Win Big This Year with Easy Thanksgiving Planning!

Win Big This Year with Easy Thanksgiving Planning!

It’s that time of the year again, Thanksgiving! First let me say I can’t believe that this year is almost over! I think we can all relate and agree that 2020 has been rough. And whether you are planning your usual gathering or something smaller, it’s all about the planning. So this year, grab Thanksgiving by the horns with this guide to planning your Thanksgiving feast.

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”

~Benjamin Franklin

I cannot stress enough that the secret to cooking this huge meal by yourself is planning! I remember making my first Thanksgiving dinner when I was just 21 years old. It was a complete nightmare. Nothing was done on time. I didn’t have enough appetizers, which ended up being really bad since dinner was late and all. I didn’t know enough to realize that I needed a schedule and a plan.

Making a Menu for Thanksgiving

First things first. Start with deciding how many you are serving. Once you have that down, move to the next big decision: the menu. I always need service for at least 10 people but I do overdo it because I like having leftovers for “Thanksgiving lasagna” afterwards. And I will share how that’s done in a different post.

Thanksgiving planning starts with what you are making and what you are asking others to bring. I usually have the same traditional dishes every year because my hubby and boys like it that way. They are up for trying different things, but on turkey day, they want the classics all day!

Here’s a sample menu that is typical in our house on Thanksgiving:

Making a Plan for Thanksgiving

Once you have selected what you are cooking and what you are responsible for, write it down. I like to list what I’m making, how it’s cooked, how long it needs, temp of oven (if applicable) and can it be done the day before or not.

This helps me get a visualization of what I have to do and what each thing needs to be completed. This is an important part of thanksgiving planning. Once I have that down I pick an eat time and work backwards. If you only have one oven and will be cooking multiple dishes in the oven at once, allow for more cooking time.

Here’s a sample of how that menu would look layed out. A couple of things to note here: Many of those side dishes can be prepared the day before and stored until the turkey is done and then cooked in the oven while it’s resting. This is just another aspect of thanksgiving planning.

Making a timeline for Turkey day

Looking at this example menu, here’s how I would attack it. I want dinner to be on the table at 5pm. So I would start the turkey at 12:45pm. That gives me the time I need to pull it from the brine and season it. Roast it and pull it with 30 minutes to rest. Meanwhile I can bake off the other dishes that need the oven while the turkey is resting.

I use the day before to prep as much as possible because I don’t want to be frantic all day on turkey day. Using the day before to get the side ready to go to the oven means that I can hang out and visit while my turkey is cooking. Then while the turkey is resting and the sides are baking off in the oven, I can do the other stove top dishes that are saved till last like the carrot and potatoes.

Then all that’s left is slicing the turkey and serving it!

Thanksgiving Planning starts before Thanksgiving!

Week Before

• Make sure you don’t over shop for regular groceries so you will have room in your fridge for your holiday meal items.
• Finalize your guest list so you know how much food to get.
• Create your menu plan.

Friday-Saturday

• Create a grocery list and get most if not all shopping done. This will help you stay on track later on in the week when you don’t have time to run to the store.

Sunday

• Get the turkey thawing in the refrigerator. Put it on a sheet pan or in a disposable tin foil pan. This prevents any raw turkey juice from leaking all over your fridge.

Monday

• Finalize any last minute projects around the house that you want done before company comes, i.e. cleaning, decorations or getting extra seating if necessary.

Tuesday

• Tuesday is wrap up day. Finish any shopping or preparations that are not completed.

Wednesday

• Prep begins! Look at your menu and determine what dishes can be made ahead of time and if any might need time to rest. 
• Brine, brine, brine! This to me is a crucial step in securing a juicy turkey to the table. 
• Pies, cookies and cakes can all usually be made ahead of Thanksgiving.
• Certain appetizers can also be made ahead of time, remember, the more you do a day ahead, the less you will have to do the day of.
• Chop, slice and dice! Use this day to go through your recipes and precut any veggies ahead of time, that way when you begin to cook you won’t have to slow down to chop.

Thursday

• Based on your individual recipes’ cook times and your desired eat time, this will determine when you begin cooking for the day. Using the planner will help you determine this. 
• Set the table and ready the serve ware.
• Have a helper keep up with dishes as you go.

Ask for Help

If you need help ask for it. Don’t feel like you have to take all this on by yourself! But if you welcome the challenge then have at it! Personally I usually have my Mom bring the appetizers and whipped sweet potatoes because I like how she makes them.

I know that thanksgiving planning has helped me conquer this massive food holiday and it can help you too! I will put links in to a Thanksgiving recipe classics post so you can look at the recipes we use here at our house. As always, I am here to answer any questions you might have. You can reach me here, on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter and I will get back to you promptly.

Have A Very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Mandi