Ina Garten's Best Tips For A Stress-Free Thanksgiving

Ina Garten once told Williams Sonoma, "I don't actually have Thanksgiving disasters." Wow, can she inspire the Barefoot Contessas in the rest of us with her optimism, and phenomenal tips and tricks for a zero-stress Thanksgiving! (Good gravy, pass us a caramel apple martini, stat. And keep 'em coming.)

It's our favorite meal of the year, but it comes with a pressure-cooker's worth of turkey-based tension. Whether it's Aunt Myrna's mystery casserole, or your cousin's fiancé's black pepper allergy, or — OMG, there aren't enough forks. Can we Instacart some freakin' forks? — just about everything has the potential to go south, and fast.

But Garten can save us! From your grocery shop, to your cooking strategy, to the meal, decor, and the party mood, we've sourced the most life-changing tips from our favorite (masterful and comforting) cook. This is Thanksgiving like it was always meant to be. A celebration of our collective bountiful harvest, and an expression of gratitude for deeply cherished friends and family. 

Here's where going all in on a cooking strategy can really make a difference on the big day. Get your game face on, and cook and bake as much as you can before the big day. "Future You" will be so happy you listened to Ina Garten, even though "Present You" is wondering why you promised three different stuffings, grandma's green bean casserole, and something called a PieCaken. (Hot tip: just order the PieCaken. Let the pros stack a pecan pie, pumpkin pie, and spice cake together, topped with apple pie filling!)

"My secret to timing a meal is make everything in advance. And then you don't have to worry about it," Garten explained to Williams Sonoma. Well, we know she won't be worried because she's, you know, Ina-freakin'-Garten and everything turns out perfectly. For the rest of us? Bust out the dry erase board!

Garten suggests setting a schedule for the week ahead of the event, starting with foods that can be stored the longest. As she shared with InStyle, "Figure out what you can do three days before, two days before, and one day before. And do it really carefully. Plan it." We're currently wondering what lasts longer: a pitcher of Garten's cosmos, or her chocolate-dipped pecan squares? To be honest, they both sound way too delicious to make it through the night.

Listen up! Starting right now, you're on official Pinterest lockdown. Forget the oversized, feathery pampas grass centerpieces. Erase the gold spray-painted pumpkinscape from your mind. And OMG no, you're not setting up a rustic farmhouse table for 12 in the middle of an abandoned field, with boho lanterns and a vintage cornucopia. Luckily, we're decorating Ina Garten-style. And she keeps it as low-stress as possible.

"I choose one color, like orange, and do lots of flowers," Garten explained of her dining table decor. "Choose one color and follow through." Garten effortlessly showcased different shades of orange for her tablecloth, napkins, candles, and several bunches of lush roses. She also decorated with bowls of fresh, leafy citrus in tones that complemented the theme. But while every detail added to the festive vibe, nothing obscured the conversation.

"Another thing I think is really important; keep everything low so everybody can see across the table," she noted. A good rule of thumb? Nothing taller than a wine glass. No vertical ostrich feathers, cascading crystal pedestals, or candelabras. This family-style meal is meant to be savored with the people on the other side of the table, too.

Ina Garten's most famous phrase just saved Thanksgiving. You don't have to craft 18 needlepoint napkins, or put your blood, sweat, and frustrated tears into a homemade artisanal bread basket. "Store-bought is fine," she tells us. Oh, how we adore you!

"If you can buy something really good at the store, or a bakery, there's really no point in making it yourself," she advised New York Times Cooking. Speaking of dinner rolls (ok, we're always thinking of dinner rolls), she gives us permission to buy them from a good bakery, adding, "It was made in somebody's home, but not yours." We'll take it.

While you could outsource the entire meal, Garten likes to incorporate store-bought items into her cooking so they feel homemade. She adds parmesan cheese and sour cream to store-bought mashed potatoes, so they taste like her Parmesan Smashed Potatoes recipe. Add pre-made stuffing mix to mushrooms and Gruyère, and you've got Garten's Mushroom and Gruyère Bread Pudding. She even used a frozen pie crust for her Bourbon Pecan Pie. Wanna zhush up dessert even more? Garten melts a pint of vanilla Häagen-Dazs, and spoons the saucy ice cream onto a dessert plate, under a slice of pie, as a fancy-looking crème anglaise. We're not the culinary genius, you are!

