have decided to stay home this Thanksgiving and host dinner at your Woodland Hills apartment, but you want it to be perfect and stress free. Here are some tips to hosting a memorable Thanksgiving dinner this year.<\/p>\n
1. Plan Ahead – Preparing ahead of time means that you can enjoy the day as much as your guests will.<\/p>\n
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- Shop for non-perishable items ahead of time to avoid long lines the days leading up to the Holiday.<\/li>\n
- Determine the number of guests and menu ahead of time. Asking guests to bring a side dish makes it easier for you and allows each guest to bring a bit of their own Thanksgiving to your table.<\/li>\n
- Decide on what type of turkey you will be purchasing; fresh, frozen, organic, heritage or free range\/cage free. If you select frozen, make sure you have a safe place to thaw it and keep in mind that it takes 24 hours to thaw 4 – 5 pounds of turkey.<\/li>\n
- Purchase napkins, plates, silverware ahead of time.<\/li>\n
- Decide what time you are going to eat and work backwards from there. Make a list with times and other details for getting your food cooked on time. Nothing is worse than an under cooked turkey or hungry guests waiting for the dinner to be cooked. Be certain that you and your guests have discussed whether the dish they are bringing needs preparation or cooking time.<\/li>\n
- Set out serving dishes and determine how you are going to serve your dinner. For apartments buffet style is often easier. Clear off the counter of unneeded gadgets to make more room on Thanksgiving Day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2. If guests are preparing side dishes or desserts, ask them to write down the recipe and ingredients so others can bring them home and cook them again.<\/p>\n
3. Decorating your table or apartment is easy and inexpensive. Purchase a pumpkin and arrange flowers in the body of the pumpkin. Create a centerpiece with candles, pine cones and gourds. Pick up a runner that is Harvest or Thanksgiving themed and place it on the counter or table. Candles always make great decorations and are affordable, but consider whether your guest list includes children or not.<\/p>\n
4. Being Thankful is what Thanksgiving is all about, right? Prepare a question to ask your guests during dinner or create a number of questions and have your guests choose a question during the meal, before or after. For Example: What was the worst Thanksgiving Day cooking disaster you or your family experienced? What are you thankful for this year? What was your favorite or funniest memory from Thanksgiving?<\/p>\n
5. One of the best things about Thanksgiving are the left overs. So set up a left over station with Tupperware or plastic containers. Be sure to have a marker so that everyone can put their name on their leftovers.<\/p>\n
Try these 5 tips for a delicious and stress free Thanksgiving dinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
have decided to stay home this Thanksgiving and host dinner at your Woodland Hills apartment, but you want it to be perfect and stress free. Here are some tips to hosting a memorable Thanksgiving dinner this year. 1. Plan Ahead – Preparing ahead of time means that you can enjoy the day as much as your guests… <\/p>\n