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Make this Thanksgiving Mishap-free with Walmart {$50 GC Giveaway}

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The winner is Thomas Murphy! Congratulations and thanks to everyone for entering and sharing your Thanksgiving tips! 

Now that we have the month of October behind us, we can now look forward to Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday and I almost always host a big dinner for family and friends. Along with the excitement of family time and good food, we sometimes run into mishaps here and there. It seems like no matter how much you plan, make lists or think you have it all together, something goes wrong! I decided to share some of my personal tips to help make your Thanksgiving a bit more Mishap-free.

  • Plan ahead! Make a detailed list of your menu in advance so you can have a thorough grocery list made. This way, you can start shopping over the course of a few weeks and stock up on non-perishable items. 
  • Don't be a hero. We all want to make the best meals made from scratch but sometimes shortcuts are your best friend! Pick up some cake mix and make it your own. Make your icing from scratch and use a piping bag to make it pretty. Semi-homemade is not bad! 
  • Make sure to pick up some seasonal candles and room fragrance sprays. It makes the atmosphere more festive and relaxed.
  • Practice a new dish or dessert a few weeks ahead in a smaller amount to see if you like it. I have made things before that failed miserably and there was no do-over.
  • Every year I have cooked all my side dishes the day before and packed them up in the refrigerator for the next day. This makes the day of Thanksgiving so much more relaxed and all I have to do is roast my turkey and put my pies in the oven. 
  • I love serving dinner on China plates but I have learned that you can buy "fancy" paper plates and disposable utensils and cups that you don't have to wash afterwards! Also be sure to have enough plastic storage bags and aluminum foil for leftovers. 
  • Keep wine on hand! I don't think I have to explain that one!
Thanksgiving is all about time with the ones you love and should not be stressful.You can find some great tips and advice at the Thanksgiving Mishaps website to help get you through the holiday. Check out this video from Chef Richard:

 

I am so pleased that Walmart is providing a $50 gift card for one very lucky Momfiles reader to win. With Walmart's low prices and big selection, you can get a whole lot! Enter below...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on November 18, 2012. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Be sure to follow giveaway rules in Rafflecopter. Good luck!

Walmart provided me with a gift card and the giveaway, but the thoughts and tips shared in this post are my own.
Shelly, Mom Files
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48 comments

  1. My mishap was when we first got married, I volunteered to make a crockpot of stuffing.overnight. Next morning we packed the kids up and headed to the inlaws, Kept the cooker on low until time to eat, well it looked like Dog food when it came time to eat, I took it out and tried to get some of the moisture out from all the steam.. it tasted great, but sure didn’t look to appetizing.

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  2. I like to prepare as much food and possible a few days before to make the day easier and less stressful.

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  3. Great tips! I especially like the one to try a new recipe before hand. I always try new recipes and have my hopes up only to run to the fast food or call for pizza once my recipe has failed our taste buds :)Don't need none of that on Thanksgiving, which is also my favorite holiday!

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  4. Years ago my mother forgot to refrigerate some cream puffs she had bought for Thanksgiving dessert. My husband and I ate some and were throwing up for 3 days straight! We learned (the hard way) that following storage/refrigeration instructions is critical.

    Name on rafflecopter: Mary Happymommy

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  5. the worst mishap was cooking the turkey that wasn't completely defrosted. It was raw inside when I cut it

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  6. My tip is to have a potluck so that everyone can bring a dish and the stress of cooking doesn't fall on one person.
    kellywcuATyahooDOTcom

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  7. It helps to have finger foods like veggies out to keep people busy while everything is getting finished.

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  8. I like the Thanksgiving Meal Planning on thanksgivingmishaps.com

    Claudia

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  9. I start making a check list weeks in advance

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  10. Thanksgiving is less stressful if you assigned each family member a dish to prepare

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  11. Always prepare extra ingredients and food, they really help when mishaps happen.

