Don’t Spend Your Holidays in the Kitchen!

How many times have we spent days leading up to a holiday rushing around like a maniac to get the house together and then cooking like mad the day of?  I know it certainly takes the fun out of the day for me and I’m not even the one hosting!  I always bring the dressing, sometimes mashed potatoes and a dessert or two because I prefer homemade over store bought.  I’ve spent many a Thanksgiving with a perfectly planned timeline that will allow me to get my Thanksgiving Day parade viewing in and make the things I need to in time to get ready without incident.  Ahh, it all looks good on paper, doesn’t it?

Then somehow peeling potatoes takes longer than anticipated, your water boils over, the pie cracks in the middle or some other minor to others (but major to you) culinary disaster.  Then you’re going Mach 5 around the house, stressed out, cranky, your timeline blown to bits and you walk out the door 10 minutes later than you planned, put on Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” just to have an excuse to scream at the top of your lungs in the car before you have to plaster on a smile for the masses and pretend it was effortless.  Oh…this is just me?  As you were.

For those of you who did see a bit of yourself in my twitchy tale, here is how I try to save my sanity (debatable on who you ask) and I hope it can help you too.

Are you on mashed potato duty?  You’re going to want to use my recipe, trust me:

That is a bowl full of delicious right there and last year when we traveled four states away for Christmas,  I froze them in my Food Saver  (affiliate link) in October, they tasted like I made them the same day!  I see the skepticism, that’s okay, I was too.  But because my recipe uses fat in the form of butter and another magic ingredient, the consistency remains the same.  This will not work, or at least not as well if you use broth if you’re trying to make “skinny” mashed potatoes.  The broth will crystalize and the texture is well, nasty when reheated.  Do a test batch of my version for yourself and just use say, four Yukon golds and just enough of the main ingredients to bring it together, use a Food Saver if you have one (or a really well-wrapped container and into a freezer bag) and give it a week.  Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then reheat either in the oven at 350 until ready or on the defrost mode of the microwave so you’re not nuking them.  Have 2 tbsp of milk or butter on hand if they need to be “freshened up” on the fluff front.  Then squee with delight, buy your mondo bags of potatoes and make your big batch knowing all you need to do is pull them out the morning before the day they’re needed for 2 hours on the counter, then in the fridge the rest of the way.  Check them the morning of and if there is any part that is still frozen put it on the 1 lb quick defrost before putting it in your baking dish or crock pot for reheating.

Same can be done for dressing.  This is the basic recipe I use.

Bake the stuffing according to directions then allow to cool off. Place in the freezer until frozen completely through. Then wrap generously with plastic wrap and a layer of Press and Seal for good measure. Thaw in the fridge the day before and just like if there are frozen parts, defrost until it’s just thawed and it’s ready to reheat when you are.

If your family isn’t a stickler for having to see the turkey on a platter in its whole bird glory, then you can REALLY save yourself some time and use my turkey hack.  I mean, how nice would it be to not have your whole oven taken up with a massive bird for hours on end on the actual holiday?!  I always make sure to have a box/can of turkey stock on hand to reheat the turkey in the pan to keep things juicy.

So there are potentially THREE heavy hitters out of the way that you could easily make the weekend or even 2 weeks before your holiday so you can devote your oven to other things…like pie.

I know many people bake fruit pies, freeze them and have perfect results when thawed.  I can’t speak to that method because I’ve never tried it.  There is something really meditative for me about making pies the evening before or day of.  I like the way the house smells and it helps put me in the holiday spirit.  So if I’m making something like pecan or apple pie, I’ll likely make it the night before and I’ll make my pumpkin pie the morning of.  My Light Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie is a must since most people agree it’s better than regular pumpkin pie at half the calories.  Of course, if you want a little more decadence, then my Dulce De Leche Pumpkin Pie is always a crowd pleaser too.  The great thing about custard pies is that you can put the filling together the day before, cover it in the fridge and then give it a quick stir before filling your pie shell.  (Your pie shells can be made the week before and frozen well wrapped so you still have homemade pie crust if you want them.  You don’t have to tell how easy it is!)

Obviously, unless you’re ordering pizza or take out you’re not going to be able to avoid the kitchen entirely.  But having the majority of your food made so that your oven is the only thing getting a reheating workout and not your cutting boards and mixing bowls and peelers and dishwasher and then having to clean it all up on top of it is going to go a long way to make it a happier holiday for everyone!

Do you make any dishes ahead of time to save your sanity?

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is greatly appreciated!

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