It Pays to Have a Plan

The count-down is on! Thanksgiving is next week! Arguably the biggest food day of the year, I spare no expense when setting out our Thanksgiving feast!

My husband works in an industry that gets stupid busy for the holidays. And yes, I meant stupid. We also live far enough from family that it takes us longer to get there than it does to have dinner. The result, new tradition!

I have been preparing Thanksgiving dinner every year since we bought our first house. That particular year, I thought it would be an awesome idea to grill a whole turkey breast. Yeah, not an awesome idea in Wisconsin in November. It took FOREVER for that little turkey breast to cook through. I had invited my mom and younger siblings to dinner that year and to spend the night… They have not been back for Thanksgiving since. Sorry mom…

No picking on my handwriting, scribbles or miss spellings!

The following year, I discovered turkey brining (thank you Good Eats!) and also decided I needed a plan. Every year since, I make a plan and I start as much prep as I can on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I also grocery shop in two parts so I don’t spend an entire day at the store. Tonight’s project was menu plan (which is basically the same every year) and the grocery list. Tomorrow I can head to my local grocery store and stock up on dry and canned goods, lightening the load for early next week. I can also head to my favorite wholesaler at the end of this week instead of trying to fight the crowds there next week.

Still to be done this week, list all the tasks and give them time slots for next week. Thanksgiving is a labor of love! Plan and prep and then I spend the entire day in my pj’s, going in and out of the kitchen. So much to be thankful for!