Food is indeed a focus of Thanksgiving and that can be a little overwhelming for those tasked with hosting the celebration. Expectations of traditional Thanksgiving dishes can make it easier to plan a menu, but sticking to Turkey Day standard bearers is not the only way to simplify meal planning on this beloved holiday.

Accept help, but keep it limited

Hosts can keep things simple by asking only a small handful of guests to prepare side dishes. Once the quota is filled, politely decline any additional offers to bring food.

Explain your desire to reduce food waste

Hosts who want to avoid cooking excessive amounts of food, much of which may eventually end up in the trash, can simply cook less and explain to guests that they aspire to reduce

food waste this Thanksgiving.

Keep table settings simple Skip the more elaborate formal table settings in favor of a simple setup you might use on most nights when dining at home. Polishing the fancy silver and folding cloth napkins are time-consuming tasks that can complicate meal preparation. Consider a buffet-style setup.

Purchase premade desserts It might be tempting to try your hand at homemade desserts, but it’ s far easier to purchase pies and ice cream in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Prep it & make it ahead!

Perhaps the most helpful tip to make hosting Thanksgiving easier is prepping and preparing certain dishes ahead of time. Here are some instructions and recipes to do just that!

Mashed Potatoes can be made ahead to save time and stovetop space on the day.

• Make-ahead on Thanksgiving day: Peel, cut and cover in water, and store in the fridge.

• Make-ahead up to a week in advance: You can make mashed potatoes the day before and stash them in the fridge, or you can make them up to a week ahead and freeze them in quartsize batches. Laying the bags flat to freeze helps them thaw faster. Thaw overnight in the fridge if possible. Place thawed mashed potatoes in a casserole dish, cover with foil, and heat in oven at 300 to 350 degrees F, stirring occasionally OR microwave covered with plastic wrap. Heat at half or ¾ power for about five minutes, stirring half way

through. Then zap at high heat until they’ re hot and steamy. You can also heat thawed mashed potatoes in your slow cooker on LOW heat, stirring occasionally.

Gravy

• You can make tasty gravy ahead of time by roasting smaller parts of the turkey such as wings, thighs, legs, or necks.

• Boost the flavor of your make-ahead gravy by stirring in strained and defatted pan juices from your roast turkey.

• Another approach to makeahead gravy is to make and freeze turkey stock ahead of time. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and use it along with the turkey drippings to make gravy.