I’m a very thankful person. Thanksgiving has always been a day I’ve looked forward to. I was especially fortunate in that our house was the house everyone would come to on Thanksgiving. Things got even better when I moved to the bedroom above the kitchen and could smell that turkey cooking early in the morning! When I got married, things of course, changed. My wife had her traditions with her family, and I had mine. It took some discussion, but we worked out a compromise that involves us eating two meals. What could be better than that? We get to spend time with everyone, and that’s made Thanksgiving even more special. Mom just better keep making that Italian stuffing and hot rolls and everything will be ok! Today, we’ll investigate how technology can actually enhance Thanksgiving. It is possible.
I help out around the house leading up to Thanksgiving. I put the leaf in the dining room table, stir the chocolate pudding for chocolate cream pie, cut the crust off the stuffing bread for Irish stuffing, prepare the dry ingredients for the aforementioned Italian stuffing, cut carrots, set the table, things like that. I do these things every year and enjoy doing them, but anyone who does, has, or, will put on an entire Thanksgiving dinner has my respect! From all the cleaning, shopping, prepping, and cooking, it’s truly incredible. I don’t know how our grandparents did it, but now…we have apps! Need to create a shopping list? Try “Grocery iQ”. You’re able to create lists from the app’s product database via text, barcode, or voice search, add items to a “favorite” list, keep track of a history of prior items, find coupons for the items on your list, and sync your lists with friends and family. Stumped on how to create the perfect meal? Give “Food Network in the Kitchen” a try! With this app you’re able to get thousands of recipes from chefs such as Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Guy Fieri, complete with videos to take the guesswork out of their recipes. Never cooked a turkey before? Me either. Fortunately, Butterball made an app for that. Search for “Butterball Cookbook Plus – Turkey Recipes Plus!” Butterball’s app includes hundreds of recipes, nutritional information, how-to videos, conversion and substitution charts, and a cooking calculator to help plan portions, and defrost and cooking times. These apps are free to download, and are available for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Visit the App Store for Apple devices, or Google Play for Android or Windows.
It’s great to be with family on Thanksgiving, but it’s not always possible to get everyone together. Since the dawn of the Internet, the world has gotten smaller. We’re able to communicate like never before, and it’s never been easier to video chat than it is today. Why call family when you can see them? Share your Thanksgiving dinner with loved ones by using FaceTime on your iPhone, or Skype from your Android, Windows phone or tablet, or computer. To use FaceTime from an iPhone, tap “Phone” then select “Contacts” at the bottom of the screen to bring up a list of contacts. Find the person you’d like to call, and tap on their name (the only catch is the person you’re calling must have an iPhone too). Scroll through the list of numbers until you see “FaceTime”. Tap the icon to the right that looks like a camcorder, and your video call will begin. Don’t be startled when you see yourself on the screen! To use Skype, get the app at Google Play, or download the program to your computer from skype.com. Click “Get Skype” to get started. It’s free to sign up and make video calls with Skype. If using Skype on a computer, you’ll need a webcam to make a video call. Most laptops have a built-in camera, but desktops do not. If you’re in the market for one, Logitech makes a camera for every budget. My wife and I can vouch for their quality after the long distance relationship we had for three years!
While technology can be a headache from time to time, it can make life easier as well. Thanksgiving is a perfect example. From organization and instruction to communication, it’s hard to imagine the way it was done in the old days. One friendly bit of advice though – take the phones away around the dinner table. A lot of people but a lot of time, money, and effort into preparing this feast. Show some respect for all of them! From my family to yours, I wish you all a very safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving!