As we gear up for the holidays, it’s not too early to start thinking about what to prepare for the big Thanksgiving feast. Whether you are having a large family/friend gathering or just an intimate family Thanksgiving meal it’s important to plan ahead, otherwise you will end up working your fingers to the bone on Thanksgiving and potentially miss out on spending quality time with your guests or family (trust me, I know and have experienced both a well-planned dinner and one that was thrown together at the last minute). This month at Glutenfreeda.com we’d like to take you through two Thanksgiving meals, one for a large gathering of people and another that is still elegant and special but scaled down a bit for a smaller group of people. I can’t stress enough that the key to less stress on planning and preparing a dinner like a Thanksgiving meal is PRIOR PLANNING.

Appetizers Spiced Walnuts Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms Cumin Chives Stuffed Deviled Eggs Starter Roasted Yellow Pepper & Roasted Tomato Soup Main Course El Paso Turkey Sweet Potatoes with Orange Chipotle Glaze Honey Roasted Onions Green Beans with Bacon & Tomatoes Dessert Pumpkin Pecan Pie Chocolate Mousse Cake with Cinnamon Cream Notes: This menu is based on having 2 ovens. If you don’t have two ovens then omit the Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. You also may need to double or quadruple some of the recipes, like the onions (double and only serve quarters), soup, green beans and sweet potatoes (these should all scale without problems)

Game Plan for Menu I

1 week before Thanksgiving:

• Read through all recipes in menu
• Make grocery list
• Go shopping

5 days before Thanksgiving

• Make Spiced Walnuts (store in an airtight container)
• Make sausage for Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (if making homemade sausage)

3 days before Thanksgiving

• Make Roasted Yellow Pepper Soup
  
• Make Roasted Tomato Soup
  
• Make Jalapeno Crème Fraiche for soup
  
• Thaw turkey in refrigerator

1 Day before Thanksgiving

• Make Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
  
• Make Cumin-Chive Stuffed Devilled Eggs
  
• Clean turkey and Inject with solution in recipe
  
• Prepare the stuffing for turkey up to the point of adding shrimp
  
• Make Pumpkin Pecan Pie
  
• Make Chocolate Mousse Cake (prepare the Cinnamon Cream Day of)
  
• Clean green beans
  
• Set Table

Day of Thanksgiving (assume dinner is served at 3:15-3:30pm)

• 8am remove the turkey from the refrigerator – let come to close to room temperature
  
• 9am hydrate the chipotle pepper for the Sweet Potatoes. Make chipotle glaze. Peel and cut potatoes, cook and rinse under cold water, toss with prepared chipotle glaze. Place on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  
• 9:30am Finish stuffing.
  
• 10am Stuff turkey and begin roasting (assuming your bird will take about 4 hours, size will dictate)
  
• 10am prepare the onions up to the point of glazing. Place on baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
  
• 10:30 prepare the Cinnamon Cream for the Chocolate Mousse Cake, cover and refrigerate
  
• 11-1pm RELAX
  
• 1pm Start warming soups over medium low heat, remove jalapeno crème fraiche so it’s not “cold”
  
• 1pm Bake Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
  
• 1:45 Serve Appetizers
  
• 2pm Plate and serve soup
  
• 2:30 Remove turkey from oven (check internal temperature and make sure it’s done – meaty part of thigh should be 180°
  
• 2:30 Put onions in oven
  
• 2:35 Start Green Beans
  
• 2:45 Put the Sweet Potatoes in oven.
  
• 3:00 Carve turkey
  
• 3:15 Serve Main Course
  
• 5-6pm Serve Dessert
  

Appetizer Bruschetta with Honeyed Tomatoes & Mascarpone Main Course Mixed Greens with Apples & Candied Walnuts Turkey Roulade Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions Cranberry Sauce Dessert Pumpkin Brulee

Game Plan for Menu II

1 week before Thanksgiving:

• Read through all recipes in menu
  
• Make grocery list
  
• Go shopping

3 Days before Thanksgiving

• Thaw the turkey breast in the refrigerator
  
• Make cranberry sauce

2 Days before Thanksgiving

• Toast bread for stuffing and cube

1 Day before Thanksgiving

• Make the stuffing
  
• Butterfly turkey breast
  
• Make candied walnuts for the salad
  
• Caramelize the onions for the mashed potatoes
  
• Make Pumpkin Brulee
  
• Make gluten-free baguette

Day of Thanksgiving (assume dinner is served at 3pm)

• 9am Wash greens for salad; chill. Make dressing for salad
  
• 9:45am Remove the cranberry sauce from the refrigerator
  
• 10am Stuff the turkey breast and roll into roulade; cover and set aside
  
• 10:30am-12:30 RELAX
  
• 12:30pm Toast baguette slices for appetizer
  
• 12:45pm Make Honeyed Tomatoes
  
• 1pm Start roasting turkey roulade
  
• 2pm Make mashed potatoes, re-warm the caramelized onions
  
• 2:30 Serve Bruschetta
  
• 2:45 Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest; while resting make gravy
  
• 3pm Serve Main Course
  
• 5-6pm Serve Pumpkin Brulee

Although the “day of” preparations may seem exhausting, keep in mind that since you have already done a lot of the prep work in the days before, the actual “to-do” items on Thanksgiving day are not at all hard, but actually rather easy, because you are just assembling or re-warming, for the most part. One final suggestion is to make time in the middle of Thanksgiving day to relax and enjoy the day. You will notice that both game plans include about 2 hours in the middle of the preparations allocated to relaxation time. This is time for you to take a shower, put your feet up and enjoy the wonderful aroma’s floating through your home.

We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

- Chef Jessica