Thanksgiving Dinner - Take the Stress Out of Planning Thanksgiving Dinner and Enjoy Yourself

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By Nerida Murray

Here’s a week-by-week, and day-by-day countdown of things you can do in the lead up to Thanksgiving. You may not need to do all of them, or you may have extra you need to add in! If you can do a little every week or day, you’ll have very little to do on the day and can really enjoy yourself.

Two Weeks To Go:

• Invite your guests and confirm final numbers this week so you know how many you are catering for.
• Ask each guest to contribute something - Remember, Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to enjoy a shared feast, so it’s fine to ask guests to contribute something. Just make sure you know what they are bringing so no-one doubles up and you find you have 4 pumpkin pies and no thanksgiving side dishes.
• Hire any catering supplies such as tables, chairs, glassware, cutlery, dinnerware, and serving platters you need.
• Order your turkey.
• Take half an hour to go through your menu. Make your life easier by choosing some recipes that can be made ahead, some to be served cold, and some that can be cooked at the same time as your turkey.
• Make sure your turkey will fit in your oven. Also, If you have to take out most of the shelves to fit an enormous bird in, then you’ll have to organize to have your side dishes precooked, or able to be cooked while the turkey rests.
• Shop for non-perishable goods now, like flour, sugar, frozen cranberries, alcohol and soft drink.

One Week To Go:

• Give the house a thorough clean now so that all it needs closer to the day is a bit of a spruce up.
• Wash the tablecloths and napkins, and the dinner setting and glasses you want to use.
• Check the roasting dish for the turkey and make sure it’s in good condition and large enough for the job.
• Shop for all the pumpkins, squash, potatoes, etc to get them out of the way.
• Stock up on cream now. Remember last year when you couldn’t get what you wanted? Don’t miss out this year. Buy it early. It’ll keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks (check the date on the container).
• Cook any bread rolls or dishes that can be prepared ahead and frozen.

Monday:

• If your turkey is frozen, take it out of the freezer this morning and put it in your fridge to thaw. It’s really important to thaw your turkey carefully and thoroughly.
• Continue to cook any dishes that can be prepared ahead and frozen.

Tuesday:

• If possible, set the dining table today. Cover the whole thing with a sheet and forget about it.
• Now you can make dishes to keep fresh in the fridge until Thursday. Anything that just needs warming up or will cook quickly once the turkey is out of the oven is ideal.For example:
  

  Cranberry sauce or relish

  Turkey stuffing or dressing

  Pies or pie crusts

  Soups

  Casseroles

  Bread and pastry

• Put the wine, beer and soft drink in the fridge to chill.

Wednesday:

• Do a final shop and buy the fresh ingredients you need, like salad leaves and herbs. Don’t forget to buy extra plastic wrap, aluminum foil, toilet paper, and paracetamol. They’re always good to have on hand.
• Today is a good day to bake any pies and side dishes you have left to do.
• If you ordered a fresh turkey, pick it up today and put it straight into your refrigerator.
• Pick up or take delivery of any hired catering goods today.
• Write up a quick list of your dishes for tomorrow so you can work out what has to go into the oven and when. If you are worried about fitting it all in, remember that your BBQ (if it has a hood) can be used to bake the turkey or to bake and reheat your other dishes.
• Give the house a quick spruce up.

What To Do On Thanksgiving Day:

• Preheat the oven as soon as you get up.
• Stuff the turkey and get it into the oven according to your recipes instructions.
• Get any dishes into the oven that need to cook with the turkey.
• Prepare any dishes that had to wait until the last minute and any vegetables that will cook alongside the turkey later - they can be covered and put into the refrigerator until needed.
• Take the dust sheet off the dining table and add any finishing touches you like.
• Take desserts or any other dishes that need to be served at room temperature out of the refrigerator.
• Remember to delegate as much as you can. People are happy to help so let them!
• Once the turkey is roasted, cover it in a foil tent and leave it to rest while any remaining dishes are baked or warmed.
• Make the gravy.
• Are there any dessert pies that can be baked or warmed while you have the main courses? Put them in the oven now.

Enjoy yourself. Happy Thanksgiving!

© Nerida Murray is the editor of http://www.better-living-ideas.com the site that is all about home life:- kids, teens, pets and healthy meals. Visit now to find everything from what to cook for dinner, to how to approach child discipline, how to talk to your teenager, or to choose unusual pet names and more!

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