Thanksgiving Menu Ideas
Thanksgiving is many things to many different people.
In America it is a day we set aside to give thanks for all the things
that are important to us and pay homage to an excellent dinner with
an afternoon of football watching and yelling at the television
screen (at least that is what you do if you live in Detroit). In
other areas of the nation people actually do things together such
as playing board games, touch football, or any number of other games
that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Other traditions are
to gather the ladies together to plan the shopping strategy for
the next day's shopping. A worthy cause if ever there was one to
be sure.
But, the traditions that go along with Thanksgiving and giving
thanks do not solve the dilemma that many face each and every
time Thanksgiving is celebrated in their homes faces. That dilemma
would be what to prepare for the big meal. There are plenty of
options and as hostess and chef extraordinaire it is entirely
up to you what the menu will be. The best piece of advice that
can be given however, is the less food left to prepare on Thanksgiving
day is the less food that has the opportunity for something to
go wrong in the preparation process.
Here are a few great menu ideas, tips, and tricks that should
help make your Thanksgiving Dinner preparations go a little more
smoothly.
First of all, plan ahead and make sure you have all the ingredients
you need and any special menu items that may be required well
ahead of time but in a manner that allows for maximum freshness.
If you must wait until the day before to get some of your shopping
done, then do so as early in the day as possible. Otherwise make
a point of getting all the non-perishable ingredients that are
necessary a week or so ahead of time. Also if you are going to
order a smoked turkey or something along those lines do so far
enough in advance that you have no doubt at all that your order
will be filled on time.
Second, if you can afford to have something ordered and prepared
offsite and it doesn't hurt your sense of pride do so. You do
not have to have everything catered but having a few items catered
will leave your day much less stressed making the risk of something
going wrong a little lower than if you were cramming everything
into one morning and doing it all yourself. Bread from the bakery,
smoked ham or turkey, and certain favorite side dishes that are
complicated and time consuming as well as some pies are a great
buy and save a lot of time that would be better spent enjoying
the day.
Third, recruit help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with grabbing
a passing child or adult and asking for a little help with the
chopping, washing, or mixing that must take place in order for
the dinner to go off without a hitch. The thing is that while
people often don't mind helping they are afraid to offer for fear
of seeming to imply that you aren't doing well enough on your
own. For this reason there is no harm in recruiting help especially
among friends and family.
Finally, keep the animals outside or locked away from the festivities
and, more importantly, the food. Animals are great friends to
have but most of your guests do not appreciate them in the kitchen
or at the table. You do not want Fluffy or Fido to run off the
food you've worked hard to prepare (or purchase whichever the
case may be) so remove them from a situation that it might prove
tempting.
The most important thing about your Thanksgiving dinner is that
you are not so stressed from the preparation that you do not have
the time or peace of mind to enjoy it. The advice above should
help with that.
Author: Mind Farms
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