Thursday, November 20, 2014

How-To | Have a Stress-Free Thanksgivng

Do you dread Thanksgiving?  Are you just completely stressed out just thinking about it?  Do you wake up at 3 AM and make the entire meal?  If you answered YES to any of these questions, read on for some tips on making Thanksgiving as stress-free as possible!


I told several of my co-workers that I was going to spend a Saturday making Thanksgiving, and they all gave me such sympathetic looks.  I asked them why, and they said "you'll be in the kitchen ALL day!".  I'm happy to say that I spent only about 3 hours in the kitchen making the Thanksgiving pictured above because I followed the tips below for a stress-free Thanksgiving:

Plan the Basics:  This doesn't have to be a five course dinner with 4 dishes for each course.  How many guests will you have?  What time will dinner be?  Where will everyone eat?  Will tables and chairs need to be rented?  Get the basics written down and confirmed.

Decide on a Menu:  What are some traditional family dishes?  Make a list.  Gather everyone who will be there and decide on a menu.

Delegate:  My family has a rule that whenever we have family meals, everyone brings something.  So take the menu and ask people what they are willing to bring.  Even if they cannot boil water, they can buy rolls.  You are a wonderful cook, and you can do anything!  Don't do everything. 

Confirm:  Confirm a few days before Thanksgiving that 1) the person is coming and 2) that they are still bringing the dish they volunteered to bring.

Make Ahead:  Make as much of Thanksgiving recipes that you can ahead of time.  Even some of the sauces that will be pour on vegetables and such will save a tremendous amount of time and sanity!

Enjoy! Enjoy a stress-free holiday because this year, you had help and were actually able to enjoy your holiday rather than waking up at 3 AM and spending all day in the kitchen.

So there you have it!  My 5 tips on how to have a stress-free Thanksgiving!

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