Well, that's embarrassing. Last Monday, I boldly announced a blog post schedule of Mondays and Thursdays. Yes, today is Tuesday. Thank you for noticing. This is what I get for starting a blog the week before a major holiday, AND the same week we helped my son and his fiancee move into their new home. Well...let's just assume that we can all use a little extra grace for ourselves this week and just move on.
And now, Thanksgiving is just TWO DAYS away! I used to jokingly say that I skidded into holidays sideways, with my hair on fire. That wasn’t far from the truth. It is funny that, now that I no longer have to work for somebody else 10 hours a day, I can plan, organize and be so much more prepared for holidays—actually ANY day! Of course, I had to make things more complicated by tearing my kitchen storage system apart yesterday. I thrive on adrenaline and tight deadlines.
So as I’m getting ready for Thanksgiving and trying to put my kitchen back together, I thought I would share my two best hacks for the actual Thanksgiving meal:
HACK #1: Since I usually host and prepare the bulk of the meal (not complaining, because I love to cook for my family), I like to prepare as much food as possible ahead of time. But this requires lots of refrigerator space. Refrigerator space being hogged by a GIANT turkey defrosting according to the USDA safety hotline guidelines. Many years ago, out of sheer desperation, I came up with a solution I’ve never seen on any other blog, vlog or Pinterest board. Are you ready? I drag out a large cooler, plop the frozen turkey in there (still in its plastic bag, nylon mesh bag packaging). Then I pour enough water in the cooler to cover the turkey. It will float to the top, but that is ok. Close the lid tightly and walk away. I do try to remember to flip it over about every 12 hours, checking the water temp when I flip it. As it defrosts, the water will remain icy cold. A large turkey (20-pounder or more) will completely defrost in about 72 hours. I leave it in there until I’m ready to prepare it and roast it. Easy-peasy, and you have all of that valuable refrigerator space for all of the other sides that you are preparing ahead of the big day! The photo below shows this year's bird floating in its little defrosting pool. It is just slightly under 20 pounds, for reference.
HACK #2: Because I love to cook and I love to feed my family, I always make way too much food. Which isn’t so bad, because I can send leftovers home with my kids. I used to save every sour cream container from August on, so I would have containers to send home leftovers. But who has room for all of that? AND sour cream containers aren't always the right size or shape needed. So a couple of years ago, I started buying storage containers at the Dollar Tree. You can get various sizes, and some are 2-3 containers for a dollar. You don’t have to keep track of matching lids in your cupboards either. I run them all through the dishwasher the day before Thanksgiving, so they are clean and ready to use. Since they are just a dollar, I could care less if they are returned, and tell my kids not to worry about returning them. If they don’t want them, they can recycle them. I have a really small kitchen, and don’t have a lot of storage. So it is worth the $5 - $8 I spend each year, to have use of my cupboards and still have decent containers to send leftovers home in. If you are going to someone else's home for the meal, you can still use this hack and take your own Dollar Tree containers. Your hostess will thank you!
There you go! Two great hacks to hopefully make your next Thanksgiving meal a little easier. Or at least put out the fire in your hair. Happy Thanksgiving cooking!
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