Targeted Shopping

You want to think of Thanksgiving as T-Day, not D-Day and since it is lurking around the corner it appears that you have one week from today to make sure your Thanksgiving is the best it’s ever been. Don’t leave everything to the very last minute because you know what happens: It’s utter chaos and craziness, which will be unpleasant for you and everyone around you. Prepare well and you will be cool as a cucumber next Thursday when all the guests arrive.

Here are some steps to ensure your Thanksgiving runs smoothly:

1. Make a list of what dishes you’ll have – You obviously need the basics: turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie. Now, are any of your guests vegetarian or vegan? If so, plan to offer food they can eat: tofurkey? roasted veggies? a hearty gratin? Do you want to have hors d’œuvres and appetizers? Maybe you don’t want the usuals and want to stray from tradition. Roast beef instead of turkey? That’s fine. Here are some great side dish ideas from Mark Bittman you can make ahead of time: 101 Head Starts on the Day. Just decide on this list, write out a shopping list and move on to step 2.

2. Plan out a detailed schedule/timeline about when to make or do what – Many dishes can be made the night before and shopping must be done in advance (remember to include decorations if needed on your shopping list), which will save you from doing too many things on one day and at the last minute when you should be finalizing decorations and little details. Write out a timeline and put everything where it belongs, planning the prep time and cook time if necessary. Remember about straightening up the house, decorations and set up, and getting dressed! What time will you wake up? Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before!

3. Make sure you will have enough storage space in the frig for the dishes you make ahead of time. – There’s nothing worse than not having enough space for everything. This includes counter space. If you don’t have that to work on, you will run into some problems. A cook needs her/his space!

4. Enlist the help of family and friends – You don’t have to do everything on your own, like you think you can. Unless you are Martha Stewart’s clone or Bree from Desperate Housewives, it’s not possible. Accept this fact now. Delegate various tasks, dishes and desserts to other people, and that will lighten your workload. You will be happy about it. It’s that simple.

Extra Pointers
1. If you have things that need to be thawed, put that on your timeline.
2. Remember to tidy up your bathroom.
3. Have enough space for guests’ coats.
4. Iron your table linens.
5. Make sure you have enough silverware, dishware and linens.
6. Ensure your chairs and tables are functioning properly.
7. Remember about drinks for everyone!!
8. Decide what you will wear ahead of time.
9. Visualize in your mind what the day will be like.
10. Enjoy yourself and Happy Thanksgiving!

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 4:43 am and is filed under Do it yourself - DIY - Home made, family, food and drinks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.