Thanksgiving is coming in just under a week. Did you tell your family you’d do it this year? Are you behind on the preparations? If this is the case don’t worry. It is not too late to get organized and make some plans.
There are two things you can do that will make your life really easy. The first is that you can pre-order your Thanksgiving Dinner from a caterer or from a store. Some of these meals, however, are lacking in quality. You could also take your family out to dinner. The problem with these options is that despite the craziness, most of us love having Thanksgiving dinner at home.
Here are some tips that will help you have a successful Thanksgiving and still manage to enjoy yourself.
Learn to Relax
Before you get started, take a few deep breaths. Learning to relax is an essential skill that will help you survive the holidays. Take a walk, get some exercise, and remember that even though eating is a fun part of the holidays, gaining weight and feeling sluggish will prevent you from fully enjoying yourself. Do your best to make healthy choices.
Finalize the Guest List
Before you can plan your meal, you need to know how many people are coming over. This will help you determine the size turkey you should get as well as how many sides you need to serve. Also figure out if you need assigned seating (hey, some families do!), make it a fancy sit down meal, or serve it buffet style.
Plan the Menu
If you plan the menu in advance, this gives you a chance to purchase the ingredients at the best prices. Also, if someone asks you what they can bring, you can consult your list and tell them to bring something you actually need.
Defrost the Turkey
Nothing is more upsetting than getting the turkey prepared for cooking only to realize that it is still partially frozen. If this happens, you can always soak it in cold water. But your best bet is to plan far enough in advance to take it out of the freezer in time. Look on the package to determine how long it needs to thaw before you can cook it.
Make Sides and Desserts in Advance
You can make certain things in advance. Bake cookies and freeze them. Make your mashed potatoes a day or two before and leave in the refrigerator. The only things that really need to wait are the salad (you can make that the night before) and the turkey (for best results you should cook it on Thanksgiving). Consult your list and determine what you can make in advance and what needs to be fresh.
--TF