Ah, Thanksgiving.  The Olympics for home cooks.

It’s the only occasion for which going out is generally considered a second-rate alternative to cooking at home.  The pressure’s on.  Who will host?  What’s on the menu?  How long does it take to thaw a turkey?  Who’s invited?  Everyone except that weird uncle that smells funny?  What’s in mincemeat pie, anyway?

Luckily, in my family, I’m a supporting cast member.  I help coordinate the menu, do most of my cooking at my house, then tote several dishes to the event to finish and reheat on-site.  Which suits me perfectly.

If you think about it, most people are supporting cast members.  Let’s say that the average guest list for Thanksgiving dinner includes eight adults.  This means that only one out of eight people is actually spit-shining the baseboards and paying attention to those articles titled “Let’s Talk Turkey”.  The rest of us are just showing up – some, like me, with dishes in tow, and others with a bottle of wine, or a little something from the House of Pies, or just their appetite.

So let’s discuss strategy for us lieutenants, shall we?  I have learned in my few years that, in late November, organization is just as important as inspiration.  It wasn’t long ago that I was literally in a shopping-cart traffic jam in the produce section of Central Market on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  I had a monster grocery list, thinking that since CM carries everything I could possibly need, I would make one big trip and be the paragon of efficiency.  Instead, I am quite serious when I say that I could not move my shopping cart, and all I could think of was that giant incessant stopwatch from 60 Minutes: TICK-TICK, TICK-TICK, TICK-TICK.

Oh, young Padawan, what were you thinking?

So, I’ll share with you my current modus operandi, and I’m hoping you’ll share yours with me.

1) Two or three weeks before Thanksgiving, I start stocking up on pantry staples.  Stuff I know I’m going to use during the fall or winter, regardless of what happens on Turkey Day.  The various types of sugar and flour.  Sea salt and black peppercorns.  Canned pumpkin and cranberry sauce (because even if I make the most amazing sauce from fresh berries, someone will be pining for the can-shaped stuff).  I skim through my spice rack and sniff-test anything I don’t recall using since last year. (If I can tell what it is by the sniff alone, it passes.  If not, it gets tossed.)

2) One week before Thanksgiving, I firm up my plans for specific dishes.  Side dishes and dessert are where it’s at, folks.  Appetizers, though I love them, have no place on this day – this allows everyone to address the turkey with their appetite intact.  Turkey itself, along with the gravy, has no upside, as I mentioned at the end of my previous post. Side dishes give the menu its personality and zing.  There’s always room for dessert, and being the last thing served, it’s usually remembered (for better or for worse!).

3) The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I make two grocery lists.  The first list I shop for that day, and it includes anything with any kind of reliable shelf life.  Dry goods. Root vegetables, like onions, parsnips, and potatoes.  Any spices I missed before.  Most dairy.  Eggs.  Dried fruit.  Wine.

The second list is much shorter, at least in theory.  Initially, it’s mostly produce that won’t hold up from Saturday to Thursday, like fresh green beans.  But inevitably, two things will happen during that first trip.  First, I will forget a thing or two (or ten).  Those are tacked onto the second list.  Second, the store will be stocked out of a thing or two, or I won’t be able to find it.  Again, those go on the second list.

4) On that Sunday/Monday/Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I’m doing any advance work that I can, at a leisurely pace.  Making pie crusts or homemade broth, for example.  If I’m doing a pumpkin cheesecake, I’ll grind up the graham crackers for the crust.  These are small things that are no big deal to do in advance, and I always thank myself Wednesday night.

5) Shop for the second list.  This happens late Tuesday, or the moment the store opens on Wednesday, when crowds are at a minimum.  The list is grouped by section of the store, and the idea is to slip in and out as quickly as possible (remember that stopwatch?). Ideally, I use the express check-out lane because I already have 95% of what I need.

Usually, grocery shopping is a very relaxing task for me. Not on this day.  My approach is a cross between a cat burglar and one of those mall walkers in a rayon track suit.  I breeze right by the poor soul standing in produce, who’s agonizing about whether he should roast fingerlings instead of making candied yams.  I swipe a bag of cranberries at full speed.  Parents snatch their small children from my path.  Stockers stand at attention as I pass.

6) I spend all day Wednesday doing as close to everything possible.  (I have the luxury of taking the day off, which I know not everyone can do.)  I agree wholeheartedly with the concept of mise en place, but other times of the year, I am only a part-time disciple.  On Thanksgiving Eve, it’s a must.  I draw out the strategy and the order of attack.  I try to clean as I go.  If I’m lucky, the husband has pity on me and helps out with the dishes.  This year, I am sure I will have an almost-thirty-pound, almost-one-year-old strapped to my person at some point.  It doesn’t matter.  It’s the Olympics!

If I’m successful, I will spend most of Thursday morning drinking coffee, getting dressed, and consulting with Matt on the best way to pack the car without sabotaging anything.  Head shaking on his part will ensue.  And then, finally, we’re en route.  On the way, I’m applying makeup and swearing about what I’ll do differently next year.

What’s YOUR plan of attack, dear reader?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s a recipe that has served me well during the holidays… it’s a bit like sweet potato pie without the crust.  It’s fantastic to take to someone else’s house because it can be made days in advance and easily reheated.

Sweet Potato Supreme

3-1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes*
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

Combine first seven ingredients, stirring until smooth.  Pour into a lightly greased 2-1/2 quart casserole dish; cover.  Combine brown sugar and next four ingredients, stirring with a fork; cover.  Chill potatoes and topping separately up to 3 days.

Let potatoes and topping stand at room temperature 30 minutes.  Sprinkle topping evenly over potatoes.  Bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

Serves 10 to 12.

*Boil scrubbed sweet potatoes in their jackets until tender but not soft.  Remove the skins, then mash or process in a food mill or ricer.  Alternatively, peel and cube the sweet potatoes before boiling.  If you must, you can use canned sweet potatoes (three 14-ounce cans should do the trick).