Thanksgiving dinner.

I have offered to make Thanksgiving dinner this year. GULP!! I have taken on this task 3 times in my life, so far. All of them have been mostly successful. By "mostly" I mean, the turkey was decent and the desert was fantastic.

I do take a deep breath when thinking about delivering a mighty meal for everyone. I know that the most important part of Thanksgiving is family, but dinner is a close second. There are many people who skip breakfast and lunch so they can chow down come dinner time. So, if the dinner sucks, there is no way for them to hide their disappointment.

A few things I have learned about preparing Thanksgiving dinner are order a much bigger bird than needed (notice I said ORDER...yes, you do need to order), stick to normal mashed potatoes, keep the veggies simple, delegate dishes to other people and if you have time, make a homemade pie(it just tastes better). I know that is a lot to take in. I will expand on this. The bird needs to continue to deliver up to 2 days post Thanksgiving for sandwiches and such. Mashed potatoes with milk, butter and salt are so yummy, why change them. After all the fattening foods, it is good to know that you are taking in some good-for-you veggies. When it comes to dishes that you don't have specific recipes for, ask someone else to make them and bring them. For instance, sweet potatoes, cranberries or creamed corn. When it comes to pie, I am that person who saves up for the dessert. Therefore, I want to deliver the best. There is a great feeling of satisfaction when you can actually make your own pie crust!

Try your best not to stress, but when you do, trust that I will be stressing as well. Enjoy the cooking ride and make sure to savor your lovely meal. Smile when you are done as someone else will be in charge of dishes! Happy Turkey Day!