Thanksgiving Dinner Preparation Timeline and Tips

The holidays tend to feel overwhelming - which is the exact opposite of how I want to feel when I officially have time off to spend with my family and friends! Over the years, I've learned that it really doesn't have to be this way if I can plan ahead. I am sharing my personal planning guide to help make your holiday dinners far easier to accomplish so you can enjoy time with those you love! There are plenty of ways to reduce the day-of-prep in advance. Here's what I recommend:

Make Two Days Before

• Make and refrigerate cranberry sauce; here's my recipe
• Pies, and other baked goods are also great to bake two days in advance
• If your turkey is frozen, put it in a cooler with the brine to thaw

One Day Before

• Prep & cook the sweet potato casserole & refrigerate without the marshmallows; be sure to add LOVIN' MY PUMPKIN for the perfect sweetness
• Prep and refrigerate any fresh veggie side dishes; leave off the crunch toppings for things like green bean casseroles as the crunch topping will become soggy
• Baked Apples are a staple for my holiday dinners; Prep these ahead & save for baking later
• Prep and refrigerate the ingredients for your stuffing; don't bake it yet! Here's my recipe for a traditional & delicious homemade stuffing.
• If you are making bread or rolls, do it today and store them at room temp

Morning Of Your Holiday Feast

• Bring stuffing to room temperature and have it set aside to stuff your bird
• Bring sweet potato casserole to room temp, have the marshmallows ready to add to it and set aside for baking later
• Remove the turkey from the brine & place in a pan for roasting. Make sure you know exactly how much time your turkey requires to bake and plan ahead to ensure it's ready for the dinner bell hour.
• Stuff the turkey with your premade stuffing mix
• Start roasting your stuffed turkey in time for dinner

One Hour Before Mealtime

• Bake any left-over stuffing that may not have made it into the turkey for stuffing; if you didn't stuff your bird, then bake away
• Bring cranberry sauce and pies or baked goods to room temperature
• Finish the gravy & feel free to add drippings to your gravy as the turkey cooks throughout the morning.
• If you're making mashed potatoes, now is the time to peel, boil and mash away

30 Minutes Before Mealtime

• Cook any vegetable side dishes

Just Before Mealtime

• Carve the turkey
• Quick roast the sweet potatoes in order to melt & brown the marshmallows on top! Just don't forget them in the oven while you're carving the bird!

Happy Holidays to you!! Thank you for all the love, support and sharing!!