Be Prepared
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
November 21, 2017 11:06am CST
That's the Boy Scout motto, isn't it? Oh well, I am borrowing it this week.
As many of you know, this Thursday is Thanksgiving in America. And for the first time in my entire life, I may be prepared enough to enjoy it, even after cooking the Thanksgiving dinner.
Now, my favorite way to spend Thanksgiving is to go to someone else's house and relax while they cook the dinner. This year, however, we are staying home. Still, we want to have all the traditional dishes.
My turkey is in the fridge defrosting. I believe I began defrosting it in time for Thursday, but even if it is just a wee bit frozen still, I have purchased one of those turkey oven bags. That will ensure that the outside doesn't get too brown before the inside is done. It will also make clean up much easier, as the bag catches all the drippings and the roasting pan will be clean.
I am also doing all the vegetable prep ahead of time. I bought one of those vacuum food sealers recently. I hate it when frozen food gets all frosty and freezer burned. Vacuum sealing the bag prevents that. Plus, it's enormous fun to operate. So far, I have peeled, blanched and frozen the potatoes and the carrots. Today I am going to do the butternut squash.
And although I am avoiding too much baking, there will be pies. I am going to make a cherry cheesecake pie and a pumpkin pudding pie - both are no-bake. The only baking will be making the brownies and then making the fudge to put on top of them. Decadently fudgey, a favorite.
It is still a lot of work to peel all the veg and prepare the bags for freezing, but at least I can do a little of it each day. Then all I need to do on Thursday is set the pots to boiling and the turkey to roasting.
How do you prepare for a big meal with many elements? Have you ever used a vacuum sealer?
11 people like this
9 responses
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
21 Nov 17
I like to let someone else cook too. I have done it all for many years. Now I let my daughter do it.
3 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
24 Nov 17
I don't have a vacuum sealer but I would love one. My husband is the chef in my house so he does all the prep and cooking while i paint away in my studio. When we were younger and the kids were still in the house I cooked but I loved how the Mr. took over when he retired. He is Greek so often our holiday main is lamb.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
26 Nov 17
I have not used a vacuum sealer, as I have always wondered if it would be something useful for me. This is an excellent illustration. Other people do a lot of the prep so that is how I do Thanksgiving.
@Tampa_girl7 (48958)
• United States
6 Dec 17
I'm blessed that my son does much of the cooking. It is so nice to have him help me. 
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
24 Nov 17
Great for leftovers that you might not want to eat next day. It works better for some kinds of foods than others, but it helps keep things that might otherwise need to be cooked or eaten right away or else would go bad. Sometimes you just end up with a large amount of something that you don't want to or can't eat in just a few days. Then there's convenience, For instance, I have chopped up the green peppers I got on sale and frozen them in a really long bag so that I can cut it open, take out what I need to add to a dish I am cooking and then re-seal it and toss it back in the freezer. So I always have fresh diced peppers available. I have diced onions, too, for the same reason. I am planning on prepping entire meals that can be put in individual bags, frozen, and later tossed into the crock pot on the day. So, one or two days of intense prep and then none needed for weeks and weeks.
1 person likes this
