There are so many game-changers in this video. It's probably one of the best Pam has ever done. Can we also recognize how much money Pam spends on food and ingredients to make these demonstrations for us? It's astounding.
I would love to sit and have a beer with Pam & Jim. *LOL* I rely on them for all my canning and cooking learning--AND I'M GOING TO BE 70 YO SOON! *lol* We are never too old to learn and I love that they incorporate safety, science, and sustainability into all their teachings. THANK YOU, PAM & JIM!
I am in awe of the amount of time, effort & research you & Jim have put into this single video! I will be sharing it with my siblings in hopes of making their holiday preps easier on them. Thank you for ALL that both of you have shared over the years! We are blessed to have you as our *teachers*. 💕
This is GREAT!!! I am so excited about this plan! A bonus in my opinion: if you start early with this plan, it also helps financially, because you spread the cost over time as well. Thank you SO MUCH for this!!!
Being a single guy, I have purchased pre-masked potatoes at the grocery. I have even froze them when I found a good sale. My rule of thumb is if you can buy food frozen or refrigerated at the grocery, then you can do it at home. Think of the ingredients in TV dinners. I was even given sweet potatoes and I couldn't eat that many so I baked them, mashed them and froze them in bags
I learned years ago to calendar. It is not just the food. It is cleaning the house, polishing the silver and check8ng the special glasses and plates, which might need to be washed. A lot of work to make the day special. My mother started in September with the yearly dry cleaning of drapes and tablecloths. We, her daughters, cleaned the house and polished the silver. We bought the pies and used certain instant mixes.
@terrym5786 I also started with cleaning house and preparing the garden in October (Southern hemisphere). There's no way to do it all in the week before the holidays and still be alive enough to be pleasant to be around 🤣😁
Oh thx so much for this video!! I absolutely love making Xmas dinners and baking! I plan to Xmas. Decor this weekend and have already wrapped Xmas gifts. My sons will be here over Xmas so I'll have time to spend with them!! God Bless!
I know a southern lady who bakes sweat potatoes and freezes them whole. She wraps them in foil then pastic wrap. She heats up to eat. Or she uses them for pie or casaroles. Here in georgia folks pick or grow them by the bushel.
My dear friend Pam..from USA....i have to say..that i am very dippely sorry and worry about what is going on in your gov. You are so kind.. And you dont deserve that.
Hi Pam and Jim, I so, so, so enjoyed your video. Yes. I cannot do what I used to do at 73, soon to be 74. Your tips were terrific. I learned several things, and I appreciate you doing the videos over several days. That was not easy. I planned an easy dinner for my husband and I, and my son and his wife invited his inlaw’s over to eat on Thanksgiving. (Usually we are alone as they go to her folk’s house) She told me just last week. So, my daughter-in-law said that we are eating on paper plates, with plastic cups with our names on it. OK then. I am using aluminum casserole pans and freezing everything ahead of time, except the two turkey breasts, a fried turkey and a ham. Those will be prepared the day of Thanksgiving. I am using Six Sister’s Stuff Crockpot Turkey Breasts, and the seasoning is prepared ahead of time. I will put them on a bed of carrots, celery and onions, pour the seasoning over and done. They cook about 8 hours for my sizes of turkey breasts in the Crock Pot. If you have never looked at Phyllis Stokes and Son, on UA-cam you are missing a treat. She sadly has passed away and her son has kept her recipes online. I am making her German Chocolate Cake and Cook’s Illustrated Ultranutty Pecan Bars. Both outstanding recipes. Then some cookies for the kids. I have never had Thanksgiving without crystal and china on a decorated table, but I bet we all have more fun. Happy Thanksgiving you two. 🧡
Even when I don’t cook everything from scratch, I’m still exhausted! lol. But, I’d like to cook things ahead of time so that I can enjoy the holidays more.
I make the pecan sweet potato casserole in bulk, because we love it year-round. So much easier to do several at once and freeze till use😊. I put foil around the casserole, put the topping separate in a snack-size bag, and cover with plastic wrap with the baggie sandwiched between. So good!
You have a wonderful talent for communicating your skillset ! First time viewer here, and I’m not clear… how do I find your handouts/recipes? Thank you.
My daughter is doing Thanksgiving this year and she doesn't want any help, in spite of me offering several times. I've seen this video and sent it to her and told her that it may be a great help to her. I just wish to goodness I had this video years ago when I was hosting both families. Thank you to the two of you for all the work that you put in on this it will be a family heirloom to many families for years from now thank you.😊❤
My mother and grandmother were also exhausted after the holiday meals. So in later years, I cooked more and we had a set meal plan which was agreed upon by both of us. It helped us both to enjoy the holidays.
I do my stuffing in the slow cooker. I also sauté the onions and celery in butter and freeze just that part. I mix everything together the am of and put in slow cooker. I don’t like to leave it in the fridge because I feel the bread gets mealy
Over the last few years, I make everything I can ahead. I've also developed chronic illness, which amplifies the need to spread holiday prep out over several days. I'll still be in bed for a while afterwards. But I can enjoy the day with my family.
I make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and then put them in the crockpot to freeze in that shape. Once it’s frozen I take it out and wrap it for the freezer. When it’s time to reheat I just slip them into the crockpot and warm them up. Be sure to stir them often so they don’t burn. So convenient and easy. Can be done days or weeks ahead of time. ✨🥔😊
My year has been extremely stressful. I wanted to skip Christmas. Somehow your video showed up on my feed. I’m actually excited again to cook as I do love to, and this will take the entire stress off for cooking 2 Christmas dinners on different days. You have a new subscriber. Thank you. ❤
What a blessing! Your putting this together in such a simple, easy to follow way takes a lot of pressure off without loosing the personal touches. Thank you!!
