The weather has finally turned round here, and you know what that means. It is time to start thinking about the holiday table.
I get asked every single year how I manage to get it all on the table hot at the same time, and the honest answer is that I do not cook it all on the day. Not any more. Here is how I space it out.
Two weeks out: pick your dressing
Dressing is the one everybody has an opinion about, so decide early and stop fretting over it. If you want the one my family expects, that is Holiday Bread Dressing. It takes about an hour and it is worth every minute. If you are feeding a crowd and short on time, I make Tammy's Shortcut Dressing instead and nobody has ever once complained.
And if you have leftover dressing the next day, do not reheat it in a dish. Make Cornbread Dressing Cakes and fry them up crisp. That is my favorite plate of the whole holiday, if I am honest.
The week before: the sides that keep
Granny's Green Beans are better on the second day, so I cook them ahead without a second thought. Same with Green Bean Casserole. Build it, cover it, and slide it in the oven when the turkey comes out.
Candied Sweet Potatoes are thirty minutes start to finish, so those I leave until the day. Some things you just want made fresh.
The day before: dessert, always
Never leave the dessert to the morning. Granny's Sweet Potato Pie wants time to set and it slices far better cold than warm. Make it the night before, leave it on the counter under a tea towel, and that is one less thing standing between you and sitting down with your people.
On the day
Turkey in, sides warming, and pour yourself a cup of coffee. Everything else is already done.
Every one of these is free to read here on the site, and if you have the Master Cookbook you can look any of them up by their number. Search by name, or by whatever is already in your pantry.
Happy cooking, y'all.
