Thanksgiving Feast - How To Avoid The Stress

Creating A Stress-Free Thanksgiving Feast (from the kitchen of Susan Merrick) Getting prepared for having a wonderful, stress-free Thanksgiving feast is possible. Just a few recommendations to follow are necessary in order to convert chaos into easy-flowing, Thanksgiving festivities. Not all stress can be eliminated, though. There will always be a little stress no matter how well the meal is planned and prepared. If you are anything like me then you're striving for perfection. You want everything to be picture perfect.

The first thing to consider is what foods do your quests like to eat, their favorites as well as what they hate. You want to avoid having too much food left over after the holiday is finished. Simply because of the lack of storage facilities, cooked food can only be stored for several days. You do not want this great food to go to waste.

So with a pen and paper in hand, start making a list. You need to know how many quests you are having so that you prepare an adequate supply of food, so no one goes home hungry. It is so important to know this first before you start getting a menu together. If you want to serve a brisket, for example, but several of your quests can not eat brisket, then regardless of how well your meal was cooked, all of your work will have been in vain! You need to know who and how many quests are invited for Thanksgiving.

The second most important decision is next, that is the menu. What is Aunt Clara's most favorite salad, or what does Uncle Bill always ask for when he is serving his plate? These little secrets about your quests will help you serve the best Thanksgiving meal that will be remembered and cherished. If you plan Thanksgiving dinner with quests'desires and satisfaction at the top of the list, then the Thanksgiving feast will truly be an event that will be a success. The quests will automatically follow the ultimate goal that you have so gracefully planned. That is to consume all the food that was prepared. Very little food will go to waste.

The third most stressful Thanksgiving preparation of all is TIME. Will there be enough time to roast the turkey, the baked yams, the desserts, and on and on. There is only a finite amount of stoves and ovens that are on hand to do ALL the cooking and baking, and each item takes a certain amount of time to cook or bake adequately. Several foods can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. The final and last thing to bake is of course the rolls and biscuits. It is so important to allow enough time for this last item that I remember many a meal being held up waiting on the rolls to finish baking in the oven. That is when the stress level peaks.<br><br> So below is what I recommend for you to do, to keep those creative juices flowing without hemorrhaging too much.

1. Make a list of how many quests that will be served. Prepare for uninvited quests as well, so there will be enough food to satisfy all.

2. Knowing what the quest's favorite foods are will help in determining how to best prepare the menu.

3. Time enough to go buy the food, prepare it, cook it, bake it, and then serve it is one of the most important ingredient in determining what food can be adequately served so that everyone gets fed at the appropriate time. If time will not allow all the food that you want or planned on serving, will cooking a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving and storing the food in the refrigerator work for you? If not, possibly asking one or two of your guests to bring something already cooked will help.

Remember what Thanksgiving is all about? It is not a food competition or marathon. It is all about celebration and giving thanks to God for everything that you possess. It is a time of remembering your relatives, friends and neighbors. Do not bear the burden of the Thanksgiving Feast all by yourself. Share the responsibility with others.

These three steps if followed in order will minimize the stress it takes to complete and celebrate the best Thanksgiving feast that you have ever served.

For more tips and ideas, come visit my website at:

 http://www.cajun-country-foods.com. I am adding new content almost daily, with popular Cajun recipes, places to eat at in Louisiana, Cookie kits and Cajun Food Gift Baskets.