Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, but sometimes it can leave dinner hosts feeling stressed because they don’t know how to pull off the big feast easily. Fortunately, there is a way to put the fun back into Thanksgiving and get all of your dinner goals completed in a breeze. Marianne Gere, co-owner of ConshyGirls Events and Catering, offers the following tips for having a great time with friends while completing your Thanksgiving hosting job superbly. In addition to being the co-owner of ConshyGirls Events and Catering, Marianne is also the owner of three Conshohocken restaurants (Stella Blu, Gypsy Saloon and Southern Cross Kitchen) with her business partner, Kim Strengari. Follow her advice and your Thanksgiving is sure to be less stressful and more fun all around!
Preparation
When planning Thanksgiving with your friends, the key to a successful and stress-free holiday is always preparation!
Make all of your dishes, including your string bean casserole, baked yams with marshmallows on top, stuffing and even the mashed potatoes, in advance. Simply whip them up during the week and store them in the fridge. This way, all you need to focus on for the big day are the main dishes.
The Big Event
On Thanksgiving, concentrate on your turkey so it fills the room with that wonderful aroma and make your green vegetables, like roasted Brussels sprouts and sautéed broccoli rabe, the day of. The only tricky part is trying to warm everything at once. That’s where the oven and microwave come in handy. Maybe knock on your neighbor’s door to see if you can borrow his or her oven space—after all, what’s a few more at your dining room table?
Mix It Up!
Start your menu with the traditional dishes that you make every year then add something new to be creative and make you look forward to preparing something different.
Also, why should you do all the cooking? Your friends have some fantastic recipes of their own that they would love to show off, and one of the best things about Thanksgiving is that it can easily be a potluck dinner. So, ask each guest to bring a side dish. It’s always a surprise and it takes a lot of stress off the hostess. Additionally, don’t be afraid to buy store-bought items like prepared mashed potatoes that you can “doctor” up with extra butter and sour cream or buy the prepared diced vegetables in the fresh produce department. This will take a lot of stress off of your prep work.
Forget the Apps
Thanksgiving dinner is a feast itself so don’t go crazy with a lot of appetizers! Put out a bowl of roasted nuts, clementines and dry figs. They are light to eat and add a touch of color to the table as well.
Have Fun!
After all of your hard work don’t forget the most important part and the reason for the holiday in the first place—be thankful for your friends and loved ones and have fun! One way to keep the dinner festive is to ask each guest to say one thing that he or she is thankful for before we eat. It can be silly or heart-felt but it always gets the conversation started and ignites at least a few laughs before the dinner has even started!
