thanksgiving signBelieve it or not, next Thursday is Thanksgiving. Are you prepared?

Thanksgiving can be an insanely stressful day for those doing all the cooking, but you don’t have to let it become your worst nightmare. With a little planning and the acknowledgement that sometimes you just can’t do it all alone, this can still be a stress-free day. Here’s a couple tips:

  • Make lists for yourself so you remember all the ingredients you need to purchase, and don’t hit the stores too late. You don’t want to end up with the world’s smallest turkey that is supposed to feed 15 instead of 2. I’ve seen estimates of 1-2 pounds of turkey per adult as the suggested serving size. I like to go on the larger size because if I don’t have at least 3 days worth of leftovers to eat afterward, it just doesn’t feel like it was Thanksgiving.
  • Plan out your schedule for the day of and day before. Prepare whatever you can in advance instead of trying to get it all done on Thanksgiving Day. Bake pies a day ahead (this will leave your oven free for the bird and other side dishes) and prepare something quick for breakfast that only needs to be shoved in the oven in the morning like a breakfast casserole or cinnamon rolls. I actually keep my recipes and schedule together each year so when I make a new schedule, I don’t leave something out. Remember to read your recipes so you don’t forget to let your rolls rise or thaw something.
  • Don’t feel that you have to cook everything yourself! Let family members bring a side dish or dessert. Purchase fresh rolls and side dishes to warm up in the oven instead of making them yourself. You can even have your whole Thanksgiving dinner catered if you can’t get in the kitchen yourself this year.
  • Don’t go overboard with your recipes either. Stick to recipes that are easy, that you’re familiar with and that will not take you half the day to prepare. If someone wants to help in the kitchen, LET THEM! Give them something to peel, chop, stir or baste. Or have them set the table, run the vacuum cleaner, etc.

Having trouble planning your meal? Here are my tried and true recipes which I’ll be revisiting again this year. Brussel sprouts will also be on our list of goodies (probably instead of green beans although that will just depend on what inspires us at the farmer’s market) and I think I will make honey butter to spread on the rolls instead of just regular butter.

In additional to all this, don’t forget to keep the kids entertained too! Print out some goodies for them to color, have a space with plenty of toys for them (remind parents to bring some favorites or purchase a few cheap toys for the occasion), get a couple of kid’s movies to keep them occupied and you can even put them to work in the kitchen too if they are interested.

How do you keep Thanksgiving Day from getting out of hand at your house?