Holiday Strategies

This was last year's Thanksgiving dinner, which we actually had on November 14th because Kat was visiting. On the official day she had left, so my guy and I went out wandering and actually ended up eating at a fairly nice meal at a busy Cracker Barrel.

This year I am probably going to make two dinners, one on the official day for two or (possibly) three people if our nephew moves in, and one in December for (possibly) three or four if our nephew has moved in but isn't visiting his children for the holidays -- and Kat (possibly) visits again.

That's a lot of possibilities, right? Unhappily we live in an age when the youngsters are totally fine with expecting me to pull a Thanksgiving dinner out of thin air at a moment's notice, possibly because they've never had to make one.

It's fine. I've learned to be flexible (and not expect anyone to have manners anymore.) Saves me a lot of grief.

In order to make two Thanksgiving dinners without a lot of notice for two or more people, I started with the turkeys.

Turkey size for uncertain number of guests: Allow two pounds per person, according to this article, which sounded reasonable to me. I also wanted the size that would be easier to defrost (the bigger the bird, the longer it takes.) I always add a little for unexpected guests (to my horror, my sister-in-law and her husband showed up without warning one year to get a free dinner) and we like to have leftovers for sandwiches, too, so I decided on ten to twelve pounds.

I refuse to pay more than a dollar a pound for Butterball Turkey -- I know, in this day and age that's a little silly, but they can still be found. When I saw two that were a little over eleven pounds on sale at Wal-Mart for ninety-seven cents a pound I grabbed them. $21.00 for two nice size turkeys is great, and I stored them easily in our big reach-in fridge. They're ready to go.

Meal planning: I've made a lot of Thanksgiving dinners in my life, everyone likes the way I make them, and the simplest to manage without much notice is the basic meal: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, a veg, cranberry sauce, gravy, hot rolls and a dessert.

I decide on the final menu details about a week before the official day, and shop for ingredients a couple of days before, but I can actually make everything from what I keep on hand (the veg will not be fresh.) Simple meals also mean I only have to choose the veg and what to make for dessert. I prep as much as I can the day before the meal by chopping celery and onions, prepping the veg and making the dessert. Because the turkeys are smaller I won't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get them in the oven.

Room for more guests: My guy and I have Thanksgiving dinner for three at the table in the photo above, which is our every day dining table in the kitchen nook. A big dinner for four isn't comfortable there, however, so I may have to use the big dining room table for either or both dinners, which I currently use as my sewing table.

Easy readiness: I've actually already cleaned up the sewing table and I'm keeping it as clear as possible so we can use it for one or both Thanksgivings without a lot of notice.

Finally, getting some help: I am not as young as I used to be, but fortunately my guy is always willing to help with the heavy lifting and even setting the table if I need him to. I will absolutely need him for both dinners no matter how many (if any) guests we have. I also have no qualms about asking our guests to pitch in (it's not bad manners if one is overwhelmed.) One of our traditions when Kat is here is to have my guy and her break the bread I use for stuffing the night before the meal.

It sounds like a lot of trouble, but there's one other reason I don't mind figuring out these last-minute meals for God only knows how many people. Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday of the year. The fact that I can have two of them this year is wonderful. I will work my butt off to make sure they're lovely meals -- not just for our uncertain number of guests, but for me and my guy.