Prepare for Thanksgiving 2013 in Encinitas

Thanksgiving is a time where is one of those holidays where you enjoy the host’s food, each other’s company and football without any stress of gift giving. Well that may be the case for your guest if you’re the host this year.

Whether it is the case that the celebration will be a small gathering or a slew of family and friends cramming into one dining area, here are some tips as host, that you may avoid the tension of preparing multiple dishes including that succulent bird.

  1. Complete Your Shopping Early: It is getting to the point where it will be the mad dash for products. Today or Friday should be your last day you are buying items for cooking and decoration for the holiday. Create a shopping list – maybe you have some of the ingredients you need already, and be sure you buy disposable to-go containers so your guests can bring home leftovers.
  2. Create Your Menu Now: It will be a lot more convenient if you create the parameters of your dinner right now whether it is plated, buffet or potluck. Utilize cookbooks, recipes or blogs to find the dishes you would like to present for your guests. If you are going down the potluck route, let your guests no immediately.
  3. Plan Your Holiday Table: Depending on how you prepare for this holiday – i.e. formal or informal prepare your dinnerware now, not when you are finishing up your cooking on Thursday.
  4. Find Help: There are usually designated guests who always offer their help, but with a busy day-to-day schedule, people don’t have all of the time in the world to prepare. For example, if someone finds joy in primping the decorations – enlist them, children could always assist you in carrying some of the equipment. This is good for the process to run smoother.
  5. Clean and dust: After setting the table sometime this week and/or weekend, do your normal cleaning dusting and vacuuming. Especially since you should find the rest of your ingredients and products today or tomorrow, because there nothing fun in about multi-tasking when you are working on the food.
  6. Cook early and freeze: As the days are numbered before the big day of your cuisine, side dishes, casseroles and desserts could be made now. If you are doing a potluck dinner – this is a dish for guests to make ahead of time as well so you don’t need to spend a full week in front of the stove.
  7. Make Sure Your Home as Enough Room: Renting chairs or borrowing some from the neighbors that aren’t hosting Thanksgiving is a good plan of attack if you are having a big crowd come in as well as tables. You never know, the other furniture could complement the rest of your décor. If you have family staying overnight, be sure to clean all of the sheets before everyone arrives.
  8. Don’t forget the Beverages: The liquor store will be another crowded store. Make sure not only you stock up on wine and beer, but coffee, tea and soda as well.
  9. Entertainment: As Thanksgiving and football are combined in the same sentence, not all of your guests may be interested. Have music and even board games ready for the guests to enjoy.
  10. Enjoy Family and Friends: As this is not something we have to ask you to do, after the stressful preparation process you may be exhausted. To cap off a successful evening take part in relishing the company of your family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Linda Moore

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