Thanksgiving Articles

Article / Updated 11-15-2022

Hosting Thanksgiving this year? Guess what? It’s actually possible to host a fantastic Thanksgiving meal and not get completely stressed out! Try these Thanksgiving hosting tips, which come from several excellent articles on Dummies.com. And, have a happy, fun, yet peaceful, holiday. Find even more great advice in our “Have a Beautiful (and Tasty) Thanksgiving” collection. Carefully determine your menu: Start planning as early as you can and consider what you’d love to do versus what’s actually feasible. Plan to have a couple of items that are more difficult and take more time, and a few items that are quick and easy. Include room in your meal budget for beverages: Don’t forget the soda; wine, beer, spirits, and mixes; and maybe some hot drinks, like cozy hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks (maybe even spiked with some rum for the adults). And don’t forget the ice! Prepare some items in advance: The more side dishes and appetizers you can prepare in advance, the easier the big day will be. Here's a solid list of make-ahead Thanksgiving dishesyou can prepare before the holidays. Follow a tried-and-true recipe for your turkey: There’s a time for experimentation in cooking and a time when you’re having 10 people over for dinner and you need to get it right. This would be the latter. Don’t be a hero: Ask for help, and the trick is knowing when you need it. Be realistic; if you simply have too much to do, make some calls. Can a family member make one of the side dishes or pick up the soda? People love being needed, and the goal is to have a fun, delicious Thanksgiving! Add color and style to your platter: An easy way to create a beautiful turkey platter presentation is to garnish around the edges with a few different types of fruits and vegetables, such as: cranberries, small apples, a pomegranate sliced in half, piles of leafy greens or fresh herbs (like whole basil), and red and green grapes. Set up early: If possible, get your decorating done and table set at least a day before Thanksgiving. It’s one less thing you’ll have to worry about on the holiday. Ensure you have the essentials: Your shopping list should include supplies for your dinner party, including, paper napkins, paper towels, disposable dinnerware (if you don’t have enough glasses, plates, silverware, etc.), pot holders and trivets, and containers for leftovers. Take a timeout: On Thanksgiving Day, build some downtime into your preparations. Your mind and body will work better if you can take a break. For 15 minutes or a half hour, put your feet up, watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, read an article, or just stare out the window. Involve the kids: Getting your kids involved in preparing for the holiday is good for you and them. Depending on their ages, kids can help with setting the table, decorating, helping guests, and cleanup. Older children can help with cooking tasks and the drivers can help with shopping.

Article / Updated 10-31-2022

Holiday meal planning often includes a main course of roasted turkey, a Thanksgiving favorite baked to a golden bronze and served up with richly flavored and piping hot stuffing. Cooking and carving your turkey can be simple tasks, with these easy-to-follow instructions. In this recipe, the stuffing is baked separately, not in the turkey. You can also choose to stuff the turkey with stuffing and bake it. Just spoon stuffing loosely into the cavity right before cooking, and then tie the legs together. Increase the cooking time (as shown in the accompanying table) to allow time for the stuffing to heat thoroughly. Before serving, scoop the stuffing into a serving bowl. Roast turkey recipe Tools: Chef's knife, vegetable peeler, large roasting pan, roasting rack, meat thermometer (unless the turkey comes with one), kitchen string or twine, carving board Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 3 to 3-1/2 hours (for a 12-pound turkey) Yield: 12 servings Ingredients: 1 fresh or thawed frozen turkey (about 12 pounds) 1 medium yellow onion, quartered 2 carrots, peeled and quartered 2 large cloves garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Salt and pepper Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, with the oven rack on the lowest rung. 2. Set a wire roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey cavity and reserve for the stock; discard the liver. (While the turkey is roasting, you can prepare a quick turkey stock with the giblets and neck if you're making homemade gravy). Remove any excess fat from the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. 3. Place in the turkey cavity the onion, carrots, and garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. If desired, bend the wing tips back and fold them underneath the turkey. 4. Set the turkey, breast side up, on the roasting rack. Rub the turkey all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of water to the roasting pan. If using a meat thermometer, insert it into the thickest part of the thigh, close to the body, without touching any bone. 5. Roast for about 3 to 3-1/4 hours, or until the thigh temperature registers 180 degrees F. Add another 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan if it gets dry. To brown the turkey evenly, turn the pan laterally about midway through the roasting. If the turkey turns brown before the roasting time is over, cover it loosely with aluminum foil to shield the skin. Start checking for doneness during the last 30 minutes of roasting, and baste with the pan drippings two or three times during the last hour. 6. Remove the turkey from the oven, transfer it to a carving board, and cover loosely with aluminum foil, letting it rest for 20 minutes while you make the gravy. Remove the vegetables from the cavity and discard. Carve as shown. For an attractive presentation, garnish the turkey platter with fruits and other attractive produce. Try a heap of fresh cranberries, piles of leafy greens or fresh herbs (such as whole basil), a few kumquats or orange slices, or red and green grapes dusted in sugar. Nutritional information: Per serving, with gravy: Calories 505 (From Fat 173); Fat 19g (Saturated 6g); Cholesterol 204mg; Sodium 598mg; Carbohydrate 2g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 76g. Per serving, without gravy: Calories 404 (From Fat 122); Fat 14g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 171mg; Sodium 206mg; Carbohydrate 0g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 66g. How long should you cook your turkey? Turkey roasting times vary by weight of the bird: Weight of Turkey Turkey Cooking Time (Unstuffed) Turkey Cooking Time (Stuffed) 8 to 12 pounds 2-3/4 to 3 hours 3 to 3-1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3-3/4 hours 3-1/4 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours 4 to 4-1/2 hours 20 to 24 pounds 4-1/2 to 5 hours 4-3/4 to 5-1/4 hours Every year, hundreds of thousands of people wind up in hospital emergency rooms as a result of kitchen accidents involving knives. Many injuries have resulted from time-pressed, hungry people trying to pry apart frozen hamburgers, slicing through hard bagels, or using dull blades that slip. Don't make their mistake! Slice away from your hand, keep your fingers clear of the blades, and don't ever use the palm of your hand as a cutting board. Keep your blade in peak cutting condition by keeping it sharp. Carving your turkey Learning how to carve a turkey properly is important to ensure that you get the most meat and that the portions can be distributed to your guests in an aesthetically pleasing way. For additional tips on carving a turkey, see Carving a Turkey or How to Carve a Turkey video and the illustration below.

