Recipe(tried): Turkey Dinner Menu and Preparation Tips

The key to cooking for large numbers of guests is to relax and figure out what you can prepare ahead of time. I have a standard menu I use for each Christmas Day:

16-21 lb turkey with cornbread dressing
Mashed potatoes with gravy
Baked acorn squash (with brownsugar & butter)
Greenbeans with onions & hamhock (canned green beans work just fine)
Shrimp Salad (lettuce, tomato, shrimp, green onions and slivered carrots)
Vegetable/relish plate (green olives, black olives, deviled eggs, celery & carrot slices, broccoli flowerets, cherry tomatoes, sliced pickles, and a large container of veggie dip)
Hot Biscuits (store bought)
Pumpkin pie (before Thanksgiving I make approximately 10-15 pumpkin pies using leftover pumpkins from my garden and freeze them)

This will easily serve 8-10 adults.

Several days before Christmas:

1. Make sure Mr. Bird is slowly unthawing in the bottom of your refrig. Gonna need at least 2-3 days for a 16-21 lb bird to unthaw.

Day before Christmas:

1. Bake cornbread (I use 2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix)
2. Boil eggs for relish plate and prepare deviled eggs. Store tightly covered in frig.
3. Slice up veggies for relish plate, store in plastic bags in frig. Chop up extra onions and celery for stuffing.
4. Prepare dip, cover and refrigerate.
5. Prepare salad dressings if possible
6. Acorn squash can be baked ahead of time, tightly covered and refrigerated.

Christmas morning:

1. Gently remove the giblets from Mr. T-bird and give him his Christmas bath. A liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper both inside and out will aid along his massage therapy. A generous all-over rubdown of butter of nonstick vegetable spray will help make Mr. T-bird look his best when presented to your guests. Place Mr. Bird in a roasting bag, prick a few holes in the bag and put in a roasting pan. I bake a 16-21 lb bird at 350 F for about 2 hours, then once Mr. Bird's skin begins to show promise of a gentle tan, I turn the oven down to 325 and continue baking for 3-4 more hours, or until golden brown and juices run clear.

2. While Your Guest of Honor (YGOH) is tanning..er..roasting... You can assemble the shrimp salad, cover and refrigerate. Potatoes can be peeled, covered with cold water and a dash of lemon juice and refrigerated until you are ready to start your potatoes.

3. To properly prepare your green beans, dump 3-4 cans of green beans in a large saucepan. Add 1/2 onion finely chopped and one whole hamhock. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Add 2-3 cups of water and cover tightly with lid. Bring to a boil and continue to simmer on medium heat for 2-3 hours, replacing liquids to keep beans from sticking.

4. Guests can help you set the table and arrange the relish platters. If using frozen pumpkin pies, they can be removed from the freezer 3-4 hours before heating and allowed to thaw to room temperature. Bake as directed on the carton.

5. Store-bought rolls can be lightly brushed with plain or seasoned butter, covered with tin foil and reheated 10 minutes or so in a 300 F oven. I use packaged gravy mixes to cut down on preparation time.

6. Cook giblets with lots of celery, onion and seasonings. Add giblets, broth and cooked onions to cornbread mixture. I add 2 eggs for additional wetness, mix well and place in a well-greased pan. Cover with foil and bake with turkey the last hour. I like to remove the turkey from the oven and let it stand for 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows for the skin to soften up abit...and the juices to drain. While turkey is standing, reheat squash in a 350 F oven.

Serve and enjoy.