Managing Thanksgiving Dinner...

Thanksgiving is a great time to gather with friends and family….but for many of us it’s a day filled with panic and stress.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  All you need to do is a little bit of preplanning to get ahead of the chaos.  In general people tend to make things a little more complicated than they need to be. Here are my tips on how to simplify the process:

1.     Cook something that you have made before.  Thanksgiving is stressful enough as is, no need to add on the pressure of testing out a new recipe!  Preparing dishes you are familiar with not only makes the cooking a lot faster, but it gives you the peace of mind that your guests are going to like what they have been served!

2.     Don’t make too many dishes!  This is not the Cheesecake Factory.  No need ot have 18 million options for your guests.  Choose 4-5 dishes…make them well, and make enough of each to serve the number of people you have invited.  It’s quality not quantity.

3.     Clean out your refrigerator the weekend before!  You need to make space not only for all the ingredients you will be bringing home, but also any dishes that you might be able to make ahead of time

4.     When cooking, it’s really important that you clean as you go.  A messy space could lead to mistakes.  It will also leave you constantly looking for that one spoon that will inevitably be dirty and in the sink.

5.     Empty the dishwasher before dinner.  This makes the after dinner clean up than much easier!  No one wants to walk into a kitchen with a sink full of dishes.  The visual alone is enough to make you want to run away!

6.     Delegate, delegate, delegate!  Maybe not everyone in your household knows their way around the kitchen, but there are still a lot of tasks you can have them help with so that you can focus on dinner prep.  Setting the table, cleaning the house, peeling vegetables, and making grocery runs can all be things that other people handle.

7.     Buffet or family style serving for large dinners such as Thanksgiving, are the easiest ways to go.  This way your guests can decide what they do or don’t want to eat and how much, leaving you with less waste!  Plus…who wants the stress of plating!

Emergency Kits

As we all know, some things are just out of our control.  Hurricane Sandy has affected the lives of thousands.  Californians are no stranger to natural disasters either.  We have been struck with earthquakes, fires, and floods repeatedly.  So take some time to make sure you are as prepared as you can be in the event of an emergency.  Here is a list of what your kit should be stocked with

1) Water: You want to have about 4 bottles for each family member.  Be sure to count your pets if you have any

2) Nonperishable Foods: Choose foods high in protein, calories, and nutrition.  Avoid salty foods to prevent thirst. Consider things such as baby formula and pet food if that applies to your family.

3) Flashlight/ Camping lanterns/ Extra Batteries

4) Whistle

5) First Aid Kits: These come in all sized and shapes.  You can buy one directly through the Red Cross that will provide you with everything you will need.

Red Cross Emergency Kit

6) Medication:  Keep a list of all prescription medication that you might need and an extra supply of everything you will need.

7) Change of clothes: Obviously you don't need to pack your whole wardrobe, but an extra change of underwear, pants, and shirt will be useful.

8) Blankets: Camping blankets are best, they are thin, light, and most importantly...warm!

9) Cash: You might not be able to use credit cards in the event of power outages

10) Emergency Contact Information Cards: FEMA has created a template that you can download and pass along to your family and friends to fill out!  Click on the link below to begin your own.

Family Emergency Plan

* To donate to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund Go to:

Hurrican Sandy

Linens and things...

Linen closets all start of as such a lovely idea…all your towels and sheets neatly tucked away in one convenient location.  It’s amazing how quickly it can turn into the space that you hurriedly shove things into.  You slam the door and run away dreading the day you will have to go back not only to find a sheet set…but the matching pillow cases as well!  Here are a few tips to restoring order:

Empty it out!

Things always look a little worse before they get better.  It’s important to empty out the closet and take stock of what you really have.  You might be surprised by how many things you will find that you no longer want or need.

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Redo the Layout:

Evaluate what the purpose of the linen closet is serving and map out what you are using each shelf for based on that.  Things that you need access to on a regular basis should be placed on the middle shelves and things that are primarily just stored there should be placed on the highest and lowest shelves.

Folding Tips:

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Be consistent in the way you fold your linens and things, it makes it much easier to stack things if they are all of the same dimensions.  Try to keep the folded edge facing forward for a clean look!  Fold your sheet, fitted sheet, and one pillowcase and slide them inside the remaining pillowcase to keep all the pieces of the set together and easy to find. Then stack sets on the shelf.