How can you tell it is almost Thanksgiving at our house? My kids would say that the precursor for Thanksgiving is the smell of silver polish, Windex,and Guardian furniture polish. For me, I really can't get to the food until the house is clean. I usually begin with the most dreaded task in my home- defrosting our extra freezer and cleaning the fridge and pantry. Besides helping me organize and taking stock of what I have and what I need for the Thanksgiving feast, It helps make room for the frozen birds that I buy on special (this year $.49/pound) and for the quarts of frozen stock that will result from our turkeys. This time I even wrote down an inventory and typed up the list to help me keep track of what I am using out of my freezer, so I don't end up with no chicken and 20 pounds of stew meat!Since at my Thanksgiving table I use all my best serving ware, it means that I have to open up my corner hutch and clean all the crystal and silver that will find its way to the table. Here is another of my tips- if you have beautiful things- china, crystal, linens and they sit unused in your cupboards, get them out! For years I would not usemy Waterford since I was afraid it would get broken or chipped and with the decline of the dollar, I could never afford to replace it. But then I realized- What am I saving it for!!? Since then, I use my very best things for festive family dinners. It says to your family and guests, "You are worth the best that I have to offer", and makes your meal really memorable.
My daughter has made acorn napkin rings, and I have purchased dark chocolate turkey placecard holders to mark each person's place. I have stocked the pantry, printed out all my new recipes and made my first batch of brine (we are making two turkeys this year so one will get roasted this evening).
What are the things that preceed your Thanksgiving day cooking? Do you have to iron your favorite linen tablecloth, or clean your oven? Or do you just dive right in?
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