Things to Do Right Now to Prepare for Thanksgiving
Not to bother anyone, but we’re three short weeks before the United States’ most foodie feast: bloody Thanksgiving. If you, my dear soul, have decided to host, there are a few steps you must take now to truly relax and enjoy Turkey Day.
It may seem overkill to start planning now, but the best is there, and I’d rather be too prepared than waking up on November 23rd in a hell of fresh, too few places or not quite thawed Turkey. Planning ahead will give you a sense of control, and control is very convenient.
First, create and refine your guest list
Facebook, text message, or (sigh) call your friends and family and find out the exact headcount. Add two imaginary people to this count for a soothing buffer and make sure there are leftovers. Next, you need to talk about turkey (and dairy and gluten) and learn about all the dietary restrictions your guests can bring to the table and find out if they plan on bringing any meals they won’t be sharing. (Your vegetarian niece has no reason to share her tofurka with your deer hunting son-in-law.)
Plan your menu
Now that you know how many people will come and what they can and cannot eat, you need to figure out exactly what you will be feeding them. The menu will, of course, differ from family to family and from region to region, but these are the main categories you should complete:
- Protein / main course: Turkey will be the star of most menus, but you can make ham, roast lamb, or whatever your unconventional heart desires. (Just make sure your guests are on board, some people get scared if they don’t get their turkey.) You also need to decide how you are going to prepare this dish. ( To be honest, you should probably watch this .)
- Decoration or Fill: Again, get to know your audience with this.
- Casseroles: Green beans are a must, but there should be at least one or two, depending on the size of the crowd.
- Potatoes : Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to choose between mashed potatoes and sweet potato casseroles, as this is a misconception.
- Salad: It seems inconsequential, but is actually very important.
- Other non-baked vegetables: Asparagus is always a good choice, but a good dish of fried mushrooms is soothing without adding to the casserole.
- Bread: This is separate from your filling or dressing.
- Cranberry Sauce: Obvious.
- Sauce: It’s obvious too.
- Soup: I’ve never actually eaten soup for Thanksgiving, but starting with a good nutmeg biscuit would be fun.
- Snacks and Snacks: For parades and football watching.
- Alcoholic drinks: because you need to talk to people.
- Soft drinks: because children may be present, but also because you are having dinner and not in a rage.
- Dessert (pie): As if you forgot the pie.
Once you’ve put together your dream menu, start assigning the meals you don’t want to cook to other people and make a list of what’s left. Find the exact recipes you want to use with a detailed ingredient list. Once you know exactly what you are going to cook, write down the times and preparation method for each dish and write down anything that can be prepared in advance.
Then decide how much space on the stove and in the oven you need, keeping in mind that some of your favorite foods can be cooked in a slow cooker, in an instant saucepan , or in sous vide . In addition to a place to prepare food, you will also need cooking containers, so count your casserole dishes and casseroles and buy any additional pots and pans you may need. (These disposable aluminum ones will do.) You also need to make sure you have enough serving plates, plates, cutlery, glasses, napkins, and rugs and fill in any gaps there. Also, and this is very important , my children, make sure you have a good working meat thermometer .
Once you’ve done all this, you have one final assignment (for now). Go to your favorite liquor store – the one that offers you samples – and talk about wine and taste it until you figure out which wine goes best with your turkey. Trust me when I say that this is your responsibility as host or hostess, and that you also deserve it after all the hard work you’ve just done.