Next Year: Thanksgiving

This year we had 18 people for Thanksgiving, Next year we will have 41 and the extra 23 are bigger eaters than the first 18.

We have one oven and it's not very wide. It fits a large roasting pan sideways but not 2 lengthwise.

This year we made about 5 pounds of brisket, which I made on Wednesday and a 20 pound turkey that was supposed to be 24 but we had to return it. We had 10 lbs of garlic roasted mashed potatoes with rosemary and chives and a rectangular baking dish of sweet potatoes with marshmallows.

MY wife's friend made an asparagus dish..well she didn't make it, she came to us with the raw asparagus and she wanted to bake it here, after getting here an hour and a half late. Just what we needed was this pest asking where the salt and pepper was and the sugar plus there was no room in the oven. Typical of this woman. Last year she made a turkey and asked us if we had any paprika then when thanks giving was over, she walked out with all the left over turkey without even asking. I told my wife if she tries to take any turkey home this time, she will be sorry. As I was cutting the turkey this year, she is picking off the plate and touch everything.

We had about a 1-3 of the potatoes left, 1 slice of brisket and a few slices of turkey.

We will have 128% more people who eat 20% more, so I figure we need at least 156% more food and perhaps people would have had more brisket if there wasn't only one slice left. So maybe between 175% to 200% is better because the leftovers are great anyway.

That means 15 pounds of brisket, which is no big deal because we can make that the day before, especially with the remote thermometers so that I can be in the office while the brisket is cooking and 7.5 pounds of brisket is going to take at least 6 hours anyway.

I think we'll be able to get away with two 25-27 pound turkeys because we'll have so much brisket but someone else will have to make it one of the turkeys.

The garlic mashed potatoes we're great and we riced them. However, ricing 20 pounds of potatoes takes lots of biceps and triceps so we have to make sure we have them available. I wonder, can that be made the day before?

I believe Alton Brown and Cooks Illustrated said not to open the turkeys until fully thawed. This year we had a problem that I spoke about in the electronic probe thermometer thread where the turkey we defrosted from Sunday on, had no skin on most of the breast and we had to return it for a fresh turkey. We got lucky they had a fresh one. If you can't open it until it is defrosted, how do you know what you are getting. Maybe it pays to buy only turkeys with clear plastic wrapping.

Anything illogical about any of the above?