Christine, our circulation manager, and I were discussing getting ready for Thanksgiving. She will have a houseful and need to cook for them. She is already planning how to minimize her hosting stress and how she can enjoy her grandkids on Thanksgiving.
After watching my mom and my friends undertake Thanksgiving dinner for years, I have some insight on how to make the holiday easier. Especially if your Thanksgiving guests consists of children who complain about having to eat turkey (when turkey is literally the only sandwich they will consume), refuse to eat anything besides a store-bought dinner roll, and then beg to leave the table in under 10 minutes proclaiming “I’m done”.
Kids can get overwhelmed at the many different foods on the holiday menu. Feed them small amounts and give them food they already know. Feed your kids a healthy snack before dinner so they aren’t “hangry”. Thanksgiving is a time to create memories, not stress over the dinner table.
Before I started at the paper, I worked at Food Lion for 6 months which included the Thanksgiving holiday. The day before Thanksgiving is known as “Turkey Wednesday” or “Blackout Wednesday”, the single busiest day for grocery stores during the year, and the Tuesday before is not much better either. I worked that Thanksgiving week and had no fun being yelled at by customers because we were out of heavy cream and potatoes.
My first tip is to split your grocery shopping into two strategic trips. The first trip, which you should do a full week before Thanksgiving (before the supermarkets get crowded), is for nonperishables — canned things, flour and sugar, spices, paper towels, foil — anything on your list that doesn’t need to be super fresh. Then make a second smaller and easier trip the Monday morning before Thanksgiving to just pick up things like salad greens, any fruit you still need, milk and cream, etc. when they are still in stock.
One of the best tricks for serving Thanksgiving dinner is learning which dishes you can make or prep ahead of time. There are dishes that work well to make ahead of Thanksgiving and others that don’t. Wash, trim, and chop your veggies the day before then store in plastic baggies in the fridge. Make cranberry sauce a day or two before and keep in the refrigerator. If your family is like mine and serves Jello, it is best to make the day before so it has plenty of time to set. Orange Jello in a glass pumpkin was a family favorite. You definitely don’t want to be dealing with more baking when you already have a turkey in the oven. Make any cookies, cakes or pies before the day.
Choose a crockpot recipe for a side dish. Keep mashed potatoes in a crockpot to keep them warm. This frees up the oven for larger dishes like the turkey or ham.
Try to simplify as much as you can in order to lower your stress. However you celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, by ordering in, having a potluck or just having coffee and desserts, make it a priority. You don’t know if those same faces will be smiling or frowning at the table next year and you don’t want to miss time with them.
Crock pot sweet potatoes with marshmallows
4-5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1-inch rounds
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter melted
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy cream (or milk)
1 cup mini marshmallows (or more, to taste)
Instructions:
Prep the crockpot: Lightly grease the inside of the crockpot with butter or non-stick spray to prevent sticking. Layer the sweet potatoes: place the sweet potato slices evenly in the crockpot. Mix the glaze: in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cream. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the sweet potatoes are tender. About 10-15 mins before serving; sprinkle the marshmallows over the top. Cover and let them melt (but don’t stir). Set the crockpot to “warm” to keep the dish hot for guests.
You can prep ahead by slicing the sweet potatoes and mixing the glaze a day before and storing in the fridge until ready to assemble. Add flavor and pizazz to your dish by adding pecans, maple syrup drizzle or dried cranberries.
