Thanksgiving, while a holiday we all love celebrating, can be a super stressful event to plan for too. Family and friends are coming over and a full-course meal to prepare, it’s very easy to lose the celebration in the midst of the kitchen commotion.
We aren’t Thanksgiving dinner gurus or anything, but we’ve sure learned a thing or two over the years of hosting these yearly dinners. A Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be ‘perfect’, remember the true essence of this holiday is about being thankful for everything you have and enjoying the company of the people you will be sharing the Thanksgiving dinner with – not how Masterchef-perfect your turkey is or how lavish a smorgasbord you have prepared on the dinner table.
Here are some of our no-fuss, tried and tested tips for a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner:
- Draw a ceiling over your headcount and stay on top of it the best you can.
You know how family members can be, your brother-in-law was going to invite his girlfriend, and then they split. Your grandfather who has retired in Hawaii suddenly announced he will be in town for Thanksgiving and will be joining you for dinner. These things are unexpected and totally out of control but what you can do is to stay on top of your headcount and always follow the rule of thumb of preparing more food than not enough.
- Don’t go overboard.
Stick with the basic and traditional Thanksgiving courses. Carefully select your menu with your guests in mind. Creating a menu like this that everyone can eat will save you time from tailoring a dish for a single person’s preference.
- Choose simple.
It’s healthy to challenge yourself once in a while, but not to the point of overkill that would totally ruin the fun out of planning for a Thanksgiving dinner. Opt for the 5-ingredient pumpkin pie with the ingredients you already have, rather than the complicated one that will take you a few confused trips along the grocery aisles.
- Stay organized.
After selecting your Thanksgiving menu, list down all the ingredients and supplies you need to buy, while simultaneously scanning your cupboards to see what you already have in stock. You can take this further by organizing your lists by the grocery aisles to save you from running around. Purchase items in advance, except for perishables that you should get a day or two before Thanksgiving dinner.
- Involve your guests.
Accept all the help you can get. Delegate guests to bring something and they’d surely be more than willing to. It could be a bottle of wine, or their own family secret recipe of the classic cranberry sauce. You can also ask someone to stay behind instead of bringing food so you have an extra hand to help clear out the dishes.
Read the full article on Healthy Women here for more tips on planning for a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner.
Now that you’ve got those tips jotted down, we’re going all out on the Thanksgiving dinner advice by sharing a few easy recipes that even beginner hosts can do.
The Easiest Thanksgiving Menu by Recipetineats.com:
- Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast & Gravy – Recipe here.
- Cranberry Sauce – Recipe here.
- Potato – Either Make Ahead Mashed Potato or Easy Cheesy Potato Bake.
- Wild Rice Salad – Recipe here.
- Brussel Sprout Salad Recipe
- Creamy Corn Casserole, Skillet Corn Bread, or Corn Bread Muffins!
- Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Recipe here.
Was this article helpful for you? Let us know in the comments below!