Thanksgiving: Simplified

Top Ten Tips to enjoy Thanksgiving: Simplified

We love finding ways to simplify your business, and sometimes that means finding ways to simplify your life! We hope you enjoy these Thanksgiving tips and tricks, and look forward to hearing your ideas and favorite recipes!

1. Craft a Menu​
2. Review Menu and CUT items!
3. Plan Two Shopping Trips
4. Audit your Serving Dishes
5. Pre-Cook
6. Set the Table (and yourself)
7. Create Distractions away from the Kitchen
8. Delegate
9. Take Notes
10. Be Thankful

We are thankful for the inspiration from Wholefully.

1. Craft a Menu

We've included a Traditional, Contemporary, Unconventional and Outlier Menu to consider. Get inspired and start fresh, or mix and match these menus!

Traditional Menu

• Roast turkey
• Turkey stuffing
• Mashed potatoes
• Gravy,
• Green beans
• Corn
• Dinner rolls
• Cranberry sauce
• Pumpkin pie

Contemporary Menu

• Red Wine–Braised Turkey Legs
• Thanksgiving Slaw
• Glazed Carrots
• Hasselback Potato Gratin
• Stuffing Waffles
• Apple-Pecan Bourbon-Caramel Pie

Unconventional Menu

• Crispy Bacon-wrapped Brussels Sprouts
• Pimento Cheese Stuffed Shishito Peppers
• Crispy Halloumi ‘fries’ With Tomato Dip
• Baked Brie With Cranberries And Pomegranate
• Carrot Pigs In A Blanket
• Winter Vegetable Platter With Miso Aioli
• Cranberry, Brussels Sprouts And Brie Nachos
• Goat Cheese, Apple And Honey Tarts
• Spicy Pineapple Prosciutto Tarts
• Reed's Smokey Quarantine Chicken Legs
  

I'm Taking the Day Off Menu

• Order the sides and desserts from your favorite grocery store(s), or restaurant(s)
• Select a chicken or your favorite cut of meat that will fit in the crock pot or air fryer!
• Pick one favorite-smelling item to cook at home, to get into the grateful mood
• Select a top-shelf champagne to celebrate your efficiency

2. Review Menu and Cut Items

It's possible that you over-planned. Remember that while the food of Thanksgiving is a delight, being thankful should be in the spotlight. Cut a few of the items on the menu to make room for more love and thanks at your table!

3. Plan Two Shopping Trips

Do an early shopping trip to get shelf-stable and frozen items. Be prepared for supply chain disruption by doing your Thanksgiving shopping right away. Plan for a second trip to get any forgotten items, or to satiate any last-minute whimsy!

4. Audit your Serving Dishes, Fridge + Pantry

Pull all those big platters and serving bowls off the top shelf of the cupboard. Identify which bowls will be best for the winning items on your menu. 

​Organize items in the Fridge and Pantry by Menu Item, to make for easy preparation and grocery shopping. Sticky Notes are your friend. 

5. Pre-Cook

Many of your menu items will allow for pre-cooking. Even the Turkey can be cooked and carved on Wednesday, and then heated in the oven and smothered in gravy an hour before it's time to eat! That solves a lot of the Turkey Day chaos! Casserole dishes with lids are great for storing, reheating and serving. If an item can't be cooked or baked beforehand, prepare it as much as possible (chopping, slicing, dicing, peeling). 

6. Set the Table (and Yourself)

Set the table right after a quick breakfast or quiet cup of coffee. This is a key step to enjoying a fulfilling Thanksgiving dinner. Having the table set with a tablecloth, plates, bowls, glasses, silverware, napkins and centerpieces will minimize traffic in your kitchen right when hot pots and pans are moving about. It will also quickly identify which plates, forks and spoons are available for serving and stirring! 

The final steps in getting a beautiful dinner on the table always take longer than expected. Hit the shower and get dressed for the event before diving into the final cooking, so that you can continue managing the meal as guests arrive. 

7. Create Distractions away from the Kitchen

Set out small bowls of nuts, pickles, olives, or snacks that fit your menu, far from the kitchen to keep guests moving and mingling without interrupting the final steps of dinner preparation. 

Consider non-food distractions, as well, like: 

• Placemat-making station: scrapbooking paper, scissors, glue, ribbon, sequins, leaves, markers
• Guestbook
• Thankful Wall: butcher paper rolled out on the wall, markers or crayons
• Beverage station: sodas, beer, wine, coffee, tea
  
• Water station: water dispenser, cups, marker or stickers to personalize cups

8. Delegate

Our favorite tool for simplifying is delegating to others who can do the job better! Your sticky notes can help guide eager helpers. Have a few tasks or menu items in mind that can be stirred or frosted or finalized by someone who prefers to stay busy. 

Don't be shy about delegating desserts and sides, and even the main item to your favorite local restaurant or grocery store. Show your thankfulness for local business owners! 

9. Take Notes

Sometimes you figure out just the perfect way to make a magical moment. Take notes! We recommend putting the notes in a place where you'll be sure to see them, like somewhere in October or early November in your Google Calendar or Microsoft Office Calendar. Make it an annually recurring event, and continue to add to your notes each year! 

10. Be Thankful

We like to encourage every guest at the table to share what they're most thankful for about from the last year. This is a wonderful way to give everyone an opportunity to talk, and to keep the focus on gratitude and thankfulness. 

If you want to delegate your Note-Taking process, also ask your guests what their favorite menu item was! 

Have a Happy and Simplified Thanksgiving!