OMG! Thanksgiving Dinner for 14!!! (alieliza)

14... 15... what's the difference? *packs bags*

Take a deep breath!

Breath innnnnnnnnnnnnn, breath ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttttttttttttttt...................

You can do this. Everything you listed sounds good. I think the measure is 1/2 lb of turkey per person. So start there, you know the kids won't eat that much, if anything and some adults will eat more, not to mention left overs.

Prepare as much as possible the day before.

I come from a large family. Typical dinner was:

Turkey, mashed potato's, dressing, 2 veggies, rolls, cranberry sauce and yams. Trust me this is plenty! I would not do a second meat unless you have people who won't eat the bird, if that is the case, get a small bird and a small ham. You might want to think of a kid dish, like mac and cheese for the small people.

Dessert was several different kinds of pie's.

Think about dishes, silverware, napkins, towels, serving dishes, containers to store left overs and send take home, drinks, coffee, soda, wine, water and beer. Make sure you have extra garbage room in your cans.

Most of all just remember it is a holiday and family has to help! It's a rule!

Enjoy it!

ETA: Holler if you need hand holding!

Wow, aren't you nice and generous!  Is it really necessary for you to cook everything?  My MIL used to do Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for about 15 and she kept the menu pretty simple and the people coming all brought something, either a dessert dish or a side dish.  So she basically handled the bird, stuffing, mashed taters and rolls and everyone brought their "specialty" to add to the meal.  Less work for her and plenty of food for everyone.

Have fun! 

Truley, thank you sooooooo much. Your post was a huge help. You mentioned things I didn't think of, and set my mind at ease about the menu. I think I'll keep it the way it is, add rolls, and probably take out the ham!

And I'll take you up on the hand holding offer and keep you posted!

Luckily, my mother is coming down a couple days early, and my fiance is an excellent cook as well, so there certainly won't be a shortage of cooks in the kitchen!

Ok, amendments!

It's now 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per adult. That seems large to me, lets just say my mom made a 20-24 lb turkey. There was enough to eat and left overs as well. Don't forget tinfoil and saran wrap!

Pies...people who live far away can bring pies! Apple, pumpkin, anykind of fruit pie.

and just for you..............

http://www.personalizedletter.com/Holidays/Fall/checklist.html

And if it makes you feel better I made one of these last year for a sit down of....14! And I lived to tell about it, was good eating too!

http://www.thesalmons.org/lynn/turducken.html

Okay, you're gonna be kinda full there.  Why don't you send the Pibbles to PA for a vacation?    Um, I'm sure that you & your SO can work together in the kitchen well but you might want to think about having 3 chefs in there.  It can get kind of crowded in there.  I also agree with cooking what you can a day or 2 before.  Have fun & let me know when I can expect Tyson & Gracie. 

Ok, so I'm the List Queen -- when I have a big "do" like that to deal with I plan it in lists in advance.  I literally plan my menu partly around what I *can* cook -- i.e., how much will fit in the oven, how big the pans are, what has to be cooked WHEN and for how long?

Then I also evaluate what can be done ahead of time (pies don't need to be baked that day, etc.) and then how much time do I have to take off work before to get it all done. 

If I have a schedule to go by I'm golden -- AND, fwiw, I usually do my turkey in a Reynolds cooking bag.  I know some people don't like it, but it cooks a big turkey in just a few hours, NO basting and it's literally done to perfection.  I have never had a turkey turn out bad that way. 

If I can encourage you to do anything do it like a teacher.  PLAN.  Tell yourself exactly when to start everything -- and even plan on when to buy it all and where (I don't know where your apartment is but can you get all you need upstairs/in in one trip?)

As far as table-space get creative.  Can you borrow some cardtables to put at the end of your table to make the table "longer"?  How about some sawhorses and a piece of plywood with a tablecloth over it (you might want to pad that with a couple of folded up sheets) and see who can bring over some folding chairs?  How about setting the table up in the shape of a "U" (if you have to put together weveral tables to make 'one' big enough)

p.s.-- an easy extra "side" can be stuff like nutbred or datebread or some sweet loaf bread that can be made NOW and frozen.  A relish tray of stuff like olives, peppers, crabapples, or spiced apple rings can look festive and take moments to put together (as long as you plan ahead what dish you're gonna serve what in!).  Stuff can be cut up in advance and covered with sarah wrap and then slapped on the platter in moments before serving (good job for a 10-14 year old with nothing better to do!!).

See if there is some family traditional thing that needs to be there (is this all your family coming?) -- for my family it was fruit salad that was nothing more than well drained fruit cup. a sliced banana, and with a couple of cups of tiny marshmallows combined with a pint of heavy cream whipped with a tablespoon of conf. sugar, done the morning of and refrigerated for a couple of hours.)

Checking on that traditional "must have" thing can save face big time.

Annie, be careful what you wish for, cause *you* might just have a full house come Thanksgiving. One of my nieces is extremely afraid of dogs, and as she put it "Tyson is a little bit frisky". LOL. JK, of course, but, I do hope that shes gotten over her fear a bit... we baby sat one weekend and had to bring Tyson with us, and she was screaming (literally) around him, and asked repeatedly that he be kept in the crate. Ugh. If she thought Tyson was frisky, wait til she meets Tyson AND Gracie together. They play rough with each other. They're gonna have to keep it down a bit while guests are here!

And Callie, I've already made a list, lol. And my mother and I have started to plan out what she will make, what can be made ahead, when she is coming, etc. I hadn't thought about putting the card tables end to end with the dining room table we've already got. Thats a great idea!

The easy apps. like olives and stuff is a great idea!

turkey (and a 24 pounder is plenty for my crowd)

mashed potatoes (and it's one POTATO per person, not one POUND of potatoes per person...holy jeeze. I won't make that mistake again...)

2 boxes of stuffing (Stove Top!),

gravy (lots...more than you think you'll need. I use 3 jars of the pre-made plus two packets of powder to mix with drippings)

and rolls (2 per person, but my fam likes rolls)

I then assign sides to people, usually through a mass email. Sides usually are green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese (mostly for the kiddo's), and I'm sure I'm forgetting some stuff. BF's gma makes a ROCKING apple pie so she brings 3-4 of those, and it's my b-day so there is also cake for dessert.

Make sure you have coffee and a coffee pot! I didn't, my first year, and apparently it's some kind of sacrilege.

And really...it's not that bad! Then again, with BF's nutty family I am grateful if we make it through the meal without tears or bloodshed.

sl2crmeg

Make sure you have coffee and a coffee pot! I didn't, my first year, and apparently it's some kind of sacrilege.

This is why it always helps to know what stores WILL be open nearby. 7-11's coffee is better then nothing...

If you don't have space for a sitdown consider doing it buffet style!! That makes it much more casual and easygoing. Please make sure you have a plan for the dogs and their outs and feeding times. Things go horribly wrong when the cook has to walk the dog 30 minutes before everything's going to be ready because said dog is ready to explode and had to be confined away from guests that insisted on doing stare-downs...

Alison, I'm serious.  Let me know.  I'd be glad to watch the kiddos for you.

*laffs*  I already do have a handful.  What's a few more?  I just need bigger hands. :o)