WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:15.771 --> 00:00:21.211 Booth Parker: Today on Momonomics, I am going to give you my timeline for 00:00:21.221 --> 00:00:27.601 planning out Thanksgiving if you are hosting the meal at your house this year. 00:00:28.431 --> 00:00:31.701 So I have this little planner here. 00:00:31.951 --> 00:00:36.921 It is a free download on my website under the resources section. 00:00:37.251 --> 00:00:41.621 I will link it in the show notes here if you would like to be able to print 00:00:41.621 --> 00:00:45.631 it out and have the actual checklist because if you're like me, you get 00:00:45.631 --> 00:00:49.941 a lot of satisfaction in checking those little items off the to do list. 00:00:50.451 --> 00:00:54.781 Additionally, there are a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes and a 00:00:54.781 --> 00:00:58.151 full menu in this little planning guide. 00:00:58.151 --> 00:01:02.831 So you're probably going to want to go download your copy, but I'm going to 00:01:02.831 --> 00:01:08.841 kind of walk through the timeline that I use when I am hosting Thanksgiving. 00:01:09.121 --> 00:01:12.171 Especially if you are hosting a large group, 00:01:12.211 --> 00:01:15.501 you want to get a lot of things done ahead of time and you want 00:01:15.521 --> 00:01:18.216 the actual day to not be stressful. 00:01:18.226 --> 00:01:22.716 So the more you get done ahead of time, the easier the day will go 00:01:23.156 --> 00:01:27.646 and you won't have to worry about things being out of stock when you 00:01:27.646 --> 00:01:30.086 go to the store to purchase them. 00:01:30.296 --> 00:01:33.836 So the second page of the little planner, if you're on the YouTube 00:01:33.836 --> 00:01:38.076 version, you can see me holding it up here, has the schedule of what to 00:01:38.076 --> 00:01:42.241 do when, leading up to Thanksgiving. 00:01:42.291 --> 00:01:47.731 So, three weeks out, you want to finalize your guest list, make sure 00:01:47.751 --> 00:01:52.681 everybody's coming, so that way you know how much food you need to prepare. 00:01:53.201 --> 00:01:57.421 And go ahead and finalize what your menu is going to be so that you 00:01:57.431 --> 00:02:00.171 can make your full grocery list. 00:02:00.171 --> 00:02:04.451 And I like to do a separate list for the perishable items that you're 00:02:04.451 --> 00:02:08.471 going to have to buy closer to actual Thanksgiving Day and the non perishable 00:02:08.471 --> 00:02:11.051 items that you can stock up on early. 00:02:11.361 --> 00:02:15.361 The next thing to do is order or purchase. 00:02:15.371 --> 00:02:19.921 So if you're doing a fresh turkey, you need to go ahead and get it ordered. 00:02:19.951 --> 00:02:24.291 And if you're going to do a frozen turkey, go ahead and get it purchased 00:02:24.311 --> 00:02:25.701 and stick it in the freezer. 00:02:25.824 --> 00:02:29.534 And if you're doing a fried turkey, which I love, it's not 00:02:29.534 --> 00:02:33.214 the healthiest thing in the world, but it's a treat on Thanksgiving. 00:02:33.504 --> 00:02:37.934 If you're doing a fried turkey, go ahead and pick up the frying 00:02:37.944 --> 00:02:42.124 oil because that can actually be kind of hard to find sometimes. 00:02:42.474 --> 00:02:46.324 Peanut oil is what we use and we have had a hard time purchasing it when we 00:02:46.324 --> 00:02:48.444 wait till the week of Thanksgiving. 00:02:48.494 --> 00:02:50.994 So go ahead and knock that out three weeks out. 00:02:51.291 --> 00:02:57.128 And then also go ahead and order or purchase any wine or alcohol and 00:02:57.138 --> 00:02:58.678 beverages you're going to serve. 00:02:58.678 --> 00:03:00.698 So you can go ahead and get those. 00:03:00.798 --> 00:03:03.768 You can leave them in a box, you know, maybe in the garage or in the 00:03:03.768 --> 00:03:05.698 pantry or the laundry room, wherever. 00:03:06.078 --> 00:03:09.598 But go ahead and get those items so you know you have them and you're 00:03:09.598 --> 00:03:14.808 not running around last minute to go purchase these heavier, bulkier items. 