Every year, we’re bound by one event among the hundred events that happen in our lives. Thanksgiving is almost upon us and with it comes that special dinner we prepare for our friends and family.
But how do we plan the perfect Thanksgiving dinner? We definitely want to avoid the disastrous outcomes of yesteryears. The key is to plan ahead and prepare ahead of time.
Here are some tips that you can follow for a fun, fruitful, and enjoying dinner with your family and friends:
Run a test dinner rehearsal
If you’re used to hosting Thanksgiving dinner every year, you should know by now that the real enemy is not being prepared. While there are always things that won’t happen the way we want them to, we can prepare for the bigger things like what we’re going to prepare for dinner.
Run a rehearsal—that means doing the tablescape and practicing on a new flavor for the turkey. You can ask a few close friends or even your close family members to give their verdict on how you designed the tables and the menu.
Prepare the menu and ingredients beforehand
Thanksgiving is all about the food. Try to remember your childhood days. The very best of what you can remember will always involve food—whether it’s mac and cheese or turkey stuffing from the Thanksgiving dinner the night before.
There is something about food that comforts us, even the non-food lovers. Before we start inviting people over to our house, let’s remember to write down the dishes we want to serve and make sure that the ingredients for them can be found in our local markets and grocery stores.
Be strict about the RSVP
Who’s coming to your dinner? Can you serve them an all-meat selection? Is someone a vegan? Ask your family and friends to send their RSVPs as early as possible so you can prepare the ingredients that you need. This will allow you to make adjustments where they are needed.
Think outside the box
Every year, we offer the same thing during Thanksgiving—turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pudding. Let’s try to be more imaginative this year and while we don’t recommend eliminating the traditional Thanksgiving dishes, we can always incorporate some new ones.
We can offer an Asian-salad and some European desserts. Instead of serving pumpkin soup alone, we can also have an option for an Asian Laksa. Your guests will surely love how much thought you put into this.