3 Winks Design
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Printables
  • From Cover to Reel
    • Contests >
      • Writing Challenge
    • Show Notes
  • Where I Party
    • Places Featured
  • Archives

Thanksgiving Prep 101

10/19/2020

10 Comments

 
This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for any purchases made through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Picture
       Are you cooking for a crowd this Thanksgiving and are you stressing out about pulling it off? Growing up in a large family and raising a large family of my own has taught me a few tips that I can share to help make your Thanksgiving meal prep much easier and successful.  A little pre-planning can take the stress to a much lower level. Be sure to print off the free timeline printable to hang on your fridge to keep you on track! 

Thanksgiving Menu and Recipes​

First things first, make a menu and choose your recipes! If you decide that you want to try something new, you may want to give it a trial run, but do that early, before the real crunch starts. I suggest trying something that you feel pretty confident will turn out well and be a crowd pleaser.  Also, it may be best to keep  your new recipes down to 1 or 2 dishes.  Traditional Thanksgiving recipes are looked forward to, comforting and expected by many and changing things too much could leave some people disappointed. A couple of new dishes added to the traditional can be surprising and fun! You might even start a new tradition.  I wasn't raised with pecan pie growing up, but it is a tradition in my home now. Also, I can still remember the year pumpkin rolls first appeared and we have enjoyed them ever since. 
​
     Speaking of pies, we have a whole category devoted to pies on our blog.  You can start with my mom's absolutely best crust recipe here and go onto the many other varieties of pies that are all delicious, here. For even more pie ideas, you can purchase and download our For the Love of Pie ebook.   You might find a new, wonderful pie to add to your Thanksgiving dessert table this year! 
Picture

Make Assignments

If you are asking people to bring some of the food and drinks, be sure to make those assignments well in advance so that they have time to plan ahead as well.  Especially if you are just asking for a general thing, like a salad or a dessert, they may want to have time to try out a recipe before they bring it.  Or, they may need to budget into their budget the cost of ingredients.  I would say that 2 weeks notice is a good amount of time and you can give a heads up reminder a few days before Thanksgiving. 

Sometimes people already have an idea of what they would like to contribute, so it is good to be open to those suggestions and work around them.  If your sister asks what you would like her to bring, you could give her a few suggestions and let her choose.  Also, accept any offers from people who would like to come early and help!  

Before you Shop

Before you head off to the grocery store, clean your fridge! I am lucky enough to have two refrigerators, so I have to clean them both. But seriously, you are going to need a lot of room.  You will be bringing home produce, a turkey, butter, veggies of various varieties, cream, dips, cranberry sauce, pickles, olives...And then you have to plan on the leftovers! Don't forget that if people are bringing dishes to add to the feast, you will need a place to put any cold items that may need to be chilled until serving time. So, the week before Thanksgiving week, be sure to plan meals that do not generate a lot of leftovers. Then,  get in that fridge and get rid of those little dabs of leftovers, throw out the old, expired condiments, flush away the "science experiments" tucked away in the back corner, and wipe everything down so that you have a nice, clean refrigerator.  If you think that you may not have enough space for everything, break out or purchase a cooler to handle some of the overflow. This one on wheels would be great!  

​Another important thing to do before you shop is to take an inventory of what you have already and what you will need to make your planned menu.  Do you have enough eggs?  How about little things like sage or even salt?  Do you have the evaporated milk for the pumpkin pie? Make a list and check it twice! 

Shopping

At the beginning of November there will be tons of good sales on all of the fixings for a Thanksgiving Dinner. (This is also a good time to stock up on canned goods for your pantry and to buy food for donations to food banks!) Check your ads!  If you will also want a turkey for Christmas, get one now and put it in the freezer because the prices are at their best right now! Here are a few things to add to your shopping list that you may not have thought about:
  • Freezer Storage Bags! 
  • Containers that seal and won't leak.  Here are a couple suggestions:​
Picture
Pyrex Snapware
Picture
Rubbermaid brilliance, guaranteed not to leak.
  • If you are using paper plates, get good sturdy ones.  I prefer to use real plates for big dinners, because they look prettier, they are sturdy enough to handle the gravy and other juicy foods and won't fall apart under a knife.   Also, make sure you have enough dessert plates! I like to check the clearance aisles for good deals on pretty dishes. 
  • Plastic wrap, or another fun thing to do to send home leftovers in is to make your own wax cloths like Maddy blogged about here.  We use them all of the time and they are a great way to be a little more green. They would be a nice little gift to send home with your guests, wrapped around some leftover dinner rolls perhaps! Use some Fall colored prints!  It is also smart to have some disposable containers to use to send home stuffing, turkey, pie or whatever leftovers you may be divvying out.
Picture
  • You may assign out whipped cream or Cool Whip, but I always like to have some extra on hand.
  • Butter for those rolls!
  • Save some time on Tuesday of Thanksgiving Week to go back for produce closer to Thanksgiving Day so that it will be fresh.