00:03:15.384 --> 00:03:19.384 And then the last thing on my list for three weeks out is to go ahead and 00:03:19.384 --> 00:03:26.104 purchase any paper goods and leftover containers that you want to, have on hand. 00:03:26.114 --> 00:03:30.600 So, for Thanksgiving, I like to use the nice dishes and the pretty napkins 00:03:30.600 --> 00:03:34.600 and all of those things, but I do like to have good containers for people 00:03:34.620 --> 00:03:39.550 to take leftovers home in and then any leftovers I am going to keep. 00:03:39.740 --> 00:03:44.670 So, I have some, they're linked actually in my Amazon store under the resources 00:03:44.690 --> 00:03:51.040 section on my website that are, they're a biodegradable paper and I use them 00:03:51.050 --> 00:03:55.490 all the time and they are my favorites because then you're not chasing down 00:03:55.530 --> 00:04:01.100 a bunch of, you know, reusable plastic ones and all of that kind of stuff and 00:04:01.110 --> 00:04:03.445 everybody can take some leftovers home. 00:04:03.795 --> 00:04:09.895 Two weeks out, not quite as much to do two weeks out, but if you are using all of the 00:04:09.895 --> 00:04:14.495 nice things, make sure all of your linens are washed and go ahead and press the 00:04:14.505 --> 00:04:20.115 napkins, table runners, anything like that that you are going to need for the day. 00:04:21.055 --> 00:04:25.015 And if you're being real fancy, and you're using the real silver, 00:04:25.055 --> 00:04:29.105 go ahead and get it polished and cleaned and ready for the day. 00:04:29.115 --> 00:04:34.115 Cause that can take a long time depending on how many pieces you're using, how 00:04:34.115 --> 00:04:35.865 many table settings you need to do. 00:04:36.185 --> 00:04:39.155 So go ahead and knock that task out as well. 00:04:39.405 --> 00:04:44.785 And then one week out, you can go ahead and create your tablescape, obviously 00:04:44.785 --> 00:04:50.095 minus the fresh flowers, but you can go ahead and set the table unless you use 00:04:50.095 --> 00:04:52.065 your dining room for everyday meals. 00:04:52.065 --> 00:04:56.845 But if your dining room is separate, you can go ahead and set the table and 00:04:56.845 --> 00:05:00.575 that way while you're doing that you may realize some things you need or may need 00:05:00.605 --> 00:05:03.675 to borrow from someone for your serving. 00:05:03.835 --> 00:05:07.975 And I like to go ahead and set up the buffet for all of the 00:05:07.975 --> 00:05:09.905 serving dishes I'm going to use. 00:05:10.110 --> 00:05:14.646 So I go ahead and I clear the sideboard in the dining room and 00:05:14.646 --> 00:05:16.376 I go ahead and lay everything out. 00:05:16.866 --> 00:05:21.156 And what I like to do is just take a sticky note and mark what items on 00:05:21.156 --> 00:05:23.816 the menu are going to go in each dish. 00:05:23.866 --> 00:05:29.226 It will make sure you have enough dishes to serve everything properly. 00:05:29.559 --> 00:05:33.359 And if you don't have, you know, a sideboard or something large like that 00:05:33.359 --> 00:05:38.199 to go ahead and lay everything out, go ahead and kind of make a list of what 00:05:38.199 --> 00:05:42.979 menu items are going to go into what dishes you have, again, to make sure you 00:05:42.979 --> 00:05:45.749 have enough dishes to serve everything. 00:05:46.187 --> 00:05:50.617 On the Monday before Thanksgiving, so Monday of Thanksgiving week, you 00:05:50.617 --> 00:05:55.857 want to take the frozen turkey out of the freezer so it can begin to thaw. 00:05:55.857 --> 00:05:58.857 So don't forget to do this one because it's hard to make it 00:05:58.877 --> 00:06:01.907 thaw quickly and also properly. 00:06:02.107 --> 00:06:05.657 And the Monday before Thanksgiving, I like to go ahead and get the 00:06:05.657 --> 00:06:07.157 majority of the perishable groceries. 00:06:07.157 --> 00:06:11.967 There might be something you need to wait on, but I like to maybe on the weekend 00:06:11.967 --> 00:06:16.457 right there before, go ahead and do an online grocery order and pick it up 00:06:16.577 --> 00:06:21.147 first thing Monday morning and get those things put away in the refrigerator. 00:06:21.401 --> 00:06:25.044 On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, I like to go ahead and make the 00:06:25.554 --> 00:06:27.204 cheesecakes, because they need to set up. 00:06:27.304 --> 00:06:30.704 I'll go ahead and make bread dough for any homemade bread we're gonna have. 00:06:31.244 --> 00:06:34.664 Go ahead and make cranberry sauce, that one can be made ahead. 00:06:34.821 --> 00:06:38.001 And I'll prep any casseroles that I can, like the green bean 00:06:38.001 --> 00:06:39.241 casserole and things like that. 00:06:39.241 --> 00:06:42.171 I won't fully bake them yet, but I'll get them completely 00:06:42.171 --> 00:06:43.971 prepped and put in the fridge. 