By this time next week most of us will be rounding seconds {or third!} to the family’s Thanksgiving spread. Are you beginning to have chills about approaching the first, or third, Thanksgiving together after he’s popped the big question? Do you want to ease his fears of not having that nice home cooked Thanksgiving dinner he’s been use all these years? Never fear. Below you will find my sure fire way to create a memorable Thanksgiving. Now, I will not give you recipes for the traditional Thanksgiving favorites because those can be easily found on sites, such as Epicurious if you want to get fancy! What I will give you is the Cliff Notes version to a fabulous Turkey Day. Your MIL will sing your praises. That’s what it’s all about right?!
The Bird
Kroger has the best {the best} Rotisserie Chicken for about $4.99. I personally like the BBQ flavored variety. Scoop one (or two) of those up.
A side note: I am not a huge fan of turkey, hence the non-recommendation. As a child, we would have SO much turkey left over after Thanksgiving we would be eating it for at least a week after Thanksgiving. In every form,turkey sandwiches, turkey chili, turkey soup, turkey Tetrazini, turkey pot pie, turkey, turkey, and more turkey. So I cook chicken or hen for Thanksgiving. But I digress…
The Trimmings
We all know about that good ole’ Stove Top Stuffing, right? I use to hate this growing up, but have you ever tried to make cornbread dressing from scratch? I love it, but it's not for the faint at heart. It takes forever. The turkey flavored stuffing works just fine.
Grab a can of jellied cranberry sauce. And now for the God sends…
The Holiday Collection from Stouffers. I mean, seriously, can it get any easier. I suggest getting Apples and Cranberries, Broccoli & Cheese Gratin, and Macaroni and Cheese. While in the freezer case, grab an apple pie from Mrs. Smith’s.
Don't forget to grab a bag of King Hawaiian's Sweet Rolls. And while you’re in the bakery, find your darling’s favorite cake variety and throw that in the basket too. My husband’s favorite just happens to be Carrot Cake, which is perfect for Thanksgiving. Publix has a killer kind!
The Bait and Switch
Now that you have all the main dishes, it's all about presentation. Do not, I repeat, do not serve your family Thanksgiving dinner from the cartons that the frozen meals are packaged in. You will cancel out your hard earned props for this fabulous dinner if you do. Whip out the good stuff. Once you've cooked the dish in its container, transfer the side into those nice casserole dishes that you got as a house warming gift that you’ve never used. You know, those dishes.
The Staging
What’s Thanksgiving without a fabulous table setting?
Scout your local crafts stores for great fall accents to add to your table. Target has great dinnerware if you want to spruce things up, without the hefty price tag.My all-time favorite site for clever entertaining ideas is Martha Stewart. You can't get any better, nor easier, then her.
Alas, be at ease! A great Thanksgiving has nothing to do with you being able to cook collard greens like Paula Deen. It’s about creating the familiarity that goes along with Thanksgiving. Once you’re married, you will begin to create new traditions of your own and then those will become the norm. If you can simulate the grand Thanksgiving dinner that he (or even you, for that matter) has been use to, he will really appreciate the effort. Besides…he’ll be watching football all day anyway.
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