The Finer things You Can Afford

Here are some of my favorite tips for stress free holiday entertaining.  Life is too short to get all worried and worst of all to not have enough time to enjoy your own party.  That is tragic!

1) Make something ahead of time so you just have to throw it in the oven.  I love to make a tray of lasagna a day or two ahead of time and bake it off when my guests arrive.  It actually tastes better after it sits for a bit and who doesn’t love lasagna?

2) Make a cheesecake for dessert because you can make it the day before and can serve it for a couple of days until it is gone.  I like to make a simple glaze by melting high quality seedless jams as a sauce.  People love it and it is so simple – just put some jam in a sauce pan and heat over low heat until warm. 

3) Keep life simple and just serve appetizers.  A simple platter with grapes, cheddar cheese, and crackers is always a crowd pleaser.  Include an olive dip or a spinach and artichoke dip as well.  I also like to have a stacked dessert tray with little treats like truffles, amaretti cookies, and biscotti.  You can never go wrong with some brie and a baguette as well.  The holidays are about enjoying friends and family not being the martyr that cooked all day. 

4) Have a dessert buffet with chocolate mousse, a cheesecake, and holiday cookies.  Make some strong coffee and spike it with Baileys – your guests will love it!

It is important to make a Thanksgiving spent in your home something that your guests will not forget.  They will invariably remember good food, but it takes a little extra effort for the holiday to be memorable for the long term.  The first impression is paramount-always greet them at the door with a smile and show them to the bar or fix them a cocktail.  You should have a variety of wines and spirits available.  Setting the ambiance is also very important.  For instance, you should light candles on the table, have a fabulous centerpiece, and be sure to play some good music that does not interfere with conversation.  And put out some appetizers, that old nonsense that you have to wait for the meal to eat should not be adhered to.  Dessert is often the star of the meal so it is important to have a good variety.  I usually have pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple crumb pie, and an assortment of cookies and candies.  The cookies look great on a tiered dessert stand.  Another thing that is sure to impress and improve the taste of your desserts is to make homemade whipped cream.  It only takes a few minutes but it is far better than anything you could buy in the store.  And last but not least, make sure you give your guests a little something to take home with them. 

I have followed this menu for the past several years and it has never failed me, and my guests love it.  I have pulled the recipes from a variety of sources which I will list below. 

The Perfect Roast Turkey by Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa

Herb and Apple Stuffing by Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa 

Cranberry Orange Sauce by Martha Stewart

Mashed Potatoes (mash as you normally would, but add 6 -8 cloves of roasted garlic that has been mashed with a fork) You should use Yukon Gold Potatoes for best results.  People will wonder why your mashed potatoes are so fabulous. 

Roast Acorn Squash – Roast at 350 degress for 45-60 minutes (until a knife goes through them easily).  Before roasting add a teaspoon of butter and a fresh sage leaf.  After roasting remove the sage leaf and stir or pulse in a food processor.  Add some butter, brown sugar,  some freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Sometimes I roast brussels sprouts or green beans as well.  Sometimes I stop at the squash, it all depends on how many people are coming.  I have found that people don’t need 7 side dishes in order to be happy on Thanksgiving.  That realization has removed a great deal of stress from my Thanksgiving preparations. 

Some people may feel that inviting someone to your home for a fabulous home cooked meal is gift enough, but your guests will truly appreciate a little memento of their Thanksgiving Feast.  I’ll include some ideas for favors below.

1. Send them home with little pumpkins hollowed out with a small flower arrangement in them.  You can even use them as part of your centerpiece and have each guest take one with them when they leave. 
2. You can also send them home with a slice of pie or cookies baked especially for the day.  Make sure you have little boxes or bags tied with festive ribbon.  No one will brag about the favor they got in a ziploc bag. 
3. Print your favorite Thanksgiving recipe on velum paper and tie it up like a scroll.  What could be a better momento than that?  You will be getting credit for this thoughtful gift every time they make the dish for their family and friends.
4. Send them home with a Christmas tree ornament or a holiday scented candle.  I love Christmas Eve by Yankee Candle.  Admit that you are already thinking about Christmas as you are drying the Thanksgiving dishes – I know that I am. 

