Planning a Thanksgiving Dinner
So it’s your turn and you are looking at hosting this years Thanksgiving feast. In planning your dinner, begin with one word: Simple. And sane.Okay that’s two words.However, the point of being the host of a Thanksgiving dinner is essentially creating a memory and fostering good vibes with your family and friends. Giving thanks for the year you’ve spent together, the life you’ve shared, or maybe just the time you can find to sit around a table as one. If you keep this philosophy as the goal of your dinner, simplifying your preparations and presentation in the process, then sanity will reign.To begin planning, consider your dining and cooking area. Can you seat all of your guests at a table, or are you serving 20 people in a 700 square foot flat? Do you have a hotplate and toaster oven or are you endowed with a restaurant size grill master?Your seating, serving and cooking capacity will have a large impact on what types of dishes you prepare. A seated dinner is more traditional and provides an intimate venue for everyone to chat. It also allows for dishes which are more complex and would require multiple utensils, plates and glasses. Don’t fret if you do not have seating space for everyone, hosting a buffet style meal encourages mingling and brings energy to the dinner event, with guests finding a place around your home to settle in to dine. Dining from a buffet usually requires only a fork- no cutting please, as guests are balancing plates and wine glasses. This means a more creative approach to things like turkey and Aunt Edna’s Brandied Broccoli stalks. If you have plenty of burner space on your stove, your side dishes can be more numerous than if you have one or two rings of fire. And if turkey is on your menu, make sure it fits your oven!Once you have determined where you will feed your folks, and how much cooking space you have, its time to create a menu. Browse through online recipe resources such asBigOvenandEpicurious, or thumb through your favorite cooking magazine for choices that fit your set up and personal style. Words of caution: never use Thanksgiving to experiment with a recipe for the first time! If you must try something new, limit your new ideas to two and practice before the big day.A substantial menu will include a salad or appetizer, an entrée with two or three side dishes and a dessert. Of course turkey is traditional, but don’t be limited to that particular bird, especially if it is not a favorite among your crowd. Goose or duck are unusual alternatives, or a pork roast or ham are just as suitable. Finding a respected butcher in your town will ensure you are getting the best quality. A knowledgeable butcher should be able to answer all of your fowl questions.Once your menu is established, go through each of your recipes and create a shopping list. Organizing your list by the aisles of your favorite market will help save time. This piece of preparation will make it easier on your shopping day, as you breeze through the aisles with your list guiding you along.Now close your eyes and visual your Thanksgiving Day. Think about all of the details for your meal- table decorations, lighting, dishes, glasses, serving items, linens, flowers, music, etc. Create a list of items you have and items you may need to borrow or purchase.Once your menu and meal details lists are finished, develop a timeline for cooking and setup. Make sure your timeline includes work that needs to be performed leading up to and including the big day. Include time saving tips to help keep it simple. For instance, if you are setting a formal table, do you have linens to wash and iron? That can be done weeks ahead and set aside in a clean, safe space. Will there be any heavy lifting required for setup, such as tables or chairs that will need to be brought in? Set up of equipment is an easier task to complete days ahead. Prepare to set your table the day or even two days before. Line your counters the day before with all of your cooking equipment and serving dishes. Help distribute work on the day of the dinner, by labeling serving dishes with small post it notes, identifying what foods go in which dish.In your cooking plan, take into account any frozen items or specialty items that require special handling and timing. Determine what foods can be prepared ahead of Thanksgiving Day. Some traditional dishes like mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce can be prepared the day ahead. You might want to also consider having a dish or two that you purchase already prepared. Some grocers now have entire Thanksgiving Day meals for pickup.Consider enlisting your dinner guests to play along in your plan. Nothing makes people feel more like family than spooning bread stuffing onto plates or stirring gravy. In addition, are there dishes or beverages that you would ask people to contribute? Simplifying your work by soliciting others to bring their favorite dish has the added benefit of good cheer- who doesn’t like to show off their cooking? Know your audience though, and be certain the person you are asking to bring a dish can cook and will show up. Nothing ruins a meal more than food that is missing.How will you know how much time it will all take? One easy way to get a handle on timing is to work backwards in preparing your schedule. Start with serving your food at the dinner and then move backward through the hours and the days. This will help to ensure that you are leaving the right amount of time for each part of your plan. And be sure to leave time for your random semi-disaster or two.But by far, the most important aspect of planning for your Thanksgiving dinner is to be a host of simplicity and good humor. The reason for thanksgiving, especially in this day and age, is to grasp the opportunity to step away from the electronics and work demands, slow down and enjoy each others company. Being a host or hostess that can bring that spirit to the day will do more than any Martha Stewart meal every will
