Alright, make that two names.
The point is that I'm freaking out.
I'm hosting the big Thanksgiving meal at my house this year. With all of my in-laws...well, all of 'em but
My critical contribution to the meal was a cranberry jello salad.
But I just realized that this year I'm not only hosting the meal; I'm in charge of it. And since I can't cram turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing into a gelatin mold (at least not edibly), I'm panicking.
AHHHH!!!!
Did I mention that I'm not the most accomplished cook on the planet? Or maybe you came to that conclusion on your own.
Don't get me wrong. I do ordinary, everyday meals just fine. It's the fancy stuff that trips me up. I've never cooked a turkey in my life...or made turkey gravy for that matter (unless you count the stuff out of an envelope and I wouldn't). Good grief. Whose brilliant idea was it to put me in charge of Thanksgiving dinner for a slew of people?!
Oh, yeah. Mine.
I thought it would be nice to take the pressure off my sweet and super busy mother-in-law this year by offering to host the meal. I'm not even sure my husband had all of the words out of his mouth before she started exclaiming, "YES, YES!!" She could've been jumping up and down and high-fiving C.R.'s grandma on the other end of the phone for all I know. I just know that she's kind enough to appreciate the offer and not expect perfection.
Still, here's the thing: I'm a recovering perfectionist.
Who doesn't do entertaining well. At all. I'm fidgety just thinking about it.
And I have in-laws who've been blessed with the gift of hospitality. They love to entertain. Not in a snobby Martha Stewart sorta way, but in a homey, gracious, bless-your-heart-right-out kinda way.
They're totally varsity.
And I can't even warm a bench for the junior varsity.
I know that many of you dear bloggy friends are wonderful cooks and know how to entertain with the best of 'em. Please, please help. Recipes...advice...a beautifully cooked turkey and all the trimmings in a shipping box addressed to my house and sent same-day delivery...any little thing would be appreciated.
I'm begging you.
And I promise that my in-laws will thank you for it.
11 comments:
I've hosted Thanksgiving the last few years and have perfected the turkey. I'll email you the recipe! NO basting, no opening the oven over and over...just perfection. Seriously.
I am not the most accomplished cook either, but we have done Thanksgiving at our house and it really isn't that bad. I think the hardest part is getting everything done at the same time. My advice: get C.R. to help you.
hahahahahahaha!
oh, sorry.
You're going to do great.
And, it's going to be pretty.
Denise, I know how you feel since I have other side of the family coming to my house! :-) We will miss you guys though. Can you post the recipes you get so I can see them too? LeAnne
Two years ago my parents remodeled their kitchen and it was supposed to be done by Thanksgiving but didn't end up getting done. So I was elected to cook the meal. We ended up having both families together at our house for the meal. I had never cooked a turkey before. Turns out it's not that hard. If you can read; you can cook a turkey. Same with the gravy. The instructions are all there for you :) Things didn't turn out exactly how they do at my mom's but hey we weren't at my mom's. Plus once people started arriving everyone pitched in and the final things get done. Do some things a day ahead...the rolls and pies. You can warm up the rolls the next day. I'm going to stop now because you don't need all this advise. From recovering perfectionist to another your family is coming to see you not grade your cooking ability and at the end of the day they love you whether you cook a great turkey or not :)
I am cracking up at the image of aunt Deena and Grandma jumping around high-fiving each other. I really hope they do that all the time, because that is AWESOME!!!
On Good Morning America they told you how to order all your Thanksgiving dinner items. They arrive frozen and just need heating up. The cooking is already done. I am sure you will do just fine. I know lots of places are having great deals on turkeys right now. Since you have internet you have all the recipes you could imagine at your fingertips. I will be doing the big dinner at our house this year also. Just have fun and make sure you enjoy the day.
i will ship both michael and i up to you. he cooks, i clean. but you'll have to lose the cranberry jello mold..that sounds to casseroleish (blah).
Oh sweetie! :) It will be a blessing to all of those involved. Just roll with it.
ahhhh. i understand your panic.
i made my first thanksgiving turkey last year and was STRESSED out like crazy.eeek!
but. but. BUT. i promise you it's way easier than you think. like seriously waaaaaaaay easier. hardest part is timing. (which i failed a little at last year and dinner was about an hour and a half late. whoops. my guests were very gracious though and ate A LOT once it was finally ready :)
i did better this year (secret is 20 mins per pound for a stuffed turkey) and had my turkey cooked AND carved just before our first guest arrived. (canadian t-giving is in oct. in case you think i'm crazy for already having done it again this year ;)
anyways, i say all that to say you are going to do fantastic! and be so super proud of yourself when it's all done. can't wait to hear all about it!
oh! and if you still need one, i have a delicious mashed potatoes recipe that you make the day ahead and just heat it up on t-giving to take some of the cooking pressure off.
email me and i'll send it to ya.
simplysarablog@gmail.com
(i don't have an email address for you!)
It was fabulous!
The food was great and the atmosphere was homey and wonderful.
You rocked it.
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