It is a lovely gesture for someone to invite you to their home for the holidays.  You should thank them by giving them a gift that they won’t need to attend to when you give it to them. 

1) A special occasion coffee – perhaps Jamaican, Kona or something flavored for the holiday such as Pumpkin Spice or something apple or cinnamon flavored.

2) A box of chocolates

3) A bottle of champagne.  We love to have a champagne toast on Thanksgiving to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.

4) Send a centerpiece beforehand for them to use on Thanksgiving or send a Christmas themed centerpiece a few days afterwards.  Take their personal style into account and it is probably best to go with something simple rather than something bright orange or red – unless you know them well enough to know they would like those colors. 

5) Bring some cookies on a plain but elegant serving tray that are already arranged.  Don’t bring something that may clash with the rest of their serving trays.

6) Send them a gourmet cheesecake.  It will help with dessert and you can have it delivered directly to them.  Be sure to let them know to expect it.  Visit http://eclecticgrocer.com/cheesecakes.html for a great selection of holiday flavors. 

One Month Before:

• Finalize guest list and send invitations. 
• Finalize your menu and make shopping list (perishables and non-perishables separate so you can take care of some shopping ahead of time). 

Two weeks before: 

• Check serving bowls and decide which serving bowls and platters you will be using on Thanksgiving.  I have a huge platter that I put both the turkey and the stuffing on, a beautiful lined silver bowl for cranberry sauce, and serving bowls that match my china for the mashed potatoes and other vegetables. 
• Polish your silver get your candlesticks etc. table ready. 
• Arrange to borrow any tables, if necessary. 
• Order centerpieces or flowers needed to make them yourself. 

One Week Before or weekend before Thanksgiving:

• Buy non-perishable food items
• Make your final seating chart (and place cards)
• Iron linens and hang them so they are ready for the table.  If they are washable you can wait to do this, put them in the dryer (dry) before you set the table or spray them with a wrinkle releaser product.  Again, only if they are washable linens – do not try this with Grandma’s lace tablecloth. 
• Buy the wine. 
• Put sticky notes in the serving bowls so you know what dish you are using for each dish you are preparing. 
• Get your house ready for company or consider hiring a cleaning service to help you out with this. 

Monday before Thanksgiving:

Tuesday before Thanksgiving:

• Take care of last minute shopping (turkey, bread for stuffing, etc) 
• Pick up or make your centerpieces.  Keep flowers in the fridge until Thursday AM.  Make sure you have candles as well. 

Wednesday Before Thanksgiving:

• Roast the squash, flavor it and put it in oven ready dish (covered with plastic wrap).
• Make the mashed potatoes and put them in a metal or glass heat proof bowl.  Allow them to cool completely and then put them in the fridge with the plastic wrap touching them to keep them fresh until tomorrow.  
• Cut up the herbs, onions, celery, etc. for the stuffing.  I like to pulse them a few times in a food processor to save time.  I also measure out what is needed for each recipe and save it in a plastic bag labeled with the dish it is needed for. 
• Set up buffet table and put tablecloth on it. 

Thanksgiving Day:

• Cut up the bread for the stuffing and toast it.  Prepare the stuffing. 
• Prepare the turkey and stuff it – get it in the oven.   
• Set the tables and get out the centerpieces. 
• Set up the buffet table with serving dishes and serving spoons so when the food is ready everything will be neatly laid out.  It will also prevent you from forgetting anything because the empty dish will remind you to get the cranberry sauce. 
• An hour before the turkey will be ready – put the squash in the oven so it can re-heat. 
• When the turkey comes out, tent it underneath aluminum foil and let it rest for 20 minutes.  This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.  Begin re-heating the mashed potatoes over a double boiler.  Add some milk if they become dry. 
• As the turkey is being carved, prepare the gravy. 
• Put everything in serving bowls and platters, serve the wine, and dinner is served. 

The holidays are invariably a stressful time, particularly for those actually hosting the meal of the year.  I would like to share a few tips that have helped me over the years.

1) Send invitations as it is a great time saver.  This allows you to communicate necessary information and give everyone an RSVP date making it clear that you need at least a little notice if they will be joining you.  Consider making it regrets only so you won’t have to waste your time calling that grouchy aunt that you know is coming every year. 

