In over My Head, Need Advice from Seasoned Moms ;)

If you can find the tv dinner table at a garage sale or craiglist they are awsome for small spaces.

http://www.viewpoints.com/Walmart-TV-Tray-Table-reviews

Ok, calm down! I do flylady cruising through the holiday missions to get ready for the holidays and highly recommend them. Just do 2 missions a day until you catch up! Ask family what they want for sides and recipes for them if need be, or if you are a pot luck family, have them bring them!

R., I only have to add that every whole turkey has a plastic bag inside filled with the neck and giblets. TAKE IT OUT before you cook the bird!

Good luck!

I would say if you want to go the Open House route then skip items like stuffing, green beans, & other hot side dishes (unless you have chafing dishes). I would probably do a turkey & maybe a ham, then deviled eggs, cole slaw, plenty of snack-type things like cheese & crackers & maybe a couple of hot casserole-type dishes that you can do a few small ones so when one starts running low you can pop another in the oven like cheesy potato casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, stuff like that. You can include rolls, cranberry sauce, the dreaded jell-o molds if you do them. I don't really know how much it would cost over-all, but if you start buying a few non-perishable things every week starting now like cans of corn & sweet potatoes, it won't be a killer the week before.

Are you kidding, the turkey is the EASIEST thing to do! Last year my mom was in the hospital so it was my first year to do it by myself. Anyone that knows me knows that I don't LIKE to cook nor am I really GOOD at it. So I found super quick and easy recipes to do. All my sides were in the crockpots. I have cut and pasted some more recipes into a word doc, including on how to cook the turkey while its still FROZEN...cool! So if you want me to send it to you (or if anyone else wants it), just message me your email address and I'll send it over to you. There is also a really cute appetizer that you make to look like a turkey, so easy and cute. Anyway, my advice is to just stick to the basics and ask family each to bring a pie. Good luck and have fun!!!!

Don't overstress and stop yourself from enjoying the family.
Do allow people to bring things and to help you.

I know people always dismiss me when I say my small house with a table for 4 has no room for company, but I understand exactly what you mean. We have another table that can squeeze 6 people if everyone stays seated. It is a stressful thing to me. We used a child's picnic table for the kids. Some people sat on the couch and ate. We also used a card table from Target that cost $75 with 4 chairs.

I used to have a tiny house and had my family over for big dinners. I set a big blanket in the living room and let the kids eat there..we pulled any and all extra chairs to the table, and some people ate in the living room. Our kitchen/dining/living room was one "big" room, so it worked. Good luck and YAY for taking control of it!!

Skip the turkey. Who needs the hassle. Everyone has turkey on turkey day, so we don't repeat it at Christmas.

If you are doing an "open house" that does not read sit down dinner, pass the rolls style. If you set up a sit down menu and have people milling in and out, they end up with cold food and an overall not favorable opinion. Set it up to be served cold or room temp by design. Make it festive and set up to flow effortlessly.

Do a dessert and appetizer style buffet. You can buy a spiral cut ham and a precooked turkey breast. Lay slices of ham and turkey on a platter along with soft dinner rolls. Lay some cheese slices and crackers out, a little dijon mustard. That way people can have ham and cheese crackers, turkey or ham roll sandwhiches, or take a few slices to make a plate. Ask everyone to bring an appetizer or dessert. Get 2 boxes of wine - red and white and put on a table with plastic cups - they make pretty good boxed wine and it makes it do it yourself, refillable. Take all the pressure off yourself. You are hosting the event, not catering it. Don't complicate this! You can bake a few loaves of zuchini or banana bread ahead of time. Make or buy a few types of cookies ahead of time. Put out bowls of mixed nuts or chips and dip throughout the house for people to nibble on. Set up conversation vignettes by grouping a few chairs near a side table with a plate of noche on it hear and there.

Breathe....
Okay -- do a pot luck supper. You provide the drinks, a main dish, and the plates and such. Let your relatives do the sides, the appetizers and the desserts.
You don't have to make a turkey -- you can get a ham at the honey ham store -- it's expensive, but worth it. You just take it out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temp. and serve. Have some small rolls to put the ham on -- some people will just want a small ham sandwich while others will want to eat their ham with a fork.
If you are totally averse to ham, they have turkey at the honey ham store, too. BUT cooking a Turkey is the same as cooking a chicken -- it just takes a little longer. It's easy!! Just go to the Butterball website and follow the directions. It's really foolproof.
YMMV
LBC

R.:

YOU GO GIRL!!! you are SOOO NOT in over your head.

Now breathe...let it out slowly...breathe again...let it out slowly...

