Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. No gifts, no crazy expectations. Just food, family and fun. I have been hosting Thanksgiving in my home for several years and I have really got the meal prep down to a science. It’s really not that difficult of a meal to prepare. I find the most common thing people struggle with is timing.
Along with some tips to get your meal prepared in time, our Detroit Mom Contributors are sharing some of their favorite Thanksgiving hacks to make sure you have the most delicious and stress–free day possible.
Preparation
- Make your side dishes the day before so you only have to worry about reheating the day of. This also helps save oven space. –Katie Goncalves
- Delegate, delegate, delegate! Just because you are hosting doesn’t mean you have to cook everything yourself. Our family uses Sign Up Genius to figure out who is bringing what! –Sabrina French
- Set the table the day before! This frees up more time for meal prep the day of. –Stacy Brooks
- Get it catered and enjoy the day! –Jamie Freeman
The Main Event
- I roast an entire head of garlic in the oven, check out this easy recipe for roasted garlic, and then add it to my mashed potatoes. Yum! –Stacy Brooks
- Alton Brown’s Good Eats Roast Turkey has been my go–to for over ten years. Everyone says it is the best and most moist turkey they have ever had. –Jessica Lukenbill
- Brine your bird! –Kailyn McMahon
- Frozen yeast dinner rolls are the perfect substitution for homemade bread in a fraction of the time! –Erica Saville
- Bob Evans mashed potatoes! Buy them in the cooler section of your grocery store. They taste amazing and you can add stuff to them if you want. It saves so much time! –Evol Gazzarato
- Creatively use leftovers to make a shepherd’s pie. Press stuffing into a pie plate for the crust, pre-bake to crisp it up, fill it with turkey, green bean casserole and whatever veggies are left, top with mashed potatoes and bake. Serve w/gravy. –Jessica Lukenbill
COVID Awareness and Clean Up
- Use paper plates, paper napkins, and throwaway silverware! Makes clean-up safe and snappy! –Stacy Brooks
- Schedule a fun and safe social distancing activity with those you aren’t sharing a meal with such as a morning hike, a thankful Zoom call, or make a point to call someone who is alone and isolated during this holiday season. –Jessica Dage
- Buy throwaway takeout containers to send home or leave a porch drop-off of leftovers. –Sabrina French
Just because this Thanksgiving is going to look a little different than ones in the past, it doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful and special. Take the time to make new traditions and create new memories with your nearest and dearest. And remember, Thanksgiving means we are one step closer to 2021.
If one of your Thanksgiving hacks includes ordering out, check out these local places that will get it done for you.
All of us at Detroit Mom hope you have a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you!
