If you're making a dish out of a food magazine this year, we'd love to hear about it! Send us a picture of your dish and a few sentences about how it turned out and we'll feature a collection of reader submissions here on the blog.
With the big day upon us, there's no shortage of Thanksgiving advice. Magazines are giving it, your coworkers are giving it, and your mother-in-law is definitely giving it.
Regardless, here are a few things we find useful in putting together a big meal that hopefully can be of help to you, too.
Make a List, Check It Twice
We find it endlessly useful to make lists in planning a meal, charting out exactly what needs to be done. This year we made lists of things we need, dishes we're cooking, and items that could be done ahead of the big day.
On top of that, we made a timetable showing at what point different items should be in the oven or on the stovetop. It really helps to keep everything in order and ensure that not every dish is vying for space in your oven at the same time.
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Toast Ahead of Time
If your recipes call for roasted nuts, toasted spices or breadcrumbs, these can be done days ahead and sealed in airtight containers.
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Assign Your Dishes
We find it extremely useful to lay out all our serving dishes and literally drop note cards or Post-Its to say what will go in each dish. This ensures that you have enough dishes, and it also keeps you from having to scramble at the last minute to find a bowl for the mashed potatoes.
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Set the Table the Night Before
Unless you live in a construction zone, it's a-okay to set the table the night before. Lay out your plates, your linens, your glassware. Iron that tablecloth if you're using one. Setting the table is one more thing you won't have to worry about on Thanksgiving day. Also, outsource your flowers if you're able. Zach's mom is a flower whiz and she did ours.
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And Finally....
Just roll with the punches. Some dishes might not turn out perfectly. They certainly don't all turn out well in our household. It's Thanksgiving and no one will starve.
Have fun! And let us know how it turned out!
