Tips On Hosting A Potluck Thanksgiving Dinner

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The job of serving Thanksgiving dinner can be overwhelming if you have to do it as a solo project. A potluck Thanksgiving dinner is a great alternative, especially if you follow this outline.

Form a guest roster. To help you know what is on the way in terms of food, think about who to invite to dinner. Find out the friends, family members, neighbors and the others who would be present at your Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to count kids and boyfriends/girlfriends. Keep a going list and add to it as you know who is going to come.

Choose a menu. The next thing to planning your Thanksgiving potluck this year is to develop your menu. If you´re hosting, you´ll probably want to prepare the main meat offering, usually Turkey. What other items do you want to offer to your guests? Remember that these foods require reheating, as your guests would be making them before getting them to your potluck. The meal on a traditional Thanksgiving table includes a variety of vegetables, turkey, condiments and garnishes and the usual cranberries, buns and desserts. Tell your relatives what they should bring to the meal. Making a list of each item with required quantities will be a big help. It is a great idea to keep everyone informed about the count of guests that are coming so that they can vary the size of the dish they are bringing accordingly if required.

Email out the menu to all of your guests. Technology is a life saver! This makes giving a Thanksgiving dinner potluck simple! After you type out the menu, email it to your guests. Ask them to inform you which dish they would like to contribute to the potluck. They will probably be nice and offer to bring one or more. Some other great things for people to bring to a potluck dinner if there is enough food are paper napkins, forks, spoons, knives, and plates. Give your guests a deadline for telling you what they will bring so that there are no double-ups of food.

If you need extra help, ask for it. If you have too much on your hands for Thanksgiving dinner, just ask your invited guests to come early and pitch in. There would usually be someone wanting to assist with decorations, food preparation or also cleaning prior to the big meal.

Set your buffet table for Thanksgiving dinner. The best way to serve a Thanksgiving meal is self-serve. Invite your guest to dig into a Thanksgiving potluck feast once you´ve set up the buffet table and accoutrements. Enjoy!

Tiffany Provost writes about Thanksgiving dinner ideas and other holiday tips for HowToDoThings.com.