Next Year: Thanksgiving 628

41 pan

These are some of the things we have learned after some large Thansgiving dinners.

This year we had nearly 60 people for Thanksgiving. It was hosted by my aunt & uncle who have been doing this every year but the event keeps growing as the family expands. Fortunately they have a home and kitchen big enough for this kind of gathering. But if it were not a joint effort with a lot of people pitching in, it just wouldn't work out. And one thing we learned is that you can't just let everyone help out in any way they feel like it because then you have chaos. We have one person who coordinates the menu and the food people are bringing so that we don't wind up with 2 dozen identical cbutteroles or desserts. Other people take charge of certain chores and enlisting volunteers for such things as kitchen help and food prep or setting up the tables and seating or for cleaning up afterwards. Our tables and chairs are rented from a company that delivers them and picks them up afterwards. We also rented dinnerware and 2 additional chafers (we have 2 of our own). We decided against buying these items even though in the long run it would probably be cheaper. But by renting, we don't have to store them.

We cooked one turkey outside in the Weber bbq and 2 others were oven roasted. We also had a ham. The gravy was made in advance from turkey wings. The mashed potatoes and glazed sweet potatoes were also done in advance. The food is set up buffet style in the dining room and the seating is normally set up outside. The chafers are a huge advantage because they eliminate the stress of having to get all the hot items ready at the same moment. If you use them, be sure to have extra fuel cans on hand.

Every year before Thanksgiving my aunt and I each buy a used refrigerator which goes into the garage and then gets re-sold after the holidays are over. Anyway, that is our basic routine.