I completed step 3 last by going through my recipe list and determining total prep time and cooking time for each dish in order to figure out what I needed to start with and end with. My conclusion: I need three ovens. I decided that some things could be kept warm and hot biscuits were not a necessity. This will be the ultimate test and determine whether next year I cook or we just visit our local Ruby Tuesday.

III. How Early Do I Want To Wake Up?

Now you need to make a timeline. How long do these dishes take to cook? What should you start on first? If you are making a whole turkey, do you really want to get up a 4:00 a.m. to put it in the oven so you can make sure you eat by noon? If so, good for you. We are different kinds of people. It is easier when there isn’t a huge group of people coming to your house to eat because then you could say, “We are eating whenever everything gets ready.” I am shooting for the weird time that people sometimes eat Thanksgiving and Christmas meals. That time between lunch (dinner if you are southern) and supper (dinner if you aren’t southern). So, I guess 3:00ish?

A. Make a timeline of your recipes’ prep times and baking times.
B. Decide what to start on first, last, and in between.
C. Go back to your list you typed up and put the recipes in order according to your timeline.