Use the back porch/sun room for seating. K-Mart had a GREAT table with a bench seat and 4 chairs for $200 I think - I know it's a lot of money - maybe your parents can buy you that early for Christmas?! :) Or you can put it on layaway!!!

A turkey for how many? Have you considered deep frying it? My dad did it and to be honest - I thought EEEEWWW!!! But oh my word - it was the best!!! That frees up the oven too!! :) Any way - a 17lb turkey should take about 4.5 hours to cook at 375 degrees. If you add other items in the oven to bake (green bean casserole, rolls, candied yams, etc.) - either increase the temperature or add more time to baking.

Mashed potatoes? I make them in advance - put them in a ziploc bag and freeze them. Take them out that day and then warm them up.

I make the stuffing the day of. I've never tried to freeze it or make it in advance.

Any and all desserts are made before or brought by guests.

Anything that is NOT necessary - toaster, etc. gets removed from the area. Dishes are brought out the day before to ensure they are clean (we use the formal china) and the silver is polished.

I have the veggies for appetizers in baggies so all i have to do is bring them out that day. Dip(s) are already done as well.

In the past I've spent up to $300 on food for a Holiday - the most expensive is the Turkey and the Ham.

our typical menu is:

Turkey
Mashed potatoes
stuffing
gravy
candied yams
cranberries (whole and jellied)
waldorf salad
green salad
green bean casserole (when it's just the 4 of us? Tend to make a broccoli one instead)

appetizers consist of my guacamole, chips, dips, veggies, pigs in a blanket, pretzels..deviled eggs...can't forget the deviled eggs!! black olives, green olives, crackers, cheese...

most people come over around noon and I serve around 5PM. I put the turkey in about noon and it's usually done by 5PM - eating at 530 - as it takes some time to slice it up! :)

I have done Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house before, the most amount of people I cooked for was 20-25 people. You can find good deals on turkeys now, so go ahead and get your turkey and put it in the freezer. You will need to take it out about 3 days before to thaw--leave it in the wrapper and put it in a pan in the fridge. Don't forget to remove the neck and the sack of "innerds" before you cook it. They can take 4-5 hrs, depending on the size of your turkey. I usually bought a 23-25 lb turkey, so there is plenty for everyone and we have leftovers for sandwiches! The way I cooked mine was to rub it all over with butter/margarine, tuck some little pieces up under the skin of the breast, put some up inside the cavity, rub it all over with sage, thyme, rosemary, and put it breast side down in some water and/or apple juice. Cover loosely with foil and throw it in the oven. I usually made "casserole" type stuff while the turkey is baking and put them in the oven when the turkey came out (I left the foil on to keep some heat in on it). Rest of the stuff (green beans, corn, mashed potatoes) was made on the stovetop. People who came after the folod is cold can either eat it cold or heat it on a plate in the microwave.
I always went to the grocery to buy all my stuff a couple weeks before, to beat the last minute shoppers and be able to find stuff in stock. You could cook some things before hand (green beans, corn, mashed potatoes) and put stuff in crock pots to keep warm. Hope this helps! Just try to have fun and enjoy your family, not spending all day in the kitchen cooking. Try to keep it simple. Good Luck!

Hi R.,

If you are going to be doing it as an open house, I would not do a turkey. I would do something I could make in a large crock pot(s) and keep warm all day. I don't know if you have this where you live, but here in the Windy City, it's always popular to get some good quality Italian beef with gravy and have it in the crock pot. Have plenty of deli rolls on hand so people can serve themselves when they are ready to eat. You can make some sides and ask people to bring stuff to. It will be simple and enjoyable! Good luck!

Set it all up buffet style, that makes it easier on everyone. Most everything can be done ahead and left on warm on the stove while you wait for the bird. Most likely you will have volunteers for helping with the last minute stuff like mashed potatoes, gravy and such. Make sure you have plenty of table room, chairs, tv trays, whatever your are going to need to set up all the food on so people can get to it easily.
allrecipes.com now has youtube vids on how to prepare stuff. They had a good one on the front page this morning on how to roast the turkey, a very easy recipe, view it.
Hosting at your own home is usually harder and more stressful than driving to someone elses place, haha. What have you gotten yourself into?
Designate your daughters as your little helpers, I'm sure it will be fun and go a lot smoother than you think. Keep your menu small and by all means tell everyone to bring something... even if you end up with 10 pumpkin pies, it's better than nothing... and tasting everyone elses recipes is always fun.
Just remember "dont let anyone see you sweat".

Estimate about 1.5 lbs turkey/person.

Use a turkey bag. It is no fail. Reynolds makes them I think. All you do is season it, put the turkey in this clear baking bag, throw it in the oven, baste a few times and your turkey will come out juicey. I have never had a platter big enough for a whole turkey, but have just picked and sliced pieces and piled them on a platter.

