With all of the family meals, “must have” dishes and entertaining done over the week of Thanksgiving, it makes sense that most of us are rushing around trying to keep all of the plates in the air! We want to share some of our favorite tips to prepare for a stress free holiday:
Grocery Store Tips
The weekend right before Thanksgiving each year is one of the busiest at grocery stores across America, so this year it will be 11/22 and 11/23. If you can plan your shopping list and grab your baking ingredients and any perishables that will last at least 1 week, hitting your local market on 11/20 could save you major time in check out lines!
At the store, select items from the back of the row or back of the dairy aisle – be sure to check dates to make sure you are getting the freshest ingredients possible. When in doubt, buy extra cans of things – you can use them in the next few months or donate to a food drive in your community.
Above all, make a list…or two. There is nothing worse than planning on making your cranberry sauce ahead of time and then not having the cranberries! We make one big list of all of the ingredients necessary for our favorite recipes, and then we divide that list out into a couple of lists: things we can buy in advance and items that we need to wait until the last minute for (generally just produce items).
Prep
Are you hosting Thanksgiving or attending the holiday at another host’s home? Either way, we suggest getting anything you can get done early out of the way! Making a salad with candied pecans? Make those pecans this weekend or the weekend before and store them! The key is that you want to enjoy the day with your friends and family, not feel tied to mixing bowls, ovens and last minute chores. Soups and most of the popular side dishes can be made ahead. So go ahead, don’t wait to make up the gravy, get it out of the way and that’s one less pan to clean on turkey day. Another way to feel more organized is assign a member of your family an extra chore, the kids can learn a new skill and help out with extra laundry. (good luck with that one!)
The Menu!
Check out our Pinterest board just for Thanksgiving Recipes – we’ve pinned some of our favorite things and all of the recipes have been tested by a professional cook so they are sure to please.
Other Notes
Remember to stop and enjoy the moments with family and friends. Despite the pressure to Instagram the perfect looking pie, wow your mother-in-law with your flawless gravy or perhaps maintain your physique over the holidays – they really are all about the memories that you can create by slowing down and enjoying. We hope that your holiday season is kicked off on the right foot this Thanksgiving, that you get the bigger piece of the wishbone, and that all of your creations are filled with delicious ingredients!