Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes

This is a make ahead mix that can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. The recipes below are 6 different varieties that can be made with the mix.

You can make these ahead several days and store in the fridge. If baking cold, let stand 30 minutes first.

I love this because I always have leftover bread and it goes to waste most of the time. The best part is that you can pull out as many pieces as you want and bake them straight from the freezer!

Mmm mmm good! This is a must do for every holiday in my household, or just when you have guests overnight! Can be made with egg substitute, skim milk and turkey sausage to make it healthier!

Baked rose-shaped potato gratins would be great for entertaining, since you can make them ahead, and keep them warm in the pan, or cool and reheat in the oven when you are ready to serve. The technique is straightforward, but make sure you season the potatoes generously.

This make-ahead turkey gravy frees up valuable kitchen time for Thanksgiving, plus it will look and taste even better than those frantic, last-minute versions.

The recipe for these spinach and feta appetizer triangles came from a Greek family friend. They may be frozen prior to baking.

Creamy chocolate-filled pastry. Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate if you like.

Cranberries and raisins are folded into a sweet bread pudding batter for a homey dessert. This makes a great breakfast strata, too!

These puff pastry-wrapped olives are our family's favorite holiday appetizer. We make them with a variety of olives - pimento stuffed green, plump kalamata, Provencal - just make sure they are pitted. We like to use strongly flavored olives; the flavor of canned ripe olives disappears in the puff pastry. You can make these ahead, and freeze; allow 30 minutes for the pastry to thaw before baking. Another advantage: the kids like to make them and eat them.

The color of this dip is very festive and would make a nice addition to any snack or appetizer table at your next holiday party.

Not only is this buttermilk pie easy to make and beautiful to look at, it's also bursting with the kind of bright, tangy flavor that no other custard-style pie can touch. This is sort of like a vanilla custard, meets lemon meringue pie, meets very light cheesecake. Except better.

If you didn't grow up in a coastal town in the South, you might never have eaten pickled shrimp with your Thanksgiving dinner. But since you can use frozen shrimp in this recipe, it might be time to try. Briny and a bit spicy, this pickled shrimp is full of flavor. You can make this dish the day before the feast for a faint pickle taste or leave them in the refrigerator for a week before, which means you'll bring something with huge personality to the table. Either way, this might become a tradition for your family. Good for a week.

Cranberries and orange are a natural pairing, and I wanted to combine them in a cheesecake fit for the Thanksgiving table. The cranberry glaze is a really beautiful color, and the sugared cranberries are the perfect topping. Most of the work is done the night before, so it's not even that hard to make.

I tinkered a bit with what I found in other recipes and this is the result. I think I like my results. I stirred in a small handful of tamari-flavored pumpkin seeds just before serving (couldn't find plain ones) and sprinkled a bit of paprika on top to make it look nice.

This piquant chutney is not as sweet as traditional cranberry sauce. The bite of the fresh ginger will become more pronounced as the chutney rests. If you have any left after Thanksgiving, try it in turkey sandwiches with a smear of cream cheese. Oh. My. God.

My mom makes these mushrooms every year for the holidays and there are NEVER any leftovers! They are the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. I now make them any time I go to a holiday party.

This is a holiday breakfast favorite in our home. It is equally delicious served warm or cold, and it also freezes well, so you can make it ahead.

I received this recipe from a coworker and made it for Easter brunch this year. It was easy to assemble and tasted fantastic. It was an instant hit with my family! I modified the original recipe, using low-fat egg/dairy products.

A great party treat.

There are two kinds of deviled eggs, sweet or savory; mine are the sweet variety. They always seem to be the first dish to disappear at any gathering I bring them to. My Grandma taught me this recipe forty years ago, and it's remained basically unchanged. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

If you're like me, I can't stand the last minute rush and expectations in making the turkey gravy. You have one shot and it better be good! Well, this takes out all the stress of that last minute dash. Can be frozen or refrigerated for five days. This is honestly the best turkey gravy I've ever had. You dirty a few pots and pans, but it sure beats the last minute rush Thanksgiving Day. Let me know what you think. Bon appetite!

My cranky old 1934 oven is very small and slow, so I devised this method of cooking holiday meals. The slow cooker keeps the turkey breast moist, and cooking the dressing in the same cooker gives it a wonderful flavor.

To DIE for, buttery crescent rolls that divide up the work between two days. This yeast-raised dough may be kept in the refrigerator, and used over a period of 2 weeks! So you can make them fresh when you like.