So I usually put out a nice spread of appetizer type stuff for everyone to munch on before dinner.

What makes it hard for me; at work I'm used to a nice big kitchen to spread stuff out on big tables, with big sinks, plenty of utensils, a Hobart dishwasher, a walk-in refrigerator and huge convection ovens and someone who cleans up after me. I could do everything in about 5 or 6 hours for 200 people

At home it takes me a good six hours of prep the day before, a load plan for the fridge and coolers and a carefully planned oven schedule starting early Thursday morning to make it all happen for only 30.

Oh, I know what you mean, Dan! In the words of my momma, my kitchen's so small you have to go outside to change your mind.

I'm not in the food service industry, but every other month I help prepare a meal for about 100 when we feed the hungry down in New Albany. The kitchen there is pretty "basic", but it's BIG. Three commercial 6-burner oven, giant double-door fridge, multiple chest and upright freezers, and tons and tons of counter space. What I wouldn't give for an extra square foot or two of uncluttered countertop.

Having room to turn around in a kitchen seems like a huge luxury. Someday . . . .

Here's a link to my Thanksgiving column from last year: Run Thanksgiving like a restaurant at home

Canned Cranberry Sauce...the chunky kind.

Canned Cranberry Sauce...the chunky kind.

People actually eat cranberry sauce? I'm still pretty sure that stuff is only a garnish and not meant to be eaten...

lol.

In my house we serve a Cranberry sauce Grand Marnier and it's probably the most requested thing for Thanksgiving- I have to bring it everywhere I go. I always thought it was because it's that good- maybe it's just 'cause the other stuff is so bad???

Deb

In the six years I've lived in Louisville I discovered that going to someone else's place makes Thanksgiving soooo much simpler. I do miss the cold stuffing afterwards though.

I buy bagged stuffing, a cubed variety as well as a cornbread one. Mom always made her own from stale bread and her own baked cornbread but I add so much to my dressing anyway (chopped apples , raisins, nuts, onions and celery) that I hardly feel guilty about the bagged stuff.

I do make my own cranberry relish with fresh cranberries 'cept I use Mandarin Napoleon. Which reminds me, I guess I better dig out that recipe.

Canned Cranberry Sauce...the chunky kind.

People actually eat cranberry sauce? I'm still pretty sure that stuff is only a garnish and not meant to be eaten...

Actually my lovely Bride makes a couple of killer Cranberry sauce recipes...I'm talkin' dah bomb...<sigh> but Stevie always has to have a can of the other stuff around just for old times sake.

After reading this I've decided...

I'm a hack all the way with Thanksgiving. Stovetop stuffing, cream of soup with the green beans and crunchy onions, sweet potatoes and someone else made the rolls too. (outside of the rolls I doctor the stuff up;-)

I do make the cranberries, turkey, rutabagas, potatoes and dressing myself and that's enough for our party of 3.

After all of the that who the heck notices the pie is store bought?

Hope everyone has a fulfilling holiday.

Best,
Sarita

After reading this I've decided...

I'm a hack all the way with Thanksgiving. Stovetop stuffing, cream of soup with the green beans and crunchy onions, sweet potatoes and someone else made the rolls too. (outside of the rolls I doctor the stuff up;-)

I do make the cranberries, turkey, rutabagas, potatoes and dressing myself and that's enough for our party of 3.

After all of the that who the heck notices the pie is store bought?

Hope everyone has a fulfilling holiday.

Best,
Sarita

Sweetie NOBODY that even attempts to cook a rutabaga need consider themselves a hack in the kitchen!

Oh, thank you, Carla! I not a hack in the kitchen. I cook rutabaga all the time. Tonight it will be roasted with other root vegetables, olive oil and fresh rosemary.