thanksgiving stressWith family & friends coming into your home for Thanksgiving, things can get stressful pretty quickly. It’s a good idea to reduce your stress levels where you can, and the easiest place to start is an area that you can control-namely, the kitchen.

Here’s a great article from Elizabeth Larkin on organizing tips to keep your Thanksgiving running as smoothly and stress free as possible:

Create a Game Plan.
Get out a legal pad, your calendar, and a sharpie pen (and maybe a stiff drink) and brainstorm Thanksgiving. Taking 20-30 minutes now will save you a lot of stress later. Trust me.

Eliminate dishes you do not need to make.
Eliminating dishes is always the first step in meal planning. Who is going to bring what? Will your mother-in-law be bringing the stuffing? I like to use the “whoever said it, makes it” rule. If a guest says they love sweet potato pie, that’s the dish they’ll bring.

Another option is to delegate an entire course to a guest, like: appetizers, drinks, dessert or first course.

Decide which dishes you need to make yourself.
 Now that you know what’s leftover, you can begin planning your own shopping, prep and cooking. Once you’ve decided on what you need to make, print out the recipes and clip them together on a clipboard or in a folder for easy retrieval.

Resolve to Stick to The Basics.
If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, you know full well the dishes that people expect to see: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pie. Make sure you cover these basics and then, if you like to be a little more creative, you can concentrate on spicing up the sides.

Make a grocery list.
Once you have your recipes set, use them to create a grocery list. It’s easiest to organize your shopping list the way the store is laid out: produce, meat, dairy, canned goods, grains, sweets and snacks. The best option here to keep a list that can become a running-flexible list as you have those light bulb moments “oh, I forgot the cranberries!” Keep in mind this may be more than one trip, as you will most likely have to make runs to the liquor store, and possibly to a farm if you have ordered a turkey.

Get your appliances and serving dishes ready.
What appliances do you need on hand? Are they in storage? Do they need to be washed? Where will they “live” until the big day? I often write about project bins and I think Thanksgiving prep is a great use for them.

Decide what you can do ahead of time.
What prep work can you do ahead of time? Chopping vegetables, baking pies, etc. The turkey needs to go into the oven that morning, but most desserts can be done ahead of time. Similarly, vegetables should be cooked the day of, but you can chop and wash them a few days ahead and store them in your fridge.

Schedule your shopping and prep work.
When will you do that prep work? How far ahead can you begin preparations? Make sure to block ample time off on your calendar, like the Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night ahead of the the big day. Try to leave Wednesday open for anything you might have forgotten, and then get to work that evening.

Think drinks.
Are you going to set up a separate area for soda, water and wine? I think it makes sense to let your guests help themselves. Think about placing bottles on a tray with an ice bucket. If you’re having a large crowd, fill some coolers with ice and let people grab bottles outdoors. Maybe then they will leave you alone in the kitchen for a few minutes!

Plan decorations.
Minimum decor: table cloth with extra credit for flowers in a ball jar. My mom decorates the table with edible fare like fruit, nuts, small pumpkins and gourds in a glass bowl. It looks great, and is edible.

Label serving dishes.
This is one of my favorite time savers. Match up each recipe to a serving dish and label it with a post-it note. This way if someone asks how they can help (and unless your guests are a bunch of jerks, they *will* ask) the labels will make it easier to delegate some tasks.

Keep recipes within easy reach.
While cooking, I like to print out the recipes and then tape them to a cabinet. This way they’re always in the same spot and I know where to look when I need an assist. If you’re working from older, more delicate hard copy recipes, put them in a clear plastic sleeve and tape that to a cabinet. My mom likes to use her iPad to work from while cooking. Whatever works for you, do it. Don’t over think it.

Plan for leftovers.
Rather than hand out your precious Tupperware, invest in some one-use foil containers for guests to take home leftovers. This way you don’t have to worry about getting your Tupperware back.