The Observer Newspapers | Tips to De-Stress Thanksgiving Cooking

November 21 , 2008

Tips to De-Stress Thanksgiving Cooking

By Nancy Loughin

Recipe Box Columnist

Thanksgiving is the biggest food blow-out of the year. More calories are probably consumed in that single 24-hour feeding frenzy than any other time of the year. Everything with family and friends centers on food and entertaining. It is a time for traditions like roast turkey and dressing with all the trimmings. It is also a time for high-intensity stress for the person who has to do all the planning, cooking, shopping and cleaning.

Advance planning will always help and several side items can be made well in advance. Eating out or carry-out food is another option, especially for people who work full-time; however, that gets rather expensive to feed a group of 25 guests. Roasting a turkey is relatively easy, even for the novice, but all the "trimmings" are the real time-consumers and stress-creators.

The best strategy on T-Day is to get as much done before people arrive and to have plenty of fresh vegetables, dips, crackers and chips to keep them 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," said 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 can begin several days, or weeks, in advance, with a plan. All of the salads below are especially good and can be made several days in advance. Even the mashed potato casserole, which is my family's favorite, is a time saver. Another way to save time is by having another family member do the grocery shopping for you, while you concentrate on cooking and organizing. For cleaning, try to do a little bit each day and set the table with the good china at least a week ahead of time. Just seeing everything on the table in advance, even with the trivets for the hot dishes out, is a reassuring sight for the hostess.

"I found that anything that reduced stress was well worth the money," said resident Maria Kennedy, who entertains about 35 people for her Thanksgiving meal. She said she even took an extra day off work last year and plans to do the same again this year. "Advance prep-work just turned off the pressure of being in the kitchen all day just before the guests arrived, and I was finally able to enjoy myself," she said. "I don't know why I didn't think of this years ago."

For the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving, remember the scene at the local pizza delivery place and order early. The Reston Domino's Pizza reported that this is the biggest night for delivery pizzas. "I guess Mom is just too busy cooking to make dinner that night," the manager said with a laugh last year.

Here are some time-saving Thanksgiving recipes:

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. Watch closely so it does not overbake or get too brown on the edgesÑjust bake until it is completely "set" in the middle and not soupy. This can also be doubled for a large crowd.

Traditional 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 9x13 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.

Mom's Sour Cream Mashed Potato Casserole

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, then mash until smooth (no lumps) and add cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, salt, and 1/2 stick of butter. Beat until fluffy. Pour into a greased 9x13 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.

Dad's Favorite 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 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. This can be made up to a week ahead of time, just keep sealed in the refrigerator, and stir every other day.

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, pour over vegetables and refrigerate overnight. This recipe makes enough for 20 to 24 servings. This can be made several days ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.

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 spring form 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.

My Favorite Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel 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. This can be easily doubled and served in a large casserole dish, just adjust the cooking time so that it is heated through. This can also be made up to three days in advance, covered, and baked the day of Thanksgiving. Stays warm when casserole dish is placed in an insulated container when serving.