Follow these steps to ensure that your holiday dinner is a stress-free success.

 

Think about the dry goods.

• Make a complete shopping list. Buy dry goods now. For example...

• Buy all beverages and paper goods.

• Buy anything that goes in the freezer, such as a frozen turkey, ice cream and frozen vegetables.

• Buy anything canned such as cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie filling.

• Or, make fresh cranberry sauce, seal tightly and refrigerate.

 

• If your turkey is frozen, begin thawing it now.

 

Buy fresh foods, and get some prep work out of the way.

• Buy the perishable groceries today or tomorrow – a fresh turkey, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and so on.

• Begin preparing desserts. For example, for apple pie, make the pie crust, wrap tightly and refrigerate; peel and slice the apples; toss them with lemon juice, seal tightly and refrigerate.

• Peel potatoes and sweet potatoes, and slice any vegetables; seal tightly and refrigerate

• Make salad dressings.

• Slice bread into cubes for stuffing; wrap lightly and store un-refrigerated.

 

Set the table and bake the desserts.

• Get those fun things out of the way – set the table, and arrange flowers or centerpieces. Enlist the kids to help.

• Bake desserts. Let cool, and cover.

 

• Season and roast the turkey, following Perdue's basic roasting guidelines.

• Prepare the stuffing with similar seasonings, but don't bake it yet.

• Prepare sweet potatoes and other vegetable dishes, but don't bake them yet.

 

• Make any green salads, but don't dress them yet.

• Prepare pre-dinner snacks such as crudités, cheese and crackers or chips and dip; cover and refrigerate if necessary.

• Make mashed potatoes, to warm up later.

 

• Have family members put out pre-dinner snacks and start serving drinks to guests.

• Remove turkey from the oven, and cover.

• Move the stuffing, sweet potatoes and other vegetable dishes to the oven and bake at an appropriate temperature. Make gravy with the pan drippings.

 

• Keep the turkey covered to keep it warm and let it rest before serving.

• Remove the side dishes from the oven.

• Warm rolls or other bread items and mashed potatoes.

• Dress the salad.

• Transfer side dishes and gravy to formal serving dishes; have the family help.

 

• Refrigerate leftovers immediately.

• Brew coffee and serve desserts.

Note: Poultry should not stand at room temperature for more than two hours.