How to Cater a Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving can be stressful enough without even taking cooking into the equation. The combination of cranky relatives, travel hassles and overcrowded supermarkets is no picnic, but add a burned sweet potato pie into the mix and you really have trouble. A great fix is to cater Thanksgiving dinner. This way, you can focus on enjoying--or at least surviving--your family time and leave the sweet potato pie to someone else. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Plan early. Catering Thanksgiving dinner might seem like a wild and crazy idea to you, after years of slaving over a hot stove, but chances are that your friends and neighbors caught on years ago. There may not be many caterers available the week of Thanksgiving if you don't book their services early enough.
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Set a budget. With basic foods like turkey, potatoes and cranberry sauce, you can cater Thanksgiving dinner fairly inexpensively--or go to town by adding duck pate and fine imported wine. Decide what you want to spend before selecting a caterer.
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Get an approximate head count before contacting a caterer. It might be strange to ask your sister in August about a November holiday, but you need to know whether this is a dinner for five people or three or four times that amount. Also know whether vegetarians, children or people with special dietary needs will attend.
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Approach your favorite caterer for a proposal first. If you loved the way a caterer handled your daughter's wedding, they probably will do a smashing job with Thanksgiving dinner. Ask for word of mouth recommendations if you don't have a caterer you prefer.
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Check with gourmet supermarkets and restaurants for a Thanksgiving dinner menu as well. If you're on a budget, most people love Boston Market fare, which is perfect for the holidays. Even an upscale market like Whole Foods may have better prices than a private caterer.
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Tell friends and family members who plan to attend Thanksgiving dinner at your house that you're getting the meal catered--if you don't want to keep this news a secret. This way, they will know not to bring a dish, but to bring wine or flowers instead.
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Tips & Warnings
If Thanksgiving dinner just isn't the same without Aunt Sally's mashed potatoes, let her bring them and tell the caterer to leave them off the menu--and adjust her bill accordingly.
