Thanksgiving Make-Ahead Dishes

a friend of mine has always borrowed my 2 big crock pots, to keep her potatoes and gravy warm while everything else is in the oven. You could even do that with corn on the cob. Cook it on the stove then put it in the crock pot with some water in the bottom. When it's time to serve it all you can just take it out of the crocks and onto the table. Dont forget you can put some things in the microwave, while they are still hot, and keep them in there for "storage" till it's time to eat. Have a wonderful day!

Super simple. I made 5 dishes ahead of time last Thanksgiving. Make sure you take them out of the fridge a good 45 minutes or so before you pop them in the oven. Then just re-heat in the oven at 350 degrees. I wrote up a timeline for myself last Thanksgiving in regards to what goes in the oven at what time (I had other dishes going, too). Then as I was drinking wine, I could just refer to my timeline and not worry, lol! :)

mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, and corn on the cob as the sides (in addition to the turkey and rolls, which I'll have to make that day).

The corn is easy...just make it right before in a big pot of boiling water and leave it in the water. You can't really over cook it and it will stay hot for hours.
Make the green bean casserole the night before, just leave the crunchies off the top and bake it on TG day. The stuffing can be easily prepared the day before and baked with the turkey or made in the crockpot or on the stovetop. If you are making "real" mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes ahead of time in their skins, peel and mash TG morning; reheat in the microwave. Gravy...I use jarred and add mushrooms to it, everyone loves it. You'll be fine! Have a fun day :)

I think that you can make everything ahead of time, other than the gravy, and then follow LeeLee's suggestion for the time.

I take my turkey out and then put my sides in the oven to cook for 30min. That gives time for the turkey to sit for awhile and be carved - once the carving is done and turkey is on the table, the sides are hot and can be brought out of the oven. I also usually cook my rolls the day before and then reheat them in the oven for 15min with the side dishes. I also have the potatoes peeled and cut and start boiling them 45 min before dinner time which gives me time to mash them with everything else is finishing up. Gravy can also be done 5-10min before dinner time.

Make your gravy when the turkey is finished and keep it warm in a thermos.

girl, I'm in the same boat, my mom is having surgery the day before so I'm on my own! however, for whatever reason, I have 3 crockpots, my mom has 2 I can borrow. So I googled "Thanksgiving crockpot recipes" and tons came up. So I'm doing all my sides in the crockpots! You just throw everything in, stir and set it on low1 They are already hot and in their own serving dishes! whoo hoo! (I'm excited so they better darn well work and taste good!!) Not much help to you unless you have a few also but thought I'd mention it to you...hope you get some good ideas! Good luck!

You got some good suggestions...I hadn't even though of crock pots...I need to utilize those more I think! ;) I also wanted to add that I too have boiled my potatoes ahead of time, stored them in the fridge overnight and then mashed them the next day, it's just fine. Also you can make corn on the cob in the microwave. I do it all the time and it's super easy. All you have to do is get a big pyrex lay the corn in there, cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for like 10 minutes (depends on how many ears you have actually) You don't need to add water, although you could add just a little, but corn has a lot of natural water on it's own. The night before just lay the corn out, prep it and put it in the microwave right before dinner and you're all good. You could even do it outside on the BBQ grill if you have one. If your husband likes to grill put him in charge of this! You can eitehr leave them in their husks or wrap them in foil. I also like to slather some butter and parmesean cheese, maybe some salt and pepper int there too. If you're using foil, spray a quick spray of Pam on it first (if you butter/cheese it)! Either method will free up your stove top so you can make the potatoes, gravy, etc. Also, I don't think you'll have to do rolls that day...make them a day ahead and store them in ziplocks, it will be fine!

if you have those pyrex heatable totes they work well for keeping food warm while you are cooking other things. I have 2 of those and love them, they keep food warm for hours as long as you keep them zipped. I take hot dinners to church and they are still warm when the dinner starts after church. I have used them to keep food warm while I was preparing other dishes because you can only fit so many things in the oven at one time.

Don't have many suggestions on how to reheat cold foods other than warming them in the oven or microwave, just wanted to leave you the suggestion of keeping them warm once the food is already hot. I have left the mashed potatoes in the hot water while I was fixing other things and didn't mash them until everything else was ready. They stayed warm that way.

it's not traditional for some but for us it is.. LASAGNE.. you can make that ahead of time and re-heat.. it gets better with each day.. YUM......
just put some foil over it and pop it in the oven...
we also do salad(s) at my house... different ones.. some years greens and mandarin oranges.. depends what's in season.... or thinly sliced green apples.. but salad is good and you can make it so many different ways... then when ready, add dressing..
I offer many veggies because there is always someone who wants to eat lean... I might also steam broccoli and/or green beans.. then lightly toss in olive oil w/tad of sea salt.. or just keep as is

happy holidays