The "Potluck" dinner is a great answer to an exhausting day during Thanksgiving.
No matter how organized we are, how empty our schedule or how "thankful" we are
feeling, hosting a proper Thanksgiving dinner is a challenge.
Calm yourself,
shake-off those visions of eleven green bean casseroles and six cranberry
salads. With just a bit of planning, you can take the "luck" out of Potluck and
have a well-put-together, traditional holiday dinner, with exactly the variety
of foods you want, and that your guests expect.
Follow these steps for a dinner for six families
(or adjust as required):
1. Make the menu:
For a "traditional" dinner you'll need turkey, stuffing, gravy,
mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries, vegetables and pecan and pumpkin
pie - or your own family or ethnic favorites. The host prepares the turkey,
stuffing and gravy.
Assign each family one of the following:
Mashed
potatoes, cranberries and bread.
Sweet
potatoes or yams and a cake or cupcakes.
Vegetables
- green beans and corn plus a favorite veggie casserole.
Pecan Pies
- two
Pumpkin
Pies - two
2.
Organize your thoughts:
Appetizer: This day of
heavy feasting doesn't need an appetizer. Should you choose to have one,
make it something light, like raw veggies and a ranch-type dip. Skip the
salad with dinner.
Potatoes: Mashed potatoes are time consuming
and messy. Ask a guest to bring them in a crock-pot. Yukon Golds, or other
high-starch-content potatoes, do not get watery and do well in a slow
cooker.
Vegetables: Children
are picky eaters. How often do we see a child's plate with a small piece
of turkey and a big helping of corn - and nothing more Green beans and
corn are often a child's choice. Another vegetable, a family favorite --
maybe a vegetable casserole is perfect. If children are not a factor, get
creative with your favorite autumn dishes.
Salad: Salads are a lot of work – the
washing, the peeling, the chopping. We think, "Oh, I'll just throw a
salad together," but on Thanksgiving, a lot of "throwing
together" is already going on. Add a salad to your menu if your
family insists. Otherwise, skip it.
Dessert: Dessert should be holiday family
favorites. Along with seasonal pies, a cake or cupcakes are a big hit with
the children, and ice cream is a must.
Wine: For twelve adults, four .750ml
bottle of wine are needed to provide two eight-ounce servings per adult.
Good White wine choices are Riesling or Chenin Blanc for less-dry wines
and Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc for drier wines. Any lighter-styled red
wine is appropriate. Beaujolais Nouveau, the first wine of the harvest, is
released in November. Pinot Noir and Rosé of Pinot Noir are also good
autumn wines.
Serving: Ask guests to bring everything for
serving their dish. Pie makers should bring pie servers; bread-bringers
should bring a basket and napkin for serving. Serving spoons should
accompany each dish.
3.
Host Family:
Turkey: If one of your guests is known for
roasting-up a fabulous turkey, joyfully pass-on the job. Turkey can be
sliced, wrapped in foil and kept warm in an electric roaster - making it
easy to transport, as well. The "turkey-maker" must also make
the stuffing and gravy - all those turkey juices are essential for
homemade gravy.
Add-ons: Ham and a Jell-O-O salad with fruit
are a wonderful add-on to the family menu. What child doesn't like Ham and
Jell-O A hot fruit compote, warm and subtly scented with cinnamon and
cloves, is worth the effort. The fruit can be assembled the day before,
and finished-off with other last-minute oven dishes. For add-ons, you need
only willing cooks.
Extras: The host home should have coffee,
cream and sugar, trivets for hot dishes, butter or margarine, whipped
cream for desserts, and Baggies or small plastic dishes for take-home
leftovers. Just to be on the safe side, tuck-away extra serving spoons,
pie servers and a breadbasket - just in case your guests forget.
Allergies: Inquire about food allergies, such
as reactions to nuts, in your "invitation" phone call. If there
are food allergies among your guests, make all food contributors aware.
China or Paper Set the
tone of your holiday. Decide about using china or good quality paper
products. If using paper, and perhaps even plastic table utensils, buy
holiday-appropriate plates, napkins and utensils. Thanksgiving is not a
day to give guests a plate that "folds" under the weighty and
bountiful spread, or a fork and knife that can't stand up to turkey and
pecan pie. Choose napkins that are dinner-sized and not too thin. Provide
smaller napkins for dessert.
Are you serving wine As host
family, it's your decision. Assign wine to the above menu or have it on
hand. Guests can "chip-in" to cover the cost. Generally, 8
ounces of wine per person (two four-ounce servings) is appropriate.
Encourage each family to provide a designated driver.
Wine Glasses: Wine glass
can be used for all drinks - even milk. Get them clean and shiny a week
before the big day. Store upside-down until needed. Nothing throws a
schedule into chaos like spotty, dingy glasses. One glass per person
should be the rule or you'll quickly run short. "Wine charms"
help everyone remember which glass is theirs. A wine charm is a small,
usually metal or beaded, charm that fits around the wine glass stem. They
are fun for your guests and especially the children. Try pairing a glass
and a charm to a particular guest– maybe a charm that says
"Born to Shop" for your sister-in-law, a corkscrew for your
wine-loving brother, a dog or cat, giraffe or elephant, for the children.
Wine charms are inexpensive and sold at major discount stores, usually in
sets of 6 or 8 themed-charms such as shoes, beach items, animals, charms
for boat lovers, golfers, cell-phone aficionados and shutter-bugs. You're
certain to find wine charms that fit the personality of your home or your
guests.
Children. Making it Special: Serve a
"sparkling"; drink, such as sparkling grape juice (make it white grape
juice for your carpet's sake) or cider. Milk, or perhaps cola, is an
everyday event for our kids, but a delicious drink served in a small
plastic wine glass, with a wine charm, adds to the excitement of this
special day, and lets the children know they are a cherished part of this
day of Thanksgiving. A bowl of easy-to-eat fruit is great for the kids
– seedless grapes and bananas are time-efficient and easy to handle.
Making Memories: Don't
forget to the camera, and ask other guests to bring theirs. Invite a guest
to use your camera when you are busy tending to details.
4. Invitations: Send Invitations using
SignupBuzz here. Give a few details:
It is a
Potluck event. You will co-ordinate the dishes.
A total of
twelve adults plus five children (adjust as required).
The time of
the event (or the time of your choice).
Ask them to
RSVP.
They will
get a reminder 4 days before the event (or as you would like to setup in
the invitation)
