Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Holiday Traditions

I went shopping yesterday for our Thanksgiving dinner. I was acutely aware that I am living a life of plenty when compared to many. Aware and intensely grateful.
So, I have a question for you. Where are you willing to cut corners on your Thanksgiving cooking? Where will you NEVER take a shortcut? My shortcuts: I use Stovetop stuffing. I know, I know, but I really find boiling the giblets to take more time than I want to give to stuffing. Depending on what is going on, I either make my own rolls, or sometimes I use Rhodes frozen dough for the rolls. I can, and have made my own pie crusts, but now I use frozen pie crusts. Where I will not make shortcuts. I always use real apples, peeled and spiced by moi for our apple pies. I make my pumpkin pies using canned pumpkin, but not pumpkin pie mix. And I hate pumpkin pie, I just make it for my family. I make my own yummy, yummy gravy. I make my own homemade mashed potatoes, and I always use real butter. I love Thanksgiving leftovers and the only reason why it is worth it to spend hours cooking is to not cook for the next three days.
So how about you? Feel free to make your short cut confessions here. I would love to hear them.

15 Kids Who Want To Play:

Jules AF said...

See, I love making pie crust and rolls.... They're my favorite things to make. So of course I can't cut back those things! We don't cut back on anything because it's such a big deal to us....

TheOneTrueSue said...

I've never made a Thanksgiving dinner. I've never gotten to be the host. I don't know how to make stuffing or pumpkin pie, because those are my mom's Thanksgiving domain. The only thing I'm allowed to bring are the mashed potatoes. It's really hard to mess up mashed potatoes.

Whitney R said...

If I only made our Thanksgiving dinners.

I love stovetop stuffing. So yummy. But I also love home cooked real stuffing. So yummy, too!

I also do mashed potatoes (of course). I mean... I'm not lacking any of those!

Kristina P. said...

I will take shortcuts on pretty much everything, except mashed potatoes. If anyone uses instant, they should be kicked out of the country.

Yondalla said...

Well, Kristina is kicking me out of the country because I have done instant potatoes. That however is just because I don't especially like them. I don't hate them. I just think they are unnecessary given all the incredibly wonderful stuffing I am going to make.

I have a multi-day process for the turkey and the gravy. I make cranberry sauce from real berries because it is easy and that canned stuff looks scary. I make gravy to die for. There will be brussel sprouts with clarified butter and gingered cabbage. That's what I need: turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and a couple of veggies that say, "we're extra special."

I've always made pies (with crusts from the dairy case), but this year they will either be purchased or someone else will do them. I don't have the energy this year.

Gary wants that nasty green bean casserole. I told him he has to make it himself.

Yuck.

rychelle said...

love stovetop stuffing! In fact I won't eat anything else. and as far as the potatoes go, if anyone says instant I say "thems fighting words".

Debz said...

I buy canned cranberry sauce - honestly cause I love it like that. And I use store bought Heinz gravy. Other than that, it's all me.
But this year, as soon as the in-laws forks hit their empty plates, I'll be waiting at the door with their coats and cheesecake. I really hope they don't hang around. This is gonna be kept confidential right? LOL.

Jillene said...

The only short cut we take is that we use bake and serve rolls. The stuffing is homemade (my Grandpa's recipe), the potatoes are real and we use realy butter too. But I think this year my SIL is making homemade rolls so everything will be homemade.

Jillybean said...

I love Stove top stuffing, however I do have a fabulous stuffing recipe. You can make it in the crockpot, and it's SO good!
I always use real butter in everything.
I've never had to make a whole dinner because my mom's family gets together (usually about 40+ people) We reserve the church and everybody brings one dish.
Several years ago, I was assigned to bring the green bean casserole. I accidently put WAY too much pepper in it, but I took it anyway.
Everybody LOVED it! (so basically, the secret to a good green bean casserole is to put so much pepper in it that you can't taste the green beans)
Now I am always assigned to bring the green bean casserole.

Holly said...

I LOVE fake potatoes out of a box. The dehydrated flakes that puff into lovely mashed potatoes. Yummm.

I make nothing, I'm usually assigned to bring the beverages since I'm food challenged.

Jessica G. said...

Oh, I cut corners wherever possible (please don't tell my mother that I use store-bought pie crust) but I will NOT skimp on the gravy. And the cheesecake. I spent most of yesterday afternoon making the traditional zebra cheesecake and I gotta say, it is sooooooo worth it.

Torina said...

I cut corners everywhere. First off, turkey is nasty so I make ham. By the time my family has gotten to my house, they have already eaten many turkey dinners so my ham is a relief. Plus there are no weirdo part that come in a mafioso type bag. Ew.

I use stovetop stuffing. I buy the pies cause I don't bake. Plus, they are cheaper that way anyway (1.99 the day after Thanksgiving). We do our Thanksgiving a few days after the real one so I buy everything on sale.

I use Oceanspray cranberry sauce. It is very important in my family to make sure that the ribs of the can are intact in the solid mass of cranberry sauce. Don't ask me why. The stuff is nasty.

I make real mashed potatoes and some other crap. My favorite part is the raw veggie tray. I know. I'm weird.

K J and the kids said...

This year I'm cutting corners quite a bit. I'm substituting Chicken for the Turkey :)
Seriously. We will not be eating turkey dinner this year.
I'm making a stuffing-chicken-thing for J's mom and sister.
Oh well !

owlfan said...

I often use refrigerated crust (but never frozen). I have made my own, but not usually when I'm making multiple pies.

Always homemade cranberry sauce (often with ginger and orange juice) and mashed potatoes.

DH makes stuffing that starts with stove top, but you wouldn't recognize it by the time he's done - its got an equal or more volume of other stuff - celery, onion, parsley, raisins, apples, craisins, and more.

Sister Schuberts rolls rock. We haven't had homemade since my grandmother died.

We're having Thanksgiving at my aunt's tomorrow and I'm doing pies. But then Sat. we'll be doing it all over again at my mom's so she and we can have leftovers.

Miss Melissa said...

Pillsbury pie crust and Rhodes rolls are the nectar of the gods.

Also, I wouldn't recommend brinig a turkey. My reasoning lies at my blog.