Menu Planning for Large Dinner Parties
Creating a Thanksgiving dinner menu for a large group of people can be a very stressful endeavor without the right tools. Learn from our favorite holiday meal planning tips so you’re always ready to throw a large dinner party this season!
Can you believe that the holidays are just around the corner? I’ll be hosting Thanksgiving this year and am excited to be in menu planning mode. I know cooking a big holiday meal can feel quite intimidating, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience entertaining. So as someone who’s planned and cooked a lot of big meals for friends and family and clients during my catering days, I wanted to pass on a celebratory meal planning system.
Hosting your first big holiday gathering can be so much fun, and with the right kind of planning and organization, you’ll be able to create an incredible feast without stress and anxiety. In this podcast episode, I’ll share:
- How to create a holiday menu that won’t have you cooking for days
- The Excel template that I use to make sure my big holiday dinner goes off without a hitch
- How to prepare your kitchen for extra helpers
And even if you’re not hosting Thanksgiving, these “big meal” planning tips can be used for any large gathering you might plan in the future. Have a listen and gain the confidence you need to rock a big holiday dinner!
Here are some photos of my family’s Thanksgiving dinner last year, hosted at my house:
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And of course, if you know someone who’ll be hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, please be sure to pass this episode along to them. Here’s to creating more delicious gatherings!
Links mentioned in this episode
Check out the links we’ve mentioned:
- Cook some of our Thanksgiving recipes – full menu here and no oven required sides here
- Make a copy of our Thanksgiving Planner and use it to organize your feast
- Get ideas for what to do with leftover turkey and other leftovers with our Guide to Repurposed Leftovers
- Have houseguests? Check out the Feeds a Crowd tag in our All Meals Archives
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