Hi Reader,

My Thanksgiving checklist keeps the big picture in order. But what actually makes the day feel easy is sneaking little pieces of it into the cooking I’m already doing in November.

My family has four make-ahead dishes that have to be on the table. Here’s exactly how each one gets done a bit at a time.

​Instant Pot Applesauce (My daughter’s MUST-make): One night while I’m prepping dinner, I throw chopped, unpeeled apples in the Instant Pot with a bit of cider or juice and let them cook. By the time we’re done eating, the apples are cooked and cooled, so I blend them into the easiest, tastiest homemade applesauce and pop it in the freezer. Done.

​Cranberry Sauce (My son’s favorite!): Another night this week, I simmer a pot of cranberry sauce on the back burner while dinner cooks (or let it cook in the Instant Pot if I don’t need to monitor dinner). Same deal: package it, freeze it, cross it off.

​Bread Stuffing (My husband’s favorite -- and one of mine too!): I do two things to prep ahead for this side. Any bread left over during the week gets cubed and tossed into a bag in my freezer, so by Thanksgiving, I have a stash ready to go. And when I’m making soup, I sauté extra onions and celery right alongside and freeze them. The day before Thanksgiving, I pull them out to thaw, and that part of the stuffing is already done.

​Sweet Potato Casserole (My all-time favorite): I plan to serve sweet potatoes for dinner one night this week. But instead of cooking just 3-4, I make extra (I love using my Instant Pot for this). After dinner, I whip the leftover sweet potatoes with the casserole base and freeze it. Then, while the food processor is out (no need to wash the bowl, just wipe it out), I take an extra 3 minutes to make the streusel and freeze it in a separate bag.

None of this needs a separate prep day. It’s just a little extra on nights I’m already in the kitchen. Pick one of these (or one of my other make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes) and start there this week.