The best way to de-stress your life during the upcoming holiday is to spend a little time planning. Here is a schedule to help you serve a delicious dinner while holding on to your sanity.
Three weeks before
Get out all of your cookbooks and begin deciding what you would like to prepare. This may not be the time to experiment with a fancy dessert or an especially involved side dish if it takes you away from other tasks.
Take into consideration the number of guests that you will be serving and what, if anything they will be bringing. You want to have a well balanced meal, not four different kinds of potatoes. Also consider the cooking temperatures of each dish. Choose dishes that can share space in the oven.
Two weeks before
This is the time to figure out the size of the turkey that you will need to feed your guests. (see troubleshooting below). A fresh turkey can be picked up close to the actual holiday but you might want to call the market and reserve yours now. This saves you from having to store a huge frozen bird in the freezer, as well as the time it takes to thaw it out.
The weekend before
Make your shopping list, and be sure to quantify the amounts. In other words, if one recipe calls for 6 cups of flour and another 3, you don't want to rush to the store at the last minute. Also think about the beverage you want to serve. Pick up a few bottles of your favorite wine at the same time.
Grocery stores are always crowded this time of year, so allow yourself plenty of time and expect delays. Keep your cool.
Don't forget the extras like aluminum foil, storage containers, dish washing liquid, etc.
Tuesday
Now is the time to prepare anything that is served chilled. Things like cranberry sauce and chilled pies can be prepared, stored in the refrigerator and forgotten about until Thanksgiving.
Wednesday
Take a final inventory. If you need any last minute items, today is the day to make that last dash to the store.
This is also chopping and washing day. Any vegetables that need to be chopped or washed can be dried and stored in the refrigerator until they are needed. Prepare your dressing up to the point of cooking, place in a baking dish and refrigerate. The dessert can be prepared and baked at this time.
Thanksgiving day
OK, so you forgot the cream. Get a guest to help you out. Most are more than happy to assist.
Start the turkey. While it is roasting, prepare the side dishes.
While the turkey is resting, make the gravy (see below). All of the last minute dishes can be assembled. This is also the the time to warm up anything that was prepared in advance.
While you are eating, place the dessert in a warm oven and let it heat up.
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