Just a few weeks til the Big Day!  You can start now getting your plans together so that your Thanksgiving Day will be easier and even enjoyable. This post is meant to help you find your way through preparing a big Thanksgiving Dinner.  Be sure to get your FREE Thanksgiving Planner using the link below!

I started planning big holiday meals years ago and it has enabled me to let go of last minute stress and hurry. There isn’t much I like LESS than having to hurry through a recipe or making a meal.

I’ve gathered all my Thanksgiving Helps together from all over this site so you can use them if you want to.

You can start today by putting together your menus, grocery lists both perishables and non-perishables, checking to see if you have all the equipment you will need to cook the meal, cleaning out your refrigerator and using this post to create a timeline of what you want to get done before Thursday, November 28th.

You can print this page out and use these lists, adding your own notes, to help you prepare.

Here is a link to my FREE Thanksgiving Planner!

Friday, November 22nd
Make pie crusts for the freezer. I freeze them between waxed paper, flat on a cookie sheet and store them in a ziplock bag, lying flat.
Make cornbread and biscuits for dressing, crumble and freeze in plastic bags.
Grocery shop for non-perishables
Clean bathroom and do general straightening in the house

Saturday, November 23rd
Take turkeys out to defrost
Grocery shop for perishables
Cleaning and laundry

Monday, November 25th
Check on turkeys as they defrost
Clean dining room, put out plates, utensils, etc.
Set out all casserole dishes, pots and pans, see if I have what I need to cook everything
Make Aunt Eura’s Yeast Rolls and put in freezer.  Also see How To Make Yeast Rolls For The Freezer. 
Make Cranberry Relish, refrigerate

Tuesday, November 26th
Brine the turkeys. I’ll use the Traditional Turkey recipe this year!
Assemble casseroles and refrigerate (sweet potato, green bean, any casserole that does not contain breads, baking soda or baking powder.)
Make a Breakfast Casserole for Thursday, freeze or refrigerate OR make a hot dip like artichoke spinach dip and serve it for an appetizer Thursday morning.

Wednesday, November 27th
Take Breakfast casserole/hot dip out of freezer
Bake pies. Try a REAL pumpkin pie
Make dressing and refrigerate
Make salads
Roast turkey, carve, refrigerate in chicken broth
Make centerpieces
Do last minute laundry

Thursday, November 28th – Thanksgiving Day
Put Breakfast casserole or hot dips in to bake
Take pies and yeast rolls out of freezer early
Make stuffing
Make mashed potatoes
Reheat turkey
Bake casseroles
Bake yeast rolls
Make gravy

Dinner is ready!