Thanksgiving Prep

I woke up today with post-nasal drip, slight nausea, and a headache.  Jim's been fighting it for a month, so I suppose I should have expected it.  I'll be popping Zicam tablets and taking regular doses of AirBorne for at least the next few days.  I simply have too much I want to do.  No time or patience for being sick.

This morning I set the dining room table for Thanksgiving.  After mass and lunch, I (hopefully) made my last trip to the grocery store for the week.  Tomorrow I'll make Cranberry Conserve and do more house cleaning.  Tuesday I'll bake pumpkin pies.  And Wednesday I'll make mashed sweet potatoes and creamed corn, blanch haricot verts, roast the turkey, and make the gravy.  Then, on the big day, all I have to do is brown the rolls, toss the haricot verts with shallots cooked in olive oil, heat the dishes that need to be served warm, and eat.

I've been using this routine for several years now.  I used to get so anxious about getting everything done on time when I did all the cooking Thanksgiving Day.  This system has removed a lot of stress and makes clean-up on Thanksgiving Day so much easier.  Best of all it allows me to enjoy the holiday and my family.