2) Buy a Turkey Gravy Base, just in case you don’t have enough pan juices for gravy.  It is always good to have extra gravy around anyhow.  Williams and Sonoma makes a fabulous Turkey Gravy Base. 

3) Have place cards if you have 8 or more guests.  They are great for making sure people are seated in a way to maximize conversation.  Consider putting a little distance between spouses as they have dinner together quite frequently.  It is also a wonderful way to separate family members/guests that are prone to drama and nonsense.

4) Make your squash and mashed potatoes the day before and reheat them.  I reheat the squash in the oven and reheat the mashed potatoes in a double boiler on the stove.  They taste the same and save me some last minute scrambling. 

5) Pick up or make your centerpieces the day before as well.  I keep the flowers in the fridge until I set the tables.  It also prevents pets from having an early Thanksgiving feast on the flowers. 

6) Use your food processor to help you chop the herbs, onions, celery, etc that you will need.  Then I measure what is needed for each recipe and put it in plastic bags in the fridge (marked for what they are needed for).  I usually do that the day before as well. 

7) Delegate a few things to others.  I like to prepare the meal myself so I can make sure all the flavors will go well together.  Desserts are a good thing to delegate as are appetizers.  Most people want to bring something so I have those that bake bring dessert and those that don’t bring a bottle of wine. 

The most important thing is to make a list and have a plan for when you will get things done.  It will keep you sane and make this much less stressful. 

9)  Get a meat thermometer that can read the temperature without opening the oven door.  They have alarms as well and can be set for the type of meat you are cooking.  This will prevent the peanut gallery from commenting on whether the turkey is cooked and prevent the heat loss from oven door being opened to check the temperature. 

10) Buy a fresh turkey.  You won’t have to mess around with defrosting it and the taste is superior as well.  It is a little more expensive but well worth knowing the turkey will be oven ready when you need it to be. 

11) Leave yourself about an hour before everyone arrives to relax and get yourself ready. 

Everyone has had a friend or family member stop by unannounced and had that feeling of panic – nothing to serve them.  With a few items stocked in your freezer or pantry you are always ready for unexpected guests, so next time you will enjoy the surprise instead of freaking out.  Amaretti cookies are a wonderful little cookie that goes great with coffee or tea.  The ones packaged separately and wrapped with decorative papers keep  for a long time and look nice on a cookie display.  Another great dessert idea is biscotti since they keep for up to a month in an airtight container.  And again they are wonderful with coffee.  I also like to freeze chocolate mouse (up to 3 months) for occasions like this.  Everyone loves chocolate mouse…  I hope that these ideas help you the next time you have company drop in.  Put on a pot of coffee and you are ready to chat.

Almost everyone knows someone with a gluten allergy which can present a bit of a challenge when entertaining.  It is always a good idea to be prepared with a couple gluten free mixes on hand so there is no need to panic if you find out about such and allergy after a guest has arrived for the weekend or the day of a dinner party.  The Eclectic Grocer has a number of products that are gluten free and made in a dedicated kitchen.  They have chocolate chip cookie mix, lemon poppyseed bread mix, pancake and waffle mix, and a brownie mix.   Click the link below to check out the selection of fabulous gluten free products. 

http://eclecticgrocer.com/gluten-free-mixes.html

The secret to arranging flowers at home is simple, use the right vase.  You can keep it simple and stay with only one type of flower.  I didn’t use any floral tape for this, the roses are just stacked on one another.  Another common mistake is that people don’t cut the flowers to match the vase and the flowers don’t end up bunched together neatly.  Flower arranging is easy…  with the right tools.  Make sure you have a sharp pair of scissors and cut the flowers at an angle so they absorb more water.  Always add flower food and change the water daily to extend their life.  Store them in the fridge for a day or two before the party so you can get this done ahead of time. 

I have used this vase for a number of occasions, both casual and formal.  I typically use this for a dozen roses which is great because there is no guesswork when I am buying the flowers.  The main thing is that I know that this vase is perfect for a dozen roses so I always know that I have a classic centerpiece option if nothing else at the floral shop speaks to me.