Planning Your Christmas Holiday Baking

Every year we enjoy the tasty sweets and traditional fare of the season but often at the cost of our own enjoyment of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. There is a better way to achieve the same result without the frenzy and frustration of long, hot sessions in the kitchen. By planning and organizing during the weeks prior to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, we can cook and bake in shorter time segments spread out over time so that we, too, can enjoy not only the foods of the holidays, but also the special times with family and friends.

The first step is to determine the dates and times of the events and gatherings you will be attending during the holiday season. On a calendar, mark these events as a reference to come back to during the coming weeks. Along with the date and time, also include the location of the event and what you have committed to bring to the event. This way you have available to you, at a glance, an overview of your commitments. It will also help keep you from the stress of over-committing your time.

Based on these things, make a list of the dishes and goodies you will be cooking. As you review your list and select recipes, be discriminating in your choices. Here are a few things to consider as you make your recipe selections:

How difficult is the recipe?
How many ingredients are required?
Are any of the ingredients overly expensive or difficult to obtain?
Can you make selections that use the same ingredients in several recipes?
Can you easily multiply the recipe?
Can you store or freeze the batter, dough or dish prior to baking so you could bake as needed?
Can you freeze the completed dish without adverse affects?
Is there a base recipe that can offer different results by different combinations of ingredients?

Based on your individual experiences, circumstances and abilities, you may think of other selection criteria. Remember, one of the joys of celebrating the holidays-along with the baking, shopping, gatherings and all that comes with these celebrations-is to make fun, lasting memories for yourself and those around you.

Once you have selected your recipes, make a master list of the ingredients you are going to need. After you have listed all the ingredients, determine how much of each one you will need. Be sure to multiply your requirements sufficiently to include multiple batches of the same recipe. Also include things like wax paper, foil, plastic storage containers and disposable baking dishes that you will need along the way. Now you will have a comprehensive overview of your needs.

The next step will be to coordinate your list of ingredients with your calendar. When will you need to have everything purchased in order to begin cooking? When will you need to begin cooking in order to complete each dish ahead of time and what will need to be made just before an event?

After these things are decided, you will be able to reduce the strain on your budget by purchasing the ingredients a little at a time over several weeks. This spreads out the spending so it is a small impact over several weeks rather than an enormous expenditure at one time.

Another great idea for adding fun and memories to your holiday cooking preparations is to invite others to cook with you. Spend some quality weekend time with your children, your nieces and nephews, your grandchildren or neighborhood children by setting aside a couple of Saturday's to spend in the kitchen together. Being in the kitchen together is tremendous fun and makes wonderful memories for you and for them. You might also consider making arrangements to have a couple of cooking days with your co-workers or friends. Find some recipes that each of you want to prepare. Multiply the amount of ingredients and cooking time to have enough for each of you to have what you need of that particular dish. You can spend the day cooking together and having fun, then each of you end up with one or two of the dishes checked off your list.

As with many things, thinking ahead and planning things through will lead to a much more pleasant and enjoyable holiday season for you . . . and for those around you!