Your Thanksgiving 2015 Holiday Hosting Guide

That’s right—Thanksgiving is almost here! With just three weeks to prepare, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of the cooking, cleaning, and hosting duties that lie ahead. We have a few tips to help make this holiday go smoothly, so you can have your turkey, and eat it too!

Menu Planning

Plan ahead to make shopping, storing, and prepping your Thanksgiving meal a breeze. To paraphrase: an ounce of preparation is worth an ounce of turkey!

First, take stock of the pantry and make a list of staples that need refilling—flour, sugar, breadcrumbs, spices, and canned goods like pumpkin pie filling and evaporated milk.

Next, plan your menu from appetizers to dessert (don’t forget wine pairings!). You might want to consider serving a signature cocktail to guests before dinner—an Old Fashioned, or a classic Manhattan is always nice. Once you have a complete menu, your next round of shopping for perishables (closer to Thanksgiving) will be a much simpler affair.

Shopping

As suggested above, breaking your Thanksgiving shopping down into two or more trips can be a big time saver. Stocking up on pantry staples early means you won’t get stuck in the baking aisle the day before Thanksgiving, and no one wants to be in the baking aisle the day before Thanksgiving!

Break down the rest of your menu into an ingredients list and spread out your shopping over the next couple of weeks. This is particularly useful if you don’t have a lot of storage space available for your turkey, and all the extras (butter, milk, produce) in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

Décor

Short on time and ideas for holiday decorating? Look no further than our favorite social media platform of the moment, Pinterest! It’s a one-stop-shop for project inspiration, and we have been spending a lot of time logged in to the Cabinets & Designs Pinterest page while we search for ideas for the dining table, the front door, and everywhere in between!

The staff at Cabinets & Designs is wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season! Don’t forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Houzz—and of course, Pinterest!