This will be the first year where the Turkey is my responsibility and I'm so thankful that I have Butterball behind me with recipes and advice to make my Thanksgiving Golden. Here are a few of my tips to make Thanksgiving less stressful.
Plan Ahead - Don't wait until the day before to decide the menu. Go get your turkey about a week or two early to make sure you have plenty of time to thaw it.
Ask For Help - Thanksgiving is a family event around here. Each person brings a dish or the ingredients for it to cook at our house. Thankfully our new house has plenty of counter space and double ovens so there can be several cooks in the kitchen. My mom, aunts, and kids laugh and make lasting memories while preparing our dishes.
Don't Forget The Camera - These are memories that you're not going to want to forget. Take candid shots of your family spending quality time together. Unfortunately, you never know where life will have each of you next year.
Check Out The Sales - Grocery stores have awesome sales during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Pair those with coupons and you'll have an amazing Thanksgiving even on a budget. Last week I picked up chocolate chips, cream of mushroom, canned beans, and other goodies all for next to nothing!
Let The Kids Help - Kids will remember helping in the kitchen during the holidays forever. You can't take these fun memories away. Even the smallest children can hold a measuring cup or stir something.
Bake And Prepare Ahead - Many desserts can be prepared the day before and you can also mix some ingredients ahead of time so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven!
Visit Butterball for more information and to download the new Butterball Cookbook Plus App.
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If for some reason the rafflecopter form isn't showing up, leave a comment below with a tip to make Thanksgiving picture perfect.
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This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or pr agency who supplied the product for review and giveaway.
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111 comments:
My tip: Remember why you are really doing it... it's not about perfections, it's about family. Enjoy them! :)
I cook my turkey overnight the night before Thanksgiving so the oven is free for the other baking delicacies during the day on Thanksgiving.
Follow on Pinterest - Linda Stewart
I let my kids help decorate the place settings
KellywcuATyahooDOTcom
Brining makes for a delicious bird but recently we've been cooking it breast side down for extreme moistness with little effort.
Thaw a frozen turkey in refrigerator 4 days before Thanksgiving. (Elis B.)
Picture perfect Thanksgiving is just having all of our family together enjoying each other's company. singnsk8(at)hotmail(dot)com
Do as much a head of time as you can
Have the relatives pitch in!
My tip is to do whatever my mother in law tells me ;) ggp42304 at gmail dot com
Pre-planning, making lots of lists, and spending time with great family and friends!!
my tip is make ahead and do homemade pumpkin pie debbie jackson
djackson1958 at hotmail dot com
I cook my Turkey in the Reynolds bag..omg talk about juicy and tender!
my tip would be make as much in advance as possible an not have a lot to do on that day,most of it is cooked or prepared to save time an stress
Have Thanksgiving at someone else's house. Ha Ha
safety_chick@hotmail.com
we cook the ham and Turkey overnight and start first thing in the am with lots of help getting the rest ready...it works for us if we split food chores
hebb dot julie at gmail dot com
Dorothy Walters
dottiewalters@q.com
Not over cooking the turkey and make great gravy.
Prepare as much as possible the night before
Dr2baka@gmail.com
do a lot of prep work the night before
Plan ahead and start early.
Francofamily4@aol.com
I let my husband cook the turkey - he does a great job. I love to get prepared the day before with anything I can do.
Prepare what you can early as possible.
Jennifer Rote
wildnmild4u at yahoo dot com
Prepare food early, that can be prepared early.
My tip to make everything perfect is prepare as far in advance as you can, use disposable baking trays and try to remain calm.
I used to let my kids fold the dinner napkins and make place cards or leave little notes on everyone's plate of what they are thankful from that particular person
bevwedd@aol.com
I put lots of celery, carrots, and sliced apples in the pan with the turkey. They help steam and flavor it.
Butterball Turkey is a tradition in our family, both for Thanksgiving and Christmas...
Don't stress! Have everyone bring a dish so you don't have to do everything!
info(at)mijalphotography(dot)com
My best memories of a "Picture perfect" thanksgiving include everyone in the family sharing what they are thankful for around the table, right before we dig in and eat!