I was taught by my mom to double the spices for our pumpkin pie. Apparently my paternal grandmother thought the Libby's recipe was too bland, so she doubled the spices and a family favorite was born.
Crescent rolls are our favorite holiday rolls. Your dough looks beautiful. You brought back so many lovely holiday memories seeing you make those. Made me tear up because its one thing me and my mom always done together. And she always had a marble rolling pin just like yours, that I now have. I still make them, but I really miss my parents at the holidays the most. Thank you for sharing a wonderful class.
We love banana cream pie for our holidays and a few years back I stopped making them in a pie plate. I now make in a 9x13 cake pan and double the recipe it works so much better. I also last year did the pumpkin pie the same way because we are gluten free and now make crust less. Use your potato rice with sweet potatoes too.
I plan and organize my holiday meal the same way and always make a list of who came what they brought, weather and anything that made the day special. I organize my recipes by ingredients so I have all I need when I start. It's tiring but it's traditional ❤
I love stuffing. So much so that the amount I make won't fit in the bird. What I do is spatchcock the bird and roast it over the pan which contains my stuffing. This method cooks the bird evenly and more quickly in addition to giving me the necessary bones and meat to make a stock for the gravy and dressing. Thanks for this very handy video!
I save all the crust of all kinds of bread (gives great flavor) and either toast/ dry them out and put them in a a bread loaf bag and I have what I need for the stuffing. I cut the bread up or you can put in a chopper/ blended on low to the proper size.
After 30 plus years of Thanksgiving meals last year I had 38 people. I couldn't find a large turkey last year so I bought 2 16 lb turkeys. I cooked them 2 weeks ahead of time, my husband carved them up and I put them in foodsaver bags and froze them. I also did 40 cups of my stuffing recipe and froze it the same way. I always do the stuffing separate too. I freeze it the same way and have 2 roasters and warm the turkey in one and stuffing in the other. It turned out great and saved a lot of hassle in the morning. So after watching your video and will do my 15 lbs of mashed potatoes and freeze it too. Thanks for the potatoes idea. I also got 2 quarts of broth from the turkeys and froze them in mason jars and will make gravy
Several years ago we decided to take Thanksgiving on the road and rent an air B and B where part of our children lived that was half way between us and where another one lived Because i had no real idea what I was going to have access to there I did what you are talking about and I talked to my aunt and found out that she was making ahead several things and freezing them. I figured out that there were several other things that I could make ahead and since then even when we are home I start cooking about now and freeze things to make life so much easier. It is also much easier to work with my children who are all adults with their own children to teach them how to make things that they have just never been a part of before. I love that you are doing this ❤
Once we became adults, each of us volunteered to bring part of the Thanksgiving dinner to Mom’s house. She prepared the turkey and we did the rest. Son-in-laws peeled and prepared mashed potatoes. So fun to have everyone invested. Also, we weren’t big on desserts so no pies, rather a few cookies and fruit salads. 👍🏼🦃
My family loves their sugar cookies for holidays. Well, all cookies. I make the cookie dough(s) a month ahead of time, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze it. Then, I have a baking day or two and can bake all of them.
It also, makes great gifts of cookie dough (especially if, they are gifts that your going to give out ahead of time) so they can slice and use only what they can eat at that time.
If nothing else, this video shows how much work goes into these holiday feasts where family gathers and creates memories. It's like giving birth. When it's all done, the pain is a faint memory. I think if we ever remember either clearly, we'd never do it again.
Thank you both for this wonderful video! So many great ideas! This year’s Thanksgiving will be so much less stressful thanks to you.-I have one tip to add. If you can find turkey wings (not smoked ones), you can roast them and then make a small amount of stock with them on the stovetop. Thicken with a flour or cornstarch slurry and there’s your holiday gravy done ahead of time too.
I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year. However, I will be out of my home for two days prior so making things ahead is absolutely necessary. Your video is a life saver for me. Thank you.
I usually cook my green bean casserole in my crockpot. I will also sometimes cook my mashed potatoes in the crockpot with chicken broth and when they are done just add butter they come out so good.
The last year I did a whole bird was my best. I lined the cavity with cheesecloth and then stuffed my turkey I started roating my turkey breast side down. When the bottom side of the bird got a nice brown to it, I turned it breast side up to finish roasting. That left the juices run down to the breast. I pulled the bag of stuffing out of the turkey and finished baking it separately so it would come up to safe temperature. Thank you. I appreciate your classes and techniques and I'm glad I found your vlogs
For pie weights, my mother used small steel ball bearings. I use small smooth rocks ($ Store). I've never had any to crack, but I pre warm them and cool them naturally.
Oven bags for the win! I have cooked turkey in a bag for years with great success. Brining 24 hours also helps keep the meat moist. This year i am going to go with your lead and do lots of prep ahead of time. Thanks for the video!
One of my son's girlfriend always wants to take the turkey carcass home so she can make broth/soup from it. A knock off turkey cooking bag is perfect for this but be careful as some of the store brand ones can melt on your roaster.
You have done such an excellent job in presenting all these make ahead ideas! I love it! And your handout is invaluable! Thank you so much for all the work and time you put into helping us all! And I must say, you always look so classy and beautiful in your videos.
I have been watching your RRH Classes and waiting for a new printer. I'm so excited. It took two replacement printers, but I now have a working printer and can print the handouts and rewatch the classes with the handouts!
Did anyone else have Siri set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes, LOL? Everything looked so delicious!! I love to see what other people serve at the holidays. Thank you for including the recipes, in case we want to try something new. (Just something to think about: I never ever cook plastic in the microwave, especially the plastic bags or wrap. Doctors and other health experts warn about plastics and chemicals leaching into our foods. When they say "microwave safe," they mean it is safe for the plastic dish, not your body.)
