I make a lot of lists.
Daily to-do lists, shopping lists, finish this month lists, and so on…
When I worked in the Harbourtowne kitchen, I made even more lists.
Hanging on the wall were clipboards, one for each day of the week, where the daily schedule was listed. It would show how many guests were staying at the hotel, and what group (if any) was there, and their schedule. Say, what time they’d be having the breakfast buffet, their break time (one in the morning and another in the afternoon), then lunch time, dinner, what they were having for lunch and dinner, etc.
Every morning, I’d check the board for that day and see what needed to be done. Then I’d go about making my list.
It may have looked something like this:
- Figure out employee meal – put in warmer
- Put soup on stove for lunch buffet
- Bake scones for morning break
- Make fruit bowl for morning break
- Make lettuce bowl for lunch buffet
- Finish salad bar prep for lunch, garnish
- Bake cookies for afternoon break
- Pan up bacon for next day’s breakfast
- Pan up French toast for breakfast
- Make mixed fruit bowl for breakfast
- Season cod for lunch buffet, put in oven 11:15 am
- Make brownie platter for lunch, garnish
- Stock up ala carte breakfast prep
- Start on prep for next day’s lunch buffet
And so on…
And this was not including cooking breakfast that morning, and probably doing some dishes.
Making my daily list at work kept me on top of things and organized, especially during a busy week.
During the holidays, lists are needed more than ever.
They can really help when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work, family, shopping, cooking, wrapping presents, and more, and you don’t know how you’ll take care of everything.
It’s best to start as early as possible, at least when you have an idea of what your plans are.
For your gift lists – start writing down ideas as soon as you get them. Usually, I’ll make a list of my family and friends who I’m shopping for. As I know more and more what I want to get for them, I write it down. Then, I check things off as the items are purchased.
If you’re going to be doing a big holiday dinner or party, start on that list as soon as possible. Don’t wait til the last week. With everything else going on in your life, you’ll just drive yourself crazy.
Start planning your menu. Figure out how much you’ll need, depending on the amount of people you’ll be feeding. Write down each food item and the ingredients. Always get more than you originally estimate. You never know if you’ll get a few more unexpected guests, or for those people who eat a lot(!).
If you can buy certain ingredients ahead of time, go for it. Things you can freeze or store in your pantry… this will save you extra time later.
Then, as you get closer to party time, decide when to do the rest of your food shopping and make that list.
Plan a time (or times) you can spend wrapping your presents. You never realize how long it takes to wrap things (nicely), especially when you have a lot of gifts.
I learned this one year when I waited til the day before Christmas to wrap presents. I ended up staying up all night to get it all done. Never again!
For your prepping/cook list – look at your menu and plan out when you can start prepping the food. The more you can get done ahead of time, the more you’ll be able to relax and actually enjoy the holiday.
Do you have a turkey or some type of meat to be defrosted? Be sure to allow enough time for that, and, if you need to let it marinate in something.
Chop up vegetables or grate cheese a few days before, then store in containers or plastic bags. Get the tedious chores out of the way (or, delegate some tasks to kids or other family members).
Measure out sugar, flour, and other ingredients for baking – have it all together so when you’re ready to bake, you can just throw it all together.
See what else you might need for entertaining – make a list. Do you need napkins, cups, decorations…?
Plan a time to get these and when to set everything up.
Then, on the big day, have a game plan list… what’s for breakfast, what do you still need to prep, when to start cooking things for dinner, etc.
You don’t need to be as much of a “list fanatic” as I am, but the idea is to make things as easy and stress-free as possible.
Happy planning!