As one my old favorite Andy William’s songs goes…”It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”
Parties and menus are being planned. Visitors from over the river and through the woods will stop by. Shopping lists…chore lists…Christmas lists…sticky notes, all pop up, strategically placed to prompt ideas and organization.
Folks fail to RSVP, return your calls, email and Facebook messages…panic starts to rise…how many turkey legs do I need to buy? Who has the nut allergy? Low carb…no carb, vegetarians…vegans… family traditions…Oh my!
Well, have I got a newsflash for you! Just do it your way; enjoy it your way ‘cause in the end, only you as chief cook and bottle washer know what did and did not get done. It took me years to figure that little tidbit out and a few more years to not let the turkeys get me down…if someone has the castagnas to tell you that you goofed, forgot something or worse criticizes your holiday efforts…assign them that task or better yet, take them off next year’s guest list !
It is true that this most wonderful time of the year brings little stress bags into your life…to minimize the baggage, may I offer a few helpful hints?
1. Take good care of yourself: Get plenty of sleep, exercise and eat sensibly…no crash diets in order to binge during the holidays…you’ll only weaken your resistance and resolve and we don’t need that do we.
2. Make a financial plan: write out your menus, shopping lists and BUDGET well in advance of your events. Shop the circulars for those things you can buy early, store and or freeze. Things like your fresh turkey or roast, order from the butcher or grocery store at least a week in advance and pick it up as late in the day before your plan to cook it... let it take up their space not yours!
3. Write out your action items: If you are terribly organized, this plan can begin 6 weeks to a month in advance.
a. Send out invites 4-6 weeks before the event and ask for responses at least two weeks before your event.
b. Create your menu and stick to it…improvisation is for other times of the year
c. Make in advance, refrigerate and freeze as much of your menu as you can…my homemade cranberry sauce tastes so much better when I make it the week before Thanksgiving!
d. It may sound silly, but pull out your special occasion pieces like china and serving platters and bowls at least a week before your event. Check to see if you have everything and the condition of the pieces…NO ONE wants to polish silver on Thanksgiving or the day of a party or come to find out that you are missing a salad plate!
e. Set up a staging area. I set up a folding table in my formal dining room and put all my supplies, dishes and nonperishables there. If it is on the staging table…death (or a severe tongue lashing) to the person who moves it!
f. I love the inventor of the sticky note! I use these to label my platters with each menu item…no guesswork or searching for the right bowl, plate or serving fork…it has been labeled…and since you have already designated each piece, you can delegate when it comes time for food service…just make sure your minions remove the labels before putting the food in…I learned that lesson the hard way a long, long time ago!
g. Set your table the day before your event.
4. Oh yeah, DELEGATE…you need not kill yourself preparing a menu from soup to nuts! Ask guests to bring appetizers but make sure to give a suggestion…if you are thinking veggies and dip and not loaded baked potato skins that will a) take up room in your already busy oven and b) be too heavy a nosh before a meal…then speak up for heaven’s sake…desserts are also a great hand-off item…and don’t be a dessert snob…stuff from a bakery or specialty store is just as nice as homemade…ask someone to bring wine, or cider, or flowers…delegating takes a few tasks of your list and invites ownership of your event to your guests.
a. If you are faced with guests with special requests or food allergies, invite them to bring something to share, but also, make sure you prepare a few dishes separately from your main preparations. I have a few cooking tools that I use only for nut free recipes. I also designate allergen free or vegetarian/vegan foods with a tasteful little menu card so my guests need not worry, nor have to seek me out about what is “safe” for them to eat.
5. Made a lifestyle change recently?…for me it is a reduced carb menu…Yikes! right? Well, having my game plan in place, I know that I can enjoy the flavors of the holidays with modified recipes…and unless my family reads this blog, they will be none the wiser! There will be plenty of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…just not a lot of bread, potatoes and sugar. Play up your favorite flavors of the holidays…whether savory or spicy…you can add those flavor profiles and still honor the spirit of the holidays…for example: Instead of mashed potatoes, mashed roasted root vegetables… my stuffing recipe has half the bread and twice as much mirepoix, apples and some sausage to boost flavor.
a. Prepare some carrot and celery sticks to have on hand when you need to taste the food you are preparing…dip the veggie stick in the food to be tasted and make your adjustments…then finish the veggie…you will get just a taste and not a spoonful of whatever you are preparing…and the crunching curbs your desire to sneak more than a taste!
b. Another way to help us/me with carbs and calories is that I will be serving 5 courses of portioned controlled food instead of serving buffet or family style. Each course will be some version or variation of our family traditions, but using all the pieces from formal china, I will be able to serve smaller servings over a longer length of time so we can eat until full….not stuffed!
c. There will be dessert…but for me it will be a lovely fruit and cheese platter with some sparkling wine…yes!
6. If you are having a houseful and leftovers are an issue, consider:
a. Cooking an extra turkey breast the night before your event and pre-slicing it for your guests to take home for their own turkey sandwiches at home.
b. Purchasing disposable food storage containers that you can send home with family and friends…as you clean up after the meal, just back up “to go” bags…less food and less waste for you to deal with post-holiday!
7. Finally…if all else fails and things just don’t go as planned, as this Irish Catholic was taught…offer it up, learn from your mistake and have a sense of humor. Thanksgiving and the rest of the upcoming holidays provide us the time to count our blessings. When you think about what is truly important, it is not the food, but the company that matters…it is not the number of presents under the tree, but the number people who love you that really counts…and for those whose families are not as fortunate, take time and perhaps some of your budget to donate to a local food pantry, soup kitchen or outreach service…for it is in giving that we can be truly thankful!
Happy Holidays from our home to yours!
