During the week before Thanksgiving, if you’ve followed the advice offered in Tuesday’s blog, you’ll be able to coast to an enjoyable Turkey Day.
And that’s something for which you’ll give thanks.
Still, there are things to be done. Your checklist might include:
* Tidy up the house. We want to give guests the illusion that everything is always in its place and there’s never any dust.
* Run non-grocery errands. This is not the week to buy items at the grocery store. It will be a madhouse. But if you have other chores that need to be handled, this is the time.
* Prep your dishes. Pick up fresh produce at a local stand, if possible. Otherwise, visit the grocery store early in the day when the produce is fresh and the store isn’t a madhouse.
* Keep fruit and veggies in your refrigerator’s crisper. Plan to use them on Thanksgiving morning for salads or other dishes that you want to serve fresh.
* Decorate. If you don’t have items specific to Thanksgiving, get out the Christmas decorations. Your guests will get the impression that you are super-organized.
* On the day before Thanksgiving, begin you turkey prep and also handle other prep work. Mash your potatoes, cook the stuffing, bake your pies. The goal is to make Thanksgiving Day as easy as possible.
* You could also set the table. No reason to put it off now.
* And on Thanksgiving Day, pop the turkey in the oven as early as possible so it will be done and free up oven space for reheating your side dishes.
* An hour before the guests are scheduled to arrive, open the wine bottles and place them next to glassware to create a self-serve wine bar.
A wine bar enables those who have their favorites to select varieties that they enjoy. If you have guests that aren’t as wine savvy as you, make yourself available to provide friendly advice and counsel.
You’ve already ensured that there’s a nice selection of wines. Now, your job is to pair up the right wine with the right guest, thus enhancing the Thanksgiving experience for everyone.
