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I learned, after hosting 30-40 for dinner when I had little kids, that you cook most of it the day before. We had the best turkey and sides that year. So now I make my turkeys the day before , slice them and put them in a pan and pour in chicken broth to keep it moist. The sides are made and in serving casseroles the day before and just hit the oven when the appetizers come out. I use to spend the day in the kitchen while everyone else enjoyed themselve now I can relax and enjoy myself with everyone else and dinner is still great. Another benefit, my inlaws and mother want a good deal of leftovers to take home with them. I can make extra and have it already packaged for them without trying to get that done after dinner.

We have one of those countertop convection/rotisserie ovens that we use to keep the side dishes warm until serving - one of the best $80 investments I ever spent. Caveat: I am usually only making holiday dinners for two, so I use smaller casserole dishes. a standard 9 x 13 dish won't fit in this oven, unfortunately.

Not only do I have "just one" oven. My kitchen actually has less counter space than my work cubicle. Yet we still host a 12-15 person dinner. I find that for Thanksgiving the roaster is key and a crock pot or two help. We cook 2 - 12 pound birds. One in the oven timed to come out about a 45 minutes before dinner and one in the roaster. The oven bird is the "show bird" and the roaster bird is carved and served right away. Everything else (except the two veggie dishes) is cooked fully or partially the day before or the morning of and heated or finished dinner (even the mashed potatoes) and is put in oven dishes as soon as the turkey comes out and served right in the dish. I find this arrangement makes it a more social event.

Also our guests bring snacks, drinks, wine, bread, and desert.

unless you are feeding the 7th army, cut the number of sides down and use crockpots for keeping things warm. Lets face it the protein is usually the star of the show, and for most, three or four sides is more than enough. who wants to feel like doing nothing but hibernating after dinner? concentrate on being with people you love, it's called THANKSgiving, not gorge to bursting. yes its nice to have options, but everyone deserves to enjoy the day, including the cook and dishwasher.

my mom uses a standalone roaster, and after heating up most of her large sides (mashed potatoes, green beens) puts them in chafing dishes and puts the smaller sides in the oven. Her chafing dishes use hot water, not sterno, so i think they work a lot longer (plus you dont get hot spots and burned undersides). She's amazing!Totally blind and makes the whole meal every year, turkey and 12 sides!

Do sides the day before, with the exception of mashed potatoes or rice and rolls which we do right before serving. Put the bird in EARLY so when it is done, it can rest and this is when you put in whatever sides you have for reheating. This is our strategy and it always works!

You aren't spending half the day slaving over a hot oven and stove and this can free you up for other things like setting the table or just relaxing! Dessert is easy too because you can heat this while you are eating.

A $30 roasting oven from Costco, and the bird cooks on the porch!

there's another great thread on here about how to use crockpots effectively for thanksgiving. i'm going to try to do my stuffing and glazed sweet potatoes in 2 crockpots. And yes, mashed potatoes are very easy to reheat during the 15-30 minutes that the turkey should rest.

Grill as a 2nd oven!!!

Do what my grandma did...serve it as it's ready. Sometimes things are cold. Cold/room temp turkey is nice and hot with hot gravy or cranberry sauce. In other words focus on hot sides I you haven't te space and time the turkey well as aformentioned and you'll have those 20 or so minutes it stays hot. ;)

Last year was my big thanksgiving with family in my house. I had started prepping everything from prebaking the rolls to the dressing and sides several days before. I also have only one fridge, so I had plenty of coolers packed with ice sitting on my screened porch in 35*F weather. When time came to cook the turkey went in first then 1 hour before the turkey was done the potatoes were started, and everything came out of coolers and fridge to be warmed in the oven on three racks, after the turkey came out to rest. We also did a roast of beef on low heat on the gas grill. Years before when I lived closer to my parents and we always held holiday dinners at their house. I would roast the turkey in my house then bring it over after it came out. Again plan your menu and timing prior to the big day.

Stackem up! If you are reheating or simply keeping warm, then by all means stack the cookie sheets on the jelly roll pans and the jelly roll pans on the roasting dishes. Sometimes I use cooling racks to keep bottoms from crushing the food. 2 baking dishes on one layer horizontally, and 2 turned vertically on top. Its all cozy and warm. I also like the spot between the burners on the stove top.

Osomatic and salpico both sound like they know their way around a holiday feast!