00:06:44.221 --> 00:06:48.411 And I also like to go ahead and set up the bar and the coffee station. 00:06:48.421 --> 00:06:52.541 So if you don't serve alcohol at Thanksgiving, no big deal, but you 00:06:52.541 --> 00:06:54.391 still need some beverages for everybody. 00:06:54.411 --> 00:06:58.061 So you can have a fun and kind of festive little bar area for 00:06:58.061 --> 00:06:59.701 people to serve themselves. 00:07:00.436 --> 00:07:04.206 And a coffee station with really fun, you know, creamers 00:07:04.206 --> 00:07:05.686 and all of that type of thing. 00:07:05.696 --> 00:07:08.246 And if you do serve alcohol, you can have a nice bar. 00:07:08.276 --> 00:07:12.206 Maybe you do a signature cocktail for the day that you're going to do 00:07:12.226 --> 00:07:16.266 and kind of go ahead and set up the glasses and the nice bottles of red 00:07:16.266 --> 00:07:18.446 wine and get the white wine chilling. 00:07:18.689 --> 00:07:22.589 And I also like to go ahead and pick up the fresh flowers on Tuesday. 00:07:22.929 --> 00:07:27.479 They will be fine until Thursday, but go ahead and get those picked up and 00:07:27.479 --> 00:07:29.719 get them arranged and in their vases. 00:07:30.170 --> 00:07:33.140 And then on Wednesday, you're now the day before Thanksgiving. 00:07:33.417 --> 00:07:36.287 I go ahead and make the mashed potatoes. 00:07:36.337 --> 00:07:40.167 I put my mashed potatoes into a casserole dish and then I just 00:07:40.167 --> 00:07:42.157 warm them on Thanksgiving Day. 00:07:42.517 --> 00:07:46.887 My mashed potato recipe is in this little Thanksgiving Planning Guide 00:07:47.257 --> 00:07:50.937 and I always get asked to bring my mashed potatoes when they're needed. 00:07:50.967 --> 00:07:53.867 So it seems to be a well loved recipe. 00:07:53.988 --> 00:07:57.198 Then I also go ahead and make any pies or anything like that. 00:07:57.208 --> 00:08:00.848 You want them a little fresher than doing them on Tuesday, but go ahead 00:08:00.848 --> 00:08:04.328 and make them on Wednesday and they will have time to get chilled and 00:08:04.328 --> 00:08:06.768 set up in the refrigerator as well. 00:08:07.062 --> 00:08:11.902 And then I'll also go ahead and prep any fresh veggies or salads or anything 00:08:11.902 --> 00:08:13.262 like that that I'm going to do. 00:08:13.262 --> 00:08:16.642 So I'll get them chopped, I'll get the salad maybe in a big 00:08:16.652 --> 00:08:19.992 serving bowl, go ahead and wash the lettuce, get it all chopped, 00:08:20.302 --> 00:08:22.222 get all those kind of things ready. 00:08:22.225 --> 00:08:27.562 They tend to take longer to do when you're rushed on Thanksgiving morning. 00:08:27.572 --> 00:08:31.262 So if you can just go ahead and knock that prep out on Wednesday, it'll 00:08:31.272 --> 00:08:36.222 be one more thing you don't have to worry about on Thanksgiving Day. 00:08:36.672 --> 00:08:40.642 And then the last thing to do on Wednesday, the day before, is 00:08:40.642 --> 00:08:44.672 if you ordered a fresh turkey, don't forget to go pick it up. 00:08:45.203 --> 00:08:50.353 Then, on Thanksgiving Day, I love to get up in the morning and turn the Macy's 00:08:50.353 --> 00:08:56.033 Day Parade on, and, I'm guilty: I might have some Christmas music going already. 00:08:56.033 --> 00:09:00.423 But, if not, maybe a little jazz, something fun, festive, get you 00:09:00.433 --> 00:09:03.753 in the spirit, but I love being in the kitchen on Thanksgiving 00:09:03.753 --> 00:09:05.453 morning with the parade going. 00:09:05.773 --> 00:09:09.283 My son, even though he's on pretty much grown, he still loves to watch the 00:09:09.283 --> 00:09:14.603 parade on Thanksgiving morning while I am in the kitchen doing my thing. 00:09:14.903 --> 00:09:18.693 So these are the items that I do on Thanksgiving morning. 00:09:18.794 --> 00:09:22.364 I will get coffee prepped and open the mixers and the wine 00:09:22.364 --> 00:09:24.184 and everything at the bar. 00:09:24.204 --> 00:09:25.694 I won't start the coffee. 00:09:25.694 --> 00:09:28.054 I'll wait until later, but I'll go ahead and get it prepped. 00:09:28.064 --> 00:09:30.344 So all I have to do is hit that on button. 00:09:30.477 --> 00:09:34.207 And then I'll prepare the things that have to be done kind of when 00:09:34.207 --> 00:09:37.647 you're ready to cook them, like the stuffing and getting the turkey 00:09:37.647 --> 00:09:39.807 prepped, get the oil heating up. 00:09:39.807 --> 00:09:43.227 If you're doing a deep fried turkey, that oil takes a long time to heat up. 00:09:43.537 --> 00:09:46.877 So those little things that you have to do the day of, get those started. 