Granini's Thanksgiving Timeline

 

Granini's Thanksgiving Timeline

When to make what for Thanksgiving Dinner

and when to put it in the oven

Several years ago I started to prepare a Thanksgiving Timeline. I wanted to make as much stuff as I could ahead of time, so that on Thanksgiving Day, I could whirl around the kitchen like a crazy person, but not feel quite as frantic.

And THEN I had this brilliant idea.

Why not create a fancy spreadsheet, so that I could simply refer to it every year, rather than try to recreate the same list year after year after year??

And so I did.

 I make a LOT of food for Thanksgiving. AND, I make a lot of pies.
So I made spreadsheets.

I also have spreadsheets for grocery lists.

It sounds insane, but it has helped me immensely with preparing an entire feast by myself two separate times in one week. Yes, that's right. I make Thanksgiving twice, each year. Once on Thursday, and once again on Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, I made Thanksgiving a third time (last Saturday). Yes, I'm that crazy.

I do not give myself a lot of extra time for each item, as I have made every recipe hundreds of times, and I know how long it takes me to make everything. You may wish to add more time to each item if you are a beginner cook, or if you're not as adept at cutting, dicing, and mixing. But for me, these timelines are divine. And they even allow me a quick nap, a good rest period to watch a bit of football and put my feet up, as well as time to eat breakfast and an hors d'oeuvre filled lunch. This year my goal is to add in Drinkies to the list -- Holiday inspired Cocktails. Delish!!

So, for those of you who would like to see them, here they are.

I hope that they help you immensely on the BIG DAY OF DAYS.


The day before Thanksgiving

  

Thanksgiving Day

 




Friendsgiving (smaller Thanksgiving dinner)

 

I'll gather up my grocery lists and post those too if you're interested!!

Links to my Thanksgiving Recipes:

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory Treats

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip

Turkey

Roasted Turkey
(or what I like to call bathing a turkey in butter in a toasty oven)

Side Dishes

Cornbread Stuffing / Cornbread Dressing
Bacon Beer Cheese Dressing (recipe to follow shortly)

Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows

Gravy

Dinner Rolls (aka Parker House Rolls)

Ratatouille (for the vegetarians!)

Cranberry Orange Relish
Glazed Carrots

Creamed Corn Casserole
Cheesy Creamed Corn Casserole (recipe to follow shortly)

Sautéd Green Beans with peppers and onions
Sinful Macaroni & Cheese

Additional Recipes you may want to peruse:

Cornbread
Spaghetti Sauce (for the Ratatouille)
Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie for the days after Thanksgiving

Pies!

The week of Pie 
(all of my pie recipes in one place)


Pie Crust recipe & instructions
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie with caramel drizzle
Blueberry Pie (with 3 crusts!)
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Chocolate Eclair Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
French Silk Pie
(it's a fancy chocolate cream pie with chocolate crumb crust)
Grasshopper Pie
La Tarte aux Sauterelles Chocolate
(chocolate mint pie)
Lemon Meringue Pie
Minced Meat Pie with rum sauce
Pumpkin Pie

Snickerdoodles

(What to make with the leftover pie crust)

OR, if you prefer to drool over recipes with pictures, see below:

Dutch Apple Pie with homemade caramel sauce

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory Treats

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms

Links to all Granini's Desserts and Sweet Treats

Pie Crust
Traditional Apple Pie
Dutch Apple Pie
Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Pie
Cherry Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cupcakes
Cinnamon Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Sticky Buns
Coconut Cream Pie
Coffee Cake
Danish Pastry Dough
French Silk Pie
Grasshopper Pie
Lemon Almond Cake
Lemon Breakfast Cake
Lemon Crinkle Cookies
Lemon Meringue Pie
Lemon Pound Cake
Oreo Cheesecake
Oreo Truffles
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats with chocolate on top
Pecan Tassies (Mini Pecan Pies)
Pumpkin Pie
Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Snickerdoodles (Cookies made from leftover Pie Crust)
Thin Mint Truffles

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's French Bread

Granini's French Bread

(makes 2 loaves)

Trust me. Make two Loaves.

