Don’t cook? Don’t worry! You’re not alone. According to a study from Impulse Research, 28% of American adults don’t know how to cook. And with the rising popularity of delivery services like DoorDash and UberEats – particularly among millennials – those numbers may rise even higher. Another study from OnePoll indicates that – of those who DO cook – one in three have felt judged for their culinary talents, one in five believe they only have ONE stand out dish in their repertoire (and for most, that one dish is over easy, scrambled or poached eggs!) and 52% have had a kitchen disaster – often resulting in tossing the food in the trash. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you may be feeling the pressure to perform. You can STILL host a wonderful Thanksgiving gathering in your home without ever having to crack a cookbook. Your friends at Woody’s Bar-B-Q will give you four ways to plan the perfect Thanksgiving despite the fact that you believe you might be lacking kitchen skills…
- Design Your Guest List: Whether planning a gathering of friends, family members or both, it’s wise to ensure there are no personalities that might clash. If you know there might be some tension between a couple of your guests, use place cards to set them apart and lay some ground rules – like no talk of politics at your holiday gathering. If you know someone who might be alone during the holiday, consider inviting them to join you. There’s real truth to the phrase “the more, the merrier” and your other guests will likely be on their best behavior in order to make this special guest feel welcome.
- Plan an Eventful Event: Since you won’t be cooking – removing the need to do a bunch of shopping and menu planning – that leaves you with plenty of time to plan fun and games on either end of the meal. Research ice breakers and Thanksgiving-themed games, create a play list that appeals to a wide variety of musical tastes, and be sure to take a lot of photos to commemorate the day. Most importantly, make sure that your guests know that they are among the things for which you are most thankful! com offers up a list of 40 of the Best Thanksgiving Games for Families – a great place to start!
- Set a Beautiful Table: Although cooking might not be your thing, setting a beautiful table that will serve as the backdrop to your meal doesn’t have to be hard. You can create (or purchase) an eye-catching centerpiece for your table, then surround it with place settings that pay tribute to the season in shades of red, gold, orange, brown and green. HGTV offers up a cornucopia of inspiration with this slideshow of their Favorite Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas.
- Look to Woody’s Bar-B-Q to Plan Your Menu: While our restaurants won’t be open on Thanksgiving so our team members can celebrate the holiday with their own friends and families, we will be taking orders and pulling them together for pick up in the days leading up to Turkey Day. Among those items – slow-smoked turkeys that will come complete with reheating instructions. You can also pick up other slow-smoked meats by the pound to serve alongside your Thanksgiving turkey – like our pulled or sliced pork and beef brisket. Round out your menu with comfort food sides sold by the quart or gallon, and don’t forget dessert!! Our team members will be happy to help you design the perfect crowd-pleasing Thanksgiving menu to serve your guests – and they’ll advise you on the best ways to reheat your items in time for the big day! For our catering and regular menus plus our list of locations, visit Woodys.com!
From all of us here at Woody’s Bar-B-Q, we wish you and yours a beautiful November and a Happy Thanksgiving!!
KB 10/25/21