00:09:47.134 --> 00:09:50.284 If you're doing a turkey in the oven, obviously you need to get it in the 00:09:50.304 --> 00:09:53.254 oven based on the amount of hours you need to cook it ahead of time. 00:09:53.254 --> 00:09:56.884 So oftentimes they can take several hours, so going ahead and getting 00:09:56.884 --> 00:10:00.584 that ready in the oven and then you can move on to your other tasks. 00:10:01.176 --> 00:10:05.926 If you have multiple ovens, which is very helpful on Thanksgiving Day. 00:10:06.346 --> 00:10:10.006 So if you have multiple ovens, you can cook the casseroles and warm 00:10:10.006 --> 00:10:14.836 up things like mashed potatoes and such while the turkey is cooking. 00:10:14.982 --> 00:10:19.002 But if you only have one oven, do not fret, or do the 00:10:19.002 --> 00:10:20.482 fried turkey in the big pot. 00:10:20.712 --> 00:10:26.352 But if you only have one oven, once you take the turkey out, tent it in 00:10:26.472 --> 00:10:29.902 aluminum foil and it'll stay nice and warm and then use your oven 00:10:29.902 --> 00:10:32.102 to cook the casseroles and such. 00:10:32.102 --> 00:10:35.977 Just remember you'll need to put the turkey in early enough to give 00:10:35.977 --> 00:10:39.287 yourself that additional time to cook the casseroles and things. 00:10:39.701 --> 00:10:44.241 Sometimes you can put the casseroles in with the turkey, but just be 00:10:44.241 --> 00:10:48.401 mindful of how that may alter the cooking time of both things. 00:10:48.741 --> 00:10:53.231 And of course, use a thermometer to check the temperature of the turkey 00:10:53.251 --> 00:10:59.167 to make sure it truly is done, but you don't want to go Griswold style 00:10:59.167 --> 00:11:00.787 and completely dry it out either. 00:11:01.057 --> 00:11:03.557 And while the turkey is cooking, I'll go ahead and get the 00:11:03.557 --> 00:11:05.297 gravy started on the stove. 00:11:05.307 --> 00:11:09.757 It's pretty easy to, you know, kind of watch and stir while 00:11:09.837 --> 00:11:11.567 you've got everything else going. 00:11:11.661 --> 00:11:16.881 And then any stove top vegetables, we normally like to maybe do some fresh 00:11:17.071 --> 00:11:18.441 green beans or something like that. 00:11:18.441 --> 00:11:22.421 If you're doing anything like that, you can have those going on the stove as well. 00:11:22.471 --> 00:11:25.091 Easy to monitor while you're doing these other things. 00:11:25.487 --> 00:11:29.317 And then you just have to get everything served up, put it in those dishes 00:11:29.317 --> 00:11:30.747 that you're going to use to serve. 00:11:31.127 --> 00:11:34.847 This is when you may get, some help from the fam to get 00:11:34.847 --> 00:11:37.087 everything out and ready to serve. 00:11:37.517 --> 00:11:42.087 And then just let everyone serve up and sit down at the table and have your 00:11:42.087 --> 00:11:44.967 blessing and enjoy your Thanksgiving. 00:11:45.077 --> 00:11:48.947 And then hopefully, they will all help you clean it all up. 00:11:48.997 --> 00:11:54.397 So that is, that's always a biggie from Thanksgiving, but we usually get a little 00:11:54.397 --> 00:11:58.577 assembly line going and get all the dishes knocked out right away and then maybe 00:11:58.597 --> 00:12:00.967 enjoy the coffee or dessert after that. 00:12:01.057 --> 00:12:04.437 So just whatever the way you like to enjoy your Thanksgiving. 00:12:04.762 --> 00:12:10.212 But these tips to get things done three and two and one week out really do 00:12:10.222 --> 00:12:16.702 help make your Thanksgiving week a lot less stressful if you are the host. 00:12:16.942 --> 00:12:21.692 So, I hope these tips help you and I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving. 00:12:21.875 --> 00:12:26.145 Oh, and remember, if you want the actual checklist, you can download 00:12:26.145 --> 00:12:28.265 it from the resources section 00:12:28.505 --> 00:12:29.525 on my website. 00:12:29.540 --> 00:12:35.247 I have the take home containers for leftovers linked on my Amazon 00:12:35.287 --> 00:12:37.207 under the resources as well. 00:12:37.567 --> 00:12:41.877 And this planning guide has my beloved mashed potatoes recipe in it. 00:12:41.947 --> 00:12:46.617 So go grab your copy, print it out, and check these items off the list.