Thanksgiving is just one big homey meal, but its outsized pressure is a good opportunity for cooks to plan out a meal step by step. This skill is one that transfers into more frequent and everyday weeknight meals.

Most of our menu can be made days if not weeks ahead. Here's how I would do it.

3 to 4 Weeks Ahead

• Buy wine
• Make and freeze gougères
• Make and freeze cranberry sauce
• Bake and freeze rolls
• Make turkey stock and gravy and freeze
• Make sure you have necessary equipment, tableware, and linens, and buy or borrow anything you need.

1 Week Ahead

• Make the shopping list
• Make a cooking plan
• Clean out the refrigerator

5 to 6 Days Ahead

• Go grocery shopping
• Put the turkey in fridge to thaw
• Make and freeze quince sorbet (or just buy a seasonal sorbet)

3 Days Ahead

• Make centerpiece or arrange flowers
• Iron linens (or just make sure they're clean)
• Gather any other table-setting accessories

2 Days Ahead

• Make creme brûlée and refrigerate
• Make molasses cake and wrap cooled cake tightly
• Make shrimp sauce
• Make sure serving dishes are clean and handy

1 Day Ahead

• Set the table
• Chill sparkling wine in the refrigerator
• Thaw cranberry sauce in the refrigerator
• Thaw frozen shrimp in the refrigerator
• Make sage and onion dressing. Refrigerate unbaked and covered with foil.
• Make Brussels sprout salad. Refrigerate, with apples and nuts left out
• Remove turkey from its wrapping. Remove giblets and pat turkey dry. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and return to the fridge, uncovered on a sheet pan.

Thanksgiving Morning

• Put the turkey in the oven
• Make the mashed potatoes. Transfer to slow cooker to keep warm.
• Prep the hot cranberry cocktail
• Take rolls out of the freezer and thaw at room temperature
• Toss salad with nuts and apples and set out on the table

1 Hour Before Dinner

• Take turkey out of the oven
• Bake frozen gougères
• Set out shrimp and sauce, along with bubbly and hot gougères, for guests
• Bake dressing
• Warm rolls
• Warm gravy (or make it fresh)
• Carve turkey
• Transfer food to serving dishes

Source: The Kitchn.com http://www.thekitchn.com/a-makeahead-thanksgiving-dinner-menu-the-schedule-gatherings-from-the-kitchn-196827