Cooking Thanksgiving in a kitchen unfamilar to you or at home

Wednesday November 16, 2011 ~ Traveling Turkey dinner

Next Thursday on November 24th we will again celebrate Thanksgiving in the US. This is a day to remember all of the things we are thankful for, spend time with family and friends, and of course preparing a meal that we can all enjoy together.

Last year my husband and I drove to Myrtle Beach, SC for Thanksgiving and since we were staying at Doug’s parents rental condo, I offered to make Thanksgiving dinner with the promise of roasting a turkey that would provide us with fixing for hot turkey sandwiches all weekend!

There were going to be five for dinner, small by most Thanksgiving gatherings but our table would be over-flowing with a scrumptious feast and my mother in law offered to provide the desert, perfect!

We have stayed in the rental condo many times and the kitchen is nicely outfitted, however I was pretty sure that the kitchen was not fitted for me to prepare a Thanksgiving feast.

I began planning our Thanksgiving meal by deciding on the menu, from there I compiled my shopping list and a list of essential cooking tools that I would need. If you are planning to be the head “Chef” whether at home or in a kitchen that you are not familiar with this list should assist you in preparing a successful Turkey dinner. And of course add that feeling of home to your gathering.

Ø      Large roasting pan or slow cooker for a Turkey Breast

Ø      Cutting board and carving knife

Ø      Cooking bag for Turkey or Basting tool  and foil

Ø      Baking dish for stuffing

Ø      Several serving spoons and gravy ladle

Ø      Various sized containers with lid to store the left over’s in – if you have any!

1-      Sliced turkey in (zip lock bags work as well)

2-     Mash potatoes

3-     Gravy

4-     Greenbeans

5-     Cranberry

6-     Sweetpotatoes

7-     One extra for any other items

I also packed kitchen towels; the condo never provides enough of these! Candles, cloth place mats and napkins to bring a little home feeling to the dinner table.

Rather than filling up serving dishes and putting them on the table, I set up a buffet in the kitchen, less dishes to clean and pack. All you need is the food!

 Just cook something! Cheers! Kary~