My sweet potatoes are cooked and prepared for the dinner. They are frozen in the serving dish and sitting in the freezer. On the big day I will microwave them to hot and serve. Likewise the stuffing will be done in advance. I already cooked the bacon and sausage. They are bagged and frozen. The bread loaves where partially frozen, cubed and dried. They are also waiting for assembly. To assemble I prepare the bread as usual including the broth. This will be put into a large turkey cooking bag. Even out the distribution of the stuffing in the bag and put a few chicken parts on top. Seal, poke a few holes in thee top of the bag and bake in a large turkey roasting ban with a grate between the pan and the bag. After it is baked the stuffing is placed in serving dishes and the chicken saved for other dishes. Sure makes Thanksgiving a lot more fun.
Pam: I agree with the post holiday collapse. My husband has a large family and we used to have between 45-65 people for either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I used to start prepping in October. I no longer do those big gatherings. You can stabilize your whipped cream for the top of your pies with unflavored gelatin. Then it will retain its shape and it will not effect the taste. The stabilized whipped cream will retain its shape for up to 3 days, which is great for leftover pie. I too am not a fan of Oreo cookies, I substitute chocolate biscotti, which has been crumbled in the food processor and can be used in the same manner as graham crackers for crust. My crew are cheesecake lovers and they can be baked ahead and frozen. Cakes minus the icing can also be frozen. There is nothing wrong with using a pre-made graham cracker crust, Keebler makes good ones. On the raspberry pie, I would sieve at least half of the raspberry mixture to cut down on the seed level. My crew would complain otherwise. I would save about 24 of the prettiest raspberries to use as garnish around the edge of the pie. On the potatoes you might want to try a foley food mill, you could rice a larger number at a time, before removing the skins. I agree on the mashed potatoes, I vacuum seal mine in large bags then place them in a large pot with warm water to reheat them. I add all the seasonings except pepper. Over time I have come to the conclusion that the freezer takes the pep out of the black pepper I use in my mashed potatoes. So the pepper goes in after they have been reheated. Cornbread dressing can be made 2 months or more ahead and frozen. Its a matter of whether you have the freezer space for the casserole dish. Cover it with foil then plastic film before placing in the freezer. How about the turkey roaster with a shallow amount of water in the bottom say an inch or two, you could double down and put your sweet potato dish in their or you mashed potatoes in a large casserole along with your dressing. Why not make it a twofer. You can par cook your yeast dinner rolls remove them from the pan once cool, place in bags or large trays and cover with plastic wrap, they will keep for a week before the gathering. Pop them into a 400 degree oven in the original baking tins and let them heat up and finish browning. I wish I had followed your advice more when I was having those large gatherings. This is a very helpful video.
Thank you for this brilliant tip-ricing unpeeled cooked potatoes. I found that By cutting the cooked potatoes in half and placing them in the ricer cut side down I am able to rice quite a few potatoes and the skins just accumulate on the plunger-easy to clean off. Even faster!
After I chill my pie crust, I roll them out, place a piece of parchment paper on top, then roll again and freeze. I make several crust at a time. When its time to use, gentle thaw, unroll, place in pie pan, fill and bake. 😊
😉 I whip my mashed potatoes (electric mixer). For weekly meals, I always make a double batch & freeze the extra. They reheat with no signs of ever being frozen 😁 Try whipping them 👍
I use raspberry jello mix in place of the sugar.. Sometimes I will add an entire orange with rind and all that was chopped in a food processor. But try adding powder jello mix instead of sugar, you'll love it! Adding a chopped nut like walnuts or pecans is delicous too! And when I'm in a huge rush, I use cool whip.
@Jim & Pam, have y'all ever cooked a trash can Turkey ❓❓one lady made her holiday meal in her crockpot. I've done this one, its good. I've cooked my turkey frozen since I was 12yrs old. You cook it longer cause it's frozen, but it's moist.
I have used my slow cooker for years for stuffing. It freezes well before cooking or after cooking. Mom had a ricer and I loved to do the potatoes. I didn’t know you could still buy them. Great ideas to help.
Such a detailed, comprehensive class. Thank you for the massive effort this took to put together. Was excellent. May you and your family have the Happiest Thanksgiving 🍽️💗
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! So many great tips! I will be feeding 20 on Thanksgiving & Christmas, & will make use of some of these ideas. I developed an oven schedule many years ago, & it has been a game-changer. For the past two years, our mashed potatoes have been from your canning recipe for herbed potatoes. Open the jars, heat, drain, & add butter & milk. Delicious! I am not much of a pie person, but I will be adding that raspberry cream pie to the menu this year. Happy Thanksgiving, & God bless you & your family! ❤
Thank you for this! So helpful… it is exhausting getting ready for the Holiday feast, even when you love cooking. I cannot wait to implement these helpful tips and tricks:)
Thank you! We appreciate your feedback. The Make Ahead Holiday Meals (or any meals) are very helpful and less stressful when prepped over a period of time. Jim
Thank you so very very much! My children sound like Jim. Great to be so loved. I have done a few of these before but you have made it so so easy. Thanks for a mashed potato to freeze without sour cream or cream cheese, love it! I’m looking forward to the cranberry salad. Sounds so yummy. Last week I got my years supply of fresh cranberries in Michigan and canned Chritmas jam, cran raspberry jam and Cranberry Cherry pie filling. So I’ll be freezing a cranberry cherry pie. I was surprised you didn’t brush the shell with egg before adding filling. Do you find when freezing pies it doesn’t help? Thanks so much for all your and Jim’s hard work. You are such a blessing.
This is great! I love love love doing huge meals for family but I don’t want help because I want it done my way. It is very exhausting! This will help so much!! Thank you Pam and Jim and whoever suggested this class!!
