Heather says:
I hope you had a great weekend.
First things first, if you are serving turkey, your turkey needs to be thawing now.
When you wake up on Thursday morning, check your turkey before unwrapping it to ensure it has fully thawed if it hasn’t, use the tips in this post on what to do if your turkey is still frozen.
The holiday craziness kicks off in two weeks, and one day, how is your planning coming along?
So far in our Countdown to Turkey Day we have:
- Decided when and where
- Cleared the dining room table. Is it still clear? Do you have extensions you’ll need? If not clear and search
- Created our Menu Plan and shopping list
- Begun working on getting the house company ready by paying attention to daily / weekly chores
- Started making sure the house if company ready, if anyone is coming. (Have you double checked with anyone you’ve invited).
With your expected headcount in mind, take a look around and decide if you’re going to need more chairs and place settings. If you plan on renting these items, start calling today. If you’re borrowing from friends or family, now would be an excellent time to confirm your plan.
Today, depending on how your house and kitchen are organized may be simple or a pretty exploratory dive into your storage.
Grab your Thanksgiving menu plan and, at the very least, your mental inventory of serving-ware. If you have moved, held a yard sale, or gone on a donating / purging binge, I recommend that you lay eyes on each piece you plan to use.
Next to each menu item, assign a serving dish AND the appropriate serving utensil.
Do not forget your cranberry sauce, gravy, butter, and if you put out crudites or antipasti before the meal, don’t forget those items need a dish, too.
If you find yourself short on serving-ware—get some now.
If you have lots of storage in your home, check out your local thrift stores for cookware; you still have a little bit of time to find a bargain. If storage is at a premium, go ahead and use disposable/ recyclable roasting pans. Just be careful with this option if you are sitting at a table and passing dishes rather than serving from a buffet. You don’t want Grandma to end up with a lap full of cornbread dressing.
Got it? One dish for each item + one serving utensil. Never assume you have these items.
While you’re thinking about it, do you have enough storage containers for the leftovers?
See, we’re getting there with this year’s Thanksgiving preparation. You’ve got this.
How are your plans coming along?
Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
Where are the living room pics? 🙂 Thanks for all the Thanksgiving prep tips, it’s helping me keep my head above water in the planning!
If you are bringing dishes to someone else’s house, you should make sure they have the necessary utensils for serving it or bring your own, just in case.
Excellent tip. Just make sure the one you bring is one you won’t miss.