10 Easy Preparation Tips for Thanksgiving

At Thanksgiving are you calm, cool, collected or are you running around like a chicken with its head cut off?  If you are, then you more than likely aren’t giving yourself enough time to prepare for Thanksgiving.  Throughout the years, I have learned several easy preparation tips from my Mom and Granny.  These easy Thanksgivingpreparation tips have allowed me to easily prepareThanksgiving dinner and actually enjoy the holiday.   Here are ten easy preparation tips that I use every Thanksgiving.

1.    Make desserts the day before Thanksgiving.  This really makes sense.  It’s so hard to bake everything at the same time because everything seems to bake at different temperatures.  Even if you aren’t baking this easy preparation tip comes in handy.  Having your pies, candy, etc already made will give you more time to work on preparing the turkey, vegetables, etc.

2.    Peel potatoes the day before Thanksgiving.  This easy preparation tip may not seem to save a lot of time, but it really does.  The day before Thanksgiving I peel the potatoes, place them in a bowl of water, and then put them in the refrigerator.  This way, they won’t oxidize and turn brown.  When you are ready to cook your potatoes, simply drain off the water and cook them like normal.

3.    Make cornbread for homemade dressing the day before Thanksgiving.  I can’t believe I went so many Thanksgivings without doing this.  I used to bake my cornbread while my turkey was baking and hope I could get my dressing mixed and baked before the turkey was done.  Now, I always bake my cornbread the day before and then all I have to do is mix up the ingredients and bake the dressing.

4.    Cut up vegetables the day before Thanksgiving:  This also saves a lot of time.  Whether you need vegetables for homemade dressing or you’re putting out a vegetable platter, this is an easy preparation tip that will make your Thanksgiving more enjoyable.

5.    Thaw turkey well ahead of time.  Nothing is worse than going to fix your turkey on Thanksgiving and it’s still partially frozen.  By following this easy preparation tip, this Thanksgiving, you will be able to get everything finished on time rather than having to wait longer because you turkey still isn’t done.

6.    Purchase rolls rather than making them from scratch.  You may be completely against this easy preparation tip, but believe me you can buy rolls that will be just as good as homemade.  There are rolls in the freezer section that you thaw and then let rise.  There’s also wonderful crescent rolls found in the dairy section next to the biscuits.  If you honestly cannot do this, prepare you dough in advance and freeze it before it rises.  Then remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw and rise before baking.

7.    Buy desserts from a local bakery.  If you think making desserts from scratch will drive you over the edge this Thanksgiving, use this easy preparation tip.   Go to a local bakery and choose desserts that you can pass off as homemade.

8.    Have someone else do the little things.  Whether it’s buying precut vegetables from the produce section or buying pre-made mashed potatoes, this is an easy preparation tip that just makes sense.  Why should you waste your time this Thanksgiving cutting vegetables or baking rolls?

9.    Share the responsibility.  This Thanksgiving ask your friends and family to bring different dishes and then all you have to do is cook the turkey.  This is an easy preparation tip that will truly allow you to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving.

10.    Order a Thanksgiving dinner from the store.  In this day and time you can get wonderful Thanksgiving dinners from your local grocery store.  If you aren’t comfortable with having the whole dinner catered, only buy the items you dread making the most. 

I hope these easy preparation tips will help you easily get through Thanksgiving this year and many years to come.