I like to have a plan for big dinners, I’m a list maker and have found much success with this type of organization. I come up with a timeline on what day I need to do what, so I’m not a harried mess on Thanksgiving day. We are less than two weeks from Thanksgiving what should we be thinking about to be prepared? This week and next I will be offering tips to help you out, enjoy!
- You will want to create a menu and collect all the recipes that you will need.
- If you have many family members or friends attending your dinner, assign projects to them to offload your work.
- You can order your fresh turkey or buy a frozen turkey and place in the freezer. For a helpful calculator on how big a turkey to order, click here. I like to use this information from Martha Stewart: “For a large party, you’ll need a big bird — say, fifteen to twenty pounds; figure one and a half pounds for each person. Smaller birds — twelve pounds or less — have a smaller meat-to-bone ratio, so allow two pounds per person. Remember that the larger the bird, the more likely you are to have leftovers for the next few days.†If you purchase a frozen turkey click here for a calculator to determine how long it will take you to thaw the bird. As an example, a 20lb frozen turkey will take five days to thaw, plan accordingly.
- There are many food alternatives to a Turkey for Thanksgiving, and you will want to serve your favorite dishes for your friends and family. If you are searching for ideas I like to use the Epicurious app as it offers me fabulous recipes, creates a shopping list, and I can keep my personalized recipe box on file. For more information click here, if you have a favorite app that you like to use I would love to hear about it, please share!
- Pick up drinks this week. You can plan on five servings of 5-ounce glasses of wine from one 750ml bottle. Always have non-alcoholic options for your guests and kid-friendly drinks when applicable. Click here for a fun non-alcoholic holiday drink that could also be used with alcohol for those who prefer; it’s an Autumn Chiller.
- Shop for all of your non-perishable goods now. If you plan to use already made pie shells, you can purchase all of that this week, or if you intend to make them you can do so this week and freeze them.
- Decide on your décor. I left this for last as it’s the most fun in my opinion! To inspire you, click here to view my Pinterest board for beautiful table centerpieces, etc. Gather your ideas this week, so you will know what you will need.
Have fun and enjoy this beautiful holiday of giving Thanks! If you need a last minute dining room redesign or tips on how to decorate your home for guests, call Debbie 610.955.8202 or email for all your home decorating needs!
By Debbie Correale, founder and owner of Redesign Right, LLC. You can learn more about her at RedesignRight.com. Find her on Facebook.com/RedesignRight, Twitter @RedesignRight, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Houzz and Google+.