MK's Thanksgiving Essentials

I have really enjoyed thinking and planning the details of my Thanksgiving dinner this fall.  Last year we just had little newborn baby twins so my mind, body, and soul were a little more preoccupied.  But this autumn I have been able to browse the internet for recipes, watch the Food Network for Thanksgiving cooking shows, and flip through the holiday edition of Williams-Sonoma.

I am home so often right now in this stage of my life that it has been even more fun than usual to have a little project to work and prepare for.  Thanksgiving is a lovely holiday that brings friends and families together with happy feelings of thankfulness, gratitude and delicious food.... Maybe I should have listed delicious food first.

When Adam and I were just starting our family we returned to our parent's home for Thanksgiving but as our family grew and grew we began staying home and having our own Thanksgiving meal.  I discovered how much I enjoyed cooking this delicious menu in my my own home.  I love the wonderful smells permeating the air all through out the day,  I love spending small amounts of time with my little ones in the kitchen, and I loved being able to have the whole meal have a happy and relaxed feeling.  I will always miss seeing our families on this holiday but for our own family a Thanksgiving at home is one of the many things I am thankful for.

MK's Thanksgiving Esssentials

1.  Great Holiday Music Playing-  Thanksgiving is wonderful but it is a lot of work.  It requires a great deal of time on my feet and working away in the kitchen.  I enjoy cooking but some of the scrubbing, cleaning, and washing can get a little tedious. To help I love to have great holiday on in the background.  It helps keep me happy and then later when the party begins it helps set the mood.  Ina Garten who is quite the amazing hostess talks about how much she loves having music playing when she entertains. She begins with upbeat music while guests arrive, then moves on to more mellow music to play in the background during dinner, and then back to more peppy music for dessert.  So in the hopes of being more like Ina I will continue to always strive to have have good music on for a great party.

2. Lots of Flatware-  I love having plenty of utensils on hand and in the past Thanksgivings or other big holidays I did not.  I would run out of forks because I taste tested too many items or I would stir something with a spoon and then set it in the sink to be washed before I was really done with it.  Then I would be washing forks, knives, and spoons right before dinner so everyone would have clean utensils to eat with.  This year I am completely setting the table early and I purchased some extra flatware in the hopes of avoiding this last minute scramble.

3. Some Shortcuts- I love to cook for holidays but the meals can be so large and time consuming that it is so helpful for me to have a few shortcuts.  I love my potatoes from scratch but I am also very happy to make Mrs. Cubbison's stuffing from a box or use some pre-made jarred goodness from Williams-Sonoma.  This year I purchased a dry brine mix from WS and a maple bourbon glaze for the turkey.  I hope it all turns out but I feel more confident about getting all my tasks done if I have a few shortcuts up my sleeve.

4. Table Linens- I love beautiful table linens. I don't have too many but I do love the ones that I own.  I love to spread them out and dress up my table on Sundays and holidays.  I purchased a pretty white tablecloth about a year ago and love how versatile it is.  I can use it for any holiday or event and it coordinates well .  I hope to add to my linen collection and get some tablecloths that are specific to certain holidays or seasons but until then I love my pretty little white one.

5. Great Tools-  Last year right before Thanksgiving Adam and I ventured out with the twins for our first outing.  We went to a nearby Williams-Sonoma and bravely entered the store with our two little bundles. To be honest I almost lost my nerve and didn't go in.  As we were exiting the car Michael began to make some noises that sounded suspiciously like he was thinking of crying.  I told Adam to go ahead without me, that I didn't mind sitting in the car with the twins, that I was foolish to even try going anywhere for the next 10 years, and all other manner of panic mother statements.  After a rousing pep talk from Coach Telles we all made it out of the car and to our destination.

We had a good time walking around and then purchased a few items for the upcoming holiday.   One of them was a gravy separator.  I had always wanted one because I love homemade gravy but do not love skimming the fat off the drippings.  This handy little gadget eliminated most of that less than desirable chore.  So I have decided that each holiday season I would try to pick up some extra tool for my use in the kitchen.  This year it may just be extra glass measuring cups or a good meat thermometer and another year it may be a great carving set. It's just nice knowing that with these extra items I am making my work a little easier and enjoyable.

What are some of your Thanksgiving essentials?

Telles Family Thanksgiving 2011- Salt Lake City Temple Square