Last year’s Thanksgiving Grocery List post is one of my most popular, but I don’t know that it’s all that helpful to the people who might be searching for that kind of thing so I thought I’d post one that is not so focused on the specific dishes I made last year.
The following dishes are likely to appear on just about every Thanksgiving table:
Turkey: shoot for 1-1.5 pounds of bird per adult unless you want tons of leftovers or you’re feeding a football team. Don’t make the rookie mistake of buying a frozen turkey the day before dinner! Whether or not you actually buy a Butterball, their website has lots of helpful information about buying, thawing, stuffing, and cooking turkeys. Personally I like the 2-hour turkey method, but you have to clean your oven first. Also, pick up a meat thermometer if you don’t already have one. The basic kind you can pick up at the grocery store for less than $10 will work just fine; that plastic pop-up thing that came in the turkey will not.
Gravy: pick up a box or can of chicken broth in case you don’t get enough drippings from your turkey. The only other thing you need for gravy (besides salt & pepper) is flour.
Mashed Potatoes: about one potato per person (plus a couple extra “for the pot.”) Again, more for leftovers or big eaters. You’ll also need butter (as much as a cube) and milk (a cup or two).
Stuffing/Dressing: stuffing or dressing is probably the most individualized dish on the Thanksgiving table. I prefer to cook mine outside the bird for texture, food safety, and time concerns. No matter what you’ll need some kind of dry bread (I use plain dry bread cubes from the bakery,) some kind of liquid (I use chicken broth and melted butter,) and some kind of seasoning (I use fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary as well as salt and pepper.) Most people also include vegetables of some sort; I use onions, mushrooms, and celery. We also include cooked wild rice in our stuffing, and other people include everything from apples to oysters. If you buy some kind of packaged stuffing mix it will probably include a recipe on the back.
Cranberry Sauce: there’s always the can, but cranberry sauce is super-easy to make too. All you need are cranberries, sugar, and water, and it can be done the night before. There’s also fresh cranberry relish which is simply cranberries, an apple, and an orange (peel included,) chopped finely in the food processor with sugar to taste.
Pie(s): also something to take care of the day before T-day. Making your own crusts isn’t hard, but even if you want to buy pre-made crusts, homemade pie is much better than the grocery store version. Canned pumpkin will have the recipe on the label, but you’ll probably need sugar, spices, evaporated milk, and eggs (the spices are included in the can if you get pumpkin pie filling instead of plain pumpkin, just check the label.)
Many people will also want:
Rolls: we don’t usually have rolls, but I think most people do. It would be easiest to pick them up at the bakery, but if you want something special you can make your own.
Sweet Potatoes/Yams: if you like the candied kind with marshmallows on top I think you can use the canned ones and there’s probably a recipe like this on the label. I actually can’t help you there, I’ve never made them. We’re just going to bake ours like regular potatoes this year.
Green Bean Casserole: this is super-easy to make, and the ingredients will probably be all sitting together somewhere. the recipe is likely on the labels of both the soup and the onions.
A vegetable: corn and peas are probably most popular, though they’re more a starch than a vegetable. Green salad is nice, but not traditional for most.
copy and paste grocery list for 10-12 people:
turkey (1-1.5 lbs./person)
milk (at least 1/2 gallon, at least 1%)
butter (1 lb.)
whipping cream (1 pt.)
potatoes (about 1/person)
onions (2-3)
mushrooms (.5 lb.)
celery (1 head, you can use the outside stalks on a relish plate)
herbs (fresh or dried: sage, thyme, rosemary)
cranberries (1 lb) OR 1 can cranberry sauce
chicken broth (2 boxes/4 cans)
stuffing cubes (1-2 packages, check for number of servings)
flour (white, unbleached, 5 lbs., less if you’re not making pie crusts)
sugar (5 lbs. is more than you need, but 1 lb. will be cutting it close)
salt & pepper if you don’t already have it
If you’re making your own pie add:
1 can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
eggs
pumpkin pie spice
pie crusts OR shortening to make your own crusts
If you’re making your own rolls add:
yeast
If you’re making green bean casserole add:
1 can fried onions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 bag frozen green beans
If you’re making candied yams add:
1 yam/sweet potato per person OR 1can yams/sweet potatoes
1 bag marshmallows
brown sugar (1 lb. or less)
cinnamon (I’d probably use the pumpkin pie spice if I didn’t already have cinnamon.)
If you want a relish tray add:
1 small jar pickles (sweet, dill, or both if you like)
1 can black olives
If you don’t already have one, also pick up a meat thermometer and an oven thermometer.
I don’t think I forgot anything, but certainly double-check and let me know. This is not a super-gourmet version of Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s miles above one made with instant mashed potatoes and stuffing mix.
You can do it!
