Table full of Thanksgiving food
Tips for Organizing Thanksgiving Dinner with Recipe Journals

Planning during the fall season is one of the most important aspects of managing your time and maintaining your peace. After all, fall is supposed to be a season of change, serenity, and introspection! 

With the right tools, tackling holidays like Thanksgiving can be done with ease. You’ll be free to truly enjoy the company of your family and friends while they express their gratitude for the wonderful meal and environment you’ve prepared for them. If you’re someone who adores Thanksgiving and wants to keep new and generational recipes in one place, then you’ll love our tips for organizing Thanksgiving dinner with a blank recipe journal!

Gold recipe journal with a spoon and motivational quote

Carve Out a Section for Planning and Shopping Lists

Thanksgiving planning is more than just locating all the right recipes for your grand meal. A lot of the work revolves around preparation. This may include cleaning the house, gathering all of your favorite decorations, taking some key items out of your garage, and other essential tasks. 

It can be helpful to carve out a space for planning the entire week as well as your Thanksgiving grocery shopping list before the holiday rolls around. When you’re organizing Thanksgiving, you will feel much less stress when you have a schedule to follow and a list you can check off at the store.

Organize Your Recipes

Sifting through recipes to find your timeless family classics may seem difficult when you have a large binder or books upon books of notes. With your own recipe journal, you are in control of how the book is organized! 

One tip to help you get more out of your recipe journal is to organize your recipes in chronological order. This means organizing Thanksgiving recipes based on the time you received them, putting your family recipes first, and adding more new ideas as you go. You can also organize your recipes alphabetically or sort them by cooking order. If that doesn’t work for you, try organizing them by the type of dish. Start with the entree, then the sides, and finish off the book with deserts! It’s your journal, so the choice is completely up to you.

A blank recipe journal that says “Bon Appetit

Create an Index

Photo of a table with people enjoying Thanksgiving desserts

Once you have your recipes organized, it’s a good idea to create an index. Most people know exactly where their recipes are in their own journal, but it may take a bit if you have a significant number of recipes. The more recipes you add, the harder it may be to find a specific one. If you plan to pass your journal on to the next generation, an index can make it easier for them to find what they need if you aren’t there to help.

Simply populate the table of contents pages with the titles of your recipes. Blank recipe pages contain page numbers in the bottom corner, making navigation a breeze. The more systems you employ, the easier organizing Thanksgiving and finding all of the ingredients you need for your Thanksgiving grocery shopping list will be. 

Find the Perfect Holiday Recipe Journal at Cute Notebooks + Journals

Creating the perfect organizational system for your holiday season cooking needs is simple. Now all you need is the right recipe journal! CN+J is a family-owned company that offers you a host of easy-to-use, unique designs to help you get organized and have fun doing it. If you’re ready to make organizing Thanksgiving a breeze, shop now or contact us to learn more!

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