Thanksgiving gatherings will likely have everyone busy in their kitchens preparing a big meal that will include multiple side dishes, a massive piece of meat to roast, several desserts to make, not to mention, more guests than are usually seated around your dining table. So, it is always important to plan ahead for your Thanksgiving Party, so that when the day arrives, you’ll be able to enjoy the occasion, knowing you’re well prepared for the celebration.

Plan Your Menu and Choose Your Recipes

Plan a menu you want to prepare around the main course of the turkey, then decide what side dishes you’ll be serving and pick the recipes you want to use for each of them. Write down the menu, and keep each recipe in a safe place so that you won’t forget. If you find the recipes in your recipe book, mark it, so it’s easy for you to remember, or, if you found it online, print them out and keep them in a folder for easy reference. This list can also serve as a reference for shopping and for remembering everything that you need to do and prepare on Thanksgiving Day.

Read Up on Any Unfamiliar Cooking Techniques

You need to read up on the proper method if you are unsure of how to roast a turkey. You might need to know how to make pumpkin puree or a pie crust. If you have time, you could also find videos showing various cooking techniques like carving a turkey or even do a trial run of specific recipes or cooking methods.

Check to Make Sure You Have the Proper Cooking Equipment   

Try to understand as much as possible about your recipe and visualize how each dish is prepared, while making sure you have the tools and cooking equipment you need to prepare each one. Knowing the essential tools you will need for the Thanksgiving party can help determine if there is anything else you need to buy before the big day. Be sure to see if you’re making dishes that will both require the same tools or cooking equipment; for example, do you have enough pie pans for both the pumpkin pie and pecan pie recipes you want to make? Are you going to use the same saucepan for the gravy as you will for making the mashed potatoes? If you check this in advance, you have enough time to buy or borrow any equipment that you might need, or possibly even make some of the dishes ahead of time.

Tell Guests What to Bring, If Anything

If your guests are all bringing a dish, it’s a good idea to tell them what to bring or to make a list of each guest’s desired choice. This way, you can be sure that there aren’t duplicate dishes or, worse, the omission of an essential dish of the party. Make sure everyone knows what they’re bringing, if anything, and try to understand from guests how many servings their dish will serve.

Think Through How to Serve the Meal

Make sure you have enough place settings for all the dishes you’ll be serving, have the right serving pieces, and determine the number of guests attending. Decide what kind of serving utensil you’ll use for each dish. It’s also a good idea to put a sticky note on the underside of each serving piece to remind you what should go in each for the meal. Remember that oven-to-table bakers and casserole dishes can be used as both cooking vessels and serving dishes, and that’s one less dish to wash. When you follow this plan, you can be sure that come Thanksgiving Day; you won’t be short on serving bowls for all the side dishes.

Decide on Decorations

Putting up Thanksgiving decorations for this occasion might not be important to everyone, but it’s a good idea to decorate your home for Thanksgiving as it gives guests a welcoming and inviting atmosphere. It’s easier to buy or make any decorations that you can prepare in advance. A week or two before Thanksgiving is an excellent time for you to work on DIY crafts that you can use at the table, such as napkin rings, centerpieces, or place cards.

Do Your Shopping

Before you go to the grocery store to do your supply shopping, be sure to first check your shopping list and make sure you have enough freezer and pantry storage. If there’s something on your list that you can’t find in-store, or you forget something, be sure to add it to your second list to buy on a last minute run on the day or two before Thanksgiving. As you shop, don't forget the extras you'll need, such as paper napkins, and paper towels, food storage containers, and other staples.

After you have purchased everything you need for your Thanksgiving party, you can be sure to enjoy some relaxation, knowing you are well prepared to make the Thanksgiving meal, which you can enjoy much more and with much less stress.



Thousand Hills Realty is the premier property management company in the Branson area. Contact us at (417) 337-8081 today to find out what properties we have available to rent now!