That Girl Guide

It is important to make a Thanksgiving spent in your home something that your guests will not forget.  They will invariably remember good food, but it takes a little extra effort for the holiday to be memorable for the long term.  The first impression is paramount-always greet them at the door with a smile and show them to the bar or fix them a cocktail.  You should have a variety of wines and spirits available.  Setting the ambiance is also very important.  For instance, you should light candles on the table, have a fabulous centerpiece, and be sure to play some good music that does not interfere with conversation.  And put out some appetizers, that old nonsense that you have to wait for the meal to eat should not be adhered to.  Dessert is often the star of the meal so it is important to have a good variety.  I usually have pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple crumb pie, and an assortment of cookies and candies.  The cookies look great on a tiered dessert stand.  Another thing that is sure to impress and improve the taste of your desserts is to make homemade whipped cream.  It only takes a few minutes but it is far better than anything you could buy in the store.  And last but not least, make sure you give your guests a little something to take home with them. 

One Month Before:

• Finalize guest list and send invitations. 
• Finalize your menu and make shopping list (perishables and non-perishables separate so you can take care of some shopping ahead of time). 

Two weeks before: 

• Check serving bowls and decide which serving bowls and platters you will be using on Thanksgiving.  I have a huge platter that I put both the turkey and the stuffing on, a beautiful lined silver bowl for cranberry sauce, and serving bowls that match my china for the mashed potatoes and other vegetables. 
• Polish your silver get your candlesticks etc. table ready. 
• Arrange to borrow any tables, if necessary. 
• Order centerpieces or flowers needed to make them yourself. 

One Week Before or weekend before Thanksgiving:

• Buy non-perishable food items
• Make your final seating chart (and place cards)
• Iron linens and hang them so they are ready for the table.  If they are washable you can wait to do this, put them in the dryer (dry) before you set the table or spray them with a wrinkle releaser product.  Again, only if they are washable linens – do not try this with Grandma’s lace tablecloth. 
• Buy the wine. 
• Put sticky notes in the serving bowls so you know what dish you are using for each dish you are preparing. 
• Get your house ready for company or consider hiring a cleaning service to help you out with this. 

Monday before Thanksgiving:

Tuesday before Thanksgiving:

• Take care of last minute shopping (turkey, bread for stuffing, etc) 
• Pick up or make your centerpieces.  Keep flowers in the fridge until Thursday AM.  Make sure you have candles as well. 

Wednesday Before Thanksgiving:

• Roast the squash, flavor it and put it in oven ready dish (covered with plastic wrap).
• Make the mashed potatoes and put them in a metal or glass heat proof bowl.  Allow them to cool completely and then put them in the fridge with the plastic wrap touching them to keep them fresh until tomorrow.  
• Cut up the herbs, onions, celery, etc. for the stuffing.  I like to pulse them a few times in a food processor to save time.  I also measure out what is needed for each recipe and save it in a plastic bag labeled with the dish it is needed for. 
• Set up buffet table and put tablecloth on it. 

Thanksgiving Day:

• Cut up the bread for the stuffing and toast it.  Prepare the stuffing. 
• Prepare the turkey and stuff it – get it in the oven.   
• Set the tables and get out the centerpieces. 
• Set up the buffet table with serving dishes and serving spoons so when the food is ready everything will be neatly laid out.  It will also prevent you from forgetting anything because the empty dish will remind you to get the cranberry sauce. 
• An hour before the turkey will be ready – put the squash in the oven so it can re-heat. 
• When the turkey comes out, tent it underneath aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.  This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.  Begin re-heating the mashed potatoes over a double boiler.  Add some milk if they become dry. 
• As the turkey is being carved, prepare the gravy. 
• Put everything in serving bowls and platters, serve the wine, and dinner is served. 

The holidays are invariably a stressful time, particularly for those actually hosting the meal of the year.  I would like to share a few tips that have helped me over the years.

1) Send invitations as it is a great time saver.  This allows you to communicate necessary information and give everyone an RSVP date making it clear that you need at least a little notice if they will be joining you.  Consider making it regrets only so you won’t have to waste your time calling that grouchy aunt that you know is coming every year. 

2) Buy a Turkey Gravy Base, just in case you don’t have enough pan juices for gravy.  It is always good to have extra gravy around anyhow.  Williams and Sonoma makes a fabulous Turkey Gravy Base. 

3) Have place cards if you have 8 or more guests.  They are great for making sure people are seated in a way to maximize conversation.  Consider putting a little distance between spouses as they have dinner together quite frequently.  It is also a wonderful way to separate family members/guests that are prone to drama and nonsense.

4) Make your squash and mashed potatoes the day before and reheat them.  I reheat the squash in the oven and reheat the mashed potatoes in a double boiler on the stove.  They taste the same and save me some last minute scrambling. 

5) Pick up or make your centerpieces the day before as well.  I keep the flowers in the fridge until I set the tables.  It also prevents pets from having an early Thanksgiving feast on the flowers. 

6) Use your food processor to help you chop the herbs, onions, celery, etc that you will need.  Then I measure what is needed for each recipe and put it in plastic bags in the fridge (marked for what they are needed for).  I usually do that the day before as well. 

7) Delegate a few things to others.  I like to prepare the meal myself so I can make sure all the flavors will go well together.  Desserts are a good thing to delegate as are appetizers.  Most people want to bring something so I have those that bake bring dessert and those that don’t bring a bottle of wine. 

The most important thing is to make a list and have a plan for when you will get things done.  It will keep you sane and make this much less stressful. 

9)  Get a meat thermometer that can read the temperature without opening the oven door.  They have alarms as well and can be set for the type of meat you are cooking.  This will prevent the peanut gallery from commenting on whether the turkey is cooked and prevent the heat loss from oven door being opened to check the temperature. 

10) Buy a fresh turkey.  You won’t have to mess around with defrosting it and the taste is superior as well.  It is a little more expensive but well worth knowing the turkey will be oven ready when you need it to be. 

11) Leave yourself about an hour before everyone arrives to relax and get yourself ready.