Thanksgiving Menu Planning Tips

I am sitting down writing out my menu for next week. We have family coming from Wednesday until Saturday morning. With so many people to cook for, it is important for me to plan my menu and my grocery shopping. Luckily, I have my sister-in-law here who will share the cooking and hosting duties with me! Here are some great Thanksgiving Menu Planning Tips that I would love to share with you:

As I was planning my menu, I thought of a few tips to share with all of you!

• Check your pantry, refrigerator and freezer for items you may have on hand. Make sure to check your spices!
• Pull out all of your recipes you will be using.
• Start writing a list of items you will need to buy. Some ingredients will be called for in several recipes (like butter, sour cream). Make sure to note the total quantity you will need for all recipes.
• If you are really on the ball, make a spreadsheet! I am not kidding! I ran into April, one of our workshop participants, and she had an awesome spreadsheet of ingredients she needed.
• If you are cooking for more than Thanksgiving day (I am!), plan menu items that can be made over the next day. For example, Wednesday night we will have baked potatoes and cold cuts. The leftover potatoes and cold cuts will be made into appetizers for Thanksgiving day.
• Use your crockpot! Your oven will be packed. Plan some menu items that can be cooked in a crockpot or ahead of time. I make a sweet potato custard in the crockpot.
• Shop early if you can. The stores will be overcrowded as we get closer!

Happy Shopping!