If you’re like me you wondering one thing. How to help with Thanksgiving dinner if you can’t cook. Think you can’t help out with Thanksgiving just because you’re not the cook of the family? Think again. Sure, the holiday is all about food, but there are still all kinds of things you can do to pitch in, and no, sitting on the couch and watching the parade does NOT count as helping.
Below are just some of the ways you can contribute to Thanksgiving dinner and help the host, no cooking required. Forget cooking! Thanks to Cafe Mom I’ll have some things to help with during Thanksgiving dinner!
Speaking of Thanksgiving. While most of us treat our dogs like family, the one thing we don’t want to do this Thanksgiving is feed them like family.
All that food sitting on your table will be pretty tempting to your four-legged friend, but it turns out a lot of your meal isn’t really good for them. So unless you want to be making an emergency vet visit on Thanksgiving, you may to listen up and watch your pooch closely come dinnertime.
Here are the foods you should keep away from your pooch this holiday season:
- Eggs, meat and bones that are not fully cooked since they can cause salmonella and e-coli.
- While meat, vegetables and breads are okay, they should be in limited amounts.
- High in fat foods like avocado, coconut/coconut oil, citrus, milk and other forms of dairy can upset your dog’s stomach.
- Chocolate may be a dog fave but it’s really dangerous for them. It can be poisonous and can cause heart issues and potentially seizures.
- Garlic, onions and chives can irritate canine stomachs.
- Grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage, although why is still undetermined.
Clean the house
LONDON – MARCH 14: Inventor James Dyson demonstrates his latest hoovering invention on March 14, 2005 in London. The vaccum cleaner replaces the traditional four wheels with one ball to guide it across the floor giving it increased maneouverability. (Photo by Bruno Vincent/Getty Images)
Give the host one less thing to add to their to-do list by tidying up the house for them. And don’t forget to get the kids and teens to lend a hand with this chore.
Do the shopping
(Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
You don’t have to be a skilled chef to do the grocery shopping for the Turkey Day feast. Have the cook give you a very detailed shopping list and get everything needed for the meal so they don’t have to.
Set the table
(Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images for Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi)
Whether it’s a casual look or something more formal, setting the table is another way to be a big help.
Entertain the kids
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Come up with some games and crafts to keep the kiddos entertained and out of the kitchen.
Be the Bartender
(Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images for NYCWFF)
Make sure there’s something for everyone, like a holiday cocktail, beer, wine and sparkling cider, soda or juice for the kids.
Take photos
(Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Capture the food, the family and snap some candid shots of all the holiday action.
Play taxi
(Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
If guests are coming in from out of town, save your host a trip to the airport and volunteer to pick them up.
Do the dishes
(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
After cooking the turkey dinner, the last thing the cook wants to do is clean up. And that’s where you can step in to do dishes, pack up leftovers and clear the table.
