Easy Thanksgiving Recipes for a Relaxed Family Dinner:

Thanksgiving is the traditional holiday in America when people offer thanks to the many blessings showered upon them. Women get up early at the dawn and busy themselves in preparing the feast. My mother is totally exhausted by the time she sits at the dinner table.

Her efforts have not gone in vain as all the members of the family enjoy her dishes, regale themselves and compliment her. I decided a few years ago to plan and organize better instead of getting exhausted and worn out with easy Thanks giving recipes and do ahead recipes without loss of any taste. The aim is to devote more time with my family on Thanksgiving instead of gluing one self in the kitchen with the hot oven.

The turkey is the star of the dinner table. Why does the turkey take six hours to cook instead of the normal four hours? The secret lies here. Measure a cupful of cube butter and add what ever seasonings you enjoy. Separate the breast and thigh skin from the meat with your fingers. Dont split the skin. Let some one help you hoist the bird up while you pour the melted butter in between skin and meat. Distribute the butter evenly with your hands to touch every bit of meat you can reach. Place the turkey on a rack in the resting pan and cover with foil. The result is the best self basting turkey ever. The oven should not be opened till it is cooked according to the weight and time given on the package. Perfect turkey is now guaranteed.

I went in search of easy Thanksgiving recipes that could be made ahead of time. Just spend an hour a day of thanksgiving week and you can get away ahead. So when Thanksgiving Day arrive just stuff the bird and pop it in the oven. Then you can completely relax and have fun with the family. Green salads and vegetables take only a few minutes. You can set the table on Wednesday night.

Traditional Thanksgiving dishes that can be prepared in advance include Cranberry sauce, biscuits and rolls, pies, rice dishes, appetizers. Many are tasty when seasonings marry for a day or two. For me Thanksgiving recipes are those prepared at my leisure up to a week ahead of time. Biscuits, rolls, and pies are good to start with as these breeze well for a couple of weeks at least. An hour for each is enough. Prepare Cranberry on Tuesday for the bet flavor.

For truly Thanksgiving recipes that appetite you can buy a tray of frozen shrimp with cocktail sauce. Stop by the deli for an assortment of meats for your antipasto. Wrap them tightly in foil and freeze. Pick up the cheeses on Tuesday or Wednesday without freezing, as cheese suffers in freezing. One of the fancy cheese balls coated with nuts is another easy Thanksgiving recipe. You may set it on a plate and surround it with an assortment of crackers! Happy Thanksgiving.