Comments on Mommy's Kitchen: Stress Free Thanksgiving Tips & {A Butterball Turk...

I love spending time with the family on Thanksgivi...

2011-11-13T09:46:42.750-06:00

I love spending time with the family on Thanksgiving, playing board games, eating, relaxing. If everyone brings one or two dishes, it is much easier on the host, and more relaxing. Happy Thanksgiving !! Linda @ Majer59@aol.com

My tip is do your shopping the week before Thanksg...

2011-11-12T00:12:22.858-06:00

My tip is do your shopping the week before Thanksgiving. It gets very hectic trying to do everything last minute!!

roxannewv@yahoo.com

My tip is to make you doughs ahead of time ...and ...

2011-11-11T23:19:20.017-06:00

My tip is to make you doughs ahead of time ...and do all of your onion/bellpepper/celery chopping ahead of time and freeze it all. :)

I always prepare a few snack trays with meats, che...

2011-11-11T22:31:54.748-06:00

I always prepare a few snack trays with meats, cheeses and crackers along with other "finger foods." That way everyone can have something to snack on while they smell the yummy turkey :) It sure saves me from all the helpful hands in the kitchen waiting around for food!

I love to get things started then watch the parade...

2011-11-11T22:24:48.072-06:00

I love to get things started then watch the parade.
Everyone helps as we usually have 25 to 30 people over (every year) then when we finish we watch the games.
I cook as much as possible in the week prior. (No kidding-I have to!)

For a wonderfully moist turkey, we soak it in a br...

2011-11-11T22:16:18.925-06:00

For a wonderfully moist turkey, we soak it in a brine the day before!

My daughter usually makes our vegetable sidedishes...

2011-11-11T21:33:33.350-06:00

My daughter usually makes our vegetable sidedishes and my sister-in-law brings desserts. We set everything up buffet style and my husband usually helps with clean-up.

We have Thanksgiving at the home of my husband'...

2011-11-11T21:16:00.737-06:00

We have Thanksgiving at the home of my husband's aunt & uncle. He is from a large family so we do potluck and it works great! Everybody brings something, the food is always fantastic & most importantly we just spend time together as a family!

My tip is to relax and take the day in strid. Prep...

2011-11-11T21:13:58.836-06:00

My tip is to relax and take the day in strid. Prepare things ahead of time that you can and start the day with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

My favorite tip is to not plan too meticulously. I...

2011-11-11T20:55:47.845-06:00

My favorite tip is to not plan too meticulously. I used to tend to and then I didn't have any fun Thanksgiving day. It's about enjoying the moment and the food, not keeping to a super tight plan and schedule.

Prep as much as you can ahead of time. I have rhe...

2011-11-11T20:45:26.463-06:00

Prep as much as you can ahead of time. I have rheumatoid arthritis - gets harder every year but will fix dinner til I can't anymore! Relax - TRY not to stress. Ask for help - your family and friends are there for you. It all turns out fantastic in the end! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Set& decorate the table the day before and do...

2011-11-11T20:36:47.432-06:00

Set& decorate the table the day before and do all desserts the night before. That makes life easier for me on turkey day. :-)

My tip is to clean up as you go, have everyone bri...

2011-11-11T20:08:04.239-06:00

My tip is to clean up as you go, have everyone bring something and then after dinner and cleanup is finished, sit with all of the store fliers and plan your day after Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza! So much fun and excitement!

In our family, everyone contributes a dish or two....

2011-11-11T19:58:19.171-06:00

In our family, everyone contributes a dish or two. My husband and I always do the turkey and stuffing. Winning a coupon would sure stretch our Thanksgiving budget! Good luck to everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I start by making a list of the what will be on th...

2011-11-11T19:56:30.589-06:00

I start by making a list of the what will be on the menu (I did that last week), what needs to be purchased and a "time-line" of when to start preparing the various dishes. I try to prepare as much as I can in the days leading up to Thanksgiving so on the big day, there are only a handful of things left to do, ie, roast the turkey, put the chicken & noodles on and make the mashed potatoes. Everything else is already done or is only a matter of putting them in the ovens at the appropriate times.

One of our family traditions that make Thanksgivin...

2011-11-11T19:30:08.337-06:00

One of our family traditions that make Thanksgiving special is that during the meal we go around the table and each person picks another person at the table and says why they are thankful for that person.

I keep all my favorite "Mommy's Kitchen&q...

2011-11-11T19:30:07.905-06:00

I keep all my favorite "Mommy's Kitchen" Thanksgiving recipes in a binder. Then I make my list and get to the store as early as possible.

Prep ahead and clean as you go are two of my favor...

2011-11-11T19:23:23.327-06:00

Prep ahead and clean as you go are two of my favorite ways to make sure my Thanksgiving is as stress free as possible. Then we can enjoy our family and be thankful for our many blessings.

Always buy my meal ingredients ahead of time...one...

2011-11-11T18:42:42.912-06:00

Always buy my meal ingredients ahead of time...one time we went shopping and waited to buy our stuff the night before and we had company coming...back when the stores closed at 6 and not even a Qwik Shop had anything...so the next day we had to explain to our guests that we had to eat out.When we went to the resturant, they had run out of food and only had spagetti...haha..one holiday we'll never forget...Hope I win a coupon!

The most important thing to remember is that Thank...

2011-11-11T18:42:36.319-06:00

The most important thing to remember is that Thanksgiving is to be with family and friends and to appreciate everything now! We get caught up in the preparations and forget to relax and enjoy our company! Happy Thanksgiving!!

Laughter. Prepare as mcu before hand as possible.

2011-11-11T18:38:25.968-06:00

Laughter. Prepare as mcu before hand as possible.

Time to break out the Christmas music! Nothing lik...

2011-11-11T18:28:34.296-06:00

Time to break out the Christmas music! Nothing like the theme to Christmas Vacation to get you moving in the morning. Then after brunch and before mid afternoon dinner it's time for the Country Christmas favorites!

We used to eat around 12 or 12:30, but it just see...

2011-11-11T18:25:55.035-06:00

We used to eat around 12 or 12:30, but it just seemed like everything was rushed and no one enjoyed breakfast. So now we eat about 4 with a nice brunch to hold us over. Much more relaxing and less rushed! Thanks for the turkey winning opportunity!

The best way to enjoy is to prep and plan ahead. D...

2011-11-11T17:58:43.219-06:00

The best way to enjoy is to prep and plan ahead. Decide what to cook and shop weeks or days ahead. Check all recipes in advance to make sure you have everything. I love it when all is prepped in advance and there is very little cooking to be done. It leaves more time to enjoy the day.

When we sit down to eat we all take a turn and say...

2011-11-11T17:57:22.635-06:00

When we sit down to eat we all take a turn and say something that we are GRATEFUL for. ...ciao4now64@yahoo.com