Make or Buy: Guide to a Stress Free Thanksgiving

Transcription

1 Make or Buy: Guide to a Stress Free Thanksgiving By Cindy Epstein Photo Carl Kravats There are a number of things you can do to make your Thanksgiving feast less stressful and less work. The spirit of Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and friends and giving thanks for our many blessings, but all too often we get caught up in a kitchen frenzy. Let s look at how we can simplify the feast by deciding what to make and what to buy. If you re famous for a certain Thanksgiving dish and want to continue the tradition: make it. Most cooks seem to have at least one special dish everyone looks forward to. But if your fame spans a number of holiday dishes, choose to make just one. For the rest of the meal, here are some suggestions. The Turkey: Make it. Roasting a turkey is relatively simple. You buy it, clean it, put it in a pan, and roast it, but basting is important. If you don t have time for that, get a roasting bag. Season the bird with salt and pepper, add I stick of melted butter to which you ve added your favorite seasoning (I like Bell s turkey seasoning), and pour it over the bird. If you like, put several springs of fresh sage in the cavity and you re done. Baking in a bag means you don t have to baste.

2 The Gravy: Make it, but cheat. There s something about jarred gravy that detracts from those fluffy mashed potatoes and perfectly roasted turkey. Gravy can be made at the last minute and it s easy and quick. Take a cup of the turkey juice from the roasting pan, especially easy if you roasted it in the bag. Pour it into a fat separator, put the juice into a large skillet at a medium to low temperature, add 3-4 tablespoons of flour, stir to make a roux; when the mixture is golden brown, add 4 cups of chicken stock that you purchased and whisk until it s thick. For best results warm the stock in the microwave. You re less likely to get lumps. Sweet Potatoes or Yams: Make them, but cheat. Keep it simple, but don t use the canned yams. Forget the marshmallows and simply bake the yams in the oven as you would a baked potato. Serve with butter, maple syrup, and sugared pecans that you purchased at the market. Mashed Potatoes: Make them ahead. Peel and cube potatoes the day before and store in the refrigerator in water, and cook them on Thanksgiving day. To save time, whip them in your stand mixer with a little milk, butter, salt and pepper. Don t over mix; they become very glutinous and lose their fluffiness. Dressing: Buy it and doll it up. Use a packaged seasoned dressing mix. Buy already diced onions and celery and boxed chicken stock. Sautee the onions and celery in butter on low heat until the onions are translucent, add the stuffing mix and stock per the instructions on the dressing package, and bake in a casserole dish not in the turkey. If you want to add a bit of pizzazz, put in mushrooms that you buy already sliced or a handful of raisins. You can make the dressing the day before, refrigerate it, and bake it on Thursday. Cranberry Sauce: Buy it unless you have a bunch of foodies coming to dinner in which case you simply simmer fresh cranberries with sugar and a bit of orange juice or orange zest. Vegetable Side Dish: Buy it ready to cook. Whether it is already cut broccoli florets, trimmed green beans, or a vegetable medley, buy it in a bag and steam it in the microwave or on the stovetop. To make it special, buy a flavored butter and add it to the warmed vegetables.

3 Salad: Buy it. Get a mixture of prepared baby greens, a pear, some walnuts, and bleu cheese or feta crumbles, and toss it in balsamic vinaigrette. Even if the bag says triple washed, rinse and spin the greens before using. Dessert: Buy it or cheat. We are so lucky to have Julian, famous for its pies, so close so why not buy one of their delicious pies? If you feel like you really need to make one, use a prepared pie crust and canned pumpkin and follow the directions on the can. You can also buy a box of ginger snaps and make a ginger snap crust buy just crushing the cookies and adding butter, then use canned pumpkin and follow the directions on the can. Buy already whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Hors d oeuvre: Buy them. If you feel like you absolutely need to serve an hors d oeuvre, keep it simple. Mixed nuts, a few cheeses and French bread, crudités and dip are all available and ready to serve. Other time saving tips: Ask your guests to bring something. Most everyone likes to contribute to the feast. Even if you ve never done this before, start a new tradition. Enlist help. Have guests help you with last minute kitchen details, setting out the food, and definitely get all the help you can for cleaning up. Forget perfection. Everyone wants to have a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, but since that is essentially impossible, try to go with the flow. Keep it simple, and enjoy your guests. Do as much ahead of time as possible. Here is a step-by-step plan for simplifying your holiday dinner: The week prior to Thanksgiving: 1. Decide on your menu. 2. Look up all the recipes you ll be using.

