‘I’ve even considered laying in a supply of canned gravy that can be doctored up and served in case of emergency.’
It’s almost the big day and there’s so much to do
COMMENTARY
Making plans ahead of time for the big Thanksgiving dinner is like putting money in the bank. Those plans give you a sturdy base to draw on and confidence when the big day arrives.
No wonder every newspaper in America (ours included) focuses in on Turkey Day. No wonder every culinary magazine has a big roasted bird on its glossy front cover.
I’m really sorry I won’t be making the big meal this year — we’re going to Portland, Maine, to be with family — but I’ve done plenty in the past, heaven knows. And I will again.
And despite the fact that I’m a list-maker extraordinaire and shopped thoroughly, there were items I kept running out of. I’ll give you a list of them.
And yes, I know it is now officially the Eleventh Hour.
But it’s not too late to do so something about some of these things. Be prepared, because you will never have enough:
• Stuffing. I make good stuffing. (Tear up bread; add plenty of chopped onion and celery that has been sauteed in an indecent amount of butter, salt and pepper. Period.)
And I always make at least a double recipe.
Part goes in the turkey, another part goes in a casserole dish to be basted occasionally with drippings. Sometimes there’s even a third part wrapped in foil and nestled beside the roasting turkey itself. Still, I always run out before the meal is done.
I think part of the problem is that in our family we like stuffing better than we like turkey.
I know, because there’s always enough turkey for the next day’s sandwiches. (Now, if we ever had enough stuffing left, I’d put it in those sandwiches, too.).
• Gravy. The supply of good, hot gravy is always insufficient. That must be a law; the way of the world. I am sure the Pilgrims ran out, too.
I’ve even considered laying in a supply of canned gravy that can be doctored up and served in case of emergency. But if I ever do go that far, please ...
Don’t tell.
• Containers for leftovers. I liked to send turkey home with my guests so I always ran out of those cute little plastic dishes with matching lids. (Sometimes, like everyone else, I had the dishes but not the lids and vice versa. Another mystery. Where do those things go?)
So for refrigerator storage, I used everything I could get my hands on. Old soup bowls, old mixing bowls; old coffee mugs.
Here’s a tip I learned — glass pie plates are wonderful for leftovers because they go into the microwave. And because the stuff in them is thinly spread, it reheats fast.
• Refrigerator space. You took your life in your hands opening the fridge the day after the holiday in our house. (Or even when you snuck down at midnight, thinking everyone else was asleep.)
• Space in the dishwasher. I always tried to run the thing and clear the dishes in it before the guests arrived.
Finally — here comes my real message. At dinner, you can never, ever, have enough ...
• Love and gratitude. The most important. So what if the turkey is dry and you forgot the cranberry sauce?
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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