FOOD ART AND FAMILY FUN - TIPS FOR MAKING THANKSGIVING MORE FUN AND LESS WORK

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Thanksgiving doesn't have to be a hassle you know!  

It is about being thankful, not being frantic.  

Slow down and enjoy the season this year.  

Below are 15 simple tips that will make your time easier and less stressful:

.....Invite early.  People get committed and those that you want to invite will already be busy.

.....Buy dry goods at least two weeks ahead.

.....Buy frozen goods at least two weeks ahead, especially the turkey.  Things start disappearing and prices start going up closer to the holiday.

.....Make your menu out and have a detailed grocery list.  Buy the fresh produce and perishable items a few days before Thanksgiving.  Try to go shopping after nine in the evening, or during work hours and avoid the large crowds.  Tuesday mornings are the best.

.....Make things that will keep over the two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, cookies, candies, cakes that can be frozen and iced the day of.

.....Have a day before just for baking.  Play music and have fun being creative, it helps you to get in the right mood for guest.

.....Remember a turkey usually takes about four days to thaw in the refrigerator.  Go ahead and cook your turkey the day before.  Slice and arrange in nice trays and put in the refrigerator.   Take out just before time to serve.

......You don’t have to make EVERYTHING from scratch.  Mixes are great these days and no one  will ever know the difference if you chose the right ones.

.....Have your casseroles all put together the day before and store in the refrigerator. 

.....Before you start to do the casseroles and salads spend a few hours just chopping vegetables and store them in the refrigerator in large plastic zip lock bags.  When you start to assemble everything, just take what you need.  It will save you a lot of time in the end.

.....Have your table set ahead of time.  Study the silverware and the napkins and make sure everything is sparkling clean and arranged attractively.

.....There are a lot of boiled eggs used in Thanksgiving dishes.  Have about a dozen pre-boiled when  you start to arrange your dressing and casseroles.  Remove the shells and store in plastic zip  lock bags. Have some of them already chopped in zip-lock bags.
   
.....If you're on a budget and want to add color to your table, check out the dollar store for
       decorations and even colorful plates and napkins.  You might be very surprised.

......You can download free music on the Internet that has thanksgiving themes.  Makes good background music.

.....Surround candles with pine cones and pecans from your own yard.  They will make a good center piece for your table without spending a penny.

.....Just a few little ideas.  You can do these things with ease.  Let everyone chip in and bring dishes that you coordinate so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen. 

Remember the reason for the holiday and just be thankful!  

No need to stress at all. 

Still too hard?  Okay....hop in the car and drive straight to Moms or Grandmothers!

FOOD ART AND FAMILY TRADITION - EASY MEALS DINNER COLLECTION MEAL NO. SEVEN - SQUASH, PEPPER AND TOMATO SURPRISE

Salad:

RAINBOW CHOPPED SALAD

Ingredients:

for ORANGE-OREGANO DRESSING:

         1/2 teaspoon orange zest

         1/2 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed

         1/4 cup cider vinegar

         1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

         2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped, or 3/4 teaspoon dried

         1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

         1/2 teaspoon salt

         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

for sALAD:

         1-1/2 cups bell peppers, chopped

         1-1/2 cups broccoli florets, chopped

         1 cup shredded carrots

         1/2 cup radishes, diced 
          2 cups chopped purple cabbage
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Directions:

     To prepare dressing: Place orange zest and juice, vinegar, oil, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper in a jar. Cover and shake to combine. (Makes about 1 cup.)

      To prepare salad: Combine bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, radishes, cabbage and onion in a medium bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. ( You can refrigerate extra dressing for up to 1 week.)

·   

Bread:

HEALTHY CINNAMON NUTMEG MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups whole-wheat white flour

1 cup wheat germ

1/3 cup chia seeds
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup soymilk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.  In large bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, chia seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In medium bowl, beat egg  with brown sugar, oil, applesauce and soy milk.  Mix with dry ingredients just until evenly moistened.   Spoon into muffin tins.   Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Main Dish:

SQUASH PEPPER AND TOMATO SURPRISE

Ingredients:

         1-2 pounds lean ground beef (cooked and drained)

         2 large garden tomatoes

         1-2 yellow squash, sliced

         1-2 bell peppers, chopped

         1 onion, chopped and cooked

         1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

         1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

         1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place tomatoes on foil lined baking sheet and put in oven under broiler for five to eight minutes while you cook and prepare the ground beef and onions.  Remove tomatoes from oven while ground beef is cooking and set aside to cool slightly. Once cooled, carefully peel skin off and slice into large wedges.  Add tomatoes to ground beef and onions in skillet and continue cooking over medium high heat.   Add salt, parsley, black pepper.  Stir well and cook for about ten minutes. Add squash and bell pepper and stir well. Cook until squash is lightly translucent and bell pepper is just tender, about ten more minutes.

 Side Dish:

BACON BOURBON BAKED BEANS

Ingredients:

1 pound dry navy beans

10 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups water

3/4 cup of BBQ sauce

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons molasses

1 cup bourbon

1 1/2 tablespoons ground mustard

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

The night before, add beans to a large pot and cover with water. Drain the next morning.  Bring beans to a boil in a large pot of water, let simmer for 30-40 minutes, then drain. While beans are cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until crispy and fat is rendered, and then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Reduce heat to medium-low and add onion, cooking for 8-10 minutes, until caramel-like and soft. Add in garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and then turn off heat.  Add water, bourbon, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, ketchup, ground mustard, vinegar, molasses and Worcestershire sauce to a crock pot and whisk well to combine. Add in beans, onions (and all of the bacon fat) and bacon to the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours, stirring occasionally. After 10-12 hours, turn crock pot to “warm” setting or turn off completely and let sit anywhere from 30 minutes-2 hours, which will help the sauce for the beans thicken even more. These taste even better the next day!  Note: after 10-12 hours the liquid may still seem “to much liquid.” It is imperative to let the beans sit for a while on the lower setting (or on the off setting, still covered) so they become thick and syrupy like traditional baked beans.

Dessert:

BANANA PUDDING

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

¾ cups sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

40 vanilla wafers

4 medium bananas 

Directions:

In a sauce pan stir together ½ cup of sugar, salt and flour.  Separate yolks from whites of 3 eggs and set whites aside.  Add one whole egg to the remaining egg yolks.   Stir egg yolk mixture and milk together and add to the sauce pan.  Cook about 10 minutes, stirring until the mixture thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Layer one third of the pudding, one half of the vanilla wafers and one half of the banana slices and then add the last 1/3 of the pudding on top of all.   Make the meringue by beating the reserved egg whites with just a pinch of salt until they are stiff.  Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until the egg whites will not slide out of the bowl when it is tilted.  Spread the meringue mixture over the pudding with a spatula and bake until the meringue is slightly browned (approximately five minutes.)