2 cups + 4 Tablespoons warm water

4 ½ teaspoons yeast (or 2 packages)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 teaspoons salt

6 cups flour, divided

Hi there.

Sorry for the terrible lack of posting. It's been a bit rough over here. But I have a tiny reprieve, and I had a minute, so I thought I'd post my newest favorite recipe. Plus I'm going to make the bread tonight, so it seemed like the right time to post the recipe!

I snagged the recipe off of Pinterest, but when I went back to grab the reference, the post had been stolen! Snagged off of Pinterest; commandeered and stolen and reposted by someone else claiming the recipe was their's. It's not. I was aghast. Shame on them.

The original recipe came from TheMamasGirls, but their website is officially down, and I can't give you a link to their website, but let me just say, thank you to these lovely folks for such an AMAZING recipe with incredibly easy directions. May they have a wonderful day today, and each and every time I use this recipe (and anyone else uses it) as my way of saying thank you to them. 

And may all their lights be green on their way home.

The first time I made this recipe, we were all stunned at how well it turned out. French bread is something that requires negotiation and preferences. This is not a recipe for baguettes, which are thinner and longer, and have a nice crispy crust on the outside and a chewy crust on the inside with a lovely soft middle. I have a recipe for those on this website somewhere...

This French bread is the kind you use to make garlic bread. Or to slather with salted butter and eat while hot. Or cold. Or to make a small sandwich with. Or a grilled sammie. Or with which to make french toast in the morning should you have leftovers. hahahaha. As if you'll have leftovers.

Some people like a hard crust. Some people like a soft crust. I was looking for a loaf that would cut beautifully, that could be easily sliced, that would have a lovely, white middle; a bread that could be used for garlic bread to accompany my fav lasagna, as well as something I could serve alongside of soup. Sometimes cheesy biscuits and homemade rolls just aren't quite what you're looking for when it comes to a nice bread accompaniment. This loaf was so unbelievably amazing that we snarfed down the entire thing, and I completely forgot to take a picture.

When it was time to make the loaves a second time, the recipe had been snagged off of Pinterest, commandeered and stolen and I was aghast. See above.

So here's my scribbled notes from what I remember of this amazing recipe. I will come back and add in a picture and my fine-tuned notes as soon as I make it again tonight. Trust me, this one's worth it!!

(Here's the recipe for one loaf:)

French Bread (single loaf)

(Again, why are you making only one loaf? You should make two. Trust me.)

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast (or 1 package)

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

3 cups flour, divided
and for the top before baking:
1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk

French Bread (makes 2 loaves)

Trust me. Make two Loaves.

2 cups + 4 Tablespoons warm water

4 ½ teaspoons yeast (or 2 packages)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

4 teaspoons salt

6 cups flour, divided
and for the top before baking:
1 egg + 1 Tablespoon milk

Pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle the yeast over the water. Add the brown sugar and the oil. Allow the mixture to set until it turns bubbly and foamy (about 5 minutes).

Add all the salt (AND STIR REALLY WELL), and half of the flour and stir. Wait 10 minutes.

Add ½ a cup of flour and stir. Wait ten minutes.

Continue this process of adding ½ cup of flour and waiting 10 minutes until all the flour has been incorporated.

Knead the dough for 5 full minutes, until it is lovely and not sticky and feels just about perfect.

Shape the dough into two loaves (or one -- you fool! why did you only make one?!?). Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put each of the two loaves onto the parchment paper.

Slice the top of the bread in three generous slashes to allow the bread to grow without ripping the dough.

Place the loaves in a slightly warm oven (or proof the bread) for ½ an hour.

Bring the bread out of the oven and heat the oven to 375℉.

Whisk an egg with 1 tablespoon of milk. With a pastry brush, brush the top of the loaves of bread until they're fully covered. This will allow your bread to have a soft, but firm, crust. Chewy, not crunchy. Perfect for garlic bread. Or eating. With butter. Vats and vats of salted butter. Mmmmmm.

