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Hello there Reader, Thanksgiving doesn't have to leave you cursing like a sailor. (Although, if you ever heard Mama Leite muttering in Portuguese while wrestling a 22-pound turkey into submission, you might think otherwise.) As someone who's hosted more holiday dinners than my youthful countenance would suggest―some of which ended with me hiding in the basement, clutching a bottle of wine, and questioning my life choices―I've learned a thing or two about keeping my sanity intact. The One will back me up on this, especially after That One Year We Shall Never Speak Of Again when I nearly burned down the house. But I digress. What I've learned is mastering Thanksgiving is all about strategy. And, unlike how I usually cook―which The One likens to a tornado in an apron―this requires that dreaded word: planning. Allow me to share with you my hard-won five-day plan that'll keep you from ending up in the fetal position behind the washing machine. (Not that I know anything about that.) My Free Foolproof Five-Day Countdown
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Hi Reader, Memorial Day weekend is when the grill comes out, the chairs migrate to the yard, and everyone suddenly develops very strong opinions about potato salad.I love that first big unofficial summer gathering. The screen door banging. The smell of smoke. The bowl of chips no one admits to hovering near. Someone’s kid running through the sprinkler fully clothed because joy has no respect for laundry.But the best version of that weekend starts before anyone arrives.Not with fuss. With...
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