Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for everything that you are grateful for. It can also be incredibly stressful for the person/people cooking the Thanksgiving dinner. These top tips will take some of that stress away. 

• Make a game plan
• Stick to the basics
• Don’t forget the drinks
• Ask guests to contribute
• Organise your kitchen effectively
• Stock up on containers
• Start prep the night before
• Keep recipes in reach and in order
• Enlist help 
• Enjoy your day

Make a game plan

Before Thanksgiving day arrives, sit down, with a pen and paper, and come up with a game plan. Think about how you want the day to run, what dishes you want to cook, what food you need to buy, etc. Start by brainstorming all of your ideas, and then narrow them down. Come up with a timetable of how the day will run and this will help prepare you.

Stick to the basics 

Thanksgiving dinner does not have to be a fancy, high-end, 5 course affair. Cover the basics before you start turning into Gordon Ramsey. Focus on getting the turkey, seasonal vegetables, potatoes, and cranberry sauce perfect, and worry about the rest later. If you need to, print out recipes for each section of your dinner and organise them by time of when you will need them.

 Don’t forget the drinks 

Make sure that your drinks cabinet is well-stocked for your guests. It may also be a good idea to think about how you will be serving your drinks. If you are busy making Thanksgiving dinner, it may be best to leave bottles of wine and beer in ice buckets around the room for guests to help themselves. Think about what will be easiest for you. 

Ask guests to contribute 

It doesn’t matter how many people you are cooking for, cooking a Thanksgiving dinner is a big undertaking. There is lots to buy, think about, and, surprise surprise, cook. As such, it is more than acceptable for you to ask your guests to contribute in some way. This could be by bringing the wine, making a dessert, or providing the vegetables. Every guest should be contributing in some way. 

Organise your kitchen effectively 

To make your Thanksgiving cooking as easy as possible make sure that your kitchen is organised effectively. Make room in your fridge for all of your food and drinks by clearing it out a couple of days before Thanksgiving. As well as this, re-organise your kitchen so that all of the equipment that you will need is easy to reach. This will hopefully alleviate some of the stress of cooking.

Stock up on containers 

It’s always best to have too much food than too little. With this in mind, make sure that you have plenty of containers ready to put the leftovers in. You can give your leftovers to your guests and let them enjoy your cooking a couple of days after the feast itself. Make sure that you keep some for yourself though. 

Start prep the night before 

There will be so many things to think about on Thanksgiving day, so it’s best to begin your prep the day before. Get some of the simpler tasks, such as cutting up vegetables and setting the table, done the day before. This will give you more time on Thanksgiving day to focus on the cooking of everything rather than the prep. 

Keep recipes in reach and in order

Stay calm whilst you are cooking by keeping your recipes in reach and in order. That way, if you need to check anything you can reach the right recipe in seconds. 

Enlist help

Remember: you don’t have to cook a whole Thanksgiving meal on your own. Enlist the help of your guests to take care of some of the smaller tasks, so that you can focus on the bigger ones. This could include, making the sauce, boiling the vegetables, or even just making sure nothing burns. A little help can really go a long way, so make sure you ask for some.

Enjoy your day

The most important thing to remember is that Thanksgiving is your day to enjoy as well. Don’t let the pressure of cooking get you down. Relax, enjoy your day, and spend some quality time giving thanks with your friends and family. 

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