Whether you are cooking a lavish meal, traveling to visit family, or simply entertaining some friends this Thanksgiving, here are some iPhone apps to help your survive this harried holiday.
Cook
The free CHOW Thanksgiving Dinner Coach app has everything you need to pull off your first Thanksgiving dinner. Simply pick your recipes from the easy, traditional selections provided and the app generates a shopping list and timeline for preparing your meal. It also includes a handy function to calculate turkey cooking time by weight.
If you are a pro at cooking Thanksgiving dinner and are looking for some new recipes to spice up your table this year, check out Food Network’s In the Kitchen app ($1.99) for recipes from all your favorite TV chefs. The app includes a recipe box for storing your favorites from year to year and you can even generate a quick shopping list of ingredients via the app.
Entertain
Keep young children entertained in the kitchen without a mess thanks to Cookie Doodle ($0.99). This app turns your iPhone into a virtual bakery with all the goodies needed to make holiday cookies. You even get to mix the ingredients and roll out the dough. This app is a genius way to get kids involved in the kitchen on Thanksgiving without them getting in the way. You can even turn your favorite family photo into cookie dough!
Get the whole family involved in creating your own hilarious Thanksgiving-themed stories when you download the free Word Spree: Thanksgiving Lite app. Take turns filling in blanks with the first words that pop into your head, and the end result is a hilarious story that your family is sure to talk about for years to come. There are 15 stories to gobble up revolving around dinnertime traditions, turkey tales, family gatherings and giving thanks. This app is guaranteed, free Thanksgiving family fun!
If you aren’t faint of heart, check out the free Turkey Blast: Reloaded app. This arcade-style game allows you to hunt your bird via the weapon of your choice to serve up your turkey rare or roasted. This is a perfect game for keeping young boys and grown men occupied during football breaks.
Or if you are looking for a more educational game to keep young children busy, download the free Turkey Words app. It’s basically a turkey-themed version of hangman. The goal is to figure out the mystery words all revolving around the theme of Thanksgiving.
Travel
Keeping track of multiple family members traveling to and from home during the holidays can be a nightmare. FlightTrack – Live Flight Status Tracker by Mobiata ($4.99) lets you track flights worldwide, including info on delays and cancelations. Users can even share flight information via email and social networks. To keep family travel chaos to a minimum, insist that your visitors download this app and keep you updated of their whereabouts
It may seem like a good idea to stay with family at Thanksgiving to save a few bucks, but sometimes getting away even to nap for a few hours can make all the difference on your stress level during the hectic holidays. Nothing eases my tension level like walking into a W Hotel and ordering up a massage at the Bliss Spa. Check out the free SPG Mobile App to find a Starwood hotel near your family’s home in case you need to duck out for a night to yourself.
Happy Thanksgiving!