I make a large pan of dressing the day before, so all we have to do is warm it in the oven after the turkey is done! And sometimes we fry the turkey, which is great because it doesn't take very long AND the men cook it outside!!!(HollyC) Thanks for the chance...
using the slow cooker for some things helps out A LOT! I used it last year for my candied yams so I had the oven free for other things
sweetheart4171(at)yahoo(dot)com
Having your entire family there!
Surround yourself with family, but also remember you can't make them ALL happy all of the time! ;)
relax and enjoy the day food doesn't have to be perfect to be good
Rub butter over it.
I cook my turkey in an oven bag the night before. By the time my family and extended family arrive, the house smells of holiday cooking, including my homemade from scratch yeast rolls.
We use Thanksgiving as a time to relax. We cook the turkey either the night before for early in the morning then we watch our favorite Christmas movies on t.v. all day
goldengoddiss09(at)gmail(dot)com
I write down EVERYTHING and label all my empty serving dishes so I'm not scrambling at the last minute and I know what goes where.
Laura J
tjaklitsch@aol.com
put mayo on your turkey to get crisp perfect skin
sherryeg (at) aol (dot) com: I try to make ahead of time what can be made. The less we have to worry about on Turkey Day!
Relax! (and prep as much as you are able to ahead of time)
not overcooking the turkey that would make mine perfect
my tip is to not get to adventurous, esp. if family and guests are coming. Plan ahead so you know exactly what you are making and doing.
I follow on pinterest as durstslovepens
The perfect Thanksgiving is being around family and hoping everyone gets along. And the fooood!
michaelferguson7@bellsouth.net
best thing you can do is plan ahead!!!
stay calm! relax- everything will work out- or we will all laugh about it later!
onecheaplady@yahoo.com
I think to make Thanksgiving picture perfect, my tip is to laugh. Stoic pictures aren't fun at all. :)
sclubmama (at) gmail (dot) com
To just relax and try not to stress out, to me its about being with family and having a good time.
Have everyone pitch in!
veniceangel@hotmail.com
if someone offers to help..take the help...take all the help you can get!
i always remember to not try to do it all myself. even tho i'm pretty possesive in the kitchen, a dinner this large cant be tackled by one person!
matthew b
mignusb @ hot mail. com
Remember to have fun with family and friends!
Make as many things ahead as you can so you won't be over whelmed or rushed.
get a little dressy
Haircuts on Monday or Tuesday of Thanksgiving week
Do as much as possible in the days before so that you hardly have any prep work, only cooking on the day of!! So much easier!!
Do most of the food prep work the night before
Qhuinnb at hotmail dot com
Start things very early in the morning
My Tip, Be Thankful and Eat at your Parents- but Bring desert!!!
Buy everything you will need for thanksgiving ahead of time before the stores start getting crowded and have your whole family help you make the dinner, don't do it all by yourself
Bake the stuffing in a separate pan. Bake the pies the night before Thanksgiving. Double check that you have all the ingredients for dinner. Ask for help.
heaven_1_@hotmail.com
I get everything but turkey done day before then early morning of turkey day cook in cooking bag
Turn your cell phones off, actually communicate with the people in front of you.
My tip is to do most of your prep the day before so you aren't stuck in the kitchen all day on Thanksgiving.
alsmalu at hotmail.com
wine.
plan ahead! write out a schedule :)
jek9880 at gmail dot com
A SCHEDULE!! I write down every dish I plan to serve, every ingredient I need, and make a schedule of when to put the dish together and then when to put it in the oven. I found out the hard way that I'd have no room in the oven on the day, so I make a few things the morning of or even the day before.
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
Everyone should help out with getting dinner ready
Remember that time with friends is most important - not always the food!
breathe and enjoy the time together - bryefield@gmail.com
My tip for a perfect Thanksgiving is to be sure you have at least one special dessert or side dish that's been in your family for generations- or look for an historical cookbook to give you ideas,ie "Saltwater Foodways" by Sandra Oliver is a great source for special recipes.
writer61@yahoo.com
Get plenty of helping hands in the kitchen so you can all enjoy the day.
