THANKSGIVING "PRO" TIPS

I’m late with my Thanksgiving post, but I’m sure you were otherwise occupied anyway, so perhaps it doesn’t matter. I hope you’re enjoying the holiday weekend.

Hallie called Thursday (Thanksgiving) morning with questions about thawing her turkey. I said she could speed the process a bit if she pulled the giblets and gravy pack out of the cavity. She called that a “pro” tip and subsequently sent me a list of “pro tips.” The first four tips are hers. I thought up a few more.

·       Set up a TV in the basement or a separate room to serve as a refuge for football fanatics so that the rest of the house will serve as a refuge FROM football fanatics (#keepthepeace).

 

·       Remember the sugar in the pumpkin pie.

·       Don’t be stingy with the butter in your homemade mashed potatoes.

·       Don’t make homemade gravy. McCormick’s is the best gravy there is and it’s easy. No one wants over-salted homemade gravy. [I’m not sure everyone would agree with this tip. At son Clint’s house, guests gathered round to watch an instructive demonstration on how to make turkey gravy from pan drippings.]

·       Have plenty of seating.

·       Do whatever you can ahead of time, such as trimming your Brussels sprouts, draining the fruit for Dr. Pepper salad, packing a special project to keep your hands busy – well, you know what you have to do. You never know what will come up and run you short of time when the day is at hand – phone calls, looking for something, etc.

·       Get plenty of sleep beforehand. You’re gonna need it.

·       Stay calm. Very few of us have the BHG holiday. (And are those any fun anyway?) If the turkey needs to roast another hour or the pecan pie spills over into the oven, so be it.

“This too shall pass,” says sister Harriet.

“A hundred years from now, no one will remember a thing about it,” adds brother Chuck. 
"I stood it all just fine," concludes Ina. 

What about you? Do you have "pro tips" -- perhaps some things you learned the hard way? KW