Wow! Thanksgiving is right around the corner…only three weeks away! Now is the time to begin your preparations and planning for what is likely your biggest meal of the year. I know, I know. three weeks seems like a really long time, doesn’t it? But…it will be here before you know it. You absolutely don’t want to be caught without doing at least some basic planning.
Trying to wing it for a big meal is no fun! I know because not too many years ago we were supposed to have gone to a relative’s for Thanksgiving, meaning that I was only responsible for bringing one, maybe two dishes…then with only a few days to go before Thanksgiving, I found out that our plans were cancelled and that it was going to be up to me to pull off a fabulous Thanksgiving feast for my family with virtually no time to prepare…I love to cook and entertain but only with ample time to prepare unless, of course, we are talking a much less important Family Event. The pressure was on.
Trying to wing it for a big meal is no fun! I know because not too many years ago we were supposed to have gone to a relative’s for Thanksgiving, meaning that I was only responsible for bringing one, maybe two dishes…then with only a few days to go before Thanksgiving, I found out that our plans were cancelled and that it was going to be up to me to pull off a fabulous Thanksgiving feast for my family with virtually no time to prepare…I love to cook and entertain but only with ample time to prepare unless, of course, we are talking a much less important Family Event. The pressure was on.
So…here are my suggestions for planning, organizing, and preparing for your Thanksgiving Dinner. And, no, I’m absolutely not talking about going out. To. A. Restaurant. Oh, the horror!
Ok, so get out your favorite pen and some paper – I prefer a spiral notebook so I won’t lose the pages. Think about the traditional foods that you and your family have had year-after-year and decide on which traditions you absolutely love and which ones you could perhaps eliminate or change somewhat.
Write out your menu – starting with any appetizers that you will serve as your family and guests begin to arrive before the meal is ready to be served. The next item on your menu should be the meat or meats you plan to serve, their accompanying side dishes, and the bread you will serve. Next should be all the desserts you will serve. And last you should list out your beverages.
Ok, so get out your favorite pen and some paper – I prefer a spiral notebook so I won’t lose the pages. Think about the traditional foods that you and your family have had year-after-year and decide on which traditions you absolutely love and which ones you could perhaps eliminate or change somewhat.
Write out your menu – starting with any appetizers that you will serve as your family and guests begin to arrive before the meal is ready to be served. The next item on your menu should be the meat or meats you plan to serve, their accompanying side dishes, and the bread you will serve. Next should be all the desserts you will serve. And last you should list out your beverages.
The next step is to begin to gather all of your recipes for your dinner and put them in your notebook with your menu. Once you have all of this together, it’s time to make your grocery list. Again, I use the same notebook so that everything is together. I begin to go through my pantry, spices, things in my refrigerator and freezer that I will need, then look at the recipes and put the items I am either low on or out of on the list. Since I begin this process several weeks out from when I will need them, the list is always changing.
This mega meal can also become a very expensive meal to prepare in terms of ingredients, so I also begin adding items from my Thanksgiving Dinner list to my weekly shopping lists so that I can buy the nonperishable items or frozen items early on and the fresh items in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. This helps my budget out tremendously!
This mega meal can also become a very expensive meal to prepare in terms of ingredients, so I also begin adding items from my Thanksgiving Dinner list to my weekly shopping lists so that I can buy the nonperishable items or frozen items early on and the fresh items in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. This helps my budget out tremendously!
I hope these ideas will help you all be organized, prepared, and more relaxed this Thanksgiving! This year I will need all the lists more than usual because I will be preparing and cooking my dinner in not only a different kitchen, but in a different state! I will be going to West Virginia to visit my daughter Courtney and three of my beautiful grandchildren. Everyone will be there except my son, Hunter, and his fiancé, Megan…sadly, they were not able to get off work, but they will spend Christmas with us.
I’ll keep you posted on how my planning and prepping is going along the way and I will definitely do my blog the last weekend of November on this meal of all meals…until next time, Bon Appetite!
I’ll keep you posted on how my planning and prepping is going along the way and I will definitely do my blog the last weekend of November on this meal of all meals…until next time, Bon Appetite!
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