Oh my gosh rose! What an amazing presentation! I do wish I could get to your handouts but since I am almost blind I settle for your videos you have done an outstanding job thank you so very much❤ boy I wish I could taste some of your dishes and I almost rolled laughing about J😊😊 and the bacon
Hello, this is FANTASTIC! You make it look so simple and organized. I, have, in the past, made the turkey and taken it out and let it rest for an hour. That i found on Jamie Oliver's site. This made the turkey very juicy and gave me the much needed time to do all the other things. Now, with this make ahead holiday dishes, i will be able to visit with the family more. Thank you so much for all you and Jim do to help us. Definitely going to be trying some of these recipes for sure! Thank you and have a lovely day!
I loved this video. Such good advice on helping all of us ladies on cutting down the time in the kitchen. I will be passing this video on to my daughters so that they can use your ideas. Thanks again Pam
I do a lot of sides ahead of time and when I need to put them in the oven I turn on the convection, arrange the racks on different levels and I can cook a lot at one time. My cousin does the crockpot Thanksgiving and everyone brings their dishes in crockpots we then plug into the power strips and it's a crockpot buffet. My grandmother used the Sterilite 12" 3 drawer storage units and she would store/transport 3 cooked pies and bring them out for desert. Thanks for all your delicious recipes.
Fantastic video, as always. So grateful to you both for the generosity of your time and effort. You can actually make gravy in advance, Alison Roman has a video where she uses roasted turkey wings. Then on the day just add your juices etc. one more thing ticked off before the day. Thanks again to both of you. ❤️
This can truly be said to be an awesome video. Thank you so very much!! My Daughter-in-law does the holiday meals and I take some specials to her house. Bless her. My son makes a turkey breast in a bag. Always moist and lovely. My Mom had changed the sit-down dinner, esp. for Christmas to-:Here's the food, here's the table--fill your plate as often as you like. Heavy duty paper plates unless you could wash your own in between fill-ups. Thanksgiving could be a bit more formal. But pies were always the absolute highlight!
Yes! I love this! I always tried to do this, but everything worked out much better, and tasted better when I started making ahead, vacuum sealing, then heating up many of the foods in my sous vide or pot of simmering water. Everything comes out juicy and nice, like it was just cooked!
Our large family has a love/hate with Green bean casserole. But they love my recipe for green beans, very similar to what you showed but has brown sugar and a little soy in it.
What a wonderful video! I am very appreciative of the work that you put into this class, as you do all of your classes. Lovely recipes and I know that everything you cook is going to be good--just like good old down home cooking. You are not only informative you are INSPIRING! And that is a boon for me. Thank you, so much!!
Wonderful wonderful video. You make the holidays so much more enjoyable. We had 7 children who are now grown. Holidays are usually 35-40 people. Sounds like you have similar ones. Fortunately, I have great daughter-in-laws and sons who each ask what they can make and bring. Loved this class. You are a fantastic teacher.
This was very thorough. I wouldn’t have thought to pre-bake and freeze crusts for custard pies. I do the use the same stuffing as you and add chicken stock. For a quick cranberry sauce I use two cans whole berries and doctor it up. Sometimes cranberry tidbits. Sometimes I add to a pot and add finely diced apple. Sometimes I add cinnamon and nutmeg. I’ve done it 4-5 days before and the flavors meld. I tried this one year when I was under the weather and didn’t make my homemade.
There are so many game-changers in this video. It's probably one of the best Pam has ever done. Can we also recognize how much money Pam spends on food and ingredients to make these demonstrations for us? It's astounding.
I would love to sit and have a beer with Pam & Jim. *LOL* I rely on them for all my canning and cooking learning--AND I'M GOING TO BE 70 YO SOON! *lol* We are never too old to learn and I love that they incorporate safety, science, and sustainability into all their teachings. THANK YOU, PAM & JIM!
I am in awe of the amount of time, effort & research you & Jim have put into this single video! I will be sharing it with my siblings in hopes of making their holiday preps easier on them. Thank you for ALL that both of you have shared over the years! We are blessed to have you as our *teachers*. 💕
@@rettl.9720 I 1000% agree!! Thank you both for all the work done on this. It REALLY helps and is DEEPLY appreciated! ❤️❤️❤️
I wish I could have had them as professors before they each retired.
I agree with everything you said
The amount of information g here is phenomenal.
Not everyone had a mother (or a father) that taught them these things, so it's very informative!!💕
We agree. Jim
This is GREAT!!! I am so excited about this plan! A bonus in my opinion: if you start early with this plan, it also helps financially, because you spread the cost over time as well. Thank you SO MUCH for this!!!
Being a single guy, I have purchased pre-masked potatoes at the grocery. I have even froze them when I found a good sale. My rule of thumb is if you can buy food frozen or refrigerated at the grocery, then you can do it at home. Think of the ingredients in TV dinners. I was even given sweet potatoes and I couldn't eat that many so I baked them, mashed them and froze them in bags
The first time I cooked thanksgiving at my little apartment in the 90’s I thrifted a lot of old slow cookers in various sizes and it went wonderfully!
That is fantastic you had such great success with all of your slow cookers. Jim
I learned years ago to calendar. It is not just the food. It is cleaning the house, polishing the silver and check8ng the special glasses and plates, which might need to be washed. A lot of work to make the day special. My mother started in September with the yearly dry cleaning of drapes and tablecloths. We, her daughters, cleaned the house and polished the silver. We bought the pies and used certain instant mixes.
@terrym5786 I also started with cleaning house and preparing the garden in October (Southern hemisphere). There's no way to do it all in the week before the holidays and still be alive enough to be pleasant to be around 🤣😁
Oh thx so much for this video!! I absolutely love making Xmas dinners and baking! I plan to Xmas. Decor this weekend and have already wrapped Xmas gifts. My sons will be here over Xmas so I'll have time to spend with them!! God Bless!
