Thanksgiving Countdown
If you are like me and fall is the busiest time of the year, you sometimes wait until the last minute to start deciding about your Thanksgiving gathering. Well don’t worry we are going to countdown to Thanksgiving with some great ideas for decorating, some favorite recipes as well as a few “Thanksgiving hacks” to help you pull it all off with grace and dare I say…..ENJOY the day yourself! Unheard of right?
I remember my mom killing herself to get Thanksgiving dinner on the table by noon. My dad was a hunter and Thanksgiving day always marked the first day of duck hunting season and our day was planned around when my dad would come out of the bottoms. When I started hosting Thanksgiving dinner I served it at noon too and I was miserable! Exhausted and miserable. My son asked me why I was so grumpy and I replied “Because I am overwhelmed!” And right then I knew something had to change. I wanted to enjoy the day with my family and not slave away in the kitchen and miss all the fun. That decision was LIFE CHANGING y’all. So from then on….dinner is at 3:00pm.
My next big tip……fix some things on Wednesday afternoon. I fix my cranberry applesauce, sweet potato casserole, dressing ingredients and pecan pie the day before and that helps with oven time. I have an additional oven in my garage just for big family dinners like this but I realize not everyone has that luxury so the more you can fix ahead the better.
We get up in the morning and I serve muffins and sausage pinwheels for breakfast and we watch the Macy’s Day Parade. I get the green beans going, mix my dressing and get it in the huge iron skillet just like my mama did and post a list of what else needs to be made. Can’t count how many times a side dish was forgotten in the garage refrigerator so now a list goes up and everything makes it to the table. The sweet hubby and my boys get the deep fryer set up and get our corn hole boards out (if the weather is nice). Everyone gets an assignment and learns how to cook one of the sides That’s what a southern mama does….teaches the recipes that they will one day want to cook for their family. Plus that is how I make sure I am not alone in the kitchen!
So over the next few days I will post some of my favorite family recipes, some easy decor inspiration and of course a few more ideas on how you can make the most of family time! Oh and a cocktail recipe or too for those more difficult family gatherings….no judgment here! Southern families don’t hide their crazy…..