Page 2 - Holiday Traditions 2018

Homemade Holidays

or some, the holidays are
overly complicated or involve
TRADITIONS F some of the holidays’ says. "Just look for a basic version
all about the cooking jour-
hard-to-find ingredients," Mauney
ney. Here’s how to make
of some of your standard favorites."
seemingly daunting recipes from
Her blog (fannetasticfood.com)
scratch
features easy-to-make holiday
A perfect roasted-turkey flanked
foods like spiced mashed sweet
by a beautiful mound of mashed
potatoes, lemon garlic string beans
potatoes, colorful peas and several
and the cranberry sauce recipe
heavenly pies. The thought of
below.
crafting a suitable-for-framing feast
Let the others coming to dinner
in your own kitchen, with your own
help, too, suggest Reid and Clay-
hands, has left many a home cook
ton. Since you’ll be dedicating
straight to the prepackaged section
makes sense to have someone else
HOLIDAY with cold sweats, sending them yourself to a few fabulous dishes, it
at the grocery store.
do dessert or the turkey or a veggie
"I think the biggest fear with
tray. "Do about 10 percent of half of
cooking is generally the unknown,"
what you want to do," Reid says.
says Anne Mauney, a registered
Then you can build on your suc-
dietitian and blogger at Fannetas-
cesses in the years to come.
ticFood.com. "Will it come out
Take a practice run … or two.
OK? Will it taste good? When
"If you’ve never cooked from
you’re concocting from scratch, it’s
just you and the recipe … and then
day to try it for the first time,"
you throw in the crazy-making the scratch, Thanksgiving is not the
Clayton says. "Do a trial run before
holidays bring to town." make your dish for someone else."
"There’s a nostalgia factor for And give yourself permission to
holiday cooking that adds to the learn, adds Reid. When you start
pressure. You want to measure up making pie crust, know that "the
to Grandma’s green beans or Aunt first thing you’ll do is make three or
Carol’s scalloped potatoes," ex- four not-great pie crusts," she adds.
2018 plains Alice Clayton, a dedicated "Do them, and get past them. The
amateur cook and New York Times
one ingredient you can’t buy at the
25, best-selling. store is confidence."
And that can be particularly
Give yourself plenty of time.
NOVEMBER haven’t grown up as cooks. "There from scratch is the quality of the down," Clayton says. "All the to prepare everything, multiply it
challenging because many of us
However long you think you need
Getty Images/iStockphoto
The biggest fear of holiday cooking is generally the unknown.
are lots of two-working-parent
by three, Reid recommends. "If
families," notes Susan Reid, chef
you think you need two hours,
and food editor of King Arthur
leave yourself six, and you’ll feel
women in my family just know
product you create, says Mauney.
Flour’s Sift magazine. "Some of
SUNDAY, my Culinary Institute students were "Not only are you using fresher how to make it by sight and taste." like a hero when you finish in five."
And that’s not just for the day of
The process is usually a group
there because they were tired of
ingredients, you’re avoiding the
your meal. Do as much as you can
effort, Clayton explains, with
chemicals, artificial colors, flavors,
eating out of cans. Cooking skills
in the days leading up to the big
aren’t handed down the way they
get it just right. The original version
often put into pre-packaged ver-
used to be." Add in the angst of preservatives and fillers that are everyone assisting and adding to event, notes Clayton. "Start Mon-
day or Tuesday for Thursday din-
"performing for family," she says, sions." Mixing and measuring included just dried bread chunks ner. Make pies on Wednesday, so
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF THE MORNING CALL
and it’s no wonder so many of us yourself also allows you to adjust (always white Pepperidge Farm have the crust done on Tuesday."
end up giving thanks or trimming the amount of sugar and salt you’re when she was a child), hot turkey You can peel potatoes and keep
the tree with a box of stuffing, can using and even throw in some stock and sage, but she’s added a them in water for 24 to 48 hours.
of cranberries and frozen pie crust. healthy ingredients if you want to. few more ingredients since she Chop vegetables and sauté onions
With a little planning and prac- You also may be surprised by started making it herself (see reci- for stuffing the day before.
tice – and the totally manageable how good it feels to master a new pe). Finally, remember that even the
recipes for those big-three items skill and create something people most amazing meal may not make
www.themorningcall.com/HolidayTraditions
included with this story – you can will enjoy. Take pride in your craft, Tips for Holiday Magic a day with your relatives any more
conquer your fears and create says Reid. "Good things are worth Now that you’re inspired, as you like a Rockwell scene. But at least
something delicious sans box or taking a risk for." make plans to prepare your made- your mouth will be happy! "People
mix. And, oh, the rewards you’ll And what better time than the from-scratch meal perhaps the best want food to be a healing thing,"
enjoy! holidays to embrace family tradi- thing you can do is be realistic, Reid says. "But some things can’t
tions – or start a new one. "Stuffing these pros suggest. be cured on a fork."
Homemade Perks for me was always homemade, and "Don’t try new recipes that are Jessica Royer Ocken/CTW
The biggest benefit of cooking you’d never find the recipe written Features
Easy homemade recipes Homemade
red cranberry
Easy Homemade over medium-high heat. Reduce sauce is an
Cranberry sauce heