With several guests, multiple courses and high expectations for a memorable meal, it's no wonder that people worry about serving a great Thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately, there are many tips and tricks to simplify your meal.
Create a menu and cooking plan
Plan the food you will serve well before Thanksgiving. Talk to your guests before finalizing your menu to find out if they have any food allergies, or if they would like to bring a special dish to share.
To avoid problems, you should also consider what you will need to cook each dish. This includes items like pots, pans and utensils, as well as stove-top and oven space. An elaborate meal isn't going to work if you don't have enough pans or oven space to cook it.
Prepare as much as possible in advance
Peeling, chopping and measuring ingredients in advance will save you precious time when you have multiple dishes cooking at the same time. Choosing side dishes and desserts that you can prepare in advance are even bigger time savers.
Once the turkey has finished roasting, it will need to sit for about 30 minutes before it is carved. You can use this time to brown dinner rolls or reheat a dish of creamy mashed potatoes that were made the day before. A slow cooker is another great tool for freeing up your cooking focus, as it lets you start a recipe hours earlier and forget it until it's time to eat.
Setting the table and other niceties
After making such an effort to create a memorable Thanksgiving dinner, you will want to serve the meal in style. To save your sanity, clean the house the day before, set the table before you start cooking and include time to shower and dress as part of your planned schedule.
Once guests arrive, serve some simple drinks and appetizers to let them nibble on while you finish cooking. You will feel less pressure to put dinner on the table if you know that your guests have something to take the edge off their appetites.
Whatever happens, remember that your Thanksgiving dinner does not have to be perfect. A few things are bound to go wrong, but handling problems with grace and humor will make you a successful host.
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