Holiday meals are right around the corner!

05 Nov 2023 1 Comment

by A Dreamer in Holidays Tags: , , ,

For real, we’re gonna blink and Thanksgiving is going to be here with Christmas racing right behind, so the time to get some things done is NOW. Learn from my years of mistakes!

If you normally order your turkey from the local grocery store or butcher, CALL NOW. I just put in my order today. (We get a turkey breast, and it has become weirdly difficult to find a decent sized one at the local grocery stores – the amount of stress that disappeared when I knew I could just pick ours up from the butcher the day before Thanksgiving was astounding.)

Fridge/Freezer/Pantry clear out. I know this can be overwhelming. Now is the time to start – just make a point every time you open the fridge/freezer/pantry, find ONE thing that needs to go. If you do this, by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, you WILL have plenty of space, and you don’t have to do it all at once.

Get a good meat thermometer. I have a Polder thermometer and I love it – pre-programmed settings for various types of meat & done-ness, plus a “pre-alert” that lets you know, “Hey, it’s time to get in the kitchen and find the potholders!” $30 for a main dish that isn’t over or underdone is worth it.

For our turkey, I used to put butter all over it, then try to get the seasoning all over it. It was messy. Then it finally occurred to me to melt the butter, stir the seasonings into the butter and brush it on.

If you are serving cold items throughout the day – they make these great ice mats that you can put under them! I got the Flexi-Freeze mat – the part you freeze actually rolls up so it takes up less space in the freezer. Just freeze, take it out, and put it in the sleeve, and you have a nice cold surface. I have a second mat and switch them out about halfway through the day.

I have a regular roasting pan. I still end up buying a disposable one, because the regular one is a pain in the ass to clean and I am all about making my life easier. But, the disposable ones aren’t super sturdy and I was always worried about them breaking and having a turkey on the floor. Solution: Get the disposable pan. Put it inside the regular pan. Sturdy AND easy cleanup.

When I carve our turkey breast, I put the cutting mat inside a cookie sheet with a high lip on the sides, so I don’t have turkey juice going all over the counter. Works well for juice containment, but slid all over the place. Grippy stuff to the rescue!! It won’t mess up the counter or the cookie sheet, and everything stays still while you work.

Do you need demitasse spoons or little forks for appetizers? Now is the time to get them. Sometimes our grocery store has them (I occasionally see them on a hanging display in very random parts of the store) but Amazon has a very good selection of disposable ones and affordable reusable ones.

Did you know it is TOTALLY OK to go with paper plates for Thanksgiving or Christmas?! IT IS!! And there are lots of festive options out there. I’ve got a fun collection of themed platters and plates. It’s great! Start keeping an eye out at your grocery store, or again, Amazon has a lot of options here.

Delegate what you can! Let folks bring an appetizer or side dish or whatever makes things a little easier.

Do you have anything on the menu that you can make ahead of time and freeze? Go for it. Nothing wrong with defrost and reheat the day of.

Is there a dish that everyone only takes one bite of because they have to, and no one actually likes it? You can stop making it.

Poll now for food allergies/sensitivities. Ask if they have any recipes they can share and/or if they could bring a dish – so many “adjusted” foods and recipes are so good these days – and everyone can see that there really are great vegan or gluten free or dairy free dishes out there.

If you’re having a group over – do you have a quiet space for folks to chill out if they get overwhelmed with people-ing? I realize this is limited by the square footage you have, but if you can do it, folks in your life who need it will appreciate it.

And I leave you with one of my favorite, super easy dips: Cheesy Ranch Bacon Dip.

1 pint sour cream
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I usually use more)
1/4 c. bacon pieces (I always use more)
Mix, chill, eat.

Also crossposted to MyOtherBlogIsBroken.com

Happy 2020!

07 Jan 2020 Leave a comment

by A Dreamer in Cheaters Calzones, Crescent Roll Dough, Mozzarella Cheese, Pepperoni, Sauces, Spaghetti Sauce, Sweet Italian Sausage, Tomato Paste, Tomato Sauce, Turnovers Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

And if the first few days of the year are any indication, there may be a lot of comfort eating this year.

Tonight was Cheaters Calzones.  Leftover spaghetti sauce*, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and crescent roll dough.

Just divide the dough into 4 parts, and mush up the little perforations so you have 4 rectangles.  Add a dollop of spaghetti sauce, the pepperoni, and the cheese.  Fold the dough over, seal the edges, and then put a little garlic salt on top if you want.  Pop into the oven, cooking according to the crescent roll directions.

A square piece of golden brown baked pastry dough on a while plate

Before the tasty, gooey mess when you bite in.

This is my tried & true spaghetti sauce recipe:

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (It always ends up a little less, because somehow some of it disappears between the time I cook it and it hits the pot.)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 c. onion, minced
1-2 6 oz. cans of tomato paste
4-5 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
The sauce & paste can be plain or “Italian style”
4-8 oz liquid of your choice (chicken or veg stock, water, red wine, white wine – I find beef stock to be too heavy.)
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1-3 cranks of cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp parsley

Cook up the sausage and get it to a “crumbly” state, drain well. (This can be done way ahead of time and popped in the fridge, there will be more than enough simmer time for it to heat all the way through.)

Saute the garlic and onions in a bit of butter or oil, until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add 4 cups of tomato sauce. When you put the first cup in, be ready to stir right away – the pan will be hot and this will prevent burning until the pan temp drops with the additional liquid in it. Then add the rest of the tomato sauce, and work in one can of the tomato paste.

Add in the sausage, heat over medium-low to medium heat until it starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer 15 minutes to let the flavors start to come together before adding the additional spices. (Especially if you’re using pre-seasoned tomato sauce or paste – you may need to go lighter on the add’l spices.)

At the 15 minute point, check the consistency – if it’s too thick for your taste, work in some tomato sauce or your “other” liquid – start with 1/2 cup at a time. Too thin? Add tomato paste, starting w/a half can. If you do adjust the liquids or paste, let it go another 5-10 minutes before adding spices.

Once you have the consistency where you like it, add the spices. This is also a good time to start your pasta water – don’t have to get it to boiling just yet, but if you at least get the pot heated up, when you’re ready to cook your pasta, it should only take a few minutes to get it to boiling. (I have a large pot and it does take forever to get water to boil for me.)

Cover and simmer another 15 minutes on low. Check the taste, adjust spices as needed and simmer another 5-10 minutes w/spice adjustment. When you’ve got it where you want it, turn off the heat, fire up the boiling water for the pasta and enjoy! (It will definitely stay hot enough while the pasta is cooking.)

I also use this sauce for lasagna and baked ziti, and it freezes wonderfully.

* Jarred pizza sauce certainly works, too – I’m a fam of Rao’s sauce.