|
|
CTC Readers' Poll:
|
|
"We determined it was less costly
and took less time planning, cooking and worrying about the dinner if
we just went out to eat on that day. We have a much better time and
each family pays for their own meal. We enjoy it so much that it is
now a tradition. We usually go to a family-style restaurant that
offers all-you-can-eat so my husband thinks he is getting his money's
worth. Everyone is happy." ~
Brenda
"Every year, our local volunteer fire department cooks hams and sells them. My parents have always gotten one that we have for our family meal. This year, Mama said that is the only meat we are having. This helps out the fire department and my mom." ~ Anggie "I'm afraid this is the one meal of the year where I do not TRY to cut down on the time it takes to prepare. So many meals throughout the year are rushed or from drive-thrus! I really try to get the whole family involved in this one. I do all my menu planning around the first of November. I have a list that has evolved over the years of what works and what doesn't. Also this helps to make sure nothing is forgotten. Remember the Thanksgiving where no one brought the cranberry sauce? I plan whom I will invite (we always have a full house!), what I will make, etc. Then I do the grocery list accordingly. I buy early. Pumpkin goes on sale in October! Pick up a few things each shopping trip that you know you will need when the day comes. This helps to spread the cost out as well. Since I have children and young nieces and nephews, I arrange whole DAYS where they come over and 'help' me bake, cook, chop, etc. So few of them have this opportunity anymore. I take time off from work and MAKE this happen. TVs are off, some music playing in the background. They love it! Yes, there is a little more flour on the floor and a lot less cookies that actually get cooked, but the memories will last a lifetime. I start on the most important stuff first. So, if all else fails, at least we will have the basics. Take your time to do one thing right - maybe the pumpkin pies from scratch? Then, when the time arrives, I have family members bring other items that can be store-bought, etc. (I always ask them ahead of time so they don't have to go out last minute.) The key to any successful meal is planning - and planning in the
time to make it happen. Happy Thanksgiving!" ~ Barbara "Our church decided several years ago to opt out of making Thanksgiving dinner for our families and instead to cook for the community. The ladies of the church cook the turkeys at home and bring them in already deboned, along with dessert items and everyone contributes the other products: potatoes, corn, green beans, etc. Then we arrive at the church early on Thanksgiving morning and prepare the food. The men usually serve as the drivers, delivering the food to those who have called in a request for dinner. Last year we served over 1,000 meals to our community and in the process enjoyed fellowship and Thanksgiving dinner with our church family. Also this gave our children an opportunity to spend time with their in-laws so there was no squabbling over whose house they would be spending the day. And it is very rewarding knowing we have contributed to giving to those who couldn't have a nice meal on Thanksgiving." ~ Nancy "I
have taken two cooking classes from the Diva of Do-Ahead, Diane
Phillips. She has a fabulous class called Do-Ahead Thanksgiving.
You can begin as early as several months before Thanksgiving and
as late as the Sunday before in preparing all of your dishes
except the turkey. If you chose to start the Sunday before, each
day you make 1-2 dishes that can be frozen or put in the
refrigerator and simply reheated the day of. Before you
think that the food tastes like leftovers, it definitely does not.
The food is absolutely delicious. She teaches you how to make
gravy, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney
(superb), sweet potatoes, as well as a choice of soups and
deserts. I tried this for the first time last Thanksgiving and it
was awesome. You can literally bake your turkey and watch
football. When the turkey comes out, it must rest for 30-45
minutes before you can carve. Carving a hot turkey only produces
shredded meat not beautiful slices. While your turkey rests, you
reheat all of your other dishes. She has a brand new cookbook
called 'Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead'. This book
contains all of the recipes and schedules for refrigeration or
freezing. As a side note, I’ve also taken her class for the
Christmas holiday time and there is an incredible menu there as
well. I’ve never tasted any of her food that wasn’t
to-die-for." ~ Lisa "I have searched for years for recipes that can be
made ahead and frozen, or parts of them can or can be served
frozen. Thus, I start the prep for the Big Dinner a
few weeks ahead. I've got 2 favorite salads that are frozen
as well as one dessert....which helps immensely. There
is still a long list of regular items that need to be done
the week of Thanksgiving. I always have people attending
that ask what they can bring. I offer several suggestions,
especially to those that are traveling any distance.
Keep track of the additions, so nothing is doubled up in the
confusion. "I don't cut back on time to prepare dinner. I thoroughly enjoy spending the day with my daughter cooking and chatting. It's the best way to spend the day and I look forward to it for months, and the smell of dressing cooking in the morning." ~ Mary Ann "For
several years now I have baked my Thanksgiving turkey a couple
of weeks or so ahead of the big day. With three children
plus their spouses and five grandchildren, the time crunch is on
at the holidays. Therefore, I take all the shortcuts I can find.
I bake the turkey, let it cool completely and then slice it and
arrange it in a couple of 9”x13” aluminum baking pans. Cover
them with heavy duty foil and pop in the freezer. A couple of
days before Thanksgiving, they come out of the freezer and go
into the refrigerator to thaw. Thanksgiving morning, they come
out of the refrigerator and go into the oven at 350 degrees for
a couple of hours or so or until heated thoroughly. Before
baking, I sprinkle a little water on the turkey slices in each
pan and recover with the aluminum foil to bake. The turkey
comes out moist and delicious and there is no mess and no
carving to deal with. Works great!" ~ Loretta
"I am all about saving money in the grocery store except at the holidays. I have found buying pre-chopped celery/onions is a huge time saver for Thanksgiving when I need them for stuffing. Also I splurge and buy chopped pecans rather than the whole pecans." ~ Tonya "We don't try to cut corners to save much time for Thanksgiving. With 4 kids, sometimes cutting the time takes longer than not. We will make salads and pies a day or two before Thanksgiving, but everything we do we try to make it a family project. I used to hate standing in the kitchen for hours on end. Now, I still spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but I am surrounded by my family and that makes it a much more joyous and thankful time for us. We pass down a lot of family traditions this way." ~ Kelly "We have a large family gathering so just giving asking each person to bring one thing makes life pretty easy. Two things that I do that haven't hurt anything are: 1) Instant mashed potatoes. I make a big crock pot of them and no one notices or cares that that came from a box. It is so much easier, and doesn't make the kitchen as hot. Just get a good brand that tastes good. 2) Marie Callendars has
all their pies on sale the entire month of November for
$5.00. They are always wonderful, and I don't think I
could make a good pie for under $5.00 if I had to buy the
apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, Crisco plus gas
and electricuty......and no time spent!" ~ Julia Editor's Note: Thanks to all these readers who took time to write! |
Home
Products and Resources
Speaking Engagements Nancy's
Itinerary |