It should come as no surprise to you that Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year. Family, friends, good food & drink are the only requirements to make this holiday a success. The focus isn’t on gifting others but on what we have been given and taking a moment to give thanks to God for all of His blessings.
My large family usually gathers in mass for a buffet style Thanksgiving feast but this year Patrick, the girls and I are hosting a much more intimate dinner on our back deck. Being the control freak that I am, I prefer to do all of the cooking myself which is no easy task. Over the years, I’ve developed a few strategies to make cooking a Thanksgiving meal less overwhelming and more manageable. Sharing my top five tips below!
- Plan Your Menu | If you are cooking the bulk of the Thanksgiving meal make sure to consider your guests and what types of side dishes will satisfy the majority. A balanced Thanksgiving plate usually consists of turkey, salad, stuffing, two to three types of vegetables, and a starch. Don’t forget to include children in your plan. I always make a macaroni and cheese casserole with the kids in mind.
- Order Your Holiday Groceries Online | Grocery shopping around the holidays is as chaotic as it gets. Do yourself a favor and order all of your Thanksgiving groceries online. Most online grocery platforms allow you to create shopping lists in advance. Start building your TDay list as soon as you pick your recipes so you aren’t overwhelmed when you need to place your order. In doing this you will save so much time and avoid the large holiday crowds.
- Create a Cooking Timeline | In order for all of your dishes to be ready, and warm, at a specific time it is imperative you create a cooking timeline. I like to take a large sticky note and write down the name of each dish, what temperature it cooks on, what time it needs to go into the oven and what time I need to take it out. ( This works for stovetop cooking too) Creating a cooking timeline also allows you to see what dishes you can cook in the oven at the same time and temp.
- Food Prep | A little prep goes a long way when it comes to your Thanksgiving meal. So much can and should be done ahead of time. Chop all vegetables; grate cheese; dry out bread for the stuffing; make the dessert. Anything you can do in advance of the big meal will help keep day of stress at bay!
[…] a Thanksgiving meal can be super stressful BUT if you plan your menu ahead of time and follow my Thanksgiving Tips post, you will rock it! Sharing my favorite Thanksgiving Menu below to help you get the planning […]