Written by RJT Intern, Savannah Wafford 

The holidays can be a stressful time. There always seems to be an endless amount of cooking, cleaning and family members shuffling in and out of your home. At RJ Thieneman we think holidays should be about spending time with family and friends, not stressing out in the kitchen. So, we have made a list of our top five tips to make Thanksgiving dinner run just a little bit smoother.

  1. Prep and Prepare

There are lots of things you can do a couple days before to save time on Turkey day! A few simple suggestions include: cutting and dicing your veggies the day before, cooking a few make-ahead desserts and setting up your dining room table. These may seem like easy steps, but they can save you tons of time the day of!

2. Make it a Family Affair

Like we said, the holidays are all about loved ones, so why not get them involved? Kids can be great sous chefs. Send the kiddos in to stir, peel, mash and measure. If you are daring, give them a dish of their own to work on. Not only will this help out in the kitchen, but you can squeeze in some quality time too!

3. Use Time-Saving Cooking Hacks 

There are a tons of cooking hacks out there that can save you time. A few of our favorites include: peeling garlic in 10-seconds, making the best use of your crock pot and making stuffing muffins. You can find more hacks here, here and here.

4. Have Everyone Contribute 

Everybody wants to be the host with the most, but delegating is important! Ask your Aunt Sharon to bring her famous pumpkin pie. Or call up your cousin to whip up some mashed potatoes. Asking everyone to bring a dish can help you save time, money and allows everyone to have some fun cooking. This also takes the pressure off. You may even find a new favorite Thanksgiving dish!

5. Be Thankful 

It is easy to get caught up in the craziness of Thanksgiving, but it is a time to focus on family! Take a step back, enjoy your day and be thankful for for your loved ones. Above is a photo of the Thieneman family circa the 1970s. You can read more about our family history here.