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2024 Thanksgiving Menu and Meal Prep Timeline

* image These past few months have been busy for our family, especially since our oldest joined a local swim team. Between juggling our work schedules and balancing school with practices... we're all pretty wiped out. Although it's a lot of work, I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Preparing the holiday meal for our family fills my heart with joy, and I can't wait to get started. To make things easier for me, I don't deviate much from  our first Thanksgiving  as a family. The dishes I make are familiar ones, and the recipes for them live at my fingertips. Keeping the same menu year after year means I don't have to spend time researching recipes or planning a new one. Here are my tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes, as well as my prep timeline for the big day!

Amazing Taste® Seasoning Packet Giveaway

I was provided with product samples at no cost. I do not accept monetary compensation for writing about these products or about my experiences while using them. All opinions expressed are my own.

About a month ago, I received an email from a representative of Amazing Taste Foods, Inc., a seasoning company in Malibu, CA, about whether I'd be interested in trying samples of their products. As I'm not one to turn down the opportunity to try new things, I replied that I was interested and gave them my mailing address. The package arrived on Valentine's Day, while I was out to brunch with my boyfriend at Tournesol. I was expecting one or two packets, perhaps a sample of the Beef seasoning and the Poultry seasoning, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the boxes.

Amazing Taste Seasoning Packets - Photo by Taste As You Go
Amazing Taste Seasoning Packets

Because they knew I was a food blogger, the folks at Amazing Taste Foods generously shipped two samples of each of their nine seasoning packets!
  • Beef
  • Burger
  • Chili
  • Fajita
  • Malibu (all-purpose)
  • Pork
  • Poultry
  • Seafood
  • Steakhouse (all-purpose)
According to the informational sheet I received, Amazing Taste seasonings "make less expensive meats juicy and tender by sealing in the meat's natural juices and flavors that often escape during the cooking process." Each Amazing Taste packet only costs $0.99 and seasons 2-4 pounds of protein - a major plus in this economy. I haven't had a chance to try all of the packets yet, but I made some really delicious chicken with the Poultry seasoning the other night (recipe to follow at some point). It was so good that I can't wait to see what dishes I can make with the other seasoning packets!

Seeing as it's a new month (where did February go??), I thought it would be the perfect time to sponsor Taste As You Go's second giveaway! And, just as I did with the first giveaway, there will be multiple prizes and multiple winners!

* Grand Prize Winner: The Basic Protein-Specific Packets (Beef, Burger, Pork, Poultry, Seafood)
* First Runner-Up: The Basic Meals Packet Combo #1 (Chili and Malibu)
* Second Runner-Up: The Basic Meals Packet Combo #2 (Fajita and Steakhouse)

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this entry with a helpful food tip or fun food fact. And, make sure to leave your email address in your comment if it's not listed in your profile so I have a way of contacting you if you're one of the winners (US only).

But wait! There's more! (Sorry, I couldn't resist...)

You can earn a bonus entry by blogging about this Amazing Taste Seasoning Packet giveaway. How? Just post to your blog about this giveaway with a link back here. If you post about the giveaway, leave an additional comment on this post with the link showing where you've blogged about it. Simple, right? So, what are you waiting for?

This giveaway will end on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. The winners (again, US only) will be chosen with the help of Random.org on March 15, 2009 and will be announced here.

Good luck!

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Comments

Shelby said…
This is good stuff! I love the pork seasoning.
Leslie M. said…
This is GREAT giveaway!!!
Here is my tip.. PLEASE do NOT refrigerate those tomatoes... they will loose every bit of flavor.. put 'em on the counter and they will get better, even those store bought ones!
Leslie
LeslieVeg@msn.com
http://leslielovesveggies.blogspot.com/
Brenda Campbell said…
Here is my tip: When you cook pot roast in the crock pot, add a bit of cola or Dr Pepper because it helps to make the meat fall apart and makes the gravy a little richer. Very yummy!
Brenda Campbell
pacnwfamily1@comcast.net
www.cre8tivekitchen.blogspot.com
Brenda Campbell said…
Michelle, I posted the link to your site for your giveaway on my blog. It is at http://www.cre8tivekitchen.blogspot.com or its own page at http://cre8tivekitchen.blogspot.com/search/label/Taste%20As%20You%20Go%20Website

Have a great day!
mindy said…
do not throw out leftovers re use them in something creative thanks for the giveaway
scottsgal said…
My tip is use a rotisserie - we love ours and meat and fish are so tender and juicy

msboatgal at aol dot com
A Reader said…
My food tip is to use applesauce instead of butter in baking to make it fate fre.
Thanks for the giveaway!
Kimspam66(at)yahoo(dot)com
Unknown said…
My tip is when a large quantity of pepper is needed, attach a cordless drill to the pepper mill.

Also, putty knives are great at helping to clean really crusty and sticky things.

Yes, tools belong in the kitchen.
Carolyn G said…
Use plain low fat yogurt as a substitute for sour cream.
Great giveaway idea, count me in! My best food tip:

When you buy cilantro, wrap a sheet of paper towel around it after you've rinsed and dried it before placing it back in the bag. It should last longer this way.

By the way, I've got a peanut butter sandwich contest going on at my place, check it out and enter to win a cookbook!
Tracey said…
My fun food fact. Blueberries are the second most popular berry in the United States
cstironkat said…
Add 8oz of coffee to your roast, and the gravey will be wonderful. My grandmother did this and she had the best tasting pot roast.
judyv12306 said…
To extend the life of your bananas, break the bunch apart.
eyeslikesugar said…
Seeing someone comment about bananas made me remember something I read about in the only magazine i will pay for, ShopSmart. It's by consumer reports, so I know it's good info. anyhoo, those green grocer bags that are supposed to keep fruits and veggies fresh? They don't. The only thing they helped more than just using a ziploc bag on your fruits and veggies, was bananas. So not worth the investment unless you eat a lot of bananas. Thank you for offering this giveaway! eyeslikesugar [at] gmail [dot] com.
Joie de vivre said…
These tips are great! My tip: When guests are coming for dinner, run your dishwasher and empty it before they arrive, then you have an empty dishwasher all ready for quick clean-up after dinner!
My e-mail: Joiecancook@gmail.com
A said…
Your blog is distracting me way too much at work today.

Food Fact: Eggplants are berries. (Pretty much all my fun food facts come from Alton Brown.)

Thanks Michelle :)
Lethea said…
Here's my tip~
If you will use parchment paper when baking it will make you clean-up incredibly easy!

Thanks for offering the giveaway!
Luvdaylilies at bellsouth dot net
Lethea - Thanks for the tip! I use parchment paper when baking all the time and I couldn't agree more. The clean-up is so much easier!

Unfortunately, you've missed the deadline for this giveaway. Keep reading, though -- I'm planning another giveaway soon!