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Easy Thanksgiving recipes that have you giving thanks for a relaxed family dinner!

Thanksgiving Day is the traditional American holiday on which we give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy. It’s also the day that many women get up at the crack of dawn to spend the day preparing this feast. Speaking from experience, by the time Mom sits down at the dinner table, she’s exhausted, thankful to be sitting down! All of this effort is not without its rewards, as the family enjoys the food and regales Mom with compliments. However, some years ago, I decided that, rather than sit down to dinner all worn out, I’d make the next years plan a little more organized, with easy Thanksgiving recipes and do-ahead recipes. This is not to say the dishes would not be every bit as tasty. The goal was to give me more time to spend with my family on Thanksgiving, rather than stuck in the kitchen with a hot oven.

The star of the dinner table is typically, the turkey. If you’re still basting that turkey ten times throughout the day, wondering why it takes six hours to cook, instead of the four hours it’s supposed to, listen up. Here’s the secret. Melt a full cube of butter in a measuring cup and add whatever seasonings you enjoy. With your fingers, carefully separate the breast and thigh skin from the meat. Be careful not to split the skin. Enlist someone to help hoist the bird up, while you pour the melted butter in between skin and meat. With your hands, distribute the butter evenly so that it touches every bit of meat you can reach. Set the turkey on a rack in the roasting pan and cover with foil. You now have the best self-basting turkey ever! Don’t open the oven until it’s cooked according to the weight and time given on the package. This is guaranteed turkey perfection.

I began my search for easy Thanksgiving recipes that could be prepared ahead of time. By spending just an hour each day of Thanksgiving week, you can get way ahead of the game. So much so, that, come Thanksgiving Day, all you need to do is stuff the bird and pop it in the oven. Then you get to kick back and have fun with the family. Green salads or veggies take but a few minutes. You set the table on Wednesday night!

Here are some of the traditional Thanksgiving dishes that can be prepared in advance: cranberry sauce, biscuits and rolls, pies, rice dishes and appetizers. Many actually taste better when seasonings marry for a day or two. My definition of easy Thanksgiving recipes are those which can be prepared at my leisure, up to a week ahead of time. Biscuits, rolls and pies are a good starting point, as these freeze well for at least a couple of weeks. You won’t spend more than an hour for each. Prepare your cranberry sauce on Tuesday for the best flavor.

For truly easy Thanksgiving recipes in the appetizer department, try a purchased tray of frozen shrimp, with cocktail sauce. Stop by the deli for an assortment of meats for your antipasto. Wrap them tightly in foil and freeze. Pick up your cheeses on Tuesday or Wednesday, but don’t freeze. Cheese suffers in the freezer. One of the fancy cheese balls, coated with nuts is another easy Thanksgiving recipe – you set it on a plate and surround it with an assortment of crackers!

Happy Thanksgiving!