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Home Tips > Tips By Category > Tips you can implement daily FOUR WEEKS OUT: Make your guest list. Make your menu. Order your turkey--especially if you want a fresh one. (Plan on 1 1/4 pounds per person.) Measure your oven to make sure your turkey will fit. Invite your guests. (Before you get on the phone, have a list of guests and a list of dishes. Then, if someone offers to bring a dish, accept the offer. And if they don't offer, ask them.)
THREE WEEKS OUT: Check your equipment: Table (one large enough for all your guests) Chairs for all of your guests
Dishware: Dinner plates Dessert plates Coffee cups and saucers
Silverware: Polished forks, knives and spoons
Glassware: Water glasses Clean wine glasses
Linens: Clean napkins Tablecloth (large enough to fit your table)
Cooking and serving items: Roasting pan: Is it the right size for your turkey? Will it fit into your oven? (Don't laugh: It's easier to buy the right pan today than it will be on Thanksgiving morning.)
Big-enough bowls, pots and serving platters Trivets Bread basket Sauceboat Gravy pitcher Well-sharpened knives Coffeepot--Can yours make both regular and decaf for a crowd? Maybe you should get a thermos. Sugar bowl Cream pitcher
SUGGESTION: If you can afford it, having someone to do the dishes will make an immense difference in your enjoyment of the meal.
TWO WEEKS OUT: Make a seating chart. Work on your shopping lists--don't forget tonic, seltzer and apple cider for the kids. Begin cooking--relish will keep in the fridge for a week; gravy freezes well.) Select a wine--Caterers recommend providing a half bottle for each guest--not counting children, of course.
ONE WEEK OUT: Tidy up the house. Put clean towels in the bathroom. Make a final shopping list--Remember ice, cream for the coffee and nuts for nibbling in the living room.
THANKSGIVING WEEK - MONDAY: Defrost your turkey (if it's frozen). Remember that you have to allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds if you're going to defrost a turkey in the refrigerator. That means a 15-pound turkey will take three full days, so get started on Monday.
SUGGESTION: If you miss that deadline, you can defrost the bird faster in a sinkful of cold water, allowing about half an hour for each pound of turkey and changing the water occasionally. (It will still take 7 1/2 hours for that 15-pounder, so do it after work on Wednesday, then refrigerate it.)
THANKSGIVING WEEK - TUESDAY: Do your final food shopping. Make a cooking schedule for Thanksgiving Day. If guests are invited for 5 P.M., count backward from a 6 P.M. dinner, writing down the time everything goes into the oven or the microwave. Don't forget the dishes that will have to be reheated.
THANKSGIVING WEEK - WEDNESDAY: Set the table. Clear out the coat closet for guest coats. Clean the guest bathroom. If possible, make it off-limits to the family. Take the gravy out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator so it can defrost.
THANKSGIVING DAY: You'll be so caught up that you'll be looking around for things to do. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Source:.rexanne.com
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