I know a southern lady who bakes sweat potatoes and freezes them whole. She wraps them in foil then pastic wrap. She heats up to eat. Or she uses them for pie or casaroles. Here in georgia folks pick or grow them by the bushel.
My dear friend Pam..from USA....i have to say..that i am very dippely sorry and worry about what is going on in your gov. You are so kind.. And you dont deserve that.
Hi Pam and Jim, I so, so, so enjoyed your video. Yes. I cannot do what I used to do at 73, soon to be 74. Your tips were terrific. I learned several things, and I appreciate you doing the videos over several days. That was not easy. I planned an easy dinner for my husband and I, and my son and his wife invited his inlaw’s over to eat on Thanksgiving. (Usually we are alone as they go to her folk’s house) She told me just last week. So, my daughter-in-law said that we are eating on paper plates, with plastic cups with our names on it. OK then. I am using aluminum casserole pans and freezing everything ahead of time, except the two turkey breasts, a fried turkey and a ham. Those will be prepared the day of Thanksgiving. I am using Six Sister’s Stuff Crockpot Turkey Breasts, and the seasoning is prepared ahead of time. I will put them on a bed of carrots, celery and onions, pour the seasoning over and done. They cook about 8 hours for my sizes of turkey breasts in the Crock Pot. If you have never looked at Phyllis Stokes and Son, on UA-cam you are missing a treat. She sadly has passed away and her son has kept her recipes online. I am making her German Chocolate Cake and Cook’s Illustrated Ultranutty Pecan Bars. Both outstanding recipes. Then some cookies for the kids. I have never had Thanksgiving without crystal and china on a decorated table, but I bet we all have more fun. Happy Thanksgiving you two. 🧡
Even when I don’t cook everything from scratch, I’m still exhausted! lol. But, I’d like to cook things ahead of time so that I can enjoy the holidays more.
I make the pecan sweet potato casserole in bulk, because we love it year-round. So much easier to do several at once and freeze till use😊. I put foil around the casserole, put the topping separate in a snack-size bag, and cover with plastic wrap with the baggie sandwiched between. So good!
You have a wonderful talent for communicating your skillset ! First time viewer here, and I’m not clear… how do I find your handouts/recipes? Thank you.
My daughter is doing Thanksgiving this year and she doesn't want any help, in spite of me offering several times. I've seen this video and sent it to her and told her that it may be a great help to her. I just wish to goodness I had this video years ago when I was hosting both families. Thank you to the two of you for all the work that you put in on this it will be a family heirloom to many families for years from now thank you.😊❤
My mother and grandmother were also exhausted after the holiday meals. So in later years, I cooked more and we had a set meal plan which was agreed upon by both of us. It helped us both to enjoy the holidays.
Great!! Jim
I totally hear you. I get so exhausted. I appreciate your hints.
I do my stuffing in the slow cooker. I also sauté the onions and celery in butter and freeze just that part. I mix everything together the am of and put in slow cooker. I don’t like to leave it in the fridge because I feel the bread gets mealy
How long for the stuffing in a crock pot and what temp please😊
Over the last few years, I make everything I can ahead. I've also developed chronic illness, which amplifies the need to spread holiday prep out over several days. I'll still be in bed for a while afterwards. But I can enjoy the day with my family.
I make the mashed potatoes ahead of time and then put them in the crockpot to freeze in that shape. Once it’s frozen I take it out and wrap it for the freezer. When it’s time to reheat I just slip them into the crockpot and warm them up. Be sure to stir them often so they don’t burn. So convenient and easy. Can be done days or weeks ahead of time. ✨🥔😊
Thank you so much for alll your hard work in putting this together for all of us
We are glad you found it helpful. Jim
Thank you for the great tips! i am curious where the handout is located?
Use gold potatoes and cook them in broth in the instant pot. No peeling and just mash, season and serve.
Is there a specific recipe for this method…like how much broth to potato ratio? I’d love to try this ahead of time.
My year has been extremely stressful. I wanted to skip Christmas. Somehow your video showed up on my feed. I’m actually excited again to cook as I do love to, and this will take the entire stress off for cooking 2 Christmas dinners on different days. You have a new subscriber. Thank you. ❤
Thanks for your very kind comments an a renewed interest in cooking two new dinners for Christmas. Thanks for subscribing to our channel. Jim
What a blessing! Your putting this together in such a simple, easy to follow way takes a lot of pressure off without loosing the personal touches. Thank you!!
You are welcome. It makes it easier on us and can spend more time with our families. Jim
I. Like that classyshirt with its print thank you for this video and wise advise
I was taught by my mom to double the spices for our pumpkin pie. Apparently my paternal grandmother thought the Libby's recipe was too bland, so she doubled the spices and a family favorite was born.
I add more of some spices and less of others and use brown sugar instead of white. So much better!
This is a wonderful help & a blessing to me. Thank you!
Crescent rolls are our favorite holiday rolls. Your dough looks beautiful. You brought back so many lovely holiday memories seeing you make those. Made me tear up because its one thing me and my mom always done together. And she always had a marble rolling pin just like yours, that I now have. I still make them, but I really miss my parents at the holidays the most. Thank you for sharing a wonderful class.
I love to use the slow cooker for my stuffing! Great idea!❤
We love banana cream pie for our holidays and a few years back I stopped making them in a pie plate. I now make in a 9x13 cake pan and double the recipe it works so much better. I also last year did the pumpkin pie the same way because we are gluten free and now make crust less. Use your potato rice with sweet potatoes too.
