A Peaceful Thanksgiving

Preparing for Thanksgiving is not just cooking a meal—it is the gentle work of shaping a table that reminds our families that God has been faithful yet again this year. With a little planning, the week moves calmly and peacefully, allowing Thanksgiving Day to feel less like a rush and more like a hymn of gratitude rising from the kitchen.

This planner gathers the menus and simple schedules I use in my own home. Use it as a guide—not as another burden on your shoulders—but as a calm companion at your kitchen counter as you prepare to bless those you love.

My Traditional Thanksgiving Menu:

Vegetable tray with Ranch dip
Apple cider
Roast Turkey
Southern Dressing
Classic Gravy
Sliced Ham
Mashed potatoes
Corn pudding or fried corn
Cranberry relish (fresh cranberries, orange, sugar – chopped in processor)
Green beans
Shaker carrots
Refrigerator rolls

Pumpkin pie with whipped cream
Chocolate pecan pie
Molasses crinkles
Boiled custard or eggnog

Gina’s Menu to Feed 22:

Turkey-Dressing Casserole (2)
Cranberry Salad
Mashed Potatoes

Macaroni and Cheese
Green Beans
Fried Okra
Fried Corn
Sweet Potato casserole
Sourdough Bread

My Thanksgiving Countdown

A gentle schedule allows Thanksgiving cooking to unfold without stress.

Two Weeks Out

• 

  Write menu

• 

  Make shopping list

• 

  Gather recipes

• 

  Shop for non-perishables

• 

  Check china, linens, serving dishes

• 

  Clean house
  

Monday of Thanksgiving Week

• 

  Thaw turkey

• 

  Shop for fresh items

• 
  

Tuesday

• 

  Bake pies and cakes

• 

  Mix cookie dough

• 

  Make refrigerator roll dough

• 

  Make cranberry sauce

• 

  Make broth

• 

  Soak bean
  

Wednesday

• 

  Cook beans (for supper & Turkey Tortilla Soup later)

• 

  Set the table

• 

  Make fruit tea

• 

  Make boiled custard

• 

  Bake cornbread and biscuits

• 

  Prep vegetables
  

Thanksgiving Day Schedule

6:00 – Prepare turkey
8:00 – Turkey in oven
9:00 – Begin dressing & rolls
10:00 – Drinks & snacks out
11:00 – Prep vegetables and casseroles
12:00 – Turkey rests, sides bake
1:00 – Sit down and enjoy!

After Thanksgiving
Friday–Sunday: Rest and enjoy leftovers.
Monday: Make Turkey Tortilla Soup and begin Christmas decorating and shopping.

Recipes

Roast Turkey

1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds), 
Coarse kosher salt (½ teaspoon salt per pound)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme or rosemary
1 bunch fresh sage
12 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
12 ounces liquid (apple cider, dry white wine, broth)
2 onions, peeled and quartered
3 bay leaves
1 stick butter softened

Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy. Pat turkey and turkey neck dry with a paper towel. Transfer to large bowl. Cover with Saran Wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 day.

When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for one hour. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Slather the bird with butter under the skin, stuff it with herbs, onions, apples, celery and an orange, salt it and pepper it.

Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan. In the bottom of a large roasting pan, add liquid to fill the pan to a ¼-inch depth. Transfer pan to the oven and roast 30 minutes.  

Cover breast with aluminum foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh reaches a temperature of 165 degrees, about 1½ to 2 hours more. 

Transfer turkey to a cutting board to rest for 30 minutes before carving and then roast it.  Every year it's a bit scary, but a girl just has to have the courage of her convictions and do it.

Classic Gravy

Homemade gravy doesn’t need to be fussy. This simple version is creamy, dependable, and wonderfully old-fashioned. If you have drippings from roasted chicken or turkey, add them—your grandmother would approve.

½ stick butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup broth (a little sherry is nice, too)
1 cup milk

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Gradually stir in flour and cornstarch and let cook for a minute or so. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Drippings from roasted chicken or turkey may also be stirred in.

Southern Cornbread Dressing (old family recipe)

4 cup crumbled cornbread
2 cup crumbled biscuits
1 ½ tsp dried sage (⅓ cup fresh)
4 cups chicken broth, hot
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
½ tsp pepper

Pour broth over dry mix and let stand for an hour or so. Add ½ cup very finely grated onion (1 small). Add salt to taste and pepper. Bake at 350 F  in a large greased baking pan or you can make little “piles” on a baking sheet. 

Chicken and Dressing Casserole (Southern and Comforting)

Chicken and dressing casserole is one of those humble, church-supper favorites that has fed families across the South for generations. It delivers everything you want in a comforting dish—tender chicken, seasoned dressing, a creamy sauce, and the slow warmth of sage and onion filling the kitchen. It also freezes well, making it a homemaker’s blessing during a full season.

1 chicken (about 3 pounds)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
(may use 2 cans cream of mushroom soup)
1 carton of sour cream 
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup butter , melted
1 package herb seasoned stuffing mix (8 oz) (may substitute 2 ½ c. crumbled cornbread + 1 c. white bread or biscuits, crumbled)
2 eggs beaten + 1 tbsp sage + 1 onion chopped
1 cup shredded cheese

Cook chicken; cool; debone; cut meat into bite-sized pieces.  Mix soups and broth;  add chicken to the mixture. Add butter to the dressing mix.  Combine chicken mixture with the dressing mixture.  Place in a 2 to 2 ½ quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Top with shredded cheese during the last 5 minutes if desired. May divide between two 1 ½ quart casseroles and freeze one for later use.  8 servings. 

Slow Cooker Method:

Mix all ingredients, except chicken and 1 can of soup. Put ½ can of soup in the bottom of the crock pot. Layer dressing and chicken ending with chicken.  Add another ½ can of undiluted chicken soup.  Cook on low 3-4 hours.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!  

Love, Amy