Organizational tricks for Turkey Day, Thanksgiving.

I cook almost every year. We all know the basics of the menu, well if you are sticking with tradition. It starts with turkey. Well our menu for 2014 is: Turkey, Cranberry Sauce, Whole Cranberry Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, Brown Gravy, White Pepper Gravy, Stuffing (dressing), Green bean casserole, Yams with marshmallows, Peas, Corn, Rolls, and of course pie for dessert.

Now none of this tends to stress me out, why?

I have a plan. On Wednesday morning, yes I said Wednesday after I get my coffee I throw some turkey parts, a couple of peeled and chunked up onions, a couple of carrots, some celery, and whatever seasoning I am using on the bird in my slow cooker. I dump in some water, turn the whole thing on low and ignore. I will get back to this in about 24 hours, yes it will be fine on low. I also make sure that the cranberry sauces are in the fridge.

Next I review that I have all of my ingredients, I always seem to forget something. Usually butter or milk, or heavy duty aluminum foil.

Now I use my nice clean and clear table. I lay out all of the pots and pans involved, yes I have had years where I had pictured one pot or pan for 2 things. Then I grab the ingredients and stage them with their pots & pans (no not the perishables, just the dry goods). I also use a fair number of disposable pans and of course the Reynolds Turkey bag. So now plan for the next day and get some rest.

Thursday morning my house already smells wonderful, remember that broth I started the day before… yep it smells wonderful. I get dressed to lace up shoes, and get my coffee. When I’m getting my coffee I turn the slow cooker off. I sit and eat and enjoy my coffee.

Now that I’m ready I prep the Reynolds bag according to instructions and get that bird in the oven with it’s onions carrots, celery and seasoning. Once that bird is in the oven I move on to the rolls.

I cheat, but it works great. I grab those muffin tins we all have, yeah you know the one, that rarely gets used. I pull them out and grab my frozen Rhodes dough balls. I drop 2 dough balls in each muffin cup. They like 3 hours of being ignored, so this works out well.

Now that I have those items done I take a water break. Yes, I make time to drink some water. It can get hot in the kitchen. Okay, water break over.

I strain that broth that is sitting in my slow cooker and stick it in the fridge so the fat can rise to the top.

Next up I prep my green bean casserole, no it won’t go straight in the oven, but with that bird cooking I have room in the fridge for it. You all know of the casserole I speak of. So once I get that prepped in a nice disposable pan and covered in the fridge it goes.

Now for the yams with marshmallows, I prep them in a disposable pan, cover them and pop them into the fridge. Don’t forget to pick up and put away cooking, trust it makes a difference. Do it now and load the dishwasher with anything you are done with.

Yep time to check on friends and family and poke my head out with more water in hand. Everyone will offer to help but unless they want to peel potatoes I really don’t need any help. I also make sure I have not left a disaster behind me, time to pick up and put away, or in the dishwasher again.

Okay next step is to peel those taters, and get them into a pot covered with water to keep them from browning. I’ll set them to boiling when the turkey has about 1 hour left in the oven. Yes, I drain the pot and refill it with fresh water to cook them.

Now I check on the broth in the fridge. Time to make the stuffing or dressing if you prefer. Some years I have the onions etc already sautéed if not I have do it now. Take your time and keep an eye on them, there is no rushing sautéing vegetable, really trust me I’ve tried. Once I get the stuffing or dressing if you prefer into, guess what? Another disposable pan, covered and in the fridge. Yes, I made use of some of that broth from my slow cooker, no need to wait on pan drippings and hope I have enough.

Time for more water, and another peak at the parade.

Time to check on that bird, and start the potatoes boiling. I peek at my rolls, they are rising nicely. Now it’s time to clear off a counter and prep it for the turkey when it comes out of the oven. I place a towel and some cardboard on the counter covered by another towel. I will need my stovetop so… the counter must be ready.

Now I mix up my gravy, yes from scratch. I make both white and brown since I often invite soldiers who have no where to go.

Okay time to get the warming tray plugged in. I love it for gravy and a few other things. If you don’t have one don’t worry about it. Time to get the corn and peas in their pans and on the stove.

Time for one last break. Another chance to stem the tide of disaster in the kitchen and keep the chaos to a minimum.

Oh it’s time for the bird to pop out of the oven. I get it out, now help is great, extra muscles. I take it out and let it rest in the nice prepared spot on the counter. Yep out and resting. Now those casseroles in the fridge, jump into the oven. You did cover them with foil right, so just pop em in.

The rolls are looking very pretty as well, so I brush them with an egg wash and pop them into the oven.

So taters are boiling, casseroles are baking, rolls are baking, bird is resting, peas and corn are on the stove, gravy is on the warming tray. I now move the bird to the cutting board, yep extra help is good here too. Like I said muscles are always good. I carve in the kitchen, your traditions may vary. I do have a second pan for the carved turkey standing by, yep another disposable. I don’t have a platter so I make do.

