Countdown to Turkey Day!

I'm hosting Thanksgiving again this year, 'cause I love to cook, and mom's not a huge fan of  roasting turkeys these days.  I don't know that she really *minds,* but hey, a night off!  I think she's happy to let me take over.

Anyway... haven't been terribly stressed out about it... but suddenly I'm realizing that there *is* a bit of time management involved here, so I need to make sure I'm on the ball.

Went shopping on Saturday for the main ingredients - turkey - check - cranberries - check... etc.  Decided against pumpkin pie this year (I think dad's the only one who may be disappointed, but as long as there's turkey he'll be ok) in favor of cranberry-swirl cheesecake. 
Couple advantages to this - a) it's really yummy and b) it uses another ingredient we're already preparing, namely, Nick's cranberry sauce.

A few year's back, Nick & I were watching Food Network and AB was demonstrating his fool-proof Thanksgiving meal techniques.  I have made his "Good Eats Roast Turkey" every year since, and it's always fantastic. 

In that same episode, AB suggested, instead of the traditional cranberry sauce, to make a dipping sauce for your delectably moist slices of turkey.  Nick thought that sounded lovely, so he has made that (nearly) every year since.  After the first year, though, I realized that the recipe makes WAY more sauce than anyone could actually use for the turkey.  In recent years I've halved the recipe, and there's still PLENTY to go around.  I, therefore, use the remaining sauce for my cheesecake, the recipe for which I found in a "Bon Appetít" magazine several years ago ('98, maybe).  I use the cranberry dipping sauce both for the "cranberry purée" and for the "cranberry-raspberry compote," adding a little more sugar and cinnamon & nutmeg to each before making the cheesecake.  The compote uses whatever sauce is left, heated with some additional fresh cranberries and either fresh raspberries or some frozen mixed berries I get from Sam's.  That's probably what I'll do this year.  I may throw some dried berries in, too, to soak up some of the juice.  That gets heated on the stovetop until the cranberries burst, and then spooned over each slice of cheesecake.  Mmmm.

In addition to the turkey, cranberry sauce, and cheesecake, I plan to mash potatoes, make gravy, heat up some Stove Top, and roast some asparagus.  If mom thinks that's not enough food, I'll also heat up some green beans and make crescent rolls.  I don't really think we need more carbs, though.

OK - menu down.  Now things get tricky - in order to be able to eat the cheesecake on Thursday, it needs to be baked and chilled for at least 4 hrs.  And I need to have the cranberry sauce for the swirl & compote.  Which means I need to bake the cheesecake by Wed. at the very latest... but I already know I need to start the turkey brining Wed. evening, which bumps cheesecake-making up to Tuesday... which means I need the cranberry sauce done by MONDAY, so it'll have time to cool before I make the cheesecake.

Monday?!  But that's today!  And I won't be home 'til after 10:30, 'cause of choir rehearsal!

If only I could get Nick to make it on his own, but I think he's afraid of the stove...

Guess I'll be up late the next few nights.  At least I have a plan...