Thanksgiving Cheats
Quick tips, tricks, and inside info for a stress-free holiday
Nervous about Thanksgiving? Maybe it's your first, or your tenth but you still worry. Here are some of my tips and tricks to make your meal delicious AND stress-free
Thanksgiving Tricks, Tips & Cheats
- Wondra Sauce & Gravy Flour - perfect for gravy.
- Kitchen Bouquet is essentially a caramelized vegetables reduced to a browning agent with some seasoning added. A little bit goes a long way but if you like a turkey with deep mahogany color this is your key.
- Pumpkin pie tip: toast the spices before adding. Crush gingersnaps and pecans to sprinkle on the bottom of the pie. Press into and halfway up side of crust.
- Thanksgiving Spice rub – make it now. It’ll boost the flavor of your bird.
- Compound butter – this will go between the breast skin and meat. et Voilá self-basting turkey.
- Get Rainwater Madeira for gravy, Bourbon for sweet potatoes, Grand Marnier, etc.
- List now what can be done ahead of time: make spiced nuts, measure dry ingredients for stuffing and set aside in labeled bag. Make brine if you’re brining the turkey. Toast nuts for sweet potatoes, stuffing. Make a list of what you'll do each day so it's not all piled up for THE day.
- Make pie crusts now and freeze them.
- Buy extras of ingredients like low salt broth, butter, cream this week, as they may be hard to find last minute.
- If you're worried about time management, you can make dinner rolls now and freeze them, too.
- Dark green kale and small lady apples make a gorgeous bed for your turkey. Remember - first we eat with the eyes.
- Most importantly: remember the day is not about perfection. It's about sharing a feast with good friends and appreciating all you've got.
- Stay tuned for recipes and more tips.
The copyright of the article Thanksgiving Cheats in Gourmet Food is owned by Jacqueline Church. Permission to republish Thanksgiving Cheats in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
