We're hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year for 10additionalfamily members who I love and can't wait to see. Preparing a large meal can be stressful. But since I've hosted before I thought I'd share a few tips to keep your anxiety low and make your dinner a success.
1. Plan ahead. As you start planning your menu ask ahead of time if your guests have food allergies ordietary restrictions. With my father in law being vegan I always prepare a separate meal for him. I'm fine with it and most importantly I want him to feel included. My brother doesn't eat celery or onions. So instead of not making a certain dish, I make a separate smaller serving for him so he can still enjoy dinner.
2. Prep and freeze what you can. I plan on making lots of pies and cobblers for dessert. When apples and pears were on sale I bought a bunch, peeled and sliced them, placed them in freezer bags and put them in the freezer. Freezing chopped fresh vegetables will make preparing dinner much easier.
3. Shop thrift stores for serving platters, sets of dishes and glasses. I love buying second-hand serving platters. I keep my eyes open for unique serving pieces likedeviled-egg trays or lotus bowls for dips.
I used to cringe at the thought of buying drinking glasses from thrift stores. Then my husband reminded me it's no different than restaurant glassware. To sanitize them, I just run the dishwasher with a little bleach.
4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. While I don't like asking guests to bring cooked food since most are traveling from out of state. I don't mind asking them to contribute. Entertaining can be expensive! A bottle of wine, ice, quality paper plates or utensils can be really helpful. *Don't serve red wine if you're concerned about spills.
I like to be in charge of planning. Once my kids wake up I run down a list of simple chores to get theminvolved. Which leads me to my next tip...
5. Now is the perfect time to deep clean your house. You'll be so thankful you did once guests arrive. Remove cobwebs and clean windows. Each week tackle a room in your house. Pay close attention to the areas of your home that will get the most use: bathrooms, guest rooms, the kitchen, family roomandcarpet. In addition, have plenty of clean sheets, towels and toilet paper. I put fresh linens in a small cabinet so guests can easily find them.
6. Make a great first impression by tidying up your front porch. Dig up dead plants and replace them with whatever you choose. If your outdoor mat is beginning to look faded now may be a good time to replace it. Switch your wreath for fall. My son gets a kick out of using the leaf blower. I make that his job to clean up the walkway.
Lastly, 7. It doesn't have to be perfect to be a wonderful time. I can't tell you how many times guests were 10 minutes away and I hadn't even showered yet. The more I prep and plan ahead the more time I will have to relax, get dressed and curl my hair before company arrives. I can't wait until my family is together. I'm looking forward to catching up, playing games, laughing so hard it hurts and eating delicious food. We all have so much to be thankful for. Don't stress over small details. Instead enjoy your family and friends.
For those who have emailed me and asked for my friend's Bean Pie Recipe, he gladly shared! I hope you enjoy making it as much as we enjoyed eating it!!
Sean's Bean Pie Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups canned navy beans
1 stick softened butter
4 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups sugar
1 (14 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspon nutmeg
2 tablespoons vanilla
frozen pie crusts
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an electric blender(Sean used a Vitamix), blend navy beans. Then add eggs one at a time. Add butter, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour and blend for about 3 minutes on medium speed. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crusts. Bake about one hour, until golden brown. Recipe makes 2-3 bean pies. Serve with homemade whipped cream.
