Stress Free Thanksgiving Ideas

In this post, I will be sharing my ideas for a stress free Thanksgiving.  If you just do a little pre-planning, you will not only enjoy the day, you will also be more relaxed as the winter holiday season arrives.  I will share my tips for food shopping, turkey thawing, oven management, pre-prepping, and after Thanksgiving.

So if you have been following me for a while, or have read several of my blog posts, you know that I am a planner.  Some say I have tons of energy, and get so much done, but I really am just a good planner.  I love the winter holiday season, so planning is essential to really enjoy it all.

Spending time with family and friends is the best part of Thanksgiving.  Celebrating with traditional Thanksgiving food favorites, helps cement special memories for many people.  So whether you are cooking with loved ones, watching the game, playing games with everyone, listening to music, or just talking, just be thankful and enjoy yourself.  Nothing ever goes exactly to plan and that is okay.  The world is not ending if you are missing a dish, dinner is a little late, some ingredient is missing, something breaks or burns.  Just remember that it is about sharing and caring, so do that.  Pour your favorite drink and go with the flow.  Family and friends will help pull everything together and everything will be just fine.

Feel free to show your helpers your rough plan and menu and everyone will chip in.   Here are my tips on how I get through the meal and have a great time with family and friends.

 

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Getting Ready For Thanksgiving Dinner

• Plan the menu – look up all your favorite recipes and find a new one or two.  Write out the menu and call family and friends for anything you want them to make or bring at least a week in advance.  Don’t over due it and have more food than guests can eat.  Leftovers are only wanted by people for a day or two and then they are ready for something else to eat.  So make a few items that taste great.  Also, don’t forget to plan out the things to eat for the days leading up to Thanksgiving.  I like to make casseroles, hot wings, smoked meats on the grill, and one pot meals to keep everyone happy and cut down on holiday costs.

• Go grocery shopping – after going through the pantry and fridge to see what you have, make a grocery list.  Try to shop for non-perishables a week ahead of time.  Many common ingredients become scare and out of stock the closer you get to Thanksgiving.  Then shop for perishables 2 days before Thanksgiving.  Another good tip is to clean out the fridge at this time, you will need room for all the fresh groceries.
• Thaw out the turkey – the best way to thaw out a turkey is in the refrigerator.  It should take a few days (thaw 4 lbs per day).  I place the frozen turkey in the fridge Sunday evening or Monday morning, so it can thaw in time.
  • 4 to 12 pounds — 1 to 3 days in fridge.
  • 12 to 16 pounds — 3 to 4 days in fridge.
  • 16 to 20 pounds — 4 to 5 days in fridge.
  • 20 to 24 pounds —5 to 6 days in fridge.
• A great note is to check on your turkey on Wednesday morning.  Many times, I have checked on the turkey and it is still frozen.  I then resort to the water thawing method until thawed.  Once thawed, I put the turkey back in the fridge until the next day.  So the turkey needs to be cooked within 48 hours of being thawed.  Another way to thaw a turkey is in a bucket half way filled with cold water.  So you need to change the water every 30 minutes and flip the bird over with each change.  Also, if you purchased your turkey within a day or two of Thanksgiving, it is probably frozen, so go to water thawing when you get the turkey home.

Here is the Butterball approximate thawing and roasting time chart.

 

• Make an oven plan for baking – From your menu, make a plan for baking.  Bake your desserts the  day or two before.  The turkey takes the longest, so try to bake it first thing in the morning or mid-morning, if eating in the early evening.  If you are doing a smoked turkey on a smoker or deep fried turkey, then this is not an issue.  You have plenty of time to bake any casseroles, ham, potatoes, etc.
• Determine what things can be made ahead.  So most baking can be done the day before.  Cookies can be made 2 days ahead.  You can also make any dips and pre-assemble casseroles without baking.  I also like to rinse and chop up all veggies and fruits the day before.  Consider taking out all pantry items the day or two before to cut down on time spending looking for things.  Another great thing about taking out all your pantry items is if you are missing something, you find out and have time to go to the store.

• Clean your home 3 days before.  That way you only have to do spot cleaning on Thanksgiving day other than the kitchen.
• Plan out games and entertainment.   In my family we play jeopardy, cards, dominos, board games, do a scavenger hunt for the small kids, and play some minute-to-win it games.  Sports are always on the TV’s as well.  Have a great time sharing what you are thankful for and be grateful.

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• Also, don’t be afraid to assign tasks for clean up.  Even for the people that are leaving early to visit other family and friends.  I assign things like pick up 10 pieces of trash, wash off 10 dishes to put in the dishwasher, clean 5 large dishes, take the trash out, put the bottles in the recycle bin, etc.  At the end of the day, you will have little to do and you are ready for Black Friday shopping.

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Thanksgiving Day

 

• Follow your rough plan/schedule for the day.  You should have some timing targets from when you wake up to when dinner is served.  If you thought about this and wrote down your plans for the day, all should go smoothly.
• Cook the turkey, then ham, then all baking sides.  Utilize the stove for all cooktop items, sauces and gravies.  So don’t forget to serve the chilled items in the fridge.
• Clean-up as you go and put away dishes that you may not need again.
• Spot clean the house before your guests arrive.
• Take out and wipe down all plates, glasses, serve ware, food warmers, etc.  Set the table(s) with all dishes or place tablecloths with centerpieces for buffet style.  So locate and wipe down all needed extra chairs and tables 2-4 days before Thanksgiving.
• Also, consider making a decorated dessert table for the pies, cakes, cookies and sweet treats.
• If you have kids or plan to cook with family or friends, make it fun.  Turn on some holiday music or if a TV is close by, watch cooking shows or binge watch holiday movies.
• Another great tip is make a nice punch or two.  One that is non-alcoholic and another with some holiday spirits.  Be sure to label the punch, so no one gets the wrong one, especially the kids.

 

Outdoor Decorating Before and After

• Cut the lawn, trim the trees, and edge.  Put out any outdoor Thanksgiving decorations or Christmas if you have started already.
• Get the outdoor storage totes out and organize your decoration plan.
• Check the lights and replace old light strings.
• Take advantage of early Black Friday deals, especialy for LED flood lights, string lights, and extension cords.  Also, consider a timer or smart plugs to control the lights from your phone or home network.
• Come up with a decorating plan and organize your decorations in a theme or groupings for the biggest impact.

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After Thanksgiving

• Finish cleaning up if you have not done so already.  Make sure you are ready for the next trash pick up.
• Enjoy Black Friday shopping deals.  Many deals have been going on for the past 2 weeks, but some deep discounted specialty deals show up starting Thanksgiving night and continue through the weekend or while supplies last.  So utilize shopping on-line with free delivery but be aware of scams.  Shop from trusted retailers with good refund and return policies.
• Putting Up the Christmas Tree – If you have been able to wait, it is time to put up the Christmas tree.  So have fun decorating the tree.  Time to make the trip to the tree yard or store if you are getting a fresh Christmas tree.  My trees are already up by the first week in November, so I use artificial trees.  I just use winter/pine scented candles if I want the smell.
• Also, if you have a backyard, consider putting some decorations in the backyard as well.  Most of us enjoy the cool weather outside and having some cool holiday decorations help keep us in the holiday spirit.
• Start wrapping gifts and finalizing your Christmas list.  It is now time to plan your Christmas or Holiday menu and plans.
• Try labeling the totes and containers for easy put up after Christmas.

These are my tips, have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the holiday season!

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