What to Make for Your Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is two days away. Chances are you have thought about the menu so much that you can recite it in your dreams. But have you considered what dinner will be the night before? In my family the pre-turkey meal is almost as important as the overly-talked-about meal itself. We keep it super easy, no need to stress when you know how chaotic the following day will be.

We ask three questions:

1. Will it be tasty to all? Just because the meal is said to be stress-free doesn't mean it should be taste-free.

2. Is it quick and easy to make? The word easy can be relative. But, basically, would a 15-year-old be able to make it for the whole family in less than 25 minutes?

3. Is it budget-friendly? My family takes food very seriously; we go a little "loco" when it comes to shopping for family holiday dinners.

So we try to be smart about costs. In the past we have stuck to making something simple like a pasta dish with a light tomato or garlic and olive oil sauce, because it passes the Santos-Neves pre-turkey day dinner consideration test. This year I was considering throwing Macaroni and Cheese into the mix. But the packaged kind. I will openly admit that the fam (yes we are food snobs) aren't really into packaged/boxed/frozen dinners so it might be a hard sell, but worth a try? Especially since our Epi Top Pick was actually good! And if for whatever reason that doesn't work perhaps a recipe from our 5 ingredients or less story.

What does your family eat the night before Thanksgiving? Would you ever consider serving a packaged meal?

by Carolina Santos-Neves

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