7 things NOT to do for Thanksgiving and free printable

Are you new to hosting Thanksgiving dinner and are stressed out? Is everyone, giving you countless tips on what you should do? Fear not, I'm not one of them. Instead, here are 7 things you should NOT do.

7 things NOT to do for Thanksgiving

1. DON'T MAKE HAM

There is a reason Thanksgiving is associated with turkey. Ask any pilgrim. Ever since they served four (wild) turkeys at the first Thanksgiving it has become a tradition. Unless you’re vegetarian, turkey is the only way!

Don’t need a whole bird? Then buy a turkey breast, or leg, or whatever your favorite part is. Mine happens to be the butt, but you can't get those in bulk. Darn.

2. DON'T BUY FROZEN TURKEY

Unless you won the bird at your local turkey bowling tournament (I’m making this up, maybe), then go with a fresh turkey. Granted, it costs a little more but it's worth it! I order it from my butcher and pick it up a day before Thanksgiving.

It doesn’t crowd your refrigerator for days and it doesn’t end up swimming in its bloody juices. Or even worse, the bloody juices don’t leak all over your refrigerator.

3. DON'T GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR MENU

Keep it simple. Trust me on this one. It is easy to get wrapped up in the holiday spirit and want to deliver the 10-course menu you saw in a magazine. I slaved over Turducken once for almost a week. Turducken is a turkey stuffed with a whole duck that is stuffed with a whole chicken and has layers of dressing between them and in them.

Of course, I had to make the dressing from scratch too. All that work and the flavor was just MEH. Stick with a simple turkey recipe.

4. DON'T TRY NEW TRICKS

Don't try a new recipe the day of Thanksgiving! My daughter says: "I made a cauliflower head with a creamy cheese dressing for Thanksgiving but it was the first time I tried it and the dressing ended up chunky as well as watery. (How's that for a combo?) Nobody touched it, and it ended up going to waste.

5. NO LAST-MINUTE PLANNING

Don’t wing it. Even a simple meal requires some planning and prepping or it’ll end up a disaster. Make your list and shop early. Have all your ingredients in one place. And management is a must! Figure out what to cook when. Other things you can do a day or two ahead:

• Chop vegetables. Keep them in an airtight container or a Ziploc bag.
• Cube bread for stuffing.
• Make pie dough. Or bake the entire pie.
• Prepare cranberry sauce.

6. NO WASTING

Got a bunch of leftovers, but you're sick of eating the same meal again? Don't throw it away! Have some Tupperware ready to send off with your family or repurpose your meals. Make turkey and cheese sandwiches with leftover turkey, or throw the veggies into a pan with eggs for a breakfast hash.

7. DON'T STRESS

Too many times we get caught up in the perfection of the meal and stress about our home being clean etc. Remember, Thanksgiving is about family, being together, and being thankful for what we have. So sit back, pop open a bottle of bubbly, and enjoy the holiday season.

Thanksgiving turkey

Sometimes, my turkey dinner comes to me. Although, our yard is fenced dozens of wild turkeys fly in to eat our grapes and spilled bird food. Some are so brave they don't flee when we let our dogs out.

In case you're deciding not to make the same side dishes as before and want to try something new, I would highly suggest butternut squash barley risotto or crispy roasted sweet potatoes. Both recipes are fail-free and perfect with turkey roast. To use up leftover turkey my two go-to recipes are turkey tacos and kickasserole.

And here is your free printable. Click on the graphic to download or print

Happy Thanksgiving!