The rolls and casseroles are done, now to carve the star and get it one the table. Now as far as plates and silverware, I use high quality paper with real silverware, I do use real glassware.

Oh you ask about the pies, frozen or fresh picked up at the store, pop on the table after the bird is done, and add some ice cream and fresh plates, maybe a pot of coffee.

I’m saving that for ….

I was looking through a number of photos and items from my mom’s old house. My mother passed away a few years ago. Many of the items I found were still brand new in the packaging. She was always saving it for something special. Well I’ve decided that if I buy something for a special occasion that it had better have a date.

I have been a Flybaby that’s a follower of Flylady for over a decade. I have decluttered many times only to regather some but not all of what I rid myself of. So it is getting progressively better, but I gasped when I found a shirt I’d been saving that was ruined and it still had the tags on it.

Flylady teaches us that if you don’t love it don’t keep it, set it free to bless someone else. So I’ve decided to make that my focus with a twist. If I buy it have a date for which it is being used, if I can’t come up with a date or event don’t buy it.

I have heard tell of many stories where a loved one passes away and upon going through their things they find several that were never used. I don’t want to be that statistic. I don’t need an event to use a pretty teacup, any day can be made special if I’m wearing the shirt with the rhinestones. Is there a rule that says I can’t use a table cloth on a Thursday? Since I don’t think any of these are true I’m going to free myself up to use those special items or set them free to bless someone else.

A note about flylady. It is a whole life organizational system. It teaches you how to set your life up for success. It helps you break down even the largest of tasks into 15 minutes sized chunks and how to spend an extra two minutes to keep your bathroom clean. It wont tell you how to get rid of a stain, it will teach you how not to have a kitchen full of dirty dishes. It will let you have friends and family over even on the spur of the moment.

I could go on for pages explaining how Flylady has changed my life, but I won’t, at least not on this post. All I can say is I went from the worst housekeeper / manager ever to company ready on 5 minutes notice. No it didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. Seriously give it a try, they even have tips for getting kids and how to keep their rooms from being the land of the lost.

Juggling Act

I was chatting with a friend yesterday, we were comparing schedules trying to figure out when to meet in person for lunch. After she looked at my schedule she asked me “How do you keep all of this straight and stay sane?”

I smiled and commented there is method in my madness. I will let all of you in on the secret.

It’s planning!

I use my outlook calendar that gets synced with my iPhone, if it isn’t on the calendar don’t hold your breath, not likely to happen. I also schedule everything in 15 minute blocks of time.

I will start with the big picture, what do I need?

1. Sleep

2. Time with hubby

3. Time to write based on my goals.

4. Time for volunteer work.

So open up a digital calendar, I use outlook.

Block out time for sleep, I block out 8 hours a night, do I get all 8 no not every night.

Next I put 1 date night a week on the calendar, usually Saturday, then if you are religious block out the time for that.

If you have a job other than writing block out that time next, don’t forget commute time.

For me it’s volunteer activities I know when some of these take place well in advance. For me I go to the Airborne & Special Operations Museum every Tuesday morning.

Next add time for holidays if you didn’t include them with the religious items.

Okay I think you are getting the picture. You are essentially making appointments with yourself.

Now you have a frame, so we can add in time for writing, researching etc.

My calendar looks like a rainbow since I use a different color for everything.

I am currently doing a number of short term projects, so I add in time to work on them. The cat has an appointment I add that as well. No kids here but, you would schedule their activities the same way.

Am I ever double booked?

Once in a while, but, most of the time I avoid the confusion since I have that frame in place.

I have routines that I don’t even think about anymore for the daily things, such as housework. I try and plan meals in advance, and yes they get added to the calendar too.

When Mr. Murphy comes calling I know exactly what I can move with the fewest issues.

If you want to know more about the housework and how it comes together, I use Flylady. I adapted many of the things I learned from “flying” to help me structure my life and it works out well.

Now if I can just structure chapter 6 a bit better…..

Hello World

Hi I am a new writer. I am currently working on a spy thriller. I started this as a Nanowrimo project and hope to get it published. Follow me along my journey; you never know what I will post.

My hobbies include geocaching, soldiers Angels, and volunteering at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM). I have been volunteering with Soldiers Angels since 2003. I just started volunteering with ASOM after we moved to FT Bragg NC. When I am not writing or taking care of the fur kids Philip & Diana I might be building something in minecraft, or just hanging out with hubby.

Hubby is active duty army, I am very proud of him and his service to our country. In fact the rascal nominated me for Military spouse of the year!

I could not keep it together without Flylady. Flylady is an organizational system that breaks everything down to manageable steps.

Please note while my novel is going through a serious editing process I feel the blog does not need to go through the same process, so errors may be present.