Five Things You Must Do This Weekend if You Want a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

If you’re hosting Friendsgiving this year, here are some things you should do NOW so things run smoothly:  Pick your recipes . . . buy the turkey and shelf-stable foods . . . find all the tools and tableware you’ll need . . . organize your pantry and refrigerator . . . and clean your oven.

Here are five things you should do NOW to make sure things run smoothly . . .

1.  Pick your recipes.  Decide what you’d like to cook and make a shopping list.  This gives you plenty of time to track down family recipes and get input on any dietary restrictions people might have.

2.  Buy or order your turkey.  It’s one thing you definitely don’t want the store to be out of if you wait too long.  Just be sure to give yourself enough time to defrost it.

3.  Buy your shelf-stable foods.  With all the supply chain issues we’ve been hearing about, it’d be a good idea to head to the grocery store this weekend to pick up stuff that will last until Thanksgiving . . . things like canned pumpkin, canned cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, marshmallows, and beverages.

4.  Find all your tools and tableware.  Find what you’ll need to cook and host people . . . like that fat separator, you only use once a year.

5.  Clean up.  This means going through and organizing your pantry and refrigerator BEFORE all the Thanksgiving items start piling in.  And here’s another thing people often overlook:  clean your oven.