So it begins. My roommates and I woke up and began talking about the plan for the day. Sweet Potato casserole? We didn't plan that! We don't have the ingredients for that! Guess who has to go to the store...that's right....ME! No matter how much you plan, be ready for last minute changes.
We don't have any plastic wrap!...Store trip number 2.
Well, I have to finish getting ready for my roommates family's Thanksgiving gathering. I hope y'all enjoy your Thanksgiving!
P.S. I can't take credit for the food in pictures...my roommates are cooking while I'm just watching.
It's the day before Thanksgiving. It's time to do one last checklist to make sure you have everything you want at your feast. Do you wait until Thursday morning, or are you going to prep and maybe even cook some of the food...to make tomorrow more manageable? Mashed potatoes can be made the day before and just reheated in the microwave. Any fresh vegetables can be peeled and and sliced. If you are making a pie from scratch you can make the crust the day before. If you are using a frozen pie crust thaw it out over night.
Depending on you method of thawing your turkey it is easier to thaw in the fridge, But, if you haven't started thawing your turkey already you probably should use the cold water method. CTEH (Center For Toxicology And Environmental Health, LLC has has information on thawing times and frying safety tips: http://insidecteh.com/2014/11/26/happy-thanksgiving-remember-thaw-your-turkey/
Make sure to clear off all counter space that you'll need. Gather all the pots, pans and serving dishes to make sure you have enough to hold every dish you've planned. If you haven't done so already, clean out the fridge to make room for anything that needs to chill before serving...and of course for those planned leftovers.Setting the table and arranging the chairs the night before will also help you not feel like you are in a time crunch. Last Chance to ask questions about your Thanksgiving feast. I will have Part 4 ready Thursday morning.
I have always loved reading cookbooks, but sometimes you just don't have time to search the pages for that perfect recipe. When looking for recipes, you will find there are a lot of resources online. A few of my favorite sites are: allrecipes.com, cooks.com, and supercook.com. Often, I turn to YouTube when I'm searching for step by step instructions. I stumbled across one video I wanted to share to show you that Thanksgiving doesn't have to take hours to cook! It's a long video, so if you don't have an hour to spare I would skip to the last few minutes where they give you a quick recap of what they made.
Here are a few side dish recipes you may want to try:
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
2 lbs russet potatoes unpeeled
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick of butter
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
Fill a medium or large pot 3/4th full of water. Bring to a boil and add potatoes. Cut potatoes into chunks to help cook faster. Cook the potatoes for about 8 minutes and check if potatoes falls apart easily. Turn to low heat and drain the water. Add butter in chunks and mash the potatoes. Once mashed mix in garlic and green onion and leave on low heat for 2 minutes.
Easy Turkey Gravy
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of pan drippings
1 cup water
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
Make gravy after turkey is fully cooked and is resting. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add flour while stirring to make a light roux. Take dripping from around the turkey until you get about 1/4 cup. Add more if desired. Stir dripping into the roux. Add remaining ingredients and stir until mixed well. Bring to a boil then turn to low heat for 5 minutes.
Dill Glazed Baby Carrots
2 lbs baby carrots
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
In a skillet, combine carrots, broth, vinegar, and butter. Bring to a boil. Once liquid is boiling, cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 12 minutes then uncover and stir. Continues cooking uncovered until liquid reduces and carrots are tender. This should take about 20 minutes. Once tender stir in honey, dill, salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic
2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Blanch the green beans for 2 minutes then remove from grean beans and place into ice water to stop the cooking process. Heat oil and butter a large skillet over medium heat until butter melts then add green beans. Saute for about 5 minutes making sure green beans are coated with butter. Bring to low heat and add remaining ingredients. Mix ingredients for for an additional 30 seconds and remove from heat.
For some people- I for one, cooking is enjoyable and an amazing way to relax. Entertaining and having people over, enjoying my food, is one of the best feelings! Unfortunately, that may not be how it feels for everyone. Cooking can be stressful to some, and entertaining guests can be a bit overwhelming and scary. So let's plan Thanksgiving to take a little pressure off 😊
1. How many people are you inviting? 2. How well do you know your guests appetites? 3. What's on your menu? 5. Check your pantry, freezer and fridge. Do you already have everything you need? 6. Create a shopping list. Give yourself plenty of time to shop (in case you need to go to a few different stores to get everything you need). 7. Look at your recipes ahead of time to see how much time do you need to prep and how long each thing will take to cook.
Let's talk about the menu (this is just a classic example):
Turkey
Ham
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Dinner Rolls
Carrots
Green Beans
Pumpkin Pie
Some delicious items right there...some might not be fancy, but still 'traditional' and delicious. Why are these the classic Thanksgiving foods? I don't actually know that answer, but I do know the "first Thanksgiving" didn't include these meals.
I will be writing 3 more posts on Thanksgiving to help answer questions and give ideas to make this Thanksgiving gathering less stressful and more enjoyable.
Many of us have family traditions, and some of us hold onto those traditions even after we leave home. For my family, every Halloween we would go over to my grandma 'Gan-Gan's' house and have hot dogs and chili. As adults, my sisters and I always make sure to have our hot dogs on Halloween! It may seem silly, but it is SO special to us. You might think hot dogs are for summer on the grill, but have you ever tried a boiled hot dog?
It is really simple to boil hot dogs. Take a medium to large pot filled will water about 3/4th full. Allow it to come to a boil and then add hot dogs. Once it returns to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer and leave for at least 5 minutes and up to 10 minutes. The longer you leave the hot dogs cooking the more tougher they become. Be careful not to leave them in too long because they can become waterlogged.
There are so many ways to dress your hot dog. You don't just have to stick with the traditional topping! Common condiments include: mustard, ketchup, onions, relish, shredded cheese, sauerkraut, and chili. You can go nuts with different condiments: avocado, mayonnaise, jalapenos, salsa, barbecue sauce, olives, garlic, bacon, mushrooms, potato chips, french fries, french fried onions, horseradish- I could go on and on!
Tip 1: Dress the hot dog not the bun. Put wet ingredients first and then the more solid topping next. The cheese, onion and other toppings will stay in the bun better. Tip 2: Cut a slit down the hot dog to help cook out more of the fat and make it a little heathier.
I catered my best friends wedding and so the name "My Best Friend's Catering and Event Planning" was given to my future endeavors.
My hope for this blog is to help teach people how they can cook delicious meals on any budget. I will share healthy tips and provide substitute ingredients for those with allergies. I hope to collaborate with others to bring you recipes for all types of diets. I will show how easy it is to meal prep on any budget. I will share my knowledge on catering and event planning so you can see that you can entertain on a budget. I will also include party ideas and other non food details to planning birthdays, anniversaries and even game nights.
