Thanks

It's that time of year again.

I really, really love Thanksgiving. I love that there are no gifts to buy (or even make). No cookies required at daycare. No cards to send. Just a day to fill the house with good food, friends and family. A day to count our blessings and watch football.

This will be my second year hosting, and I'm starting to develop a system.

First, make a list. Then another list. Then one more. You need to know what to do & when (polish silver, wash & iron linens, grocery shop the weekend before; make the cranberries and whatever will hold the day before; make the turkey & assorted side dishes the day of). I also list every single thing that must make an appearance (down to the butter) one one side of a notepad, and a grocery list down the other. Then I clip the whole thing to the recipes I'll need. It all lives on the kitchen counter for about three weeks, where I can annotate as needed.

We soaked all our linens in OxiClean this weekend (amazing what a difference it can make), and then I ironed for about 85 hours. I hate ironing. If you come over for dinner and the linens have been ironed it means my love for you knows no bounds. Fer reals.

Here's a good tip. Go over your entire menu a few days before a big party & write down every single dish on scraps of paper (down, again, to the butter). Then decide what will be served in what & place the scraps in those dishes.

Stack everything on the counter & try to ignore it until the party.