This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winners are Jennifer R and Mary T. Congrats and Happy Thanksgiving!
With Thanksgiving just one week away, our family has already started planning the menu. Traditionally, we’ve spent the holiday with my in-laws, but this year, we’re staying close to home. Rather than one household cooking the entire meal, as is typical with my husband’s family, we like to divide the cooking up, sharing both new and traditional recipes amongst all of us.
Turkey is a staple in our household and while the hubby hasn’t prepared one in awhile, he’s aspiring to re-create this Roasted Turkey with Pomegranate Sauce and Wild Rice and Goat Cheese Stuffing recipe from Chef Bobby Flay.
Creating a Thanksgiving dinner takes time, patience, and creativity. In order to enjoy the holiday, avoid unnecessary stress, and celebrate all that you’re thankful for, we strive to follow these simple tips:
1. Share responsibilities. Whether you decide that it’s easier to have a few people shop and a few people cook, or divide up the meal so that each family cooks an entire dish, sharing responsibilities takes the weight off the host and allows for culinary diversity within the meal.
2. Start early. Rather than waiting until Thanksgiving week to shop or the day of to cook, strive to accomplish as much as possible ahead of time. Reserve the day before and day of for preparing those dishes that cannot be made ahead of time.
3. Diversify the menu. While my husband’s family is uber-traditional when it comes to the Thanksgiving menu, our family is more relaxed and open to new recipes. Why not brine your turkey this year? Or serve rice pilaf in place of yams? Unless your family is set on a traditional menu, I recommend including a mix of family favorites and newly discovered recipes this Thanksgiving.
4. Consider serving the meal buffet-style. Our family prefers to sit at a table together enjoying a plated meal, as opposed to my husband’s family, where the men retreat to the couch while the women chat in the family room. Even if you decide that a sit-down meal is in order, consider setting each dish on a separate table so friends and family can serve themselves before taking a seat at the table.
5. Consider eco-friendly, disposable plates, cups, flatware, and napkins. Clean up after Thanksgiving is always a chore. Because there will likely be a large number of dishes used to prepare and serve the meal, consider using compostable, disposable tableware made from recycled materials to ease the burden of clean-up.
If you’re looking for some advice on all-things Turkey, check out Butterball’s Turkey Talk Line where you can get your answers questioned by experts.
Win It! Two of you will win a gift certificate for a turkey from Butterball! Simply leave me a comment with one tip for making Thanksgiving better with your family. Comments will close on Sunday, November 20th at 11:59 PM PST and I will need addresses Monday to ensure they reach you before Thanksgiving.
US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.
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Have lots of tupperware or containers on hand. That way the guests can easily take home some of the leftovers.
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Let everyone help with the meal. If someone offers to bring something, let them!
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Everything takes longer than you think it will, so allow extra time for cooking. Food can be re-heated if needs be, but no one wants undercooked turkey.
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Thanksgiving can be celebrated any time, so have it a different day to make it easier for family members to make it to all the gatherings 🙂
Let everyone bring a dish and help out with meal!
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Don’t strive for perfection. Relax and enjoy your family time.
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I make sure to purchase several of the Rubbermaid container sets so that I can make sure everyone has leftovers to take home with them.
I have my husband cook the turkey on the grill which frees up space in the kitchen and frees up my oven for other items
Let everyone in your family help you cook. It’s fun and saves you a lot of time
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Engage all members of the family in the planning, preparation, and clean up of the meal, and use disposable items as much as possible.
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We each prepare different dishes and we also use pretty theme heavy duty paper plates. And also everyone pitches in with the cleaning up (well at least the females do).
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I would have to say my biggest tip would be make it about family…don’t stress about food, the house being prefect, all the stuff that makes us crazy and really step back and enjoy the people you love. I just lost my grandmother last week so you never know how much time there really is so just enjoy!!!!
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Cook less and spend more time with family.
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each child helps make there favorite dish, it makes for a special day
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The tip I have for making Thanksgiving less stressful in my house is to stay away from my family! We only have dinner with Bill’s family and my kids when we can. It makes for a great holiday. =)
Have everyone whos coming bring one pie/dessert/appetizer to make things easier
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Prepare as much as you can, like sides, chop veggies on Wednesday.
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I make things easier by doing most of the cooking the day before so I dont have to spend the entire day in the kitchen
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Share in the work! I go over to my moms early so we can cook the meal together. That way it isn’t on just one of us to get everything done. That way we can enjoy our day!
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Share the work, from cooking, setting table etc. to the cleanup afterwards. Many hands make light work. Then share the day talking, singing songs of Thanksgiving, playing games, etc.
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My tip is to get everyone involved. While some are cooking others could be doing clean up.
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Have it potluck style ~ it makes it fun for everyone!
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If you have kids, make time for just you and them to do something fun–it helps for big fancy dinners, they’re a bit tired and calm, you have a better understanding of where they’re coming from and don’t have to nag so much.
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accept help-do not think you have to do it all yourself,If I run out of space in my stove or oven I will use my grill to keep the food warm or finish cooking
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make many desserts so everyone gets their favorite
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\let the kids help in the cooking and prep. They will enjoy it and you will make memories!
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Do what you can the day before so that Thanksgiving day isn’t as stressful and you can enjoy family!
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my tip is have more entree options than turkey, not everyone likes it.
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