10 Tips to Help Prepare for Thanksgiving

It’s the Monday before Thanksgiving for my American friends and the final countdown is on. Don’t sweat it if you are not ready, you can prepare for Thanksgiving starting today.

When hosting a large dinner or get together such as Thanksgiving, it’s so helpful to get as much as you can done in advance.

Keep in mind, these tips can also be used for any dinner party or other holiday like Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter etc.

What do you do to prepare for Thanksgiving? Please share your tips and tricks with us!

10 Tips to Prepare for Thanksgiving

1. Check your pantry, tools, cookware and dishes

Make sure you have all the dishes, flatware, glasses, cookware and kitchen tools you’ll need to prepare and eat dinner. Do you need a pie dish or a thermometer? Today is a good time to take inventory of your stock.

2. Plan your drink menu

Settle on one or two cocktails, champagne, wine (red & white), beer, non-alcoholic beverages and other liquors now. Set up a little bar station and run to the store for anything you are out of stock on. Also is a good time to make ice cubes or fill your freezer with a bag.

3. Make and freeze the gravy

You can never have too much gravy on Thanksgiving, you put it on potatoes, turkey, popovers or more. That’s why I would make it today if your stressed out about having enough. Don’t worry about the drippings; you can always add them to the gravy at the last minute.

4. Make the cranberry sauce

To be sure you don’t sit down to dinner without it, make your cranberry sauce today. Since it contains a lot of sugar, it’s essentially a quick jam that can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator until the big day.

5. Make and freeze the dinner rolls

Whether you enjoy rolls along with your meal or prefer to save the bread for a mini leftover turkey sandwich the next day (YES!), this is one recipe that’s easy to make ahead and freeze until your holiday dinner. Nothing beats buttery rolls to soak all that gravy off my plate.

Parker House Rolls (Bon Appetit)

6. Make the pie crust

It doesn’t matter whether your plans include apple, berry, chocolate, pumpkin or pecan pie, get a jump on your pie prep by making the crust today.

Tips for a perfect pie (A Cozy Kitchen)

7. Or go ahead and just make that whole pie now

This of course won’t relate to custard-based pies, only fruit-filled pies. Make the whole pie now, freeze it in the pie dish and then bake it Thanksgiving morning. I know I do not want to make a pie the day of, I’d rather cut my arm off. Yup, I despise it that much!

8. Make a schedule for the oven on the big day

Even if you’ve done a lot of the prepping ahead of time, it’s helpful to have a schedule of the dishes that need to be cooked and placed in the oven. Make sure to schedule yourself a cocktail or glass of wine between cooking.

9. Set the table

Take the time now and set your table for Thursday. This will take the headache of having to rush on Thursday creating place settings last minute. Use fruit as a centerpiece, put a bowl of clementines, oranges or apples in a bowl. If you have flowers as a centerpiece, they’ll look better when they’ve fully opened.

10. Skip the complicated appetizers

Just serve spiced nuts, good olives, a charcuterie board or figs and prosciutto with wine or champagne. Easy to prepare or buy at the store and everyone is happy.