Don’t let your kitchen turn into a disaster on Thanksgiving! Hosting a major holiday takes planning and preparation to pull off a hot meal, clean kitchen, and keep everything at home in good working order! I’ve hosted more Thanksgiving meals than I can now count and I’d like to share a real moms guide to keeping your kitchen running smoothly this Thanksgiving Day!
Tip #1 Choose some menu items that can be made in advance. Turkeys take several hours to cook in an oven and most of us aren’t fortunate enough to have a double oven so you’ve got to plan menu items that can be made in advance! One of my favorites for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter is my Cranberry Sausage Stuffing – it’s become well known over the years and expected by everyone in my family! This recipe is EASY to make and you can prep in advance!
Tip #2 Don’t Do Everything Yourself – Have your family help you prepare and clean, and have other people bring food. You don’t have to do everything. Spread the jobs out – it’s easier! Have your kids decorate, have your husband do some of the cooking, both of you do the shopping (or have him watch the little ones and you shop with the older kids that can be more of a help). Doing everything yourself is stressful and not as much fun as everybody helping out.
Tip #3 Assign someone to clean up as you cook – This might be your husband or an older child or maybe your mom or sister but you’ll need someone there washing and putting away dishes because your kitchen will look like a disaster zone if you wait and clean everything at the end!
Tip #4 Watch what goes down the drain – The last thing you need on Thanksgiving day is a clogged drain or broken, non-functioning garbage disposal! No grease or oil down the drain, no pits or seeds down the drain, no bones either! I also recommend skipping things like eggs shells (membranes clog them) or stringy vegetables like celery – these can clog your disposal and make your day miserable!
Tip #5 Company – If you have people coming over plan something for people to do. Whether or not kids are included, it would probably be a good idea to have some games planned in advance. If you assigned the guest to bring a food dish or dishware (utensils, plates, etc.) make sure to keep track on what people are bringing and make sure to confirm with them before Thanksgiving so that they remember what it is they are bringing. It may be good to keep some handy extras just in case. If you invite people that have food allergies or food sensitivities have them RSVP in advance with food options that would be okay for them.
Tip #6 Don’t Freak Out – The holidays are meant to be fun, so don’t let them become a hassle. Don’t over think things, have fun with it and roll with the punches. If something you are planning isn’t working out (special plans or family, cleaning, food, decorations, etc.) then don’t do them. You will just tire yourself out and make yourself miserable. And remember, don’t compromise your plans to make other people happy, if you don’t want to go/do somewhere/something than don’t; it will make everything easier on yourself and you know the saying….. “happy wife happy life!” Your only obligation is to your own family so keep things with in-laws and friends in perspective.
Tip #7 Decorations – You could do it big or small, either way you want to get it done ASAP so you don’t back up the rest of your holiday schedule. If you are going big, it could take you more than a day to do everything so make sure to consider this when planning. Get this part done ASAP, that way you can save time for the more important things like enjoying company and your family on Thanksgiving.
Tip #8 Shopping – Don’t let it creep up on you – Calendar the days (or days) you plan to shop. When shopping for the things you need for the holiday make a list based on the stores you are getting them from; instead of having a really long list of everything you need. When you are first starting to plan, you can make a large list of all the things to buy; then put them in smaller lists based on the places you plan to shop. Remember that if you’re planning to purchase a frozen turkey you’ll need 3 days to thaw the bird (depending on the size). I generally shop the sales with different stores based on my week of running kids around – that way I’m shopping as I pay by the stores (saves on gas and time) instead of making a special trip out to a store.
Tip #9 Plan your leftovers – Will you make a homemade turkey and rice soup or maybe you’ll turn the potatoes into hash browns the next morning. Whatever you’re planning for your Thanksgiving meal be sure you have left overs planned so you avoid waste. You’re much more likely to have family consume it a 2nd time if you turn it into something else. Turkey club sandwiches anyone?
Tip #10 Use a cooler as a refrigerator – Most of us won’t have enough space in our refrigerators for this big of a meal so plan in advance to buy a bag of ice and make use of your cooler for additional refrigeration!
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