By: Lisa Brisch,
Certified Personal Chef
Dinner Thyme
Personal Chef Service

Kids are back in school and the school year routine is back in full swing. After school, activities are planned and everyone knows the schedule. Oh, wait a minute. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and then the December holidays are right on its heels. Are you hosting any of these celebrations? Are you out of your mind?

OK. I’m going to let you in on a secret. Holiday dinners can be relatively stress-free. And here’s the secret: plan, plan, plan. Plan your menu now when you have some time. Shop as early as you can. Make a checklist for what you will make and when. Create a timeline for the day of the big meal – what needs to be cooked and/or reheated, how and when, based on what time you’re eating. This guarantees you won’t be trying to cook things at different temperatures at the same time in one oven.
•  Turkey
(14-16 pounds feeds 12 people)
•  Gravy
•  Mashed Potatoes
•  Sweet Potato Casserole
•  Green Beans
•  Cranberry Sauce
•  Rolls
•  Pumpkin and/or Sweet Potato Pie

Here’s what can be made ahead and frozen: Gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and pie dough (or cheat and use the refrigerated pie dough from the supermarket).
So how do you make gravy without cooking turkey first? Turkey wings! Make a stock with a package of turkey wings from the supermarket. Don’t know how to make stock? It can take about 3 hours but it’s mostly hands-off time. You can find lots of recipes for stock making on the internet or in any basic cookbook. You will need 1 quart of stock for gravy. Once your stock is made and strained, chill it overnight. There should be a layer of fat that rises to the top once the stock is very cold. Skim that off and keep for later. Freeze the stock and fat.

Freezer mashed potatoes work best by roasting Russet or Idaho potatoes instead of simmering them. Here’s a tip to make fast baked potatoes. Microwave potatoes (pierce with a fork or knife all over first) for 10 minutes, turning them over halfway through. Then bake in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or until a knife pierces through easily. Cool potatoes for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut in half lengthwise (you may need a towel or pot holders to handle the potatoes), scoop flesh, mash, add melted butter, milk or half & half, salt, and pepper. Cool for an hour before putting them in the refrigerator. Chill overnight, wrap container in plastic wrap and freeze.

For the sweet potatoes, make your mashed sweet potatoes but don’t put your marshmallows on top. Chill the sweet potatoes, wrap tightly, and freeze.

If you like to make your own rolls, you can make your dough, let it rise, then shape, rise again and freeze. For pie dough, make it, chill it, roll out, put in pie plate, partially bake if required, cool, and freeze.

If you plan on buying a frozen turkey do it early in November along with any other items that you can get – canned pumpkin, fresh cranberries (put in the freezer as is) or canned cranberry sauce, butter, and special spices (don’t forget to check your spices that you only use once a year). Do your last minute shopping on Friday. If you are getting a fresh turkey, Monday through Wednesday for pick-up will be fine.
Things to do the weekend before: move frozen turkey to refrigerator on Saturday. Gravy, turkey fat, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes can wait until Sunday or Monday. If using fresh green beans, wash and trim them. Pull out all your non-perishables that you will need for the meal so they are ready to go. Designate a shelf in the refrigerator for your perishables.

Tuesday or Wednesday – make your green bean casserole, chill. If making fresh cranberry sauce, do it now. No need to thaw those frozen cranberries. Make your pie filling, bake on Wednesday.

Thursday – Using your timeline put the turkey in the oven. When turkey is almost done, finish the gravy. In a saucepan, make a roux by heating the reserved turkey fat (you’ll need 6 tablespoons – add butter if you don’t have enough fat). Add 6 tablespoons flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Slowly add 1 quart of turkey stock to the pan. Whisk constantly and bring to a simmer. Take off the heat and reheat when ready to serve. Check for seasoning. Once the turkey is done, bake your rolls from frozen. Your turkey will stay very hot for at least an hour if left whole. So use this time to heat the rest of your side dishes in a 350° oven or warm in the microwave. I like to take those items out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking/heating. If just reheating, give it a head start in the microwave and finish in the oven, especially if you need a golden brown top.

So that’s Thanksgiving for you! I hope I’ve given you some good tips on having a wonderful stress-free celebration. If you need help with your menu planning, want some recipes, or just want someone else to do your holiday meals, contact me.

About Chef Lisa
Lisa Brisch is the chef/owner of Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service www.dinner-thyme.com.Chef Lisa, a transplant to Middletown, DE from Phoenix, AZ, started her customized cooking business in February 2000 while in Phoenix and introduced her service to Delaware in early 2002. Dinner Thyme offers customized meal service for those individuals and families who are too busy to cook, don’t like to cook, or don’t know how to cook. Chef Lisa is able to provide optimal results by inquiring about your likes and dislikes and any specific dietary requirements you may have. From this information, she develops a personalized menu for your approval. Chef Lisa comes to your home armed with groceries and cooking equipment and prepares personalized meals in your own kitchen. Each meal is labeled, packaged, and stored in your refrigerator and freezer with detailed reheating instructions to ensure your satisfaction.

She graduated March 2001 with highest honors from the Art Institute of Phoenix culinary program. She also has a B.S. in General Business from Arizona State University.  Brisch belongs to the United States Personal Chef Association, a leader in the personal chef industry, and became a USPCA Certified Personal Chef (CPC) in December 2001.
Her CPC designation is an industry endorsement of professional expertise, showing her commitment to excellent customer service. She is also a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs and is president of her local USPCA chapter, Mid-Atlantic chefs.

For more information, contact Dinner Thyme at 302-275-7401 or email Lisa at lisabrisch@verizon.net.

Testimonials:

“Lisa, your organic spread got rave reviews last night! Both from my guests and my family.”
~ Stephanie T.

“Your food is FANTASTIC!”
~ Laura S.