Thanksgiving should feel abundant, memorable, and joyful – not overwhelming. To help you host with confidence this year, Tisdel’s Executive Chef Brandie Lamb and Sommelier Kevin Hart of Hart + Cru bring you a complete guide to a stress-free Thanksgiving.

From recipes to wine recommendations to a day-by-day prep timeline, consider this your ultimate roadmap to the holiday.

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Table of Contents

1. Thanksgiving Made Simple
2. Your Step-by-Step Thanksgiving Week Timeline
3. Thanksgiving Recipes
4. Wine Pairings: Hart + Cru Holiday Boxes
5. Thanksgiving Day Hour-by-Hour Guide
6. Final Tips for a Calm, Confident Holiday

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Thanksgiving Made Simple

Hosting Thanksgiving shouldn’t mean spending all week in the kitchen. With the right plan, thoughtful prep, and high-quality ingredients, you can create a warm and elevated menu that allows you to enjoy the day as much as your guests.

This guide breaks down exactly what to do, and when, so you can cook efficiently, entertain effortlessly, and savor every moment.

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Your Day-by-Day Thanksgiving Week Timeline

Use this timeline to plan ahead and avoid last-minute stress.

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Friday Before Thanksgiving: Gather + Plan

• Collect and print all recipes
  • Find our favorite chef-tested recipes linked below.
• Build a categorized grocery list
  • We recommend breaking your groceries into the 4 categories below. Not only does this streamline your grocery run, but it also ensures nothing is overlooked.
    • Produce
    • Meat
    • Dairy
    • Dry
• Scale dishes to fit your guest count
  • To do this, take the numbers of guests you’ll be serving, divide it by the number of servings the recipe makes, and then multiply each ingredient by that result.
• Purchase your turkey and begin thawing
  • The USDA recommends 1 day in fridge per 4-5 lbs. of weight for thawing.

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Monday Prep (Thanksgiving Week)

• Confirm all ingredients for Thursday
  • Make sure you have all ingredients, and make a final grocery run if you are still missing any items.
• Begin prepping your tablescapes
  • Use this time to clean and polish china or serving dishes, iron your linens, make your place cards (if using), and finalize any décor for your tablescapes.
• Use post-it notes to label each platter for easy assembly
  • By pre-selecting and labeling your platters and serving dishes, you’ll save time on the big day.

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Tuesday Prep (Thanksgiving Week)

• Break your turkey down (optional)
• Dry or wet brine your turkey
  • Remove your turkey from the fridge and place on a roasting pan with rack. Cover completely with dry or wet brine, and store, uncovered, in fridge until Thursday.
• Chop and store any salad ingredients
  • If making a brussels sprout salad, cut these now and store in cold water in the fridge.
• Prepare salad dressing and store
• Make your turkey glaze (if using)
• Make any toasted or candied nuts or pecans
• Slice apples for salads and desserts
  • Store in cold water in an airtight container
• Make your cranberry sauce
  • If making homemade
• Prep your dessert fillings

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Wednesday Prep (Thanksgiving Week)

• Make your bread dough
  • Store in refrigerator overnight
• Blanch and shock your vegetables
  • Refrigerate until Thursday
• Make your gravy
  • Do everything but add vinegar. Turkey wings can be purchased ahead for this or use chicken wings as an alternative.
• Make your mashed potatoes
  • Reserve the potato skins for Thursday, soak them in water to store
• Slice your shallots
  • Store in refrigerator
• Assemble your stuffing in a casserole dish, cover, and refrigerate
  • Reserve melted butter for drizzling on Thursday

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Thanksgiving Day: Your Hour-by-Hour Prep Guide

Staying organized on Thanksgiving Day is the key to staying relaxed. Here’s the timeline our culinary team recommends:

4 Hours Before Dinner

• Remove turkey from the fridge
• Preheat your ovens
• Preheat your warming drawers
  • Pro-tip: Use your warming drawers to warm plates for serving

3 Hours Before Dinner

• Put turkey in the oven
• Warm turkey glaze
• Remove rolls from the fridge to proof
• Fry shallots and potato skins

2 Hours Before Dinner

• Remove any vegetables, cassoroles, or stuffing from the fridge to bring to room temp
• Make your homemade whipped cream
• Assemble your galette
• Warm the gravy
  • Add vinegar

1 Hour Before Dinner

• Rest your turkey
• Warm potatoes on simmer with warmed milk/cream/butter
• Saute green beans (or other vegetables) and keep on simmer
• Cook your casseroles and stuffing
• Bake your desserts and bread rolls
• Drain your brussels, pat dry, and toss your salad ingredients together
  • If using more delicate greens, reserve the dressing for serving

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Thanksgiving Recipes

Enjoy our chef-tested recipes:

• Broken Down Roasted Turkey
• Comeback Gravy
• Black Pepper Parmesan Green Beans
• Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Skins
• Buttermilk Caramelized Onion Cornbread Stuffing
• Brussels Sprout Salad
• Apple Sheet Pan Galette

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Wine Pairings for Thanksgiving Dinner

Curated by Sommelier Kevin Hart, Founder of Hart + Cru

To make wine selection effortless, Kevin Hart has created two exclusive Hart + Cru Thanksgiving Wine Boxes. Each set includes four bottles with printed tasting notes written by the Cru, including:

• One sparkling wine for toasts and appetizers
• One white wine suited for turkey, sides, and salads
• Two reds that pair beautifully with rich Thanksgiving flavors

These pre-selected boxes take the guesswork out of holiday pairings and ensure you have exceptional bottles ready for your celebration.

Where to Purchase

Hart + Cru is located in Cincinnati’s Pendleton neighborhood, where you can pick up your box directly in their Tasting Room. Or, purchase your holiday wine set directly online and have it delivered in time for the big day.
Shop Thanksgiving Sets

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Final Tips for a Calm, Confident Holiday

A little planning goes a long way. With your prep timeline complete, your wines selected, and your recipes ready, the rest is all about enjoying the company around your table.

From all of us at Tisdel, we wish you a happy, memorable, and delicious Thanksgiving.