Diana C
unachica_latina@yahoo.com
Don't stress. Buy what you can premade.
arifamily at comcast.net
The important thing is to avoid getting overwhelmed. The whole point of a holiday is to have fun and spend time with fam. Enjoy it! Lieutcrunch27 (at) gmail (dot) com
Preparation, preparation, preparation. I try not to stress out or get overwhelmed by having the "perfect" holiday. I make sure I remember what and who are important, and the rest takes care of itself.
My tip is to not baste the turkey because the juices don't get in past the skin anyway and it is best not to keep opening the oven door. I also start out with a foil tent on the bird for the first 1 1/2 hrs. :) babylovingmama at gmail dot com
Do as much advance prep as possible and don't open that oven while the turkey's cooking!
prep with list!
timgus at cox dot net
For me, it's all about advanced planning. I make a menu and grocery list and notes about what I can prep each day for a week or so before Thanksgiving.
I like to use gourds, pumpkins and pine cones to decorate the table with. I always start my planning weeks ahead so I am not so stressed out the day of Thanksgiving
I don't think anything can make it perfect, but it come pretty close if the whole family can be there.
My tip is don't worry about perfect, just enjoy it. It's hard to enjoy it when you're stressing out about everything being perfect.
I prepare as much food as I can the day before. Also, don't worry so much! The dinner doesn't have to be perfect. Just enjoy your family.
marcia.goss@gmail.com
Have low expectations...haha!
jtmagmom73(at)gmail(dot)com
I do as much of the prep work ahead of time and I try to remember it's about the family being together, not perfection.
winit6@hotmail.com
I entered the Sesame Street Elmo giveaway.
winit6@hotmail.com
The thing that makes it perfect is just having the family all together and enjoying that time together.
One way to make it picture perfect is to plan ahead and if things dont go quite right- take it in stride :)
tannawings at gmail dot com
I WANT TURKEY NOW~!
A picture perfect Thanksgiving is making sure you don't try to do everything on that day, you want to enjoy time with your family with no stress.
wbailey113 at hotmail dot com
My tip is to keep your menu simple, prepare as many food items that you can the day before (antipasto platter, baked ziti, pies, side dishes, whole cranberries, etc.), roast the turkey on Thanksgiving Day, and let family members help too!
Desserts the day before and everything timed the day after.
Do what you can the day before so you aren't rushing around on Thanksgiving day to get everything done at once!
tvpg at aol dot com
Pinterest name: Amanda Alvarado
My best tip would be to stay calm and enjoy yourself. Try not to stress.
Get what you can done the night before.
Prepare as much as you can ahead of time so you have more time to spend with your guests.
I make our Thanksgiving picture perfect by staying out of the kitchen. :) franke4_us@yahoo.com
i try to plan days ahead what i going to do when and what i need to do it with, i make one big list and follow it
lmurley2000@yahoo.com
heythereheythere@ymail.com
Facebook: Brittany Renea
Twitter @brittanyrenea2
Name: Brittany Siders... Renea is my middle name, I have always gone by that and that's what everyone calls me!
To make my Thanksgiving picture perfect it has to involve a good ol flag football game in the back yard with the whole family, My papaw saying the prayer before we all eat, and all of the little kids making crafts in the livngroom while the adult enjoy a nice glass of wine! :)
have no expectations!! hahaha! SERIOUSLY
Make lists! Plan what you need and when to start it so you don't have any surprises on the special day!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
my best tip is to prepare all the sides in advance to cut down on time later on so you dont have to rush for a perfect thanksgiving
christinejessamine at gmail dot com
I make everyone help! (Corey Olomon)
Include the kids in the preparations--Thanksgiving should be fun as well as a feast.
cgclynsg0 @ gmail dot com
Have Family bring a dish! :)
Do as much as you can ahead of time - cook the turkey and reheat in a roaster with some broth; cook mashed potatoes and reheat in a crockpot, etc.
many dishes can be prepped and cooked in advance that you don't overdo on Thanksgiving
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
Getting all the family together at one place!
I think the tip to making thanksgiving picture perfect is not stressing! Relax and everything will be fine! :)
Prep ahead and don't stress
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