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Half-Done Ideas
That Will Make Your Day!
by
Janet Attard
Who wants a
half-done holiday?
Well, you do. . .
Or, you should! Here's why. By making and baking part of your holiday
feast in advance, you can reduce the last minute mess and stress.
Here are several
half-done (and no-bake) ideas that will let you more fully enjoy the day
yourself!
Order out, bring
in
We're not talking about the work-week take out stuff here. We're talking
about having the deli or other local establishment cook that (messy)
holiday turkey or main course for you. It frees up your oven to bake those
mouthwatering hor d'oerves or casseroles that everyone really likes a lot
better than the turkey anyway.
Make it a
pot-luck feast
Everyone wants to know what to bring, so, this year tell them! Assign them
a category (casserole, macaroni, veggie, snack, etc.). Tell them to make
their favorite dish in that category, or give them a recipe to try!
Put the kids to
work
If they're big enough to be underfoot, they're big enough to help. Let
them make their favorite dish, roll cookies in balls, arrange food on
plates, or anything else that interests them.
Freeze now, dish
up later
Half of the problem with cooking is the mess it makes. Avoid the last
minute crazies by making as much of the dinner ahead of time as possible.
Way ahead of time. Like now. Freeze the fixings in containers you can pop
into the microwave or oven. Between the spirit of the holiday and the
holiday spirits, no one will ever know the difference. Except you, because
you'll have less mess to clean up before guests arrive. Here are some good
candidates for make ahead dishes:
Make Ahead
Stuffing
Cut up onions and celery and sauté until soft. Add breadcrumbs and other
seasonings, and hot water. (About 2 cup for a 1-lb bag of stuffing mix
bread crumbs.) Freeze when cool. Defrost the day before the holiday and
stuff into the turkey if you're making your own turkey. If you bake the
stuffing separately from the turkey, sprinkle with chicken broth before
baking. (In a pinch use a little bit of the soup from a can of chicken
noodle soup.)
Shrimp salad
Buy frozen, peeled shrimp and small jar horseradish sauce. Make the
cocktail sauce a day or two ahead by mixing 1 cup of ketchup with
horseradish to taste. (Start with a tablespoon or two) Refrigerate. The
night before the party, Take shrimp out of freezer and put them in the
frig to defrost. The day of the party, lock the cat in the basement,
arrange the shrimp on a platter, put the sauce in the center, and set out
in the center of the table.
Sweet and sour
meatballs
Take a pound of chopped meat, mix with 1 egg and 1/3 cup bread crumbs and
season to taste. Roll into balls the size of walnuts and brown in frying
pan. Mix 1/2 cup grape jelly, 1/2 cup catsup and a dash of Worcestershire
sauce in a bowl. (Add 1/2 cup of chili sauce, if you for spicier
meatballs. If you don't have grape jelly strawberry works too.). Pour
mixture over meatballs and cook for 1/2 hour on low, stirring so they
don't burn. Freeze. Defrost and heat in microwave when ready to serve.
Lasagna
Make as usual, but don't bake. Layer into glass pans. Cover with wax paper
and then foil and freeze. When ready to cook, remove foil and wax paper,
and bake (takes about an hour if still frozen).
Make-ahead mashed
potatoes
Cook the potatoes a day or two ahead of time. Season and mash as you
normally would. Pile into big glass, microwave safe bowl. Cover and store
in the refrigerator. The day of the meal, take out of the frig, add about
1/4 cup milk and microwave on medium to reheat.
Almost instant
cheese cake
Make a cream cheese cake ahead of time and freeze it. Defrost and serve.
Or, buy one one ready-made and add your own topping to it.
Four-in-one
Christmas Cookies
Make your favorite spritz cookie dough. Bake any of these versions, cool
and freeze in air-tight containers lined with wax paper. Defrost and
serve.
-
Standard
Spritz cookies: Use the dough as is and force through a cookie
press to make spritz cookies. Bake and decorate as usual.
-
Thumb print
cookies: Roll plain spritz dough into walnut sized balls. Put a
thumbprint in the middle of each . Fill with raspberry or apricot
jelly. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Sift confectioner sugar
over tops while still hot.
-
Nut crescents:
Add finely ground walnuts or pecans. Roll into one-inch long ropes and
shape into crescents. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Roll
while hot in confectioners sugar.
-
Chocolate
thumbprint cookies: Add 1/4 cup (or more depending on the amount
of dough) cocoa to spritz dough. Roll in walnut sized balls. Make
thumb print. Sprinkle lightly with regular sugar. Bake 10 minutes
until they just hold together. Cool. Fill center with white icing
(purchased or made from confectioners sugar mixed with hot milk and
vanilla.)
No-bake cookies
Buy a container of bakery-type chocolate chip cookies from your favorite
wholesale warehouse or other large supermarket. Momentarily reheat
individual cookies as needed in your toaster oven or microwave and serve.
They'll taste like you made them yourself. If you really want to fool
everyone, burn the edges a little.
Maltese Pastitsi
Buy one package frozen puff pastry strips and 2 lbs ricotta cheese.
Defrost dough, but don't let it get warm. Take one strip of dough out of
the package and divide on the folds (you should then have three strips of
dough) Take one strip and roll thin (return others to the frig to stay
cold so they are easier to work with.) Divide the rolled piece of dough
into four squares. Fill with a tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Fold into
triangle shape and roll the edges together slightly to seal. Put on very
lightly greased cookie sheet. Do the same with all the remaining dough and
cheese mix. (You should have 2 dozen filled triangles when you are done.)
Cover with wax paper and foil and freeze. Take out of freezer when you
need them, take off foil and wax paper and back at 375 for about 20
minutes until brown. Serve hot. (Grab one yourself before you serve them.
These disappear fast.)
About the author
Janet Attard is the founder of
the award-winning Business
Know-How small business web site and information resource. Janet is
also the author of The
Home Office And Small Business Answer Book and of Business
Know-How: An Operational Guide For Home-Based and Micro-Sized Businesses with
Limited Budgets. Follow Janet on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/JanetAttard.
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