How to Host (and Enjoy!) Thanksgiving

Hosting holidays can be a huge source of stress, but with a little planning and guidance, I hope you can love it as much as I do. I’m sharing my best tips and tricks (like takeout on Wednesday night!), along with a planning guide and plenty of recipes.

Thanksgiving tablescape with hot bacon spinach salad — Photo Credit: Jones Dairy Farm.

Thanksgiving MUSTS So You Can Actually Enjoy the Holiday

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving, I think it is IMPERATIVE to outsource some of the food and work. There is absolutely no reason that you need to do it all yourself and I think most guests appreciate contributing something for the holiday.

Start prepping a few weeks in advance. It’s not that you need to spend the entire month planning for Thanksgiving, but the more you can do in advance, the better.
Outsource or use shortcuts. See above. 🙂 Have your guests bring a dish or drink to help lessen your load, or take advantage of the prepared foods that your grocery store carries.
Prep in advance. One of the reasons I love the dry brine turkey is that you have to prep it a day in advance – so you’ve got the main already mostly done. Do what you can ahead of time so you can enjoy the day!
Simplify. You don’t need the most elaborate meal, complete with a signature drink and an amazing tablescape. Cover the basics, get help, keep drinks simple (wine, beer, and some NA and kid options!), and get some flowers.
DO NOT COOK MEALS the day before or morning of Thanksgiving. Order pizza, buy a frozen pizza, or go out, but do not cook! If you have guests who can throw together a breakfast charcuterie board, go for it, or just order baked goods to have that morning.

Serving up platter of dry brine spatchcock turkey — Photo Credit: My Everyday Table.

Thanksgiving Planning Tips

Planning ahead is key to enjoying the holiday without the frantic rush to get everything done. I created a printable Thanksgiving Guide check list with Jones Dairy Farm that has even MORE helpful planning tips.

Two-Three Weeks in Advance:

Plan meal
Plan what dishes you will outsource or have people bring
If having a dress code, share with guests (our dress code isn’t fancy, but is “Holiday festive aka something with sparkle!)
Buy turkey
Order meal items or baked goods from your store

One Week Before:

Make grocery list
Roughly plan out dishes, glassware, and cooking dishes to make sure you have what you need
Make place cards – I like to have the kids make these
Buy turkey if you haven’t yet!

Four Days Before:

Grocery shop
THAW TURKEY!!!!
If you have space, start to gather cooking dishes, serving platters, and glassware
Clean kitchen if necessary

Two Days Before:

Prep dishes if necessary – I like to bring up and wash china
Prep drink station – grab wine chillers or beverage containers, glassware, mixers, wine openers, etc. (I like to set up drink station whenever I host so people can help themselves)
Dry out bread if making homemade sourdough sausage stuffing
Cook mirepoix for stuffing (or at least chop veggies)
Make au gratin potatoes so all you need to do is bake day-of
Make desserts

Day Before:

Prepare dry brine turkey
Prep a side dish if you can (peel and cook potatoes, make salad dressing, etc.)
Set table and serving dishes (put a post-it on dishes so you know what will go where)
Clean kitchen if necessary
Rest 🙂

Thanksgiving Main Dish Recipes

The main event at my Thanksgiving table is always turkey! Once I spatchcocked my first turkey (well, Richie is usually in charge of this!), I have not looked back. It is easy to do (you do need a little muscle strength), helps cook your turkey faster, AND doesn’t require you to dry out the light meat before the dark meat is properly cooked.

Spatchcock Dry Brine Turkey
Apricot Glazed Ham
Roasted Chicken or Turkey Breast for smaller crowd

Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes

Keep it simple with sides, and include 3-4 of your favorites, here are some ideas:

Lemon Kale Salad
Spinach Salad
Haricot Verts
Mashed Potatoes
Au Gratin Potatoes with Ham
Cheesy Potato Casserole
Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes
Sourdough Sausage Stuffing
Roasted Squash
Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry Sauce (or Cranberry Relish!)

Spinach salad with bacon on a plate — Photo Credit: Jones Dairy Farm.

Thanksgiving Appetizer Recipes

Put out a big cheese board for Thanksgiving day snacking – it’s another great one to have someone else bring as it travels quite well.

Host Gifts

If you’re attending Thanksgiving, don’t forget a hostess gift! It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but it’s always appreciated and remembered. Here are some easy ideas: