'How To' Guide for Thanksgiving Timing and Cooking

7 Days Before Plan Ahead 

Plan your dinner + Shop Dry Goods and Baking 

• Spend ample time planning this year's Thanksgiving. It might look a little different. Use these tips from my InsideHook article to scale down dinner. 

• Properly making a shopping list. Be sure to include ingredients that are required for multiple recipes (eg. garlic, onion) 

• Make a game plan and write it down. A spreadsheet or a notepad in your phone works well. 

• Think about the challenges from the previous year and plan accordingly 

Make space + Declutter 

• Clean fridge, freezer, and cupboard --- make space ahead of time

• Dedicate a special shelf for holiday cooking items for storage and easy access. 

• Separate cooking vs. baking ingredients 

• Have plenty of reusable containers for easy storage 

Keep it together 

• Print all recipes, pull out books, and keep in a single place or on phone/email for easy reference 

• Pull out baking trays and tart pans ahead of time 

• Pre-measure dry goods and store in a container 

• Do the conversion for doubling recipes 

• Measure sugar, salt, and baking agents 

• Sift flour, sugar, and other dry ingredients together 

• Cut butter and place in the freezer

• Make pie crust 

• Clean and thoroughly dry vegetables, peel garlic, onions, and shallots beforehand

• Wash and wrap herbs in damp paper towels and store in a glass container 

• A few days before clean and cut leeks, carrots, celery, green beans and store in reusable bags

• Pie crusts, fillings, fruit purees, prepare any toppings 

• Saute batches of onions, garlic for stuffing and casseroles

• Make mushroom gravy 

• Bake sweet potatoes and cool

• Prepare any dips and salad dressings

• Prepare squash as a centerpiece or Defrost Turkey 

• Cook grains, toast nuts, prep herbs for turkey 

• Make cranberry sauce 

• Make roux and casserole sauces 

• Prepare green beans, stuffing, and casseroles for baking 

• Make sweet potato casserole 

• Cook casseroles 

• Par cook pasta + cheese sauce for mac and cheese

• Roast vegetables 

• Chill wine, beer and make simple syrup for cocktails 

• Set the tables, linens, plates, glasses 

• Bake casseroles

• Cook squash centerpiece or turkey 

• Make mash potatoes 

• Make mac & cheese

• Reheat gravy

• Whip cream for desserts

This is a general outline. Check out my Instagram videos and stories to cook along. Enjoy.