| Last
Minute Ideas for Thanksgiving Feast |
| Thanksgiving is the biggest food blow-out of the year. More
calories are probably consumed in that single 24-hour period
than any other time of the year. Everything with family and
friends centers around food and entertaining. It is a time
for traditions and high-intensity stress for the person who
has to do all the planning, cooking, shopping and cleaning. |
| Advance planning will always help, and several meal items
can be made well in advance. |
| The best strategy on Thanksgiving is to get as much done
before people arrive, and have plenty of fresh vegetables,
dips and crackers to keep them busy away from the kitchen.
|
| "I know that everyone ends up in the kitchen, but when
I am trying to pull it all together, it can be real awkward
to try and pull a hot casserole out the oven," confided
one frantic Reston cook. "I lose my temper a lot on Thanksgiving,
and I always regret it. There has got to be an easier way." |
| Reducing stress on Thanksgiving begins several days, or
weeks, in advance. All of the salads below are especially
good, and can be made several days in advance because the
marinating will improve them. Even the mashed potato casserole
(our family favorite) is a day-ahead time-saver. For shopping,
try giving a list to another family member to do the shopping
for you, while you concentrate on cooking and organizing.
For cleaning, try to do a little bit each day, and set the
table at least a day ahead of time. |
| "I found that anything that reduced stress was well
worth the money," said Carol Bursar. She even took an
extra day off from work last year and plans to do the same
again this year, or maybe two days. She entertains about 35
people for the noon meal. "Advance prep-work turns off
the pressure of being in the kitchen all day just before the
guests arrived, and I was finally able to enjoy myself."
She added: "I don¯t know why I didn¯t think of this years
ago." |
| One grandmother of a Sterling family brings already-assembled
gingerbread houses for each of the grandchildren. After the
dishes are cleared, she gathers all the grandchildren and
lets them each decorate a house with candy and icing, with
plenty of video-taping going on during the process. |
| "It is something that the grandchildren all look forward
to all year long, and it has become a family tradition,"
she said. "If we use good candy, even the adults want
to sample and get in on the act." |
| For the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, remember
the scene at the local pizza delivery place and order early.
The Reston Dominoes reports that this is the biggest night
for delivery pizzas. "I guess Mom is just too busy cooking
to make dinner that night," the manage said. |
| Here are some time-saving recipes: |
| |
|
| Baked
Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping |
| 3 cups cooked, skinned, mashed sweet potatoes |
| 1/2 cup sugar |
| 2 eggs, beaten |
| 1/4 cup milk |
| 1/2 tsp. salt |
| 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract |
| 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar |
| 1 cup chopped pecans |
| 1/2 cup flour |
| 1/4 cup margarine |
| Combine first six ingredients in a container of a food processor,
cover and process until smooth. This can be done with a mixer
if you do not have a food processor. Spoon mixture into a
greased shallow 2-quart casserole. Combine brown sugar, pecans,
flour and butter. Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake
at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Makes 8 to 10 servings. |
| |
| Strawberry,
Banana Split Gelatin Salad |
| 2 (3-oz.) pkgs. strawberry Jello |
| 1 cup boiling water |
| 2 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed |
| 1 can (1 lb. 4 oz.) crushed pineapple (drained) |
| 3 medium bananas, mashed |
| 1 cup chopped walnuts |
| 1 cup sour cream |
| Mix Jello and water. Fold in the fruit and nuts. Spoon half
the mixture in a 9 x 9 inch pan or glass dish (I use a glass
dish). Refrigerate until firm, about 1/2 hour. Spread sour
cream on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. |
| |
| Strawberry
Pretzel Salad |
| 2 2/3 cups coarsely ground pretzels |
| 1 1/2 sticks margarine (melted) |
| 8 oz. cream cheese |
| 1 cup sugar |
| 1 large container of Cool Whip |
| 2 pkgs. Strawberry Jello |
| 2 (10-oz.) pkgs. frozen strawberries (thawed) |
| Mix two packages of Jello with 2 cups boiling water, stir
until dissolved. Add both packages of strawberries. Chill
while you make the pretzel crust. Mix ground pretzels and
melted margarine in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Bake for 10
minutes at 350 degrees, stir a couple of times in dish to
make sure it bakes evenly. Gently press down into an even
layer on the bottom with the back of a spoon. Let cool. Bring
cream cheese to room temperature, and beat with sugar until
smooth. Add Cool Whip gradually, and beat until blended. Spread
on cooled pretzel crust. Place in refrigerator for at least
one hour. Remove and pour Jello mixture over the whipped layer.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. |
| |
| |
| Old-Fashioned
Baked Corn Pudding |
| 1 can (13 oz.) evaporated milk |
| 1 can (17 oz.) cream style corn |
| 3 Tbsp. cornstarch |
| 2/3 cup white sugar |
| 2 to 3 eggs, beaten |
| 1 tsp. vanilla |
| 1/2 stick butter, melted |
| 1/2 tsp. salt |
| Mix the first three ingredients together. Add sugar, eggs,
vanilla and salt. Pour in 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Spoon melted
butter over the top. Cook at 350 degrees for one hour until
mixture is set or brown. This can also be cooked at 400 degrees
for 50 minutes. |
| |
| Sour
Cream Mashed Potatoes |
| 5 lb. bag of baking potatoes, or 9 large |
| 8 oz. cream cheese |
| 1 1/2 cups sour cream |
| 1 tsp. garlic powder |
| 1 tsp. salt |
| 1 stick butter or margarine |
| Cook potatoes until tender. Drain. Mash until smooth (no
lumps) and add cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder and
salt, and just 1/2 stick of butter. Beat until fluffy. Pour
into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish and dot with remaining
butter and sprinkle with pepper on top. This can be made ahead
and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes if taking directly
from a cold refrigerator, or until the casserole is heated
through and butter is melted on top. Serve with main course.
