Your Thanksgiving Shopping List - Get Armed and Ready

How to Avoid Last Minute Panic Attacks in the Kitchen

With Thanksgiving fast approaching it's easy to leave grocery shopping and menu planning until the last minute. To avoid last minute panic attacks and a half dozen trips to the grocery store while you're battling the elements in the kitchen, heed this advice.

Figure out exactly what your Thanksgiving plans are a few weeks in advance taking into consideration any dietary restrictions or special requests. Blending families often causes quite a stir around Thanksgiving because each family associates certain foods with celebration.

You may have one person adamant they get sweet potatoes with marshmallow like mom use to make, another wanting mashed potatoes, and yet another requesting garlic mashed potatoes with skins like grandma's old recipe.

If this is your first Thanksgiving with a new family, take my advice, just make a decision and stick with it. You can try to be a super-host and fulfill every request, but that will take the fun out of it. Instead - start with fulfilling one tradition from each side of the family - then make your own. Think of it as blending old with new. For example, I created my own fantastic Turkey recipe but try to incorporate a side dish that is reminiscent of Thanksgiving's past for everyone attending.

Be realistic when planning your menu. Unless you are lucky enough to have stacking ovens, you will have to plan your dishes accordingly. Figure out if you can make anything in advance and then heat it up last minute. Are there any recipes you can tweak to accommodate a Crockpot? Pay special attention to temperatures on side dishes. By lowering or raising the temperature as the turkey reaches fruition you may be able to cook several things at once. While the turkey is cooling, you can easily bake a batch of biscuits or melt the marshmallow on top of yams or sweet potatoes.