I plan and organize my holiday meal the same way and always make a list of who came what they brought, weather and anything that made the day special. I organize my recipes by ingredients so I have all I need when I start. It's tiring but it's traditional ❤
I make gravey and put in small crockpot to keep warm while I finish up dinner.
Oh, thank you Rose. I’m about to have a nervous breakdown over Thanksgiving dinner. This is so very helpful.
Yes, holiday cooking is crazy. Prepping ahead is really a time saver. Jim
Thank you so much for your time and effort in creating this video. Very informative.
I admire you. Thank you for this labor of love. ♥️
My sisters and I love your videos. YOU HAVE Taught us endless amounts of life lessons and living a healthier life. Thank you
I love stuffing. So much so that the amount I make won't fit in the bird. What I do is spatchcock the bird and roast it over the pan which contains my stuffing. This method cooks the bird evenly and more quickly in addition to giving me the necessary bones and meat to make a stock for the gravy and dressing.
Thanks for this very handy video!
Thank you for your comments. Jim
Nice will try this😊
I save all the crust of all kinds of bread (gives great flavor) and either toast/ dry them out and put them in a a bread loaf bag and I have what I need for the stuffing. I cut the bread up or you can put in a chopper/ blended on low to the proper size.
Thank you! Informative and entertaining video. You are amazing!
After 30 plus years of Thanksgiving meals last year I had 38 people. I couldn't find a large turkey last year so I bought 2 16 lb turkeys. I cooked them 2 weeks ahead of time, my husband carved them up and I put them in foodsaver bags and froze them. I also did 40 cups of my stuffing recipe and froze it the same way. I always do the stuffing separate too. I freeze it the same way and have 2 roasters and warm the turkey in one and stuffing in the other. It turned out great and saved a lot of hassle in the morning. So after watching your video and will do my 15 lbs of mashed potatoes and freeze it too. Thanks for the potatoes idea. I also got 2 quarts of broth from the turkeys and froze them in mason jars and will make gravy
That is a huge Thanksgiving gathering. It sounds like your job was a lot easier by prepping ahead of time. Jim
What temp and how long for reheating stuffing in a roaster also for the turkey?😊
Several years ago we decided to take Thanksgiving on the road and rent an air B and B where part of our children lived that was half way between us and where another one lived Because i had no real idea what I was going to have access to there I did what you are talking about and I talked to my aunt and found out that she was making ahead several things and freezing them. I figured out that there were several other things that I could make ahead and since then even when we are home I start cooking about now and freeze things to make life so much easier. It is also much easier to work with my children who are all adults with their own children to teach them how to make things that they have just never been a part of before.
I love that you are doing this
❤
Once we became adults, each of us volunteered to bring part of the Thanksgiving dinner to Mom’s house. She prepared the turkey and we did the rest. Son-in-laws peeled and prepared mashed potatoes. So fun to have everyone invested. Also, we weren’t big on desserts so no pies, rather a few cookies and fruit salads. 👍🏼🦃
My family loves their sugar cookies for holidays. Well, all cookies. I make the cookie dough(s) a month ahead of time, wrap it in plastic wrap, and freeze it. Then, I have a baking day or two and can bake all of them.
It also, makes great gifts of cookie dough (especially if, they are gifts that your going to give out ahead of time) so they can slice and use only what they can eat at that time.
If nothing else, this video shows how much work goes into these holiday feasts where family gathers and creates memories. It's like giving birth. When it's all done, the pain is a faint memory. I think if we ever remember either clearly, we'd never do it again.
Thank you both for this wonderful video! So many great ideas! This year’s Thanksgiving will be so much less stressful thanks to you.-I have one tip to add. If you can find turkey wings (not smoked ones), you can roast them and then make a small amount of stock with them on the stovetop. Thicken with a flour or cornstarch slurry and there’s your holiday gravy done ahead of time too.
I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year. However, I will be out of my home for two days prior so making things ahead is absolutely necessary. Your video is a life saver for me. Thank you.
I usually cook my green bean casserole in my crockpot. I will also sometimes cook my mashed potatoes in the crockpot with chicken broth and when they are done just add butter they come out so good.
The last year I did a whole bird was my best. I lined the cavity with cheesecloth and then stuffed my turkey
I started roating my turkey breast side down. When the bottom side of the bird got a nice brown to it, I turned it breast side up to finish roasting. That left the juices run down to the breast. I pulled the bag of stuffing out of the turkey and finished baking it separately so it would come up to safe temperature. Thank you. I appreciate your classes and techniques and I'm glad I found your vlogs
Wow like the idea of making a bag for the stuffing. 😊
For pie weights, my mother used small steel ball bearings. I use small smooth rocks ($ Store). I've never had any to crack, but I pre warm them and cool them naturally.
I’m exhausted just watching all you have done. The research,planning,prep ,cooking and filming to bring this to us. THANKYOU.
So good! I'm in my 60's....who knew what I didn't know. TY
Oven bags for the win! I have cooked turkey in a bag for years with great success. Brining 24 hours also helps keep the meat moist. This year i am going to go with your lead and do lots of prep ahead of time. Thanks for the video!
One of my son's girlfriend always wants to take the turkey carcass home so she can make broth/soup from it. A knock off turkey cooking bag is perfect for this but be careful as some of the store brand ones can melt on your roaster.
Already made all my cookie dough and safely in the freezer for baking in December.
a restaurant trick to keeping whipped cream longer add 1 Tbsp of instant french vanilla pudding mix to each cup of whipping cream.
Thanks😊
You have done such an excellent job in presenting all these make ahead ideas! I love it! And your handout is invaluable! Thank you so much for all the work and time you put into helping us all! And I must say, you always look so classy and beautiful in your videos.
