Yummy Thanksgiving Apps & Time Saving Tips, from Jen Thomas, R.N.
It’s that time again, the holidays are all around us. We wanted to share some of our favorite holiday appetizers and websites for quick food prep to help anyone who may be hosting for the holidays or other events throughout the year. Personal story, when my husband was a child, his mother would ask him what special dinner he wanted on his birthday. My husband’s answer.. a full Thanksgiving dinner. Wow! My husband had the best mom ever. Every year until he was about 16, he would have a full Thanksgiving dinner. Mind you, his birthday is in February. I couldn’t imagine making an entire Thanksgiving dinner two months later after hosting Thanksgiving. So, in this blog I have included some fast prep tips that have helped me in the past two years during the holidays and then some. By the way, now on my husband’s birthday, I take him out to dinner.
First, no boil crockpot/slow cooker mashed potatoes. This recipe not only saves space in the oven, but no need to drain a big pot of boiling water. You can use any potatoes, sweet potatoes, Idaho russet, Yukon gold, red skin potatoes. Love it! I personally have used Idaho russet and Yukon gold potatoes. Time saving tips for this recipe, cut potatoes in small cubes the day before and store in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator. The smaller the cubes of potatoes are cut, the faster they will cook in the slow cooker. I have had mashed potatoes ready to go in about 2 ½ hours on low setting. Also, to add some extra flavor, I add a compound herb butter that I make and save in the refrigerator about a week in advance. I usually add some fresh sage into the compound herb butter too.
Another time saving holiday tip, order online from your local grocery stores. Many stores in the area offer online ordering for holiday meals. You can order side meals or the entire Thanksgiving/Christmas meals (amazing, I’m doing my happy dance). It’s like having a personal chef during the crazy, hectic holidays. I like ordering from Nugget Markets. I’ve ordered the mashed potatoes (again warming the mashed potatoes in the slow cooker about an hour before serving to save on oven space), extra turkey gravy, brandied cranberries, roasted veggies, and cider glazed carrots with lemon zest.
Now for some yummy apps that our staff picked out. These look delicious as well as quick and easy. Even the savvy foodie guests will enjoy them! All recipes compliments of Delish.
Hopefully, these time saving tips and recipes help during the holiday season and throughout the year. Pleases share with us at Dignity Medical Aesthetics if you used any of these tips or share your time saving holiday tips with us. The girls and I at DMA can’t wait to read your comments.
As always, be safe, have a fun, and try to stress less (as much as possible) this holiday season.