Six days to go

As you already know, Thanksgiving has been at the forefront of my domesticated mind the past few weeks. Even with getting furniture into our sparser rooms, the goal has been to make guests as comfortable as possible. That's meant pulling the guest bedroom together, trying to find chairs that will match the living room, etc. We haven't been entirely successful so far (especially in the chair department), but I'll be making another stop at the Habitat for Humanity store before Thursday.

In the meantime, Thanksgiving prep is all about food, as it should be. I've done some reading into how other cooks have prepped their Thanksgiving meal, and the advice was pretty much the same across the board -

1) Clean your kitchen and fridge well in advance.

2) Make a menu and a full grocery list, and buy things in advance if you can.

3) Make sure you have the dishes and platters to actually serve the dishes you've selected.

4) Set a schedule for the week leading up to the big day, and know what you can prep in advance (pie dough, vegetable chopping, etc).

5) Do a dry run of setting up your table to double check whether you have enough dishes, silverware, and space on your table.

Despite my planning and reading, I have to admit I haven't done a great job with this list so far. I've bought some things in advance, and I have a menu and grocery list, but I haven't set my schedule or checked my dishes. Cleaning the kitchen will happen this afternoon, and I've been plowing through the dishes every day. I've also been polishing the silver set we just inherited from my husband's grandmother, and bought extra plates and bowls where I knew I needed them.

Once I have things that are more photogenic (like setting up my table), I'll be sure to post pictures. I'll also include my schedule, once I've written it down!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you cooking the whole thing, cooking parts, or blessedly being cooked for? Being a bit of a Thanksgiving nerd, I'd love to hear about your plans!

- Cait