NOTE: when canning your own green beans ADD 1 ZINC tablet/vitamin to each quart, its amazing they keep their brilliant green color
We use regular beans to weigh ours down
I have been watching your RRH Classes and waiting for a new printer. I'm so excited. It took two replacement printers, but I now have a working printer and can print the handouts and rewatch the classes with the handouts!
We are sorry that it took you two printer replacements to get a working one. Tell us which of the meals you make ahead and the results. Jim
Did anyone else have Siri set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes, LOL? Everything looked so delicious!! I love to see what other people serve at the holidays. Thank you for including the recipes, in case we want to try something new. (Just something to think about: I never ever cook plastic in the microwave, especially the plastic bags or wrap. Doctors and other health experts warn about plastics and chemicals leaching into our foods. When they say "microwave safe," they mean it is safe for the plastic dish, not your body.)
Very informative, thank you for sharing.
My sweet potatoes are cooked and prepared for the dinner. They are frozen in the serving dish and sitting in the freezer. On the big day I will microwave them to hot and serve.
Likewise the stuffing will be done in advance. I already cooked the bacon and sausage. They are bagged and frozen. The bread loaves where partially frozen, cubed and dried. They are also waiting for assembly. To assemble I prepare the bread as usual including the broth. This will be put into a large turkey cooking bag. Even out the distribution of the stuffing in the bag and put a few chicken parts on top. Seal, poke a few holes in thee top of the bag and bake in a large turkey roasting ban with a grate between the pan and the bag. After it is baked the stuffing is placed in serving dishes and the chicken saved for other dishes. Sure makes Thanksgiving a lot more fun.
I like this idea 😊
Pam: I agree with the post holiday collapse. My husband has a large family and we used to have between 45-65 people for either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I used to start prepping in October. I no longer do those big gatherings. You can stabilize your whipped cream for the top of your pies with unflavored gelatin. Then it will retain its shape and it will not effect the taste. The stabilized whipped cream will retain its shape for up to 3 days, which is great for leftover pie. I too am not a fan of Oreo cookies, I substitute chocolate biscotti, which has been crumbled in the food processor and can be used in the same manner as graham crackers for crust. My crew are cheesecake lovers and they can be baked ahead and frozen. Cakes minus the icing can also be frozen. There is nothing wrong with using a pre-made graham cracker crust, Keebler makes good ones. On the raspberry pie, I would sieve at least half of the raspberry mixture to cut down on the seed level. My crew would complain otherwise. I would save about 24 of the prettiest raspberries to use as garnish around the edge of the pie. On the potatoes you might want to try a foley food mill, you could rice a larger number at a time, before removing the skins. I agree on the mashed potatoes, I vacuum seal mine in large bags then place them in a large pot with warm water to reheat them. I add all the seasonings except pepper. Over time I have come to the conclusion that the freezer takes the pep out of the black pepper I use in my mashed potatoes. So the pepper goes in after they have been reheated. Cornbread dressing can be made 2 months or more ahead and frozen. Its a matter of whether you have the freezer space for the casserole dish. Cover it with foil then plastic film before placing in the freezer. How about the turkey roaster with a shallow amount of water in the bottom say an inch or two, you could double down and put your sweet potato dish in their or you mashed potatoes in a large casserole along with your dressing. Why not make it a twofer. You can par cook your yeast dinner rolls remove them from the pan once cool, place in bags or large trays and cover with plastic wrap, they will keep for a week before the gathering. Pop them into a 400 degree oven in the original baking tins and let them heat up and finish browning. I wish I had followed your advice more when I was having those large gatherings. This is a very helpful video.
Thank you for this brilliant tip-ricing unpeeled cooked potatoes. I found that By cutting the cooked potatoes in half and placing them in the ricer cut side down I am able to rice quite a few potatoes and the skins just accumulate on the plunger-easy to clean off. Even faster!
Thanks for the information. Jim
After I chill my pie crust, I roll them out, place a piece of parchment paper on top, then roll again and freeze. I make several crust at a time. When its time to use, gentle thaw, unroll, place in pie pan, fill and bake. 😊
Yes!! I've been doing this for a while now and it's the absolute best way to have fresh homemade pie crust ready at all times!!
I agree wholeheartedly on the stuffing "recipe". I haven't tasted anything better. Love this video, Pam!
Thanks for watching our video. Jim
Great class!
😉 I whip my mashed potatoes (electric mixer). For weekly meals, I always make a double batch & freeze the extra. They reheat with no signs of ever being frozen 😁 Try whipping them 👍
I use raspberry jello mix in place of the sugar.. Sometimes I will add an entire orange with rind and all that was chopped in a food processor. But try adding powder jello mix instead of sugar, you'll love it! Adding a chopped nut like walnuts or pecans is delicous too! And when I'm in a huge rush, I use cool whip.
I do simple stuffing, jar cranberry, packet stuffing mix, and sausage meat mince together and cook. It's also good for sausage rolls too
@Jim & Pam, have y'all ever cooked a trash can Turkey ❓❓one lady made her holiday meal in her crockpot. I've done this one, its good. I've cooked my turkey frozen since I was 12yrs old. You cook it longer cause it's frozen, but it's moist.
I have cooked a frozen turkey for some people who i worked with from another country who had never had a roast turkey. It turned out wonderfully.
I have used my slow cooker for years for stuffing. It freezes well before cooking or after cooking. Mom had a ricer and I loved to do the potatoes. I didn’t know you could still buy them. Great ideas to help.
