Countdown to Thanksgiving ? The Full Moxie:: Celebrity ...

Kind of a big day on the horizon. While we are one giant melding pot of a country and don?t get credited for much of anything original, we do have a few things that are our very own inventions: baseball and basketball; the 8-track tape; and Thanksgiving. And oh, how we love a good feast.

The issue with this day of gluttony ? other than trying to find elastic waist pants we still look good in ? is that, for the host? There is a plethora of tidbits to which one must attend. And if one is hosting a rather large crowd, well? those details, large and small, can really ratchet up the stress.

In an effort to help reduce the stress in your life, here are some things to consider at T minus 7 days and counting.

1) Plan your menu. What are you thinking of serving? Generally speaking, most Americans go the turkey/mashed potatoes/ stuffing/ green bans/ cranberry sauce/ pumpkin pie route. But maybe this isn?t the menu for you? Maybe you have a few traditional recipes you like to throw down, or a vegetarian is coming to dinner? Whatever the case, grab a sheet of paper and write down ALL THE THINGS you plan on serving, from appetizers to the main meal to dessert, plus beverages.

2) Make your shopping list.Take a look at your menu, and catalogue everything you?ll need for every dish. Example:

Mashed potatoes: Russet potatoes, butter, milk, sour cream

Green Bean casserole: Frozen green beans, cream of mushroom soup, Fried onions?

Here?s the thing: I know this all seems terribly obvious, but there will come a point when you will be grateful for being overly prepared. And that point will be exactly at 3:00 in the afternoon on Thanksgiving, when you remember you forgot to start making the cranberry sauce and low and behold, no one needs to run to the store because you already have all the stuff you need. IMAGINE THAT.

3) Math time. Now that you know what you?ll be having, do a quick head count of your guests, and look back at your list. Time to to do that math thing! Consider portions: Will you need one small bird, or 2 giant ones? ?Five or ten pounds of potatoes? ?How many pies? Now?s the time to figure out how much you?ll need of everything? and whether you?ll have room for it all in your kitchen.

4) Do your shop.?Knowing the vast ? or not ? amount of food you?ll need, think about freshness. What can you get 5 days out that won?t spoil? What about 2 days out? Break down your list into manageable chunks, and get what you can when it is most appropriate to get it. Too many times have I waited to buy ALL THE THINGS on Thanksgiving eve, only to discover that the store had already been ransacked of many of the packaged items I could have taken care of days before. BE YE NOT SO STUPID! If you can take care of it a few days ahead of time and shelve it, do it. This will also make unloading your groceries a little easier.

5) Plan your cooking times & make ahead. So now you have a ton of food and in most cases, a frozen bird. Depending on size, it could take up to a few days to thaw a turkey. Think about that when planning your cooking times. And how will you thaw your bird? There are several ways to do this SAFELY ? check out the USDA?s website for the basics.

Along with that, think about how soon can you begin your prep work on the rest of the meal. Chopping, dicing, slicing, peeling, mixing, baking and roasting all takes time, and if you are your kitchen?s lone soldier, try to give yourself as much prep time as possible. We?re talking about a feast here; if most of the cooking is on your shoulders, give yourself as much time as possible so you can complete each task. Get your stuffing and casserole veggies sliced and cheeses grated a couple days in advance and zipper bag those suckers.?If you can bake two days ahead of time, do it. Any little bit you can do along the way will reduce and or negate last minute stress.

6) Clean the house.?Ugh, yeah. That. Trust me on this: the last thing you?re going to want to do is scrub your toilet ten minutes before your guests arrive. Personally, I find having a clean home?before?I launch into a two-day cooking marathon reduces my level of panic. You?ve got time: de-clutter.

7) Prep your table.?Setting your table a day ahead helps avoid last minute scurrying for extra forks and chairs. I covered this very issue last week, but as a reminder: along with the guest count, consider what you?re serving as well. Will you need bowls and spoons? Do you have enough plates? How are you serving dessert. There are important things to consider ahead of time; be sure that you do.

8) Lay your clothes out.?Seriously, you do this every year. An 45-minutes before guests arrive, life will find you standing in your closet, half wet from the shower and wonder what on Earth you can still fit into that isn?t ripped, stained, or just not right for the occasion. For the fun of it, why not pick out an outfit a few days ahead of time? Seriously, go look in your closet, find the clothes, the shoes, the socks or stockings ? whatevs ? and set them aside. Bam. Done. Just saved yourself a good hour of panic.

9)?Get your camera ready. Are you going to remember it this year? Yes, you are. Charge the batteries or buy new ones. Make sure you?ve got your film situation covered.

10) ?Entertainment. Last year, all my family wanted to do was sit and watch the 49er?s game. Problem: It was on a special cable channel to which we needed to subscribe, and my hubs spent the 20 minutes leading up to kickoff scrambling to connect with anyone from the cable company ? on a major holiday ? who could assist us with subscribing immediately. ?In the end, we got the game on, ?but a little planning could have saved the stress. That said, there are all kinds of family traditions on this day.?If you play board games, do puzzles, play an annual football game ? now?s the time to start locating your entertainment.

The downside to all this? It all seems like a lot to think about. The upside? You?re going to have to deal with all this stuff at some point, why not get a step ahead?

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Source: http://thefullmoxie.com/2012/11/17/countdown-to-thanksgiving/

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