1. Turkey
You expected us to say this. But, as the big bird is the star of the Thanksgiving meal, you should work to secure your turkey as fast as possible. Unless you want to end up on Channel 4 as one of the people fighting to get the last one the day ahead. This may seem like a hard thing to do, but it’s actually pretty easy if you know how to do it.
Do not rely on big chain stores if you can help it. Try to find your local butchers, deli, or whichever small shop you can get your fresh meats and see if they have a list you can sign up on for a turkey delivery. If they do not have it, maybe ask if you can get a delivery scheduled.
If things are dire and you either do not have any of these types of stores, you can always buy a frozen one from a big chain. You can do this ahead of time and all you have to do is remember to let it defrost in the fridge. The bigger the bird, the bigger the defrost time.
The same goes if you have any vegans or vegetarians in the family, get that tofurkey at least a week before. They fly off the shelf and you do NOT want to end up having to run around searching for it.
2. Stuffing Mix
Once you secure your turkey, by any means possible, you should turn your attention to stuffing. If you plan to make it from scratch make sure you get the ingredients beforehand, you do not want to end up without spices or bread.
However, if you plan on buying the stovetop mix, you should grab it the next time you are in a store. It will easily last until Thanksgiving, so you do not have to worry about it going past its date, and it will be one less thing to worry about.
Look for different flavors too, who knows, maybe you need some variety at this year’s table.
3. Cranberry sauce
If you do not already have it, go buy a can or two now. We all know that the closer you get to the date, the more likely it will be that the whole shelf where the cans with cranberry sauce usually are is empty. So do yourself a favor and buy one ahead of time, they will last for ages in your pantry.
If you plan to make it from scratch, we recommend you buy the frozen cranberries ahead of time if you cannot find fresh ones. Even then, you should get your fresh fruit ahead of time and make the sauce that day. It freezes beautifully in its final form and you will just have to reheat it. Do not do this with the can though, the jello consistency of it makes it impossible to freeze well.