I second potluck idea. You do the turkey and drinks, and everyone else coming will bring the sides, breads, salads and desert.

I have been to plenty of Thanksgiving meals in small apartments. The food was buffet style and everyone either stood around at ate or sat on the sofa...maybe throw a blanket in one of the bedrooms and have the kids eat on there. Or put the food out on the patio and save the counter space for people to eat on or desert. Don't worry about seating. Hungry people will always find a way to eat the food on their plate :)

Its allabout being together, not how formal yoru dinner table is. Have fun hosting!

I'm kind of in the same boat...first time hosting a holiday for 33 people! Yikes! Anyway, I got some great advice when I posted my question...You can also just cook a turkey breast (not the whole bird or if a whole turkey is a must I believe Jennie O has a turkey you can just pop in the oven and a little gadget pops up when it's done.) You can cook a ham in your slow cooker...Potatoes on the stove and a salad. Have people bring desserts! Right now my dinner is coming out to $300. But I also have a small mob to feed. Good luck!

We cook the day before and then heat everything up. Who wants to spend the day in the kitchen while everyone else hangs out? I would do cold items for finger foods, sliced lunch meat, cheeses, crackers, veggies and some fruit. Then set up the dinner items like a buffet in your kitchen. Clear off anything you don’t need from the counter. In my house it is usually just the coffee maker and the toaster left out. You could also pick up a folding table, home depot and lowes have sturdy plastic tables in different lengths that you can fold up when you are not using them.

R.,
Congrats! I love having people over to my house rather than driving hours with the kids.
Thanksgiving dinner is very doable. The most important thing is planning it out, though, since so many items need the oven. I would suggest possibly buying or borrowing an electric roaster. It just plugs into the wall and you can do your turkey in there the same way as in the oven. Ask the out of towners to bring something, too. Once your food assignments are made, figure out what items you are making and write a list along with what temperature they need to be cooked and how long. This helps form a cooking schedule so you can make sure nothing gets forgotten in the fridge and you all can sit down at a decent dinner hour.
Does anyone in the family have card tables or folding tables and chairs? If they can bring a few along, you might have to rearrange furniture a bit but still have a place for everyone to sit down. Good luck, you seem the creative type so I am sure you will figure it out.

grocery bill...for the wkend....about 10 people: $150-200. & that's with the others bringing food, too! Basically, my rule of thumb is: for a holiday or event, plan on spending one week's budget for groceries!

To cook a turkey: easy, easy...remove the innards/bag of giblets. Rinse the bird. Rub stick marg/butter over the entire skin. Season it with S&P...& maybe some garlic (depends on my mood). Stuff the cavity with an apple & some onion. Plop the sucker in the roasting pan, add about 2" water, & tent the bird with foil....making sure the foil doesn't touch the bird.
Bake as directed on the packaging. A 15lb bird can be cooked in 4 hours or so. OH, & when the popper "pops" ....remove the foil & bake long enough to brown the skin.
Been using this method for years now....the meat falls off the bones!

I make fresh dressing. I make sure all of the ingredients are bagged & ready to mix. It takes 1 hour for my dressing to bake....after the turkey is out of the oven. We keep the meat warmed during this time. It is also in this hour that I boil my potatoes. So my timing is: when the turkey comes out, the dressing goes in....& I turn on the potatoes. :)

For the green beans, use a crockpot. The same goes for the sweet potatoes. I make them ahead of time & keep them in a crockpot....it also helps caramelize them!

As for the other foods & finger foods....do all of the prep ahead of time. Have your serving trays out & ready to go. Have your paper products lined up & ready to go. & if your kitchen is small.....do setups all over the house! We even keep the coolers on our porch!

If you do an open house, then you'll need to keep all of the food in crockpots since most of the meal is heated food. I'd opt for a sit-down dinner.....& let them sit on the floor if needed. That way, you don't have to worry about the food!

Well, don't confuse a tea towel for cheesecloth the way my DH did the first year.

Joy of Cooking. Get it. Know it. Love it. That's how we cook our turkeys. Last year for Thanksgiving MIL also got pre-boxed dinners and all we had to do was reheat. That went well, too. You don't have to do the big turkey if turkey breasts (for example) are something you feel you can manage. DH and I take turns basting the turkey and we provide a few other things (like pie) and other family brings their favorites. We put a nice cloth over our diningroom table and take the kitchen table in there. At my uncle's house, they pull up a card table and cover that to make enough room. At my aunt's house, they put another table (just a simple 5 ft table like you can get at CVS) and folding chairs in the kitchen for a subset of the family. You make it work.

