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HAPPY ALMOST THANKSGIVING!
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Thanksgiving is two weeks away, and you know what that means: Turkey Talk with Roy is coming! If you’re new around here, it’s kind of fabulous; if not, you know the drill.
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I SIMPLY LOVE A GORGEOUS TABLE AT THE HOLIDAYS
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Thanksgiving, a holiday that celebrates family, gratitude, love, and food (a spectacular combination!), is my favorite holiday. For years I enjoyed hosting huge extravaganzas with a Marie Antoinette table, three turkeys, and 40 family members, but the last couple years I’ve shifted into smaller celebrations.
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NOTHING LIKE A LITTLE PRE-THANKSGIVING ORGANIZATION
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This past weekend was a bit of a cooking extravaganza, reminding me how key it is to be organized. Accomplishing most of your Thanksgiving prep in advance will enable you to truly enjoy your food, family, and friends.
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I START MY THANKSGIVING PREPARATION EARLY
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In my cookbook, I created a four-page guide for Thanksgiving success (pages 234–237 offer a spectacular list of how to make your holiday more fun). You’ll love it! I am also sharing a few of my best tips here. If hosting Thanksgiving feels overwhelming, I can help. Ultimately, it’s all about being prepared.
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I LOVE GETTING EVERYTHING PREPARED BEFOREHAND
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Thanksgiving is a time to pause, eat delicious food, and feel grateful. Having been born on Thanksgiving eve, it has always felt especially meaningful to me. My sister and I were born four years apart, but our birthdays are one day apart. You may know that my mom wasn’t crazy about cooking. My dad liked to joke that my mom would do anything to get out of cooking—in fact, she gave birth and got out of making Thanksgiving dinner…twice!
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NO TIME LIKE THANKSGIVING TO BREAK OUT THE GOOD SILVER
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For me, Thanksgiving is an opportunity to truly immerse myself in my love for cooking and celebrating. And it’s never too early to begin! I like to be organized on both the macro and micro levels. I make a timeline that starts two weeks before Thanksgiving and ends after cleanup. Decide now what you’re serving and what you’re serving it on, what time you plan to eat, then work backwards, listing every task.
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MY MOTHERS GOLD-RIMMED WINE GLASSES ARE MY TREASURE
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One key to a successful day is to get your guests involved. If you have a baker in the family, put them in charge of dessert. For a non-cook, assign a task like picking up beautiful rolls from your favorite bakery. Designate a beverage manager who will be entirely in charge of the bar, the ice, and figuring out what your guests like to drink well in advance. Their job will be to keep the bar stocked all day.
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A BEAUTIFUL TABLE MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER
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TWO WEEKS BEFORE
Determine what you’ll need to buy by planning your menu. Clean your oven. Make sure you have enough serving dishes, platters, utensils, tables, and chairs. Consider which guests can help and what they can bring. Come up with a game plan for who will help clean up, and make sure you have plenty of trash bags and containers for leftovers.
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I LOVE USING MY MOTHER'S SILVER PLATTER FROM HER WEDDING
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Very important: Order your turkey! If you don’t have enough refrigerator or oven space, check with your neighbors who might be traveling over the holiday or who have an extra fridge in their garage. Find a cooler to fill with ice to use as a mini refrigerator. Begin gradually emptying your refrigerator so you’ll have plenty of space the week of Thanksgiving. If you don’t have room in your freezer, now is the time to begin creating it.
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Here is one of my essential tips: Turkey stock is the gateway to spectacular Thanksgiving food. You’ll use it for gravy, stuffing, and leftover turkey soup the next day. Make your turkey stock well in advance. By well in advance, I mean make it now--I’m not kidding!
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MAKING TURKEY STOCK IS HEALING
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Pull out your platters, serving dishes, and utensils, make sure they’re clean, and label each for its intended use so you won’t end up scrambling to figure it out on Thanksgiving Day. Wash your glasses. Count your place settings. Iron your napkins. Decide whether you’ll use a tablecloth or placemats. If there was ever a time to fuss, this is the moment, people!
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THE DAY BEFORE
Peel your Yukon Gold potatoes and place them into a stock pot with water (out of the refrigerator). Be sure to rinse them and then refill the pot with water before you cook them the next day.
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A GORGEOUS THANKSGIVING PLATE
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Remember what the day celebrates. Thanksgiving is about being grateful for the people around you and the world around us. Raise a toast in remembrance of the loved ones who are no longer with us, and for how they helped shape who you are today.
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NO TIME LIKE THANKSGIVING TO BREAK OUT THE GOOD SILVER
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By the way, in celebration of my birthday month, MadeIn is giving away three of my favorite birthday gifts! Click to THIS POST to enter as many times as you want.
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ROY'S TURKEY TALK COMING SOON!
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Once a year for my birthday, Roy graces us with his wisdom on Instagram, discussing all things turkey and Thanksgiving, and by the way, he is the master! Please join us Wednesday, November 17 at 5:00 p.m. Central for Turkey Talk on Instagram live. Bring a cocktail or a Spindrift and settle in, because we’re going to have a giggle. Bring all your turkey and Thanksgiving cooking questions!
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THIS SPOON REST IS TOTAL KITCHEN JEWELRY!
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Holiday Shopping is in full swing, and to make it even more fun, today only we’re offering you a FREE Lucy K’s Spoon Rest (solid colors only) with every $99 purchase until midnight tonight (11/12). Place your holiday orders now if you need your pieces before 12/25. And remember to look for your special email tomorrow with an offer for blog subscribers only that you won’t want to miss.
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HOW GOOD DOES THIS LOOK?
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My Steak Sandwich with Creamy Horseradish is amazing with flat iron steaks from Porter Road. I love this cut! It is so totally easy for weeknight eating. Simply sear the steak in a pan on medium high for about seven minutes, then let it rest while you put the sandwich together. The quality of Porter Road is exceptional. I’m getting my turkey from Porter Road this year, and they have some available for order through Sunday, unless they run out. I’m so excited!
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WE LOVE PORTER ROAD
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I appreciate that Porter Road is conscious of their product’s quality as well as their environmental impact. From their high sustainability practices and standards for their farms to the biodegradable delivery materials, I love knowing I’m supporting a company that is truly making a difference. For 15% off your first order, click here.
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I'M TURNING A CORNER
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You may know that I injured myself as part of my Year of Health. Talk about irony! I see my fantastic physical therapist three times a week, and—more important--I do the prescribed exercises three times a day. This experience has made me aware of how truly impatient I am and just how much I want to rush to the part when I can return to doing what I want to do. My Year of Health has illuminated some of the dark corners of myself that I really haven’t wanted to see. I’m happy to say that I’ve turned the corner, though. I’ve gone from free-floating and not knowing when was ever going to feel better to heading in a positive direction. I’m so grateful.
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