Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#HappyThanksGathering #CollectiveBias
Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the holiday season and all the memories that come with it. To me, there’s nothing better than spending time with my family.
As I’ve gotten older and bought my own home, I’ve taken over a lot of the holiday hosting duties, including hosting a family Thanksgiving dinner. As a little girl, I always wanted to be the one to host the holiday events. I love party planning, decorating, creating centerpieces, baking, and cooking. I think I must have inherited that from my mom–the holiday queen! There really is no one who can put on a holiday feast like her.
One part of Thanksgiving hosting that I don’t exactly love is all the cleaning that comes with it. I never thought about how much time and care was put into that sparkling clean home my mom prepared for every Thanksgiving until I had to do it myself. Luckily, I’ve got help from Scrubbing Bubbles® and Windex®. They make my Thanksgiving house prep simple and easy.
Today I’m sharing some tips on getting Thanksgiving ready, as well as a super simple and yummy recipe for Harvest Candy Corn Bark.
My first Thanksgiving dinner was–let’s face it–a disaster! The turkey didn’t defrost the entire way, the potatoes (for mashing) never boiled, and my time management skills were seriously lacking (and no one likes cold food, am I right?). Thank goodness I’ve learned some tips since then to make Thanksgiving dinner much more manageable.
Here are some tips that will help you rock your Thanksgiving dinner with ease:
Decide on a cleaning schedule and start 1-2 weeks in advance.
Trying to clean your entire house at the last minute isn’t the greatest strategy–trust me, I’ve tried! I’ve found that spreading your cleaning out over several days works best. Write out a schedule a month in advance, and put your plan into action 1-2 weeks ahead. Schedule tasks like window cleaning earlier (as they tend to stay cleaner for longer), and save tasks like bathroom cleaning for closer to the big day. Don’t forget to stock up on your Scrubbing Bubbles® and Windex® cleaning supplies ahead of time.
On a recent trip to Walmart, I picked up Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Cleaning Gel and Disinfectant Bathroom Cleaner, and Windex® Original Glass Cleaner and Original Glass Cleaner Wipes.
I love the Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Cleaning Gel–the Glade-fresh scent keeps my toilet in tip top shape for guests. I also love keeping the Windex® Original Cleaning Wipes in the bathroom for quick mirror touch ups.
2. Create simple festive decor with everyday items.
Creating festive Thanksgiving decor is as simple as collecting glassware, fall-colored ribbon, and fall-colored candies. I love creating centerpieces by pouring candy corn, candy pumpkins, and other orange and brown candies into glass candle holders, vases, and cookie jars. Top with a tied ribbon, and voila! Instant Thanksgiving decor.
3. Collect servingware and dishes and label with sticky notes.
A couple of days before the big turkey feast, take stock of your servingware and dishes that you’ll need on the big day. I like to make a list of the dishes I’m cooking, then label each platter, bowl, and serving piece with a sticky note. This saves time during the day of cooking–no more searching for a clean dish or platter!
4. Plan your menu several weeks in advance and come up with a cooking schedule.
One of the best ways to stay organized on the big day is have a plan of attack when it comes to recipes. Plan your menu several weeks in advance, write out a shopping list, and plan out the order in which you’ll cook your dishes. I take a look at cooking times, the amount of prep work and chopping a dish will need, and consider what part of the meal I’ll need the dish for–whether the dish is an appetizer, main dish, or dessert.
Then, I write out my to-do list in the order I’ll tackle my recipes. I can’t tell you how much this has helped me with getting that fancy meal on the table! After six or seven years, it has really become a total breeze. I also feel so much more accomplished checking off each item on my to-do list and seeing the finish line get closer and closer… ‘cause that means it’s turkey time!
5. Prepare dessert and other dishes ahead of time.
Last but not least, try to prepare as many recipes or parts of recipes as you can before the big day. One of the easiest parts of the meal to make-ahead in my opinion is dessert. I’ve got a super simple recipe for Harvest Candy Corn Bark that can be made several days ahead and makes a delicious Thanksgiving treat.
Candy Corn is one of my favorite candies this time of year–we usually have several bags in our house at any given time! This bark is so easy to make and helps use up any extra candy you might have on hand.
Harvest Candy Corn Bark
Makes about 25 pieces.
Ingredients:
20 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, crumbled
1 cup crushed pretzel sticks
1 pound white chocolate almond bark coating
1 cup orange candy melts
½ cup candy corn
½ cup “indian corn”
⅓ cup candy pumpkins
orange and black sprinkles
Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper and lightly coat with nonstick spray.
Crumble the chocolate sandwich cookies and spread them out over the cookie sheet.
3. Sprinkle the pretzel sticks on top of the cookies.
4. In a large glass bowl or measuring cup, melt the almond bark by placing into the microwave for 90 seconds, stirring, and then microwaving for additional increments of 15 seconds until smooth.
5. Pour the white chocolate over the cookies and pretzels and use a spoon to spread it flat.
6. Sprinkle the candy corn, indian corn, and pumpkins on top of the white chocolate.
7. Melt the orange candy melts using the same method as step #4, then drizzle on top with a spoon.
8. Top with the orange and black sprinkles.
9. Allow the candy bark to harden, then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Are you Thanksgiving ready? If you’re ready to start your holiday prep, you’re in luck! Buy three qualifying SC Johnson (such as Scrubbing Bubbles® and Windex®) between 10/15/15 and 12/31/15, and you can get $5 to use at your Walmart Photo Center. See the SC Johnson Photo Reward page for more details.
What’s your best Thanksgiving prep tip? Leave your idea in the comments below, and visit the ThanksGathering page for more ideas from bloggers and tastemakers.
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