Crank up the tunes, light your best woodsy campfire candles, and prep that signature cocktail. The party starts now! Ina Garten told "Today," "When people arrive at the door, I want all of your senses engaged." We're on it. 

"It may be a family meal, but I still want it to feel like a party," Garten shared. What does that mean for the Contessa with the most-essa? As she described it for "Today," that involves the perfect playlist, appetizers and cocktails immediately in hand, the smell of a crackling fire, festive decor, and snuggly throws and pillows.

For the most effortless mood-setting, we're using the KISS acronym (and thankfully not the one for the band.) Keep It Simple Sweetie! What's Garten's easiest, go-to drink other than cosmos? Wine. She explained to InStyle, "There's enough to do already, so I think wine is really easy. Take out the cork, you're ready to go." As for the tunes? She hits up the classics, adding, "Thanksgiving's multi-generational, so I tend to do old-fashioned music like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett ... Ella Fitzgerald, that kind of thing. Something everybody loves." Y'know, unless gramps insists on trap music. Again.

This one goes out to all the health nuts hosting Thanksgiving this year. You can do the low-fat smashed potatoes, the sugar-free cranberry sauce that stings everyone's cheeks, and the stuffing that tastes like paper. But don't you dare toss a bunch of kale and arugula, and pretend it belongs on the buffet with the true holiday heroes. Ina Garten made this very clear when she told Williams Sonoma, "No salad," for Thanksgiving.

While we would absolutely crush a Caesar salad — even a Greek, Cobb, Waldorf, or salade niçoise — any other day of the week, Thanksgiving is reserved for dishes that won't wilt. Do not question the Contessa.

Still, just because Garten doesn't do a Thanksgiving lettuce salad doesn't mean she doesn't whip up some killer veggie-based sides. Get toasty with crispy roasted kale, roasted carrots, and roasted Brussels sprouts. She also features recipes for collards, parmesan roasted cauliflower, and a beet, butternut squash, and apple salad. But our favorite recipe (we've tested this at several Thanksgiving dinners — always a smash hit) is Garten's Green Beans Gremolata. Cut through a rich meal with bright, crunchy, blanched green beans, tossed in garlic, parmesan, parsley, roasted pine nuts, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper. If there were ever a thing called party beans, these are that.

Take a deeeeeeeeeep breath. It's all gonna be okay. Ina Garten's here, and she's offering you a big hug by way of sizzling hot Thanksgiving advice. Insider tip? Don't freak out about the turkey. (What! What's wrong with the turkey?! OMG, what time is it? Hello, is this 1-800-GIBLETS?) As Garten assured Katie Couric, "Everybody gets so crazy about the turkey. The turkey isn't the star of the meal. Sometimes, it's the side dishes."

Garten suggests thinking of the turkey like a roasted chicken. The biggest roasted chicken you've ever seen. See? Already less intimidating. She also comforted her jittery followers (hi) by admitting that you don't need to go nuts on the side dishes either.

"We get so wired that we have to have a hundred Thanksgiving dishes, that your great aunt wants one thing, and your cousin wants something else. Keep it really simple. Make a few things that you think are absolutely delicious," she said. Garten's ultimate meal would feature a turkey, her spinach gratin and bread pudding recipes, her two favorite potato dishes (smashed, and also sweet with apple topping), and some beautiful roasted veggies.

Anything goes when it comes to leftovers. But just in case you're suffering from post-Thanksgiving fried nerves (or you still have guests in town for lunch), look to Ina Garten for inspiration. Some real, down home inspiration.

"I like to open the refrigerator door, and eat like a raccoon out of a dumpster," she confessed to Williams Sonoma, laughing. "Much more fun." And much easier than plating up an entire repeat Thanksgiving meal. Invite your guests to crack open the fridge themselves. It's all about the help-yourself, favorite sweatpants, zero-effort kind of dining.

Of course, there's always the Garten factor. While she's not typically a leftovers person, she admits that everyone loves a turkey sandwich on the Friday after the big day. So, what does she do? She roasts a second turkey just for this purpose. Oh, Ina Garten, how we love you so! She told InStyle, "I make an extra turkey to send home with my guests so they can make sandwiches." Hi, so, yeah, how do we get an invite?