HUGE Turkey Dinner Menus for Beginners to Experts

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Monster TurkeyDinner Recipe from AllRecipes.com

Easy Menu Keep it simple and classic	Advanced Menu Add new twists to the traditional meal
Easy Herb-Roasted Turkey	Grilled Turkey
Jazzed Up Gravy	Savory Turkey Gravy
Bread and Celery Stuffing- or - Amber's Super Stuffing- or - Sausage Stuffing	Old-Fashioned Stuffing- or - Ibby's Pumpkin-Mushroom Stuffing- or - Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
Day Before Mashed Potatoes	Holiday-Only Mashed Potatoes
Yummy Yam Casserole	Roasted Root Vegetables with Apple Juice
Sautéed Green Beans	Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Cranberry Sauce I	Spicy Cranberry Chutney
Store-bought rolls or bread	Fresh Herb Dinner Rolls
Pumpkin Cream Pie	Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Gingersnap Crust- or - Pilgrim Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie Bars II	Chocolate-Bourbon Pecan Pie

Game Plan for Easy Menu

The trickiest part of preparing a holiday meal is the timing. The key is to make as many items ahead of time as you can, and reheat them on the day that you need it.

One to Two Weeks Ahead:

• Make a shopping list; beat the holiday rush
• Make and freeze Yummy Yam Casserole (omit topping)

Two Days Before:

• Place turkey in refrigerator to thaw (birds larger than 12 lbs. will require 3 days to thaw)
• Make cranberry sauce
• Bake pecan bars. Cool completely; slice bars. Store tightly covered with plastic wrap in a cool, dry place.

Day Before:

• Toast almonds for green beans in ungreased skillet over med. heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl or lidded container. Cook bacon for green beans, if using; crumble and mix with toasted almonds & refrigerate.
• Make mashed potatoes; store in the refrigerator
• Make stuffing; store in the refrigerator
• Prepare Pumpkin Cream Pie
• Set the dining room table. Include serving dishes for gravy, dinner rolls, butter, and green beans, plus serving utensils.

Night Before:

• Place Yam Casserole in the fridge to thaw
• Chop onion for Jazzed up Gravy; sauté with herbs as directed. Add to prepared gravy; store jar or container in fridge.

That Morning:

• Remove an oven rack, if necessary. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roast turkey as directed. Remove from oven and let stand for 30 minutes before carving.
• Add pecan topping to yam casserole.

An hour before dinner:

• Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Replace oven rack. Bake the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, and the yam casserole.

Half an hour before dinner:

• Wrap dinner rolls in foil. Place in oven to heat.
• Warm gravy in saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Melt butter for green beans in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cook beans until tender. Stir in almonds and crumbled bacon and cook until heated through.

Finishing Touches:

• Transfer gravy, rolls and green beans into serving bowls.
• Carve the turkey and arrange meat on a warmed platter.

Turkey Tips: Buying and Thawing a Turkey How to Cook a Turkey Q & A of cooking a Turkey

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Game Plan for Advanced Menu

One to Two Weeks Before:

• Make a shopping list; beat the holiday rush
• Make dinner rolls; proof for twenty minutes, then freeze. When firm, transfer rolls to plastic freezer bag.
• Make pastry for pecan pie (use recipe of your choice). Chill dough, then roll out and line a nine-inch pie shell. Freeze until firm. Wrap frozen dough and pan with plastic wrap and store in the freezer.

Three Days Before:

• Thaw turkey in refrigerator
• Prepare and bake cheesecake crust; cool and wrap with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

Two Days Before:

• Make chutney
• Cube bread for stuffing: use a mix of multigrain, rye, and country white bread for Old-Fashioned Stuffing, or make pumpkin bread for Ibby's Pumpkin-Mushroom Stuffing
• Bake pie shell (see Perfect Pie Crusts for instructions on blind baking). Cool and wrap with plastic wrap. Store at room temperature in a cool, dry place.

Day Before:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity
• Brine turkey
• Make stock out of turkey neck and giblets (do not use the liver for making stock, as it can make broth bitter), celery, onion, carrot and aromatics
• Bake cheesecake
• Bake pecan pie
• Prep veggies for roasting
• Toast pine nuts and cook bacon for Brussels Sprouts; store in refrigerator
• Make stuffing

Night Before:

• If you have room in the fridge, arrange frozen dinner rolls on sheet pan and thaw overnight in the refrigerator. (Otherwise, thaw at room temperature on Thanksgiving morning.)
• Set the dining room table. Include serving dishes for gravy, dinner rolls, butter, and side dishes, plus serving utensils.

That Morning:

• Brush dinner rolls with egg wash
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls and stuffing.
• Light coals; prep grill
• Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F and roast vegetables
• Grill turkey

One hour before dinner:

• Make mashed potatoes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and rest bowl over pan of simmering water to keep warm.

Half an hour before dinner:

• Collect drippings from roasting pan under turkey. Make gravy.
• Prepare Brussels sprouts
• Keep stuffing and roasted vegetables warm in a 300 degree F oven.
• Wrap rolls in foil and warm in oven, if desired

Perfect Pairs Wines for the Holidays Red Wines Try lighter reds with a bit of acid and some fruitiness. Beaujolais (gamay): A light, food-friendly red that you can serve just slightly chilled. Oregon Pinot Noir or French Burgundy: Earthy, fruity Pinots often work well with the meal's many competing and contrasting flavors. Italian Reds: Like Pinot Noir, Chianti can have an earthy quality and a good amount of food-friendly acidity, which makes it a terrific Thanksgiving wine. It's not just for pasta anymore! The same goes for Barbera from Piedmont. Excellent, versatile food wines. Zinfandel: Fruity Zinfandel shows many personalities; it's also an American original, and so a fitting choice for America's favorite feast. Choose a lighter style that's not booming with alcohol. Pinot Noir Sangiovese Zinfandel White Wines Chardonnay: The Thanksgiving table is loaded with rich food. It’s the right time to break out a rich, round California Chardonnay with ripe fruit balanced out by refreshing acidity. Riesling: This is a tremendous, often overlooked food wine. With all the flavors competing for attention, dry Riesling's acidity and slight touch of sweetness should complement them all. Champagne/Sparkling wine: Often forgotten once the toasting's done, Champagne and sparkling wines can be a fun alternative for dinner. You might pop a bottle before dinner and find that you're enjoying it clear through to dessert. Try a fruity rosé sparkling wine. Sauvignon Blanc: This wine's lively acidity and herbal characteristics make it a great choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Chardonnay Riesling Champagne & Sparkling Wine Sauvignon Blanc Red or White? Why Not Both? For traditional thanksgiving meals, it need not be an either/or situation. Sometimes the best choice is to offer both red and white and let the guests choose for themselves. Sometimes it pays to place a couple glasses at each guest's table setting. He or she can try a splash of white here, a sip of red there, comparing and contrasting before settling on a favorite. Offering a few choices can also make for fun conversation. Holiday Wines