If you are going to have an Open House, I would say "main meal served at 2PM, grazing before and after" and put out snacks the rest of the time. That way you and they have an expectation at least at 2 for a meal vs the turkey sitting around all day.

We always do celery with cream cheese. That never lasts long around here.

with Turkey I now swear by the oven bags or our newest thing is deep fried turkey. It's yummy! We gotthe deep fryer from a friend. We all go in on the cost of the peanut oil, (a group of about 3 to 4 friends) since that is the expensive part, and then deep fry all of the turkeys for everyone since they only take about 20 minutes for a 14 to 16 lb turkey. THEY ARE YUMMY! The oven bags work great too if you need to cook the turkey faster and need the oven for other sides while it rests. The most moist turkey ever! Good luck! The bags work for hams too by the way. :)

There are 1000 ways to cook a turkey. I HIGHLY recommend going to

www.foodnetwork.com and watching many of the tutorials

Give it a go ahead of time (turkey makes GREAT lunchmeat, and you save a tone). Say this month. When turkeys go on sale for thanksgiving and doing a 'dry run'.

3 BIG TRICKS

1) Make sure you pull out the giblets before cooking ((Woman standing by the turkey on the phone with a horrified expression as she looks a the turkey cavity and her hand is one of my *favorite* all time commericals EV-er as she says "Put my what? in it's wha-wha???"))

2) Poultry is 'done' at 180 degrees. It will be *super* moist at 180, but not pink. At 190+ it starts to dry out. Pop thermometers register at 180, but the turkey continues to cooke while it's "resting" (see below for #3) raising up to 200-210 so pop thermometer turkeys are all a bit dry. A meat thermometer costs about $2 and it guarantees moist/juicy turkeys. When it temps at 165, you pull it out. When it temps at 155, you 'brown' it, if it isn't already.

3) RESTING. Steam escaping lyses (cuts through) cells, which makes the juices all drain out. Whether it's steak or turkey, you want to let meat rest after cooking it. Steak only needs a couple minutes. TURKEYS NEED AT LEAST 20 MINUTES of resting. Resting is simple. You pull it out and ignore it. Don't poke, cut, or do anything else to it (well, you can swear at it if you just bumped your arm with the hot pan). Just set it on the counter and leave it alone. If you pull it at 165 the temp will raise over the next 10 minutes or so to 180/85 (being perfectly cooked), and then start to cool down (so the steam won't explode the cells) over the next 10.

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As far as timing/ other food... look up online for a BASIC idea of how long your turkey will take to cook per pound. ((always go off of the thermometer... time per pound can be under or over, but typically not by more than half an hour)). MOST sides get cooked on the stove, so there's no problem. For oven cooked... if it takes a long time... cook in the oven either before or with your turkey (if you cook WITH, it will slow down the cooking on both/all). Then heat up in the oven again while the turkey is resting.

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Cost really varies depending on # of people and location. I, in general, expect $100-$150 for every 10 people.

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Turkeys range from 10-40lbs. In general, you want to avoid the BIG birds, because they're old egg laying hens and are trickier to cook (for many reasons). Figure 2lbs of turkey per person when you're buying. That's because of the bones, but most people eat 1- 1.5lbs of turkey. It's better (in my experience) to have a COUPLE of smaller (20-25lb) turkeys than one giant one. So if you're going to have 20+ people, cook one 20lb turkey the day before, and one 20lb the morning of. What's fun this way is that you can cook them 2 different ways.

Get a turkey Now and practice making one or 2!My walmart has dropped the price already to 74 cents a pound. Turkeyis so easy! After it's defrosted take out the giblets and neck rinse inside and out under warm water and then pat the outside dry with a paper towel.If you want now is a good time to add a tablespoon of grated lemon peel and freshly cracked black pepper under the sking or some herbs like rosemary and sage. Next pour some olive oil on your turkey and rub it all over the outside, stick it in your roasting pan and cover with foil. Slide it in the oven that is heated to 325 and bake for 20 minutes per pound. About 20 minutes before it comes out remove the foil. When it is done let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing it.
As for the other dishes I would make all the desserts a day ahead. If you are making the cheesecake from scratch they actually taste best if made 1-2 days before being eaten. If you are making rolls make those a day ahead or before you put the turkey in.You can do the greenbean casserole in the crockpot. About 2 weeks before christmas get a list of what your relatives are bringing and WRITE it down!!!! Lastly make sure your husband knows he is helping you clean up!