|
| |
| Marinated
Sweet and Sour Vegetable Salad |
| 1 can French-style green beans |
| 1 small can water chestnuts, sliced |
| 1 can bean sprouts |
| 1 can white shoepeg corn |
| 1 small can button mushrooms |
| 1 small jar chopped pimentos |
| 1 green pepper, diced |
| 1 cup celery, diced |
| 3 medium carrots, julienned |
| 1 small head cauliflower, stem removed, broken into tiny
bits |
| 1 medium onion, diced |
| Dressing: |
| 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar |
| 2 cups sugar |
| 1 cup salad oil |
| 2 Tbsp. salt |
| Drain all vegetables, and combine. Mix sauce ingredients
and pour over vegetables and refrigerate overnight. This recipe
makes enough for 20-24 servings. |
| |
| Marinated
Carrot Salad |
| 2 lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced thin |
| 1 green pepper, chopped very fine |
| 1 can tomato soup |
| 1/2 cup salad oil |
| 3/4 cup vinegar |
| 1 cup sugar |
| 1 medium onion, chopped very fine |
| 1 tsp. prepared dry mustard |
| Boil the carrots in salted water until tender but not mushy.
Drain and set aside. Mix all the remaining ingredients and
bring to a boil in a saucepan. Boil for 5 minutes and then
pour over cooked carrots. Chill overnight. |
| |
| Pumpkin
Cheesecake |
| 1 cup gingersnap or Oreo cookie crumbs |
| 1 Tbsp. sugar |
| 4 to 5 Tbsp. margarine, melted |
| 2 (8-oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened |
| 3/4 cup sugar |
| 16 oz. canned pumpkin |
| 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon |
| 1/2 tsp. nutmeg |
| 1/2 tsp. ginger |
| 1/4 tsp. salt |
| 2 eggs |
| Topping: |
| 2 cups real sour cream |
| 2 Tbsp. sugar |
| 1 tsp. vanilla extract |
| Chocolate syrup |
| Combine the gingersnap crumbs (make them in a food processor)
and press them into the bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch
springform pan. Beat cream cheese until fluffy, then gradually
add sugar, pumpkin, spices, and salt. Add eggs one at a time.
Beat well until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake at 350 degrees
for 50 minutes, or until the middle is not soupy, but set.
While cheesecake is baking, mix topping ingredients until
smooth. When cheesecake is done, spread the topping over the
cake, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool on a rack,
then chill overnight. Before serving, make little swirls of
chocolate syrup on top. Slice and serve with hot coffee or
tea. |
| |
| |
| Kid-Favorite
Chocolate Pie |
| Crust: |
| 1/4 cup margarine |
| 1 cup flour |
| 2 Tbsp. sugar |
| 1/2 cup chopped nuts |
| Second layer: |
| 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese |
| 1 cup Cool Whip |
| 1 cup powdered sugar |
| Third layer: |
| 1 large package of instant chocolate pie filling (made
according to package directions) |
| Mix ingredients for crust until crumbly an press into a
9 x 12 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees or until golden
brown. Cool well. Second layer: Mix well with electric mixer;
softened cream cheese, cool whip, and powdered sugar. Spread
this mixture on the cooled crust. Chill well. Third layer:
Make instant chocolate pie filling according to package directions.
Spread on cream cheese layer. Chill well. For serving, decorate
with Cool Whip. Serves 12. Editor¯s note: other flavors of
pudding may be substituted for the chocolate, such as lemon
or butterscotch. |
