You know, I have to confess. For me, the Holiday meals are probably the easiest and least stressful of any meal I prepare. It’s probably a multitude of things, not the least of it being that I rarely vary the menu, I’ve been doing it forever, and I practically have it down to a science.

It’s a bird or a ham. The type of bird varies, we’ve done capons, turkeys, duck, and cornish hens. I find the bigger turkey and ham to be the easiest on me – get up early, 30 minutes prep to get it in the oven, and spend the rest of my time with the family. We are going with a 15-pounder this year.

Sides of stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans. I usually go with apple pie from a local orchard, but am known to make a pumpkin pie Wednesday night when I prebake the sweet potatoes and season bread cubes to “breathe” overnight.

When the turkey reaches 150, I prep the sweet potatoes with brown sugar & maple syrup and moisten the stuffing in a casserole dish. That takes all of 20 minutes, and I pop the two dishes in with the turkey, peel potatoes, and pop in a pan of cold water.

When the turkey is done, I pull everything out of the oven, and it takes about 30 minutes to bring the potatoes to a boil and mash, get the beans heated up, and make gravy. By that time the bird has “rested”

The only complication comes when I make corn pudding – which is a “by request only” rather than a standard. It’s a custard based dish, and has to bake around 45 minutes. I never have room in the oven until the bird comes out, so we are usually waiting on it to finish to eat.

All told, I am not in the kitchen that much, and if I’m slaving away, I’m on auto pilot and not paying attention. Probably 60-90 minutes Wednesday night, 30 minutes Thursday morning. Back and forth checking temps and basting every 45-60 minutes until it gets close. A 20 minute prep on baked sides, a short break, and 30 minutes on the stove-top sides while I set the table. We are talking 90 minutes of kitchen time, spread out over 6-8 hours for a feast. That’s really not bad, and I imagine I spend that much time in the kitchen over the course of a day anyway.

I clean as I go, so I never get a sink full of dishes. Stuffing & sweet potatoes are served in their casserole, the mashed potatoes mixed in the serving bowl. I end up with an “extra” turkey platter and serving dishes for the gravy & beans. Leftovers are covered and go the fridge in their serving bowls. So after dinner clean up is not much more awful than a “normal” meal if it’s just the four of us. When there are guests, there are less leftovers and more hands to help with the extra cleanup – I am not known for saying, “No! I have it, you go sit down!” I prefer to think of it as bonding.

My time honored tips …

• Stick to tried and true dishes you are comfortable with
• Make sure the bird is safely thawed on Wednesday and stored in the fridge
• Get the “bag” out of the bird
• Rinse the bird thoroughly, season cavity, “butter” the skin
• Loosely wrap the wings and drumsticks in foil, “tent” the breast
• When the breast reaches 150, unwrap the wings & drumsticks and untent to brown
• The bird is “done” when the breast is 165, and the thighs 180
• “Done” takes 10-15 minutes per unstuffed pound at 325
• The turkey needs to rest 20 minutes after roasting
• Do the math Wednesday night and post an estimated timetable on the fridge, working backwards from meal time
• You are working with raw poultry. Use hot soapy water on everything it or you touch.
• Get leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours of serving.
• RELAX. It’s about family, friends, and gratitude – not perfection.

So. What about you? Is your approach relaxed or frantic? What are your tips?