I just cooked my first turkey yesterday because like you, I'm refusing to travel on Thanksgiving lol
It was EASY. Once it thawed, I seperated the skin and rub melted butter mixed w/ garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. I let it cook @ 475 for 20 minutes, then dropped it down to 300. Then you let it cook about 20 minutes per pound. I basted it about every hour. The thermometer popped WAY too early, and my guy told me that. So basically when the legs were seperating from the rest of the bird I knew it was done. It was AWESOME!!!!
My only other advice would be to "prep" what you can the night before. Cutting any veggies etc. Then start early the morning of, prepare things and stick them in the fridge until you're ready to cook. Get a list from everyone as to what they plan to bring, and make a list so all you bases are covered. Deligate if you need too..."Aunt Mary, you brink the pop and juice" "Mom could you bring a veggie tray" etc
Thats what I did the first year I hosted Xmas eve and it went very smooth.
Do some foods that you can keep warm, in a chaffing dish or crockpot. Swedish meatballs, pigs in a blanket, spinach dip, or buffalo chicken dip.
Cheese, meat and cracker trays. Have fun!

Skip the turkey and go for ham. Ham is less finnicky and can be reheated/kept warm so much easier. They typically are fully cooked so it takes less time to prepare.

I 2nd the idea of making everyone bring a side dish. That will take the onus off of you. If you go that route you will have to set a definitive time for people to arrive for dinner.

If you have relatives with folding card tables and chairs ask them to bring them along too.

Do as much shopping at Aldi's for your ingredients because they are by far the cheapest on groceries.

I Love cooking for Thanksgiving. Its a challenge, but with what you've written before, I know you are up to the challenge.

Someone suggested butterball.com. I would also recommend allrecipes.com.

I would poll your guests to see who does what well and ask them to do the side dishes and bring them.

The turkey. The centerpiece of your feast. They don't come pre-stuffed so take the bag out of the front of the turkey and the neck out of the body cavity. Throw the liver away. Take the heart, gizzard and neck, put them in an 8 quart pot with water that covers the neck. Put the lid on and simmer for at least an hour. Then turn the fire off to cool. Pick the meat off the neck and dice the giblets.

I smoke our family's turkey. The turkey is done when it crosses 170 degrees internal temp. Don't use a pop-up timer. It pops at 185 degrees and then you get a dry turkey. I put my turkey on my BBQ grill. I rub the turkey all over with EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Then I put the spices on the turkey and rub them on. The EVOO helps the dry spices to stick. I use garlic granuales (no salt), paprika (for color), a little chili powder (for color), poultry seasoning, dried parsley flakes. Then I put a metal trivet in the bottom of a disposable pan. Fill the pan with water up to the top of the trivet. Plact the turkey on top of the trivet and place on your BBQ grill or in your oven. Set the temperature to 250 degrees on the oven. I keep my grill between 225 to 275 degrees. Refill the water to the top of the trivet about once per hour. Don't let the water completely evaporate. You pour the liquid out of the turkey pan into your giblet gravey. The turkey is finished cooking when the internal temeperature reaches 170 degrees. That's why you have a meat thermometer. IF I stuff my turkey, I usually slice fresh mushrooms and place them in the body cavity.

Take the juice out of the bottom of the turkey pan in the pot you were cooking the neck and giblets. Add back in the diced giblets and turkey neck meat. Place sliced mushrooms in the pot and boil. Put one or two cans of cream of mushroom soup in the giblet gravey. Put two table spoons of flour into a jar along with one cup of warm, not hot, giblet gravy. Shake the jar vigorously until the flour and gravy have completely combined. Pour the liquid a little at a time into the boiling pot of giblet gravy while stiring. The more flour you put in the jar, the thicker the gravy will be. When every thing boils, the gravey is done.

Cost? When my family comes over, 20, I spend less than $45. But I'm a frugal shopper and I usually cook a 20+ pound turkey. I know how to spice and cook a turkey, so I don't need butterball to spice it for me. So I don't pay their price.

I hope that helps. Good luck to you and yours.

We do ham for Christmas cause we are usually turkeyed out by then. :)

If you are going to do a turkey see if one of your friends has a turkey roaster. That way you have the oven free for the sides.

You could do a ham - cook it early then keep slices warm in a crockpot.
turkey takes 3 hrs or so, so you could cook it first thing in the a.m., then slice/carve it all up and keep warm in a large crockpot with some broth/stock.
You could even serve rolls with it for a sandwich thing.
I would have a veggie tray, pickles, olives etc
chips/pretzels
maybe some kind of cheesy potato thing in another crock pot??
and a couple of pre made desserts.
KISS - Keep it Simple Stupid (my motto :)
coolers with pop, water, beer......some ice tea in the fridge
Plastic plates and cups - this is the one time of year that I allow my self to use these.
Wine for you (or vodka, my choice)
You could also have a cold salad in the fridge - pasta salad, cole slaw etc and cranberry salad.

