Tips for a Successful Thanksgiving Feast
Greetings from Stuffie land! We know you’ve spent the day eating some fancy meals and watching some parades & sports & what-not. Some of you may have gone for a walk or played some games. We’ve been working away in the kitchen putting together a very complex dinner plan. And then we had to sit down and write you all about it. In case you’d like to follow our footsteps next year, here’s what you need…
Appetizers. Often, these get overlooked because people are afraid you’ll fill up on the snacks and not have room for the feast. We have 2 questions: 1) What’s the problem with that? More leftovers for those of us that did all the work hosting. and 2) What happens when your dinner takes 15 million extra hours and people are crabby because you haven’t fed them lunch because the turkey won’t be done until 4 pm? Exactly. Put out the snacks, people!
Drinks: Many of you have carefully purchased lemonade, sodas, maybe even alcohol. The over-achievers out there have even washed and polished all their glasses and stemware so it can sparkle. But how many of you considered us caffeine lovers and put a pot of coffee on to brew? That’s what we thought. Hop to it!
Sides: It’s important to have a variety of foods that people can pile up on their plates. That way, they can craft their own taste experience. We don’t know why most of these are brown foods that are carbs. We’ve got the perfect candidate- it has oats, cereal, seasonings, and fat. You can use it like stuffing, crumble it as a topping, or eat it by itself. Enjoy!
More sides: There just can’t be enough. Many people think that spending a lot of time boiling potatoes down to nothing and then covering up that travesty by adding back in flavor with milk & butter is a good idea. We say- save the water! People prefer their potatoes by the handful. When was the last time you saw people adding a container of mashed potatoes to their lunchbox or grocery cart or having some as an after-school snack? Do people have “mashed potato Wednesdays”? They do not. Seriously, everyone- just do the right thing.
Main Course: The main dish should be a specialty of yours. You can bake, roast, deep fry, or grill it. We have our own dragon in house, so the cooking time is pretty short. Be sure to keep an eye on your entrée. You’ll know it’s done because it will change color on the outside and be cooked through the middle. Some people get fancy and check the temperature. We say “why bother?” If it’s black and charred, it’s probably cooked. Bon appétit!
Pizzazz: Everything that gets cooked should have some extra pizzazz. Fancy that food up, people! We recommend toppings that make things more delicious.
Condiments, people… condiments. We know we just told you to add pizzazz. And you should. But that is not enough.
Pay attention, everyone- this is where many people go wrong. They think everything they make will be so delicious that zero of their guests will be unhappy. WRONG! Most of their guests wish they could add some mustard to that stuffing or some orange zest to that cranberry sauce or some ketchup to that ham. And most guests are too polite to go digging in your fridge to get what they need to make dinner more worthwhile. We recommend loading up the counter with some extras. Or just open the pantry & let them help themselves. You’re welcome!
Produce: It’s very important to have fruit or vegetables as part of your complete Thanksgiving meal. Some people like to have cranberries. We say- why not go gourmet?
Pie: And, before some of you get upset with us, yes, we know pie is an essential part of the feast. Pie= something delicious baked in a circular pan in the oven until it’s crispy on the outside & gooey on the inside. We’re pretty sure this fits the bill. And no pumpkins had to die for this dessert to be possible.
