Make all the pies and deserts before-hand (even the night before), then put them back in the oven to warm during dinner.

Make ahead mashed potatoes Another recipe for make ahead mashed potatoes.

Cranberry sauce

I'm making two batches of pumpkin squares tonight.

Pie, chop the potatoes (if you don't mash them in advance), cranberries, chop everything for the stuffing.

Soup! I just made my awesome butternut squash soup with indian spices. Bonus points for no oven time whatsoever.
I'm also going to make the mixture to stuff in my stuffed mushrooms today. I was going to prep and stuff them today but fridge space won't allow that.

My cooking schedule opened up when I read how to cook a turkey in 45 minutes.

The traditional Thanksgiving lasagna (What? Doesn't everybody do lasagna?) will be constructed tonight and kept cool until tomorrow.

The bundt pan rolls get started tonight then sleep overnight in the fridge.

Here's my timeline from MeFi the other day.

When I'm responsible for the bulk of a holiday meal, I prep most of the side dishes in advance, at least cooking or preparing them to the last possible stage of readiness before their final heating.

Did that make sense?

For example:

- I make the stuffing ahead, chopping and cooking all the aromatics and vegetables, cubing the bread and either toasting it or letting it go stale, soaking everything in the liquid, cooling it and refrigerating overnight, well wrapped. The next day, I plunk it into a pan (or stuff it in the bird if that's your preference) and bake it.

- Any sort of gratin or sauced veg, I'll make the sauce and prep the veg (except potatoes: rhapsodie, how do you keep your pre-sliced potatoes from oxidizing?), then refrigerate separately overnight. The next day, I just mix them, put in the serving dish, add topping if needed, and bake.

- If I'm making, I dunno, green beans with chili-toasted almonds, I blanch & shock the beans, wrap 'em in a towel and refrigerate overnight in a closed container. Then I sliver and toast the almonds, store tightly covered at room temp. Tomorrow, I just need to flash everything together in a hot pan with a sliver of butter, and it's ready. (This year, I'm bringing kale with chili-spiced mushrooms, but it's the same principle and the same amount of time: about three minutes in a hot pan.)

- I often make the first batch of gravy ahead, too; you can buy packets of wings and roast them to produce drippings. (Since my brother took over gravy duty a few years ago, I don't bother anymore.)

- I don't prep winter squash ahead, just slice it and bake it the day of the meal.

- baked goods (pies, rolls, etc) I bake the day before and warm up before sserving. This year, The Fella is even doing that with his now-famous savory squash tartlets with caramelized onions. He made the filling and dough last night. Tomorrow, due to lack of oven space at our hosts' home, we're baking the tartlets early in the day, taking them over and rewarming in the oven as the turkey rests.

I have no idea on the tofurkey timing problem. Not helpful: a few years ago, my mother bought a portable plug-in oven, which proved invaluable for our enormous family holiday meals. It doesn't even need to be in the kitchen; we usually placed it on top of the washing machine to avoid cluttering up kitchen counters.

The traditional Thanksgiving lasagna (What? Doesn't everybody do lasagna?)

Gee, that sounds great. The Fella and I do a Christmas cheese fondue with roasted vegetables, now-traditional to us.

Wow, I just kept typing, huh?

This year, The Fella is even doing that with his now-famous savory squash tartlets with caramelized onions.

OMG, this sound so amazingly awesome.

I'm doing tofurkey for the first time this year, having had all sorts of people gang up on me and tell me that it's ridiculous that I haven't tried it as a mostly-vegetarian.

OMS*, they are so amazing. The filling and dough are undefended in our fridge while he's at work, and OH NO I MUST RESIST THEM.

*oh my Squash

I'm wavering between being really jealous and really relieved that I don't have Thanksgiving any more.

Sorry, but Tofurkey does need the time in the oven (as it is not meat, microwaving will just make it go hard). Leave it out in a cool place overnight -- whenever I follow their instructions to leave it in the frig overmight, it is still frozen in the morning.
You can cook the Tofurkey in advance and leave it (still in the foil, then insulated with a couple of towels) in a warm place for up to an hour. Make sure that you use the Orange juice and soy sauce marinade and include the chopped potato/onion/carrot pieces. This makes it especially nice, as the veggies cook crisp while soaking up the marinade.
As a meat eater until ten years ago, I was really surprised just how good Tufurkey tastes. And it stops you from feeling that you are missing out because of the Thanksgiving ritual: the stuffing and gravy that everyone else has. (A tip - get or make extra veggie gravy - there is never enough in the Tofurkey "feast" package).

Sorry, but Tofurkey does need the time in the oven (as it is not meat, microwaving will just make it go hard)

I've seen pages hint at steaming, but no recipes. I was hoping for that... if it has to go in the oven it won't be done until two hours after the turkey. I can't fit both in at once.

kellydamnit, if you have the appropriate pots, etc., to steam the tofurkey, what about roasting it in the oven way ahead of time, then keeping it hot over steam? You could even pop the tofurkey back into the oven while the turkey is having its 20-minute rest and being carved, so it (the tofurkey) can, uh, crisp up or whatever. (Does tofurkey get crispy on the outside?)

disclaimer: poster has never had tofurkey, much less made one. Just brainstorming, here.

elsa, that is what I was thinking of doing.

I made risen cornbread studded with cranberries today in advance, and simple syrup for whiskey sours. And wouldn't you know I'm getting drunk on cocktails and fat on cornbread right now.

Hmmm, hope we don't want any cornbread tomorrow. Nom nom.