Time Saving Tips & Recipes For a More Enjoyable Holiday Dinner

This is something I do every year. About 2 weeks before the big dinner I sit down and decide what I will fix. Check all my recipes and make a list of the ingredients I will need that way I can already have an idea of what I will need to buy. Non perishable items can be bought in advance. Items such as spices, pasta, and canned goods.

By doing this you are less likely to forget what you need and lets face it usually on Thanksgiving and Christmas day the stores are closed and what we need we can't get. So plan your menu ahead of time and get what you need. Also this will save you time as the day nears.

Prepare some food in advance

A few days before your planned dinner you could fix some dishes in advance. I bake my cakes and pies about a week in advance and freeze them. This save you a ton of kitchen time as well as clean up. Cakes can be made two weeks in advance and froze (without frosting). All you have to do is simply remove them form the freezer and thaw about 2 days before and frost. Same goes for casseroles and some side dishes. There are lots of casseroles and side dishes you can make in advance but with these I usually only make them 2 days in advance. Some don't freeze as well as others, so why risk having to start over. But a 2 day lead on these items aren't bad.

2 Perfect freeze recipe

Corn bread

What you Will Need
Vegetable oil cooking spray
1 cup self rising flour
3/4 cup self rising cornmeal
2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk or Whole Buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon honey (optional)

What to Do
1. Preheat oven to 435°F. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly mix the flour, cornmeal.

3. In a small bowl, milk, oil, egg and honey, and beat well to mix.

4. Pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour and cornmeal. Quickly and thoroughly mix together.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, scraping any batter off the sides of the bowl into the pan. Spread the batter evenly with a spatula.

6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into 1 3/4-inch squares and serve at once.

Makes: 16 pieces

Green Bean Bake

You Will Need
6 cups cut green beans, (canned or frozen)
1 cup cubed fully cooked ham
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
4 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (or use the recipe above)

What to Do
1. In a large bowl, combine the beans and ham; set aside.

2. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. 3. Reduce heat; add the soup, cheese, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese is melted. Pour over bean mixture; toss to coat.

4. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes, stirring twice.

5. Melt the remaining butter; toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over the top.

Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until golden brown. (if freezing save this step until you are ready to serve)

Serves 8-10

assign a dish

If you invite guests its OK to ask them to bring a dish. This saves you time by giving them some of the cooking to do.

Night before dinner

Place Turkey and ham in a baking dish. Bake slow over night around 200 degrees this saves time the next day. Giving you the time to clean the house if you have guests coming for dinner. And gives you a chance to prepare the remaining dishes.

Holiday Ham

What you need
6 to 8 pound ham (bone in or boneless)
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
2 Cans sliced or crushes pineapples
4 TBLS honey

What to do

In a mixing bowl mix the juice of the pineapple with Brown sugar and honey. Place ham in a roasting pan cover with pineapples. Pour mixture over ham. Cover and place in cold oven. Bake over night at 200 degrees. Ham will come out of oven fork tender.

Holiday Turkey

What you need
1/4 cup (50 ml) Butter melted
1 tbsp. (15 ml) coarse salt
1 tsp. (5 ml) black pepper
12 to 15 lb. (5.5 to 7 kg) whole turkey, fully defrosted if frozen

What to do
Place Turkey in roasting pan and coat with butter salt ands pepper. Cover or place in a roasting bag and Bake over night at 200 degree.

Old-Fashioned Stuffing Recipe

What you Need
2cups corn bread crumbs, lightly toasted (can use recipe from above)
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups chicken broth ( or for added flavor add drippings from turkey)
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

What to do
Allow the toasted bread to sit approximately 24 hours, until hard. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.Crush the bread into crumbs with a rolling pin. Place the crumbs in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery and slowly cook until soft. Remove from heat and drain. Mix the eggs and chicken broth into the bread crumbs. The mixture should be moist, but not mushy. Use water, if necessary, to attain desired consistency. Mix in the onion, celery, rubbed sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Press the mixture into the baking dish. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the top is brown and crisp.

I can't say these are my own recipes because they are not. All of them come from my Mom who has made them all my life and taught me to cook.