I seem to have all the parties at my house!

Turkey. On the label it will tell you how big it is and will also let you know how many it will feed. I know several people say don't stuff. Well, I stuff and its yummy and I haven't killed anyone yet! I use a cornbread dressing recipe that my mom gave to me when I moved away. If you are interested, message me and I will tell you. Depending on the weight, a turkey can take 4 to 5 hours at a low temp. Not bad. I do all my prep work before hand. I prepard my stuffing, pies, whip cream (homemade) and sides. Easier to do. I do have a dining room table so depending on how many people, I may serve or do buffet style. Just depends on the size of the gathering. This is not hard so really don't worry. Just make a list and delegate. Merry Merry!!!! Oh and breath!!

So cool you get to have everyone come to you!! I have a small house too, what I have done in the past was to get a long wrectangular folding table and set all the main dishes out on that. I placed all of the desert and some snack items on the counter tops and some chex mix or chips and salsa etc on coffee table. If there are little ones other then your own be mindful of what your sitting out in their reach. As far as sides, I usually prep them the night before green bean caserole, salad, stuffing, mashed taters, etc. The deserts a few days before. The turkey depends on how large you get and if it is fresh or frozen. There should be instructions on the package as far as per pound cook for ... I've only hosted 2 holidays at my home but it is great, even with the clean up I always find there is less drama and fun times! We usually pull out a deck of cards before the night is over. Good luck and be sure to let us know how it goes.

I didn't read the other responses, but just wanted to suggest that while you want to do the turkey and maybe a dish or two to go w/ it, help offset the cost of the meal by having everyone contribute. Someone bring all the rolls, someone can bring drinks, someone desserts, finger foods, etc. This is how we've always done it in my family...each person/family brings one or two side dishes and we have plenty of food and a nice variety.

If you can, get sturdy paper/foam plates to reduce doing dishes after. Also, if you are limited on space, you may want to move your table against a wall and use for setting out all the food if you can. And if you have a collapsible table, set it up in your family room (it can be taken down after the meal.) Use your basement, too. Drinks and cold dishes can be set outside to be kept cold and brought in as needed/ as room is made. Especially, since this is an open house, you don't really need to have a dinner table set up.

Cooking a turkey is pretty easy...just look at label and cook, based on weight...I always slice the skin in spots and add pats of butter, a little bit of water and salt and pepper. I keep it covered until near the end, then let it cook uncovered to brown the skin (if cooking in the oven!)

Good luck and have fun...it's always nice NOT to have to cart the kids around!

I don't know how many people in your family and how many will come. It is best to plan for more than show up so that you do not run short of food. Let the relatives that want to bring food do so. Make of list of what is being brought so that you dont' have to do that dish. Write down everything on your menu and go to several stores and price it out. This will give you an idea of how much it will cost. Conservative figure might be around $300 (a bit high for some and low for others).

Make as many of the sides up as possible and freeze unless it has milk then do it all but the milk. I would probably get a 20 pound turkey and get a "how to" from the web and follow it. You can do stuffing outside the bird which is sometime better than inside the bird (personal choice). If you could/can cook the turkey ahead of time and freeze it in packages so that it is easy to freeze and serve. Rolls and bread can be easy or hard depending on you. Get the rolls in the package to bake that day. Microwave comes in handy for reheating things quickly. Desserts are the same -- make them up or order them from bakery in advance and pick them up a day or so before Christmas. Serve a punch, coffee/tea, or soda if you must.

If you can clear out a spot in the dining room can you get a long table or make one (some long bookshelves, an old door, or a piece of plywood)and use it to put your food on as a banquet table? That way people can get their food their and sit somewhere else in the house and eat. Use disposable plates/silveware/cups for easy clean up.

Use your kitchen as the prep station only since you say space is at a premium. Too many people in a kitchen and no one can find anything. Above all, enjoy and know that the confusion is part of the season and know that you did your best for taking on this holiday.

Somewhere in the middle of this you will find time to decorate and play holiday music.

Happy holidays and good luck to you.

The other S.

PS There is a first time for everything and you learn. The next one won't be as hard and laugh -- don't sweat the small stuff.

You will be ok. Make a list. That way you can be sure not to miss anything. DELEGATE! Get everyone to help you. Assign tasks starting the week before. Breaking it down that way makes it much easier than trying to do all of it at one time.
Rent tables. They are cheap. I set up two 8 foot tables and chairs in the garage and in the dining room two 6 ft tables set up buffet style. I have had alot of parties. Try to do as much as you can before THE day. Preparation is key. Do as much pre cooking as you can, so that the day of you are just finishing it up.
One thing to think about.....if you do too good of a job they will COME AGAIN!! hahahaha! I got chosen many times as host for our family functions cuz they liked the way we did it. Seriously just have fun and enjoy having your family close.
I will miss cooking with my hubby! We were a team in the kitchen and the best hosts. We loved it!
Good luck and GOD BLESS!
D.

