I'm a baby when it comes to preparing big meals. Like Michael Chiarello on Easy Entertaining, I take the meal and divide the duties between days. Yesterday I shopped for any remaining ingredients that I hadn't purchased yet. I also put the turkey overnight in a brine in a heavily iced cooler. Today was the day to prep everything and make pumpkin pies. The prep included many vegetable and herb discards which I placed in a bag into the fridge for boiling with the turkey carcass. My stuffing is mixed,the turkey is baking, and the pies are in the fridge waiting for the big meal. When the turkey comes out of the oven I will let it cool and then refrigerate it. I like to roast it the day before so on Thanksgiving I can concentrate on the gravy and side dishes. I'm actually bummed because my largest refrigerator isn't keeping the right temperature. Usually it is a perfect 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Today it is 52! I have to use ice chests instead. The largest fridge is the garage; I set up a card table in the garage every year and place all my pies and extra food on it. Can't do it this year!
Don't forget to save all your vegetable garbage for the making of your turkey broth!
