Thanksgiving countdown: The supplies you can get this week

PHOTO: What beverage will you be serving with your Thanksgiving bird? Buy it now. | STEVE MELLON~SCRIPP HOWARD NEWS SERVICE FILE PHOTO

Another week, which puts us that much closer to Thanksgiving.

But you, the Thanksgiving host, are not panicking. That’s because this year you’re using these weeks and days before to get tasks done. By the time Thanksgiving gets here, you will be ready, and that means you’ll be relaxed enough to actually enjoy the meal, not just prepare it.

If you missed them, here are the first set of tasks suggested. And here are the tasks you can be doing this week:

• Shop for non-perishables. Since I don’t drink much soda these days, I don’t have a lot on hand. (I just checked; two lonely mini cans of diet 7Up.) Maybe you’ve cut your soda consumption, too. That doesn’t mean your guests have. A holiday is no time to be lecturing them on their beverage choices. Buy the soda you need now. You’re very likely to find sales.
• All the non-perishables. If you are going to have Thanksgiving decorations, buy them now, too. Anything non-perishable should be purchased now: nuts for beforehand snacks, that candy everyone expects you to have. That sort of thing.
• Check the liquor cabinet. This is a good time to replenish whatever your guests imbibed on last holiday. You know what your family and friends drink; now’s a good time to make sure you have it on hand. Or, make sure you know who will bring what you need. This also is a good time to consider new options to include in well. There are many a craft beer that would work well with the Thanksgiving meal. Or, maybe this is the year you will have some hard cider on hand. Some things to consider.
• How are those platters, serving bowls? Make sure you know where everything you will need is. (You wouldn’t have wanted to be at my home the year I couldn’t find Granny’s handed-down platter two hours before the meal. Who moved it???) Then inspect everything to make sure it can be used; if not, time to shop and replace.
• Order your turkey. If you want a fresh turkey, the time to order it is now. The experts say figure one pound per person. If you want leftovers — and honestly, who doesn’t — I’d say 1.5 pounds or even 2 (if you have hearty eaters) makes more sense. Flavor’s a very good reason for ordering a fresh turkey. But here’s another one: you can skip that whole multiple day defrosting procedure the frozen birds require. Do it once, and I promise, you will never go back.
• Make and freeze. Do you have a quick bread, dessert or appetizer that can be made ahead and frozen? Now’s the time to get that done. You will be so happy come Thanksgiving Day that you did this. Just remember to fetch whatever you froze out of the freezer with enough time to defrost properly. (We’ll remind you to do that in an upcoming post.)

NOTE: I couldn’t stand the way the headline was breaking, so I changed it.