One or Two Bites (but not today)

By Lori Powell

The biggest food holiday is almost here. Ten family members will be arriving at my house in Pennsylvania next Wednesday so I am in countdown mode.

Don’t get me wrong. I am super- excited but the love of it is in the planning and details. Not only will they be here for the big feast day but they will also be lodging at my house for several days.

I feel like Robert Irvine in Dinner: Impossible times four days. Do I even have enough bath towels for 11 people (counting myself of course)?

I live by myself so these extra bits can be a problem, especially the expense, if you suddenly have to buy them. Also where will they all sleep? Sorry Mike and Donna, you get the floor with an air mattress...the elders are getting the two extra beds. The kids will be on couches in sleeping bags. Kind of like camping with indoor plumbing!

Not sure what you have in store for your Thanksgiving holidays but whatever it might entail, here are some tips or words of “some wisdom” for getting through the feast and week!

Most important, Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy your family and friends and to give thanks…so remember to live in the moment and breathe!

FOOD

• Eat from your fridge and freezer this week to make extra room for the feast day groceries and the days surrounding.
• Enlist the help of guests with meal preparation.
• Make sure you have a menu that is a crowd pleaser…not just what you want.
• Buy some of the desserts and make one…you do not have to be superwoman. Really!
• Include (if you are up to it) some of the other guests’ Thanksgiving favorites or enlist guests to make their favorite dishes.
• Make sure you have some recipes that can be made ahead so all dishes aren’t competing for oven/stovetop space at the same time.
• Use a slow cooker to re-heat some of the sides.
• Find out ahead of time what beverages people would like, especially the kids.
• Bag up some extra ice from your limited ice maker so you don’t run out for drinks.
• Look for sales on wine, seltzer and other beverages and buy them in advance.
• Break down your grocery list and purchase all pantry staples in advance since they are shelf-stable. Then it won’t seem so daunting when you have to do the last of the shopping of perishable items.
• Avoid the grocery store rush/mania. Shop late at night or early in the morning when no one is there.

TABLETOP

• Do you have enough chairs and table space? If not, beg borrow and steal from your neighbors…well not the steal part. Glasses, plates, silverware…you get the picture.
• Once you have decided on the menu for the big feast day, figure out what dishes you are going to serve them in ahead of time and mark the dishes with Post-Its so family members can easily pitch in during the mad rush of getting dinner on the table.
• Assign family and friends to do the table setting and most importantly, for cleanup duties. Kids love to be busy and involved.

FOR MEALS BEFORE/AFTER THE FEAST

• Have a game plan but do not be wedded to it since with a large crew, you need to be flexible. Expect surprises. Your nephew Nick might have gone vegetarian on you over the past couple of months.
• Enlist the help of your local gourmet or food shop to purchase some premade goodies such as meatballs and sauce, ziti, salads and sides.
• Make ahead stews and chili and freeze them so that all you have to do is defrost and warm. Serve a taco, burrito or quesadilla bar with a lot of little dishes holding toppers (grated cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, chopped scallions or onion, pickled jalapenos, hot sauces, salsas) and fillers (tortillas, taco shells, tortilla chips and pitas).
• Pick up some paper plates and napkins so that you have more time to spend with your guests out of the kitchen.
• Order pizza for a night or find a local restaurant that will take reservations for a crowd, without breaking the bank.

EXTRA BITS
Do not worry about the house being so tip-top clean since once the guests arrive, there will be so much luggage and people no one will notice. Just keep the lights on low…energy saver to boot.

Or if you are a perfectionist and can afford it, give a gift to yourself and hire a housekeeper even if it is just for dusting, cleaning bathrooms and floors. Actually this might be best after the guests leave to put your house back in order and help with reentry to what was your life prior to the holiday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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