For your turkey, buy a fresh bird (they taste so much better). Hop on this site and find a recipe with good reviews that you're comfortable with. http://allrecipes.com/features/holidays/thanksgiving/defa...

Pre cook as much as you can. What you cannot pre-cook, at least put the dish together so it's ready to go into the oven. You can pre cook the day before and put everything in the fridge in their casserole dishes. The day of, in my house, the only things that are actually prepared and cooked are the turkey and the green beans (I sautee mine on the stove in crisp bacon and carmelized onion). Everything else is just put into the oven to finish and heat through. I even to mashed potatoes the day prior in my big mixer and then put them into a crock pot to reheat.

Best of luck!

OK... first, breathe. Second, start clearing out your fridge and borrow a card table.

Basic "turkey dinner" is literally the easiest and cheapest meal to do!
- Talk with the butcher about a turkey. Tell him how many people you will have and whether or not you want some leftovers. Buy a FRESH turkey or you will have to defrost, which is a pain.
- We roast our turkey at a high heat at the start to crisp up the skin (rub with olive oil, salt and pepper) and then drop the heat (covering with foil) to finish roasting. Stuff the turkey with an apple cut in quarters, a lemon cut in half, a bundle of time and a quartered onion. NEVER roast the turkey with the stuffing inside.
- Mashed potatoes can be made two days ahead and reheated in a slow cooker the day of (your oven will be "busy). Just put milk or cream (about an inch) at the bottom of the slow cooker, add the mashed potatoes and cover on low until heated, then drop it to "warm".
- Stuffing... Stovetop is the easiest and so tasty! You can substitute 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken stock for a richer flavor. Make it ahead and warm in the microwave or on the stove. You may need to add a little more liquid.
- Jarred gravy warmed
- Green beans are best made just before serving add toasted almonds to it and it looks fancy
- dinner rolls
- butter
- cranberries

**If people want to bring things, have them bring the appetizers!**

Just a suggestion, you may want to invite people with the understanding that they are welcome to come any time between noon and 5, but that dinner will be served at 3:00.

** Use the heavy-duty paper and plastic goods. Use paper napkins that are "festive". You will appreciate the lack of clean-up and no one will care.**

** Borrow folding tables and chairs from friends/family/neighbors. You can put furniture into other rooms for the afternoon and have your family eat in your living room. **

I make everything that I can the day or two beforehand. All pies can be cooked a day or two before. I make the stuffing the day before and cook it that day. Some things you just have to cook that day...like mashed potatoes. That morning I get up early and get the turkey in the oven. It is easy. Just google "easy roast turkey recipe" and follow one that looks good to you. I basically spend the rest of the day working on getting all the foods ready. Once the turkey is done and out on a platter, then you can make the gravy (google a recipe, but it is easy...basically you stir in milk mixed with some flour into the hot turkey grease while stirring constantly). I put out easy appetizers and have a drink counter/cooler for people to get their own drinks. I delegate at the end and get others to set the table and stir and help with all the last minute stuff. Have fun and enjoy hosting! I always find it to be fun...but the key is to make as much as you can before that day so you are not stressed.

It's only intimidating because it's for so many people. Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner is actually pretty simple, but it's done on such a grand scale so it's usually the only time you have those foods, at least it is in my house.

For the turkey, if you buy it frozen make sure you leave enough time for it to thaw properly. It seems I always end up with mine in a sink of cold water to finish thawing. Also, consider doing a smaller turkey and then an additional turkey breast, since most people tend to choose white meat anyhow. Just follow the directions on the package and you should be good. I usually will rinse the bird, pat dry (don't forget the cavity), slather vegetable oil all over the skin, and place in oven at a higher temp for about an hour so the skin can brown, then tent loosely with foil and reduce the oven temp for the remainder of the cooking time. Buy a brined bird, or do it yourself, to help make sure the meat is moist. Also, to be on the safe side, use an instant read thermometer to ensure the turkey is done because the pop up timers are unreliable.

For stuffing, don't put it inside the bird, for food safety reasons. You could do a simple stovetop recipe, or what I do is mix up the stuffing and wrap it in foil, then stick it in the oven with the turkey during the last hour or so of cooking. If it's a large amout I'll do two packets to make sure it cooks through.

I usually will also serve mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole, cranberry sauce (just the canned stuff), and maybe corn. I put the green beans in the oven after I take out the turkey, since the turkey needs to rest a good while before you carve it.