After the oven is hot, place the bread in the middle of the rack 

and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!!

(Garlic Bread helpful hints:)

If you're going to make garlic bread, as soon as the bread has cooled enough to handle it, or even the next day -- if you have bread left, hahahaha, which you won't, warm up a stick of unsalted butter in the microwave until it's nice and soft but not completely melted. Crush 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. Sprinkle in some parmesan cheese and some basil or oregano. Stir. Slice your bread into even slices. Give the two heels to your favorite kids. Evenly divide the garlic butter between your slices. Put the butter smothered bread onto some tin foil and cover completely. Pop the bread in the oven at 350℉ for 30 minutes or so. I usually pop the bread into the oven around the same time that I pop my lasagna in the oven. If my lasagna is going to cook for longer, I wait until the 30 minute mark so that they come out at the same time. If my lasagna is going to be baking for less time, then I pop them both in at the same time. You get the idea.

If you're in a big hurry, you can slice your bread in half length wise, rather than in traditional slices, smother the bread with garlic butter, and broil it in the oven. That works too. :)

Should have let it bake about 5 more minutes. It was ever so slightly underdone. Well, alas, something to fix for the next time I make it. Which, to be honest, will probably be later this week. Because... YUM.

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

* * * * *

Granini's Spinach Dip

Granini's Spinach Dip

(This is the cold spinach dip that you serve with french bread. If you're looking for the hot spinach dip recipe, you can find a link to that here)

(Picture coming soon. Meanwhile, take a gander at some of these other tasty and delicious Thanksgiving treats!!)

Ingredients:

1 box frozen spinach
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup parsley (minced)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ can (4 ounces) minced water chestnuts


Directions:

In the microwave, thaw out the spinach. Drain. Then press the spinach in a clean dish cloth or in between paper towels to remove all excess moisture.

Mince the spinach and scoop it into a medium sized bowl.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly to combine.

Serve either in a bread bowl, or with bit sized chunks of fresh French or Italian bread.


Kay's Helpful Hint of the Day

My spinach dip appetizer has the same ingredients (except for one) as my smoked salmon dip. So whenever I make the one appetizer, I make the other at the same time. So it's like a bonus two-fer recipe.

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory Treats

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip
Spinach Dip
Smoked Salmon Dip (Dead Fish)

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)

Granini's Smoked Salmon Dip (aka Dead Fish)

Granini's Smoked Salmon Dip

(aka Dead Fish)

(Picture coming soon. Meanwhile, take a gander at some of these other tasty and delicious Thanksgiving treats!!)

Ingredients:

¼ pound smoked salmon
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup parsley (minced)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon horseradish sauce
½ can (4 ounces) minced water chestnuts


Directions:

Remove all bones from the smoked salmon. Mince into teeny tiny pieces and scoop into a medium sized bowl.

Mix in the remaining ingredients, stirring thoroughly to combine.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dip to sit for 2 to 3 hours (overnight is even better). Serve with crackers.


Kay's Helpful Hint of the Day

My smoked salmon appetizer has the same ingredients (except for one) as my spinach dip. So whenever I make the one appetizer, I make the other at the same time. So it's like a bonus two-fer recipe.

Appetizers and Other Tasty Savory Treats

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Granini's Stuffed Mushrooms
Cream Cheese Red Pepper Dip
Smoked Salmon Dip (Dead Fish)
Spinach Dip
(a cold spinach dip not to be confused with the hot spinach artichoke dip listed above)

* * * * *

Find other tasty Thanksgiving Dinner dishes here:

And tasty pie recipes here:

* * * * *

I not only bake and cook, I write murder mysteries too!

Both books are available in paperback and kindle versions

Diamonds for Diamond 
(Book 1 in the Jack Diamond Mystery series)
and
No One Noticed

(Book 2 in the Jack Diamond Mystery Series)