Cooking our Thanksgiving dinner is always sort of a communal project. Different family members take on different recipes while we all prep together chatting in the kitchen. I tried something new earlier this year with Liv’s 3rd birthday, and before everyone arrived, created prep stations for the giant meal we were having that day. Some family members had offered to arrive early and as they filtered in, I set them up with a station. It was a success.
By setting out the necessary ingredients, tools and equipment to create each recipe (sometimes family members will have to share the tablespoons, that’s okay) it cut down on a lot of the ‘where can I find…’ and ‘do you have a…?’. I also provided a print out of the recipe itself just in case. Everyone wants to help, no one wants to get in the way, and sometimes passing out jobs while you’re trying to oversee a giant gathering makes the project feel more stressful. This solution has really worked out well for me, that is, when I have the foresight to put it all together! For Liv’s party, everyone cleaned up their own stations, too. Bueno!
The above is a sample prep station of my very favorite breadcrumb-coated roasted pumpkin slices – recipe to come.
PS two ideas for Thanksgiving place cards: thoughtful paper downloads and gold pumpkins + sharpies.
I love this idea! Whenever we get a space big enough to accommodate multiple prep stations I’ll definitely give this a try. (btw, I just linked to this in my Thanksgiving tips post going live tonight!)
Thanks so much for including, Leslie!! I find that the multiple prep stations totally cuts down on space in the long run because you can put one person at the kitchen table, one person at the island, etc instead of letting people ‘explode’ (is that just my family?;))