4 3. Check your pantry for all the basic items you need such as aluminum foil, plastic wrap, flour, butter, sugar, potatoes, onions, etc. and any other non-perishables. 4. If you don t have a pan big enough for your turkey, add a disposable aluminum pan to your shopping list. 5. Shop for all the non-perishable items the week before Thanksgiving. The stores are crazy the last few days before the holiday, and Wednesday is a mad house at the market. Unless you love waiting in line and playing shopping cart bumper car, shop early. 6. Order your turkey so you can just walk in and pick it up. Order a fresh turkey rather than frozen so you don t have to defrost it. However, if you do buy a frozen turkey it can take up to five days to defrost in the refrigerator. In this case, it s a buy ahead item, but be sure you have room in your refrigerator for it to defrost. 7. Write your to-do list for Thanksgiving week and plan to do as much preparation as possible in advance of Thursday. 8. If you are using a tablecloth and napkins, iron them if needed. 9. If you are using any special occasion plates, silverware, or glassware that you haven t used in a while, check that they are dust free. If glasses need to be polished, or dishes cleaned, do it the week before Thanksgiving. Monday: 1. Check your to-do list and your shopping list for any changes or additions. 2. If there are things you couldn t complete last week, do them today. Tuesday: 1. Finish all your shopping. Vegetables and other perishables will be fine in the refrigerator for Thanksgiving. With careful planning you won t need to go to the market again before Thanksgiving.

5 2. Take out all the serving dishes and utensils you will be using. That turkey platter is probably somewhere in the back of a cupboard stored away from last year. Wednesday: 1. Peel and cut potatoes and store in a water bath in the refrigerator. 2. Make the dressing ahead and refrigerate it to bake on Thursday. 3. Make your pies if you didn t buy them. 4. Wrap sweet potatoes or yams in aluminum foil so they are ready to bake. (They don t need refrigeration.) 5. Wash and spin the salad greens and vegetables and store in plastic bags in the refrigerator. 6. Set the table. 7. Based on what time you are serving, determine what time you need to put the turkey in the oven. Plan an extra half hour so the turkey can sit out before carving. 8. Set up your drink station or bar area with glassware, soft drinks, wine, and any other beverage offerings. 10. Before bed, buy ice if you re going to need it and store in a cooler if the freezer is full. Buy an extra bag so you don t need to run out on Thursday. Thursday: 1. Bake the dressing and sweet potatoes before you bake the turkey if you need all your oven space for the turkey. You can quickly reheat them in the microwave or in the oven when the turkey comes out. 2. Roast the turkey. 3. Plate any of the accompaniments that don t need refrigeration, cover, and set on the buffet or table.

6 4. About 10 minutes before the guests arrive, put out the hors d oeuvre if you are serving them. 5. About one hour before serving, put the cranberry sauce in a serving bowl, put together all the salad ingredients (but don t dress the salad until just before serving, or serve the dressing on the side), take the prepared fresh vegetables out of the refrigerator. 6. About 30 minutes before the turkey is done, make the mashed potatoes, cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil and wrap in a towel to keep warm. 7. When the turkey comes out of the oven, put the dressing and sweet potatoes in the oven to reheat. Let the turkey rest for minutes before carving. 8. Steam the vegetables in the microwave or stovetop. 9. Make the gravy. 10. Have your guests help you carry the food to the table. Relax and enjoy your meal with your family and friends. #### Copyright Cindy Epstein All rights reserved. To use this article or any portion thereof for publication, whether it be for print or web, contact Cindy at cindy@cindyepstein.com. Cindy Epstein is a Food Stylist and Culinary Consultant in Southern California. You can visit her website at This article is available at her website at the Thanksgiving link. You can reach her at cindy@cindyepstein.com. Photo Copyright Carl Kravats 2012, All rights reserved.