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  12. I let everyone bring something so it will help me take care of the turkey and focus on doing the table. we do it every year for whoever is having thanksgiving
    amanda sakovitz

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  13. prepare as much food as possible ahead of time.
    rounder9834 @yahoo.com

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  14. I have everyone bring a dish so we can all hang out together and enjoy each other's company,this way one person isn't cooking all day long and we try and use paper plates so we have easier clean up.

    Jamie Brigham
    PrettyInPinkWife @ aol dot com

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  15. clean as you go, so you don't have a huge mess to clean up after the meal

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  16. Cook as much as you can ahead of time.

    rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com

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  17. My biggest mishap was the year I left the green bean casserole (in a glass dish) on my stove, accidentally turned the wrong burner on (the one it was on) and shattered the dish!

    Nathansmommy619(at)aol(dot)com

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  18. i fix what i can the night before and try to take a 15 minute break the day of. It just helps me to stay focused.
    ty
    rochelle johnson

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  19. Thanksgiving for us will be small this year, I hope there aren't any mishaps.

    zannakins at yahoo dot com

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  20. I think by cooking the longer cooking time items the day before would avoid the mishap of food not being ready on time

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  21. I try to prep the day before to make thing easier

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  22. I make a schedule of what to cook and when
    shopgurl101 at gmail dot com

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  23. Wine, its makes everything go smoother

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  24. haven't had many mishaps, but then again, i don't usually do much holiday cooking! i love the tip about doing sides the day before. that is the one thing so far that has truly stressed me out. seems like it's going to be so much easier than it is on the big day when there are so many other little things to be done.

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  25. i prep the day before

    freebiel0ve@yahoo.com

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  26. Laura Jacobson11/09/2012 5:18 PM

    My biggest mishap was adding too much milk to the homemade mashed potatoes one year! Oh they were horrible! My tip is to stay calm and enjoy the time with family!

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  27. Juanito Sanchez11/09/2012 7:22 PM

    Burning a turkey is a bad thing for Thanksgiving!

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  28. I make the pies the day before, but otherwise things go smoothly......no big crowd here

    Wanda McHenry

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  29. Last year I made a schedule of what was to be cooked and when, and even in which dish. That way I could make up a couple of things the day before and have them ready to go into the oven on the day of the dinner, and I wouldn't have a 'traffic jam' at the oven. It saved me SO MUCH hassle on Thanksgiving! I vowed to do it again every year. :)

    h4schaffer at gmail dot com


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  30. In the few weeks before Thanksgiving, I make and freeze a few things for the dinner. Cookie dough is nice to have on hand in the freezer. Also some everyday meals-So I can concentrate on other things!!

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  31. I prepare rolls, mashed potatoes and pies ahead of time and that really helps to lessen the stress the day of.

    acartwrightmorell at gmail dot com

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  32. I do as much preparation that I possibly can the night before and I also have everything (cans, bowls, etc) set out for the next day!

    pittsy82@hotmail.com

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  33. we once had a turkey that was black when I opened the package up - we ate frozen pizza that Thanksgiving

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  34. I prepare as much food as I can the day before. That way, I'm not so frazzled on Thursday!
    marcia.goss@gmail.com

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  35. my biggest tip is to plan what you are making ahead of time, and always have a plan b if something doesn't turn out according to your plans

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  36. my tip is to cater in and save the time :) scg00387 at yahoo dot com

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  37. I dropped the pie in front of my father in law
    merleandtina@yahoo.com

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  38. cook and prepare dishes in advance (if you can)
    Thank you for hosting this giveaway

    Louis
    pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com

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  39. My tip is to make some of the dishes the day before :)

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  40. Biggest tip, just enjoy your family. If they love you, the dinner being a bit burnt wont be hurtful. They always bring spares. =)

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  41. The bag inside of the turkey should ALWAYS be removed before cooking. That's all I am going to say about that! LOL! Happy Thanksgiving. I would LOVE to win the GC!!! :)

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  42. having people eat before they come over after i cooked for 2 days was a bummer last year.

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  43. Tip is to make sure you defrost the turkey ahead of time

    Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  44. My biggest mishap was baking the turkey with the "bag of extras" still inside the turkey...we laughed.
    tarter95 at hotmail dot com

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