Article / Updated 10-26-2022

To decorate for Thanksgiving, you can choose from a variety of colors and styles aside from the typical, traditional theme for decorating. Choose from the many colors, items, and accent pieces in the following table to get ideas or inspiration for your Thanksgiving decorating. Because Thanksgiving is centered around celebrating a bountiful harvest, preserved flowers and displays of fruit fit into the decorating scheme. Although you may not like the idea of decorating with potatoes or rhubarb, you can refer to their colors when choosing accessories or accent pieces. Of course, if you want to decorate with sweet potatoes, don’t let anyone stop you! Inspiration Pieces for Thanksgiving Colors Fabrics Botanicals Accent Items Deep tones of reds or wines Velvets Pumpkins and gourds Woven baskets Browns Chenille Autumn Leaves Wreaths made of natural materials such as vines, wheat, leaves, twigs, or berries Purples in eggplant or grape Heavy cottons Twigs Metals in antiqued gold, bronze, or rust finishes (pewter is pretty for this holiday as well) Greens: from deep sage to light pear Fleece Sheaves of wheat Earthenware Golds: from bright yellows to antiqued gold Tweeds Nuts Candles in pillars, tapers, or votives Creams: from ivory to white Flannels Chrysanthemums Pilgrims Oranges: from pumpkin to sweet potato Wools Roses Native American Indians Tapestries Fruit: pomegranates, cranberries, grapes, blackberries, kumquats, apples pears Cornucopias Vegetables: corn, rhubarb, sweet potatoes, beets, squashes

Article / Updated 10-26-2022

Making a Thanksgiving garland is an inexpensive and fun craft. To create gorgeous garlands for Thanksgiving, you just string together autumn-themed flowers and ornaments. Drape your garland on banisters, around chandeliers, on mantels, or on ceilings. You can also try finding other interesting places, such as windows or mirrors, to drape a swag or two of garland. To make your own Thanksgiving garland, you need: Any materials you want to make into a garland, such as: autumn leaves, flowers, herbs, seed heads, berries (fresh or faux), popcorn, small fruits, vegetables (fresh or faux), paper shapes. ornaments, beads Tools: florist paddle wire, thread and/or monofilament (or fishing line), floral tape, scissors, small nail or thumbtack To make your garland: Punch holes in the materials you’re going to use for the garland with a nail or thumbtack. Punch the holes at the top of the items for layered garland, or punch holes at the opposite ends of the items to string them end to end. For items that are soft (such as popcorn) or items that already have holes in them (such as macaroni and beads), no hole punching is necessary. To thread hard objects, such as seashells or nuts, use a power drill with a small bit to drill holes for threading. String your items together. If you want to string your items together end to end, thread a needle with monofilament or thread and then string the items, weaving in and out of the punched holes. For beads, popcorn, berries, or any items that you don’t want to string end to end, simply string the items together and knot the ends close to last item. Cut the thread or monofilament approximately 12 inches from the tied knot. To make garland out of evergreen, herbs, or flowers, first make small groupings of flowers and wrap paddle wire tightly around the individual groupings. Next, string the groupings together by staggering them, wrapping them with wire as you go. Finish by wrapping the last stems with wire and then taping them together with floral tape.

Video / Updated 10-26-2022

Carving a turkey yourself can make Thanksgiving (or any holiday) even better. Turkey carving requires cutting with the right knife to enjoy meat from the drumstick, wings, thighs, and breast — no matter how you cook your turkey.