The cranberry salad looks wonderful!! ❤️
Wowza! I spent the morning printing off all the recipes to have a whole new menu for my Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you, Pam this was fabulous. ♥
Wowza! Let us know how your Thanksgiving goes. Jim
Such a detailed, comprehensive class. Thank you for the massive effort this took to put together. Was excellent. May you and your family have the Happiest Thanksgiving 🍽️💗
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! So many great tips! I will be feeding 20 on Thanksgiving & Christmas, & will make use of some of these ideas. I developed an oven schedule many years ago, & it has been a game-changer. For the past two years, our mashed potatoes have been from your canning recipe for herbed potatoes. Open the jars, heat, drain, & add butter & milk. Delicious! I am not much of a pie person, but I will be adding that raspberry cream pie to the menu this year. Happy Thanksgiving, & God bless you & your family! ❤
Thanks for the feedback. It sounds like you have figured a way to prepping ahead of time. Jim
Thank you for this! So helpful… it is exhausting getting ready for the Holiday feast, even when you love cooking. I cannot wait to implement these helpful tips and tricks:)
Thank you! We appreciate your feedback. The Make Ahead Holiday Meals (or any meals) are very helpful and less stressful when prepped over a period of time. Jim
Thank you so very very much! My children sound like Jim. Great to be so loved. I have done a few of these before but you have made it so so easy. Thanks for a mashed potato to freeze without sour cream or cream cheese, love it! I’m looking forward to the cranberry salad. Sounds so yummy. Last week I got my years supply of fresh cranberries in Michigan and canned Chritmas jam, cran raspberry jam and Cranberry Cherry pie filling. So I’ll be freezing a cranberry cherry pie. I was surprised you didn’t brush the shell with egg before adding filling. Do you find when freezing pies it doesn’t help? Thanks so much for all your and Jim’s hard work. You are such a blessing.
This is great! I love love love doing huge meals for family but I don’t want help because I want it done my way. It is very exhausting! This will help so much!!
Thank you Pam and Jim and whoever suggested this class!!
Thank you so much!! I have dreaded the holidays in The last couple years because of being overwhelmed!
Oh my gosh rose! What an amazing presentation!
I do wish I could get to your handouts but since I am almost blind I settle for your videos you have done an outstanding job thank you so very much❤ boy I wish I could taste some of your dishes and I almost rolled laughing about J😊😊 and the bacon
As always you nailed it. I appreciate all the work and preparation you did to provide us this essential information.
Thank you! Jim
Hello, this is FANTASTIC! You make it look so simple and organized. I, have, in the past, made the turkey and taken it out and let it rest for an hour. That i found on Jamie Oliver's site. This made the turkey very juicy and gave me the much needed time to do all the other things. Now, with this make ahead holiday dishes, i will be able to visit with the family more. Thank you so much for all you and Jim do to help us. Definitely going to be trying some of these recipes for sure! Thank you and have a lovely day!
I loved this video. Such good advice on helping all of us ladies on cutting down the time in the kitchen. I will be passing this video on to my daughters so that they can use your ideas. Thanks again Pam
I do a lot of sides ahead of time and when I need to put them in the oven I turn on the convection, arrange the racks on different levels and I can cook a lot at one time. My cousin does the crockpot Thanksgiving and everyone brings their dishes in crockpots we then plug into the power strips and it's a crockpot buffet. My grandmother used the Sterilite 12" 3 drawer storage units and she would store/transport 3 cooked pies and bring them out for desert. Thanks for all your delicious recipes.
Fantastic video, as always. So grateful to you both for the generosity of your time and effort. You can actually make gravy in advance, Alison Roman has a video where she uses roasted turkey wings. Then on the day just add your juices etc. one more thing ticked off before the day. Thanks again to both of you. ❤️
I stated using an electric roaster for my turkey. It self bastes and I can leave it until time to get it out. So moist and frees up the oven.
This can truly be said to be an awesome video. Thank you so very much!! My Daughter-in-law does the holiday meals and I take some specials to her house. Bless her. My son makes a turkey breast in a bag. Always moist and lovely. My Mom had changed the sit-down dinner, esp. for Christmas to-:Here's the food, here's the table--fill your plate as often as you like. Heavy duty paper plates unless you could wash your own in between fill-ups. Thanksgiving could be a bit more formal. But pies were always the absolute highlight!
Yes! I love this! I always tried to do this, but everything worked out much better, and tasted better when I started making ahead, vacuum sealing, then heating up many of the foods in my sous vide or pot of simmering water. Everything comes out juicy and nice, like it was just cooked!
Our large family has a love/hate with Green bean casserole. But they love my recipe for green beans, very similar to what you showed but has brown sugar and a little soy in it.
This is one of your best videos! Thank you so much.
Thanks…good ideas and help
What a wonderful video! I am very appreciative of the work that you put into this class, as you do all of your classes. Lovely recipes and I know that everything you cook is going to be good--just like good old down home cooking. You are not only informative you are INSPIRING! And that is a boon for me. Thank you, so much!!
This is fantastic!!! Thank you for this game changing video!! Perfect timing too.
Wonderful wonderful video. You make the holidays so much more enjoyable. We had 7 children who are now grown. Holidays are usually 35-40 people. Sounds like you have similar ones. Fortunately, I have great daughter-in-laws and sons who each ask what they can make and bring. Loved this class. You are a fantastic teacher.
Absolutely loved this class. I learned so much and will be using your great tips to make the holidays happier for the cook!
That was great! I learned so much I will use this year.
Loved this one. Great tips and ideas, helpful even to those of us who only cook for ourselves on the holiday. We don't want to be worn out either!
This was very thorough. I wouldn’t have thought to pre-bake and freeze crusts for custard pies. I do the use the same stuffing as you and add chicken stock. For a quick cranberry sauce I use two cans whole berries and doctor it up. Sometimes cranberry tidbits. Sometimes I add to a pot and add finely diced apple. Sometimes I add cinnamon and nutmeg. I’ve done it 4-5 days before and the flavors meld. I tried this one year when I was under the weather and didn’t make my homemade.
Thank you! If I only use one of these dishes, I have saved so much stress.
Thank you so much!! Perfect timing!!