Thanksgiving Planning

It’s Toni’s 12 Days of Thanksgiving where I break of the task of Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner For A Large Group into small daily “to-do’s”.  By doing one or two things each for the 12 days leading up to Thanksgiving, you will take the hectic headache out of your holiday.

If you haven’t already downloaded my Thanksgiving 2011 Menu from Toni’s 12 Days of Thanksgiving, you can download and print here:

Personalized Thanksgiving Menu available at BellaGreyDesigns.com

Day 1

Have A Plan

It may seem rudimentary, but the first thing you’ll need to know is how many people you will be cooking for.  No matter the fact that it’s mostly family attending my Thanksgiving Dinner each year, I make a written list of who will be coming.  I write the number of adults and number of children so I know how to arrange my seating and what type of kids activities to plan.

Bring Some “Special” to Dinner

It may seem too formal to do written invitations, but Evite.com makes it simple and fun to send out an email invitation from their selection of adorable Thanksgiving themed “Evites”.

With Evite, you can even create your own “poll” like, “What Is Your Favorite Thanksgiving Pie?” or the classic, “What Are You Thankful For This Year?”  It may not be necessary, but it brings more “special” to your Thanksgiving Dinner.  Guests can view the answers to the poll online leading up to Thanksgiving and you can read the answers out loud during dinner.

Before You Head off to The Grocery Store

It’s that time of year.  It’s time to clean out and reorganize the pantry and baking cupboards.  I have one cupboard for my pantry, one baking supply cupboard and one cupboard for spices, seasonings, oils and vinegars.

By re-organizing your supplies, you can:

1. Throw out expired items
2. Make a list of staples needed from the store
3. Organize items so they’re easy to find Thanksgiving Day

Don’t be caught sending a relative to the store Thanksgiving Day because you didn’t realize you were out of brown sugar.

Thanksgiving Grocery Shopping- Find The Deal

It’s time to take advantage of all those pre-Thanksgiving Day sales.  If you haven’t already downloaded my Grocery Shopping List, you can download it here:

click image to download

Thanksgiving Recipes

Sparkling-Spiced Cranberry Punch with Cranberry Ice Ring

Glazed Cranberry Apple Rolls

Pear Walnut Gorgonzola Arugula Salad

Herb Roasted Turkey

Baked Cranberry Chestnut Stuffing

Toni’s Perfect Cranberry Sauce

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes with Pan Turkey Gravy

Not-So-Sweet Potato Casserole

Steamed Green Beans with Mushroom White-Wine Shallot Sauce {wine optional}

Sautéed Spinach with Cranberries and Pine Nuts

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