Thanksgiving Cooking: Small Family Meal
Large gatherings may be off the table still, but Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be. Check out a few tips to nail Thanksgiving cooking at home!
This year is weird, and a lot of people are (hopefully) avoiding large family gatherings. While it may seem odd, I’m here to share some tips and tricks for Thanksgiving cooking at home. I’ve always lived far from my extended family, so I’m used to only having Thanksgiving with my immediate family. So I’m going share with you some things I’ve learned over the years to enjoy your dinner with those you live with!
How do you feel about leftovers?
For a family of 5, we still cook quite a bit of food because we love leftovers! If you like the idea of eating leftovers for the week after Thanksgiving, then go ahead and make all your favorite dishes. Don’t love the idea of leftovers? Then, scale down the number of dishes you make to just a couple of your favorites. If you can’t decide, you could also make half recipes of things so you don’t have so much food! Also, you can just buy a turkey breast if you’re only feeding a couple of people (or meat eaters).
Make a Menu
Make a plan of all the dishes you want to make. Think about what dishes everyone likes or if you want to try something new. Then, find the recipes you’re going to use. Make a shopping list of all the ingredients you need to buy for all the recipes. Keep your menu on hand, so you remember all the dishes you’re planning on making!
Cook Ahead
Nobody says you have do all the cooking on Thanksgiving day! If you’re not used to a day full of cooking, I’d suggest seeing what you could prep a day or two ahead so that you can take some stress off yourself. Thinks like this green bean casserole can be prepped ahead and stored in the fridge. Then, the day of you only have to bake it off in the oven! You can even make mashed potatoes early and reheat them, or buy some pre-made. Whatever will let you enjoy your day is a win in my book!
Get Everyone in the Kitchen
There can be job for everyone while your prepping which can be fun and get the work done quicker. Younger kids can help by washing/ peeling potatoes. Someone can be on ingredient duty and fetch all the weird spices you need. You can assign everyone a dish to work on. If you enjoy alcohol, open the wine early, and have a drink as you prep (carefully of course, don’t handle a knife while intoxicated 😂). Even if you don’t love cooking, you can make it fun for everyone, and then you’ll all have a delicious meal to enjoy!
Map Out Oven Space
The hardest part about cooking a lot of dishes all in one day is oven space. It might take some planning to figure out how to cook everything. Most things cook at 350 which makes it easier. Think about what will hold its heat best or what you can throw back in the rewarm right before serving dinner.
Enjoy!
Take time to enjoy familiar food that brings comfort. Enjoy traditions that bring you joy every year or make your own new traditions. I know as I’ve gotten older and learned the real history of Thanksgiving, I have distanced myself from the typical white-washed Thanksgiving traditions and decor. I’ve leaned more into a day the whole family is home, a day of making nourishing food filled with love, a day of sitting and eating as a family, and a day to slow down and enjoy each other’s company. Don’t worry, it’s not too sappy! We still get pretty competitive about our evening board game tradition!
Like most of 2020, the holiday season is going to be weird! I encourage you to think about what’s really important to you and your bubble this year. If none of you really care about traditional Thanksgiving food, then nothing is stopping you from picking up dinner from you favorite local restaurant (well, I guess you’d have to do it the day before). Stay safe out there friends, and I hope that by next November we’ll be reminiscing about how crazy 2020 was!