You could do an open house, but I would plan on serving "dinner" at a specific time and just have your appetizers sitting out for those that come early. For late comers, you can warm up a plate for them if needed.

Just do things simple and assign as many side dishes/appetizers to family as you can, they'll be happy to bring something and it'll be less stress for you.

Think about rearranging your furniture a bit, and getting/borrowing some small folding tables that can be placed around your house.

Use paper plates, but make sure you get really sturdy ones. There's nothing worse than when your plate gives way to heavy food.

Good luck and have fun! I love cooking and my favorite time to do it is at the holidays.

Hey R.,

Don't sweat it. You can do this. If you can read and follow directions, you can cook anything you want.

Just because you host the meal doesn't mean you can't also do a potluck. Let your family know what you will be contributing to the dinner, like the bird, potatoes, rolls and so on. Then ask each member to bring one thing. Someone can bring the rolls, someone can bring the appetizers, someone can bring pie. Explain that this is your first big meal and you aren't sure exactly what you are doing, so you need a little help.

Go to the butterball website and you can find out how big a turkey you will need for the number of guests you will have and how long it needs to thaw. You will also get cooking guidelines, so you can plan how long and when to bake it. I strongly recommend brining a turkey first. It adds incredible flavor and keeps the meat moist and tender. You just put the turkey into the turkey size oven bag, set the bag in an alluminum (throw away) turkey roaster, breast side down, pour the brine into the bag (I can send you a recipe for the brine if you want, or any other recipes for that matter since I cook all the holiday meals), and let it soak in the brine for 24 hours before cooking. Take it out, dry it off, season it, fill the cavity with onion, cellery, lemon, garlic and herbs (don't eat them after you cook them) and bake according to the time and temp you got off the butterball website. Turkeys are easy. I promise.

Make any pies, breads, cookies and such the day before. While the turkey is cooking, you can make mashed potatoes and greenbeans or corn or whatever on the stove. Stuffing isn't too hard, but if you have an expert in the fam who will be attending, ask them to bring it. Actually that's how I would decide what to ask people to bring. Anything else that needs to be done in the oven, give to someone else to do.

Hope this helps, and if you have any questions (not that I'm an expert, just available) or want any recipes, feel free to PM me.

Don't try to do any recipes that you haven't done before- just in case they don't turn out how you would like them too and also because you won't know until you make it exactly how long it's going to take.
I would accept all offers of help and sign people up to help bring other dishes. Pre-cut veggies might cost a little more, but if you are short on prep time, it will help out a lot. If not, pre cut your own veggies and store them in plastic baggies a couple of days before. The frozen dinner rolls(you have to let them thaw and rise before you bake them) are really good if you don't have time to make your own- just don't forget to get them out of the freezer. Sturdy paper plates and some nice paper napkins along with plenty of trash bags and a pre-assigned person to empty the trash- will help.
One of our favorite holiday drinks is Cranberry Apple juice with Ginger ale. Very tasty, and very quick to make! If you are doing the open house type party, I wouldn't cook a turkey- unless you were just doing turkey breast- A ham would work better, I think because for me it seems easier to slice and serve as needed. Plus it tends to keep better in a warm oven and not dry out. If you have a slow cooker, you could do something in it that will keep warm- even keep the ham or turkey in it so the meat won't be on the counter all day. Look for foods that keep well at room temp(rolls, fresh veggies, fruit and some fruit salads) If you have room, keep the desserts in a separate area(dinner on one counter, dessert on another counter) with a pot of coffee and some mugs.
And don't forget to relax and enjoy the company too! The biggest thing is just getting everything prepared, after that- things tend to go smoothly.
~C.

Just an idea: My MIL does tacos on Christmas. It's so much easier than baking a turkey and all the fixings. (And everybody comes up with fun nick-names and then we have a taco-eating contest.) lol

But if you'd rather stick with a traditional meal...then I'm not going to be very much help since I've never cooked for a large group before. I've only made turkey a hand-ful of times but I'd definitely suggest using an oven bag. Follow the instructions on the turkey/oven-bag and you'll be just fine! :-) (remember to remove the gizzards--they are usually frozen inside in a plastic bag...sometimes difficult to dig out!)

You can also throw meatballs or weiners and barbeque sauce in the crockpot for a fast and easy side!

Good luck!!!!

So many responses - I'll need to come back!

Anyway - if you are not going to present the whole bird but will have it already cut on a serving platter, microwave that bird! Seriously!! Mom does this - in one of those big roasting bags made for it! Does not take hours in the oven (leaving that open for other things) - and since it is cooked w/the breast side down, it will usually remain moist!