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Step 1
Create a Thanksgiving dinner menu. Choose the foods you want to serve at Thanksgiving dinner, such as whether you want both mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole, or whether you want both pumpkin pie and apple pie for dessert. Once you have the menu, you can proceed to the next step.
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Step 2
Create your guest list. Decide whether you want to invite family members only to Thanksgiving dinner or you'd like to host both family and friends. Once you have created a list, assign the different menu items to different guests. Be sure to personally invite family members and friends to Thanksgiving dinner.
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Step 3
Assign foods and dishes to your guests. If you know that one of your guests has a specific talent (such as being a great dessert maker or salad maker), ask him to bring that food item. Since you are hosting the potluck, you should provide the turkey for the Thanksgiving dinner. Don't be afraid to ask your guests to come early to help you begin the food preparations for the dinner. Be sure to confirm your guests' attendance. If one of your guests is unable to attend, you may need to provide the dish yourself or ask another guest to bring the food item.
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Step 4
Create a Thanksgiving dinner cooking schedule. Determine how long it will take to defrost and cook your turkey, as well as at what temperature you will need to cook it. The turkey will be the item that takes the longest to prepare, so you don't want to put off the preparation and cooking process. If you have only one oven, you may need to cook other dishes at lower temperatures for longer periods of time, catering to the cooking time and temperature of the turkey. It may be helpful to have your guests bring cooked items as they arrive, it may help to prevent your oven from becoming overcrowded with different dishes.
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Step 5
Make some foods ahead of time. There are certain foods you can prepare a day in advance, such as pumpkin or apple pies, rolls, and cranberry relish. Be sure you have enough refrigerator space to store refrigerated items.
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Step 6
Enjoy your Thanksgiving potluck dinner. Relax and reminisce with family and friends. Be sure to thank and compliment your guests on the dishes they bring to the dinner. Enjoy Thanksgiving dinner and remember all of the things you have to be thankful for.