Timeline

Once you are finished shopping and have everything you need, make yourself a timeline of things that need to be done.  Here is an overview of how I generally organize myself the week of Thanksgiving. Be sure to get the free Thanksgiving Prep Timeline below. Just press the button.
  • Make sure the turkey is in the refrigerator defrosting by Monday at the latest. Big turkeys take longer.  A 20 pound turkey can take 5 days to defrost.
  • Clean the house really well on Tuesday.  You can also put together some of your dishes, such as the stuffing, in advance on this day.  Then on Thursday you can just pop it in the oven. Also, the cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes can be prepared in advance.
  • Bake the pies, rolls and other desserts on Wednesday, because the oven will be very busy on Thursday with the turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, etc.
  • After baking on Wednesday, sweep and straighten the house and set the table, unless you have very tiny children who will just mess it up.  Then you can have someone help you with it on Thursday.
  • Thursday morning, put a couple of spoonfuls of stuffing in the cavity of the bird for flavor, but bake most of it in a casserole dish.  Prepare the turkey by rinsing it and removing the giblets.  I cook the giblets separately on the stove in a seasoned broth to chop up and use in the gravy. When the turkey is done roasting later on, don't forget to remove the stuffing from the inside.
  • When the turkey comes out of the oven, pop the stuffing, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole into the oven while it rests. Move the turkey to a platter to rest and make the gravy in the bottom of the roasting pan. 
Picture
Thanksgiving Prep Timeline Printable

One Last Tip

Accept help! Let others put out the cranberry sauce, pickles, olives and other condiments.  Allow someone to mash the potatoes, put out the rolls and butter.  You can give instructions as you make the giblet gravy! Then, at last, it will all come together, everything will be hot and you will have a feast to be thankful for.  
​
Keep an eye out for some basic recipes here on the blog to help you out with holiday dinners!
​

You May Also Enjoy:

  • Part 1 of the Pie Series: The Crust
  • Quick Thanksgiving Craft for Kids
  •  Creating an Easy, Affordable Thanksgiving Centerpiece
10 Comments
Amy link
11/14/2017 07:27:14 am

Great tips! TFS!

Reply
April J Harris link
11/14/2017 05:31:17 pm

You've shared some really great tips here, Helen, and I love those pretty dishes! Thank you for sharing and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party!

Reply
Miz Helen
11/17/2017 11:58:59 am

Your Thanksgiving Prep 101 is packed full of awesome tips for a successful thanksgiving! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday. Come to next weeks Thanksgiving party on Tuesday at 8:00 am, CST, see you then!
Miz Helen

Reply
Lynda Hardy link
11/18/2017 06:45:12 pm

Great tips! Thanks for sharing with Party in Your PJs!

Reply
Dee | Grammy's Grid link
10/31/2019 06:32:58 am

Great tips!! Thanks so much for linking up at #AThemedLinkup 4 for All Things Thanksgiving. Shared.

Reply
Marielle link
10/22/2020 12:59:00 pm

These are great tips for Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for sharing! I'm visiting today from the Wine'd Down Wednesday link up. Have a great day!

Reply
Dee | Grammy's Grid link
10/28/2020 05:39:25 am

Visiting again to say thanks so much for linking up with me at #AThemedLinkup 32 for All Things Thanksgiving. Shared.

Reply
Dee | Grammy's Grid link
11/7/2020 12:08:30 am

CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at #AThemedLinkup 33 for Thanksgiving Recipes from my previous linkup for All Things Thanksgiving.

Reply
Stephanie link
11/1/2023 08:02:22 pm

These are all great tips for prepping for Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for sharing them with us at Crazy Little Love Birds link party #11.

Reply
Jennifer Wise link
11/3/2023 07:44:45 am

I love that this is printable! Pinning. :) Thank you for sharing this post at the Will Blog for Comments #13 linkup. Hope to see you again next week, too.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Creators of Hot Cocoa Bombs!  (copyrighted)
    Subscribe to Our Email!
    Picture

    Author

    Helen Reynolds: Mother of six children , grandmother to fifteen!  I love to cook, craft and create things and I especially love doing that with my family, So, when my lawyer daughter, Lindsey, my artist daughter, Madalynn, and I came up with the idea of Hot Cocoa Bombs, this blog was born.  Then, one more daughter, with her technical and science skills, plus creativity has joined in to round us out!  Read more about us here!
        

    Picture
    Click this link and visit 3WinksDesignShop on Etsy. Find our Hot Cocoa Bomb Idea Book, our For the Love of PIe e-book and more of our creations!

    Picture
    Shop Mood Fabrics




    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Printables
  • From Cover to Reel
    • Contests >
      • Writing Challenge
    • Show Notes
  • Where I Party
    • Places Featured
  • Archives