Happy Day Before Thanksgiving!
How do you prepare for one of the most stressful meals of the year? For us, living in the States, Thanksgiving meal preparation can be fraught with a mine field of small kitchen disasters leading to sitting on the kitchen floor in a puddle of tears. But with a little preparation, paring down the menu and giving yourself ample time you too can become the graceful hostess, nary a tear in sight. You just may have time to indulge in a cranberry mimosa that I have on my radar to make that my wonderful girlfriend shared with me.
3 Tips to navigate Thanksgiving hazards when you WANT to cook
Trust me, I know that cooking a big meal is not everyone’s thing. And that’s ok. But if you do feel the desire to tackle Thanksgiving keep reading.
1) KISS method almost always works; meaning keep it simple stupid.
Think about the food that makes your family happy. Then plan a menu around it. Hate turkey? Toss it out and serve your famous garlic roasted prime rib. Whatever entree makes you happy go with it but keep the sides within reason. That goes for desert too. Yes, an assortment of pies would be lovely to showcase but, seriously, your tummy can only handle so much. Pick one or two deserts you LOVE and skip the others. Sometimes a simple menu equals less stress which equals greater happiness. Gotta love that!
2) Shop Early.
With a shopping list in hand head to the grocery store as early as your menu will allow. The last thing you want to be doing is fighting long lines at the grocery store. If you already know you are baking a turkey and your freezer allows it buy it well in advance. But don’t forget to pull it out and put in your fridge a few days ahead to defrost. At the moment the turkey breast I bought a few weeks ago is defrosting in my fridge, ready to go for tomorrow.
That goes for cranberries too; buy early and toss the bag in the freezer to use for relish or yummy sour cream cranberry bread. Honestly, can goods and pantry staples can all be purchased ahead of time making life a bit easier as the big day approaches. Buy your produce a few days ahead or splurge and have your groceries delivered by the larger grocers. I haven’t actually tried this service since I’m a bit picky about my produce but, hey, anything that will lessen stress is the way to go
3) Prep dishes before the big day.
Trust me, taking a vacation day (or a week as I did this year) can be a life saver in the kitchen and a sanity saver for those gracious hostesses opening up their homes and hearts to others. Even though this year dinner is a small affair, just me and my son, it’s been an awesome staycation hanging out with the dogs and giving myself the gift of time. Meaning this morning I began leisurely preparing a few dishes that will keep. Turning a favorite podcast on I spent the morning getting a jumpstart on tomorrow.
Cranberry Relish & Rustic Bread
Making cranberry relish is as simple as tossing 4 ingredients into a sauce pan and let it simmer away. Seriously so easy and soooo yummy that you will never go back to yucky canned stuff that’s passed off as cranberry sauce. You can make this days ahead if you want.
Bread takes a bit more time but is about as simple. Literally this rustic loaf is 4 ingredients; flour, yeast, salt and water. The biggest element that makes it yummy is taking the time for the starter. Place a cup of flour, a pinch of yeast and half cup water in a small bowl. It will have the consistency of pancake batter. Let it sit overnight to proof. Voila, you just made starter.
Apple Tartlets
I cut the recipe in half from a Sur La Table recipe I had on hand. A girlfriend and I took an apple glass last fall and I absolutely adored making this tart. I took the time to cut out additional leaves from the leftover vanilla shortbread crust for an added treat.
From my house to yours, wishing you a very blessed and stress free Thanksgiving. Sending you love and happiness. ❤️
Looks delicious and very relaxing! Enjoy – Happy Thanksgiving to you!!
Thanks! All the best to you and yours!