One Week To Go

There is one week until Thanksgiving. Here are a few ideas of what you can do now to make things run smoothly during your dinner and family parties.

*Clean out your refrigerator and make sure you have enough storage space

*Check your menu again. Get your shopping list together now and make sure you get everything by this weekend. Trust me on this, you do not want to run out to the grocery store next Wednesday night. I am the voice of experience with this.

*Make things like pie crusts, rolls, and casseroles now and freeze them until next week.

*If you are having younger guests, make sure you have some age appropriate entertainment to keep them occupied.

Check back later for some vegetarian menu ideas.

Two Weeks To Go

Thanksgiving is 2 weeks from tomorrow. Here are some ideas from allrecipes.com of things to get done with 2-3 weeks left to help your Thanksgiving get-togethers run more smoothly.

1. Confirm your guest list.

2. Finalize your menu and shopping lists. Break your lists into items you can buy ahead and those that can't be bought more than a few days before.

3. Do test runs on new recipes. If a new dish is not going to turn out, Thanksgiving day is not the time to discover this.

The Best Laid Plans

Like practice, planning also makes perfect. Here are some ways to start planning now for your Thanksgiving festivities later.

Things to do 3-4 weeks ahead:

1. Plan your menu, especially if there are any special diets or needs to consider.

2. Order your main dish(es) ahead of time.

3. Make a timeline for dishes you can make ahead of time.

4. Clean our your freezer. Make sure you can put all your items in one place to make them easier to find later.