Hosting a Thanksgiving feast can be a monumental task. To ease the burden, do yourself a favor and have guests supply some dishes potluck-style. Allrecipes suggests handling the turkey and gravy yourself, so that the star of the show isn’t suddenly a no-show. Let your guests supply sides such as mashed potatoes, casseroles, salads, rolls (store-bought are fine), pie and beverages. Coordinate correctly, and you can concentrate on roasting the bird and any other specialties you want to make, as well as staging your table for a magical, filling feast. #ThanksgivingTips
Tag: hosting thanksgiving
Is Your Turkey Oven-Ready?
If you’re just getting started on your Thanksgiving feast, it’s already too late to thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator. All is not lost if you can’t find a fresh one, though! Just submerge that packaged #turkey in ice water and check the water every 30 minutes to ensure that the temperature doesn’t rise above 40 degrees, Epicurious says. A 15-pound bird should be ready to go into the oven in about 8 hours. Use that time — and the 4+ hours’ roasting time — to make green bean casserole and a pumpkin pie, and your feast will be (nearly) complete! #ThanksgivingTips
Be Thankful, Get Organized
The holidays are rapidly approaching. And while you may have thought you’d have “everything” done ahead of time, the stark reality is that a few things may have escaped your attention until now.
It’s rare for a person to have every single thing completed by the internal deadlines they themselves have created. Be #thankful if you were able to get the jump on a couple of things on your to-do list already.
As for the responsibilities that loom in the weeks ahead, now’s a fine time to get started. You have nine days left to prepare for #Thanksgiving — more than enough time to plan a lavish celebration.
Start by planning the feast itself, Me in Order says. List everything you plan to make and anything that you’ll ask guests to bring or buy ready-made. Then, go and buy the the ingredients while the stores still have them.
Early rumors of supply chain shortages of turkeys and other Thanksgiving staples appear to have been overblown. But even if something is missing from your list, you still have time to get creative and suffuse your feast with decadent seasonal alternatives.
You may also wish to do a quick kitchen #cleanup and #decluttering to #streamline next week’s heavy usage. Locate the specialized tools you’ll need (such as that potato-masher) and keep them within easy reach.
The table and home are another question. If you’re the host, you may wish to do a day’s worth of cleaning and decorating. If you happen to find items that you no longer need or want as you #organize, you can #donate them to ClothingDonations.org.
#Donating lightly used clothing and household items to ClothingDonations.org is one of the easiest ways to #givethanks to #veterans, since the proceeds from the resale of those goods go directly toward veteran health care, housing and other support programs.
This year, be #thankful for the bounty that you do have and the ability to again gather in person relatively risk-free. Share that bounty with your family, friends and fellows throughout the holiday season.
Cooking a Scaled-Back Thanksgiving Feast
If you’re cooking a feast for a small group (or just yourself) this year due to COVID-19, a turkey breast is a good way to get traditional flavors on your plate, says Simply Whisked. But there’s nothing saying that you can’t feast on pork chops or Cornish hens instead. Many people — especially vegetarians — may be looking forward to sides such as green bean casserole and mashed potatoes just as much as the main course. So pick a couple of favorites to make, along with a tasty dessert. And remember to give thanks!
Keep Your Thanksgiving Small
Thanksgiving is this week, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that people observe the holiday at home with proper social distancing. If you are hosting, the CDC says to keep the gathering small (five people or fewer) and dine outdoors or open the windows to allow fresh air into your space. You could also ask guests to bring their own food and drink, but if you are sharing potluck plates, allow just one person to serve and try using single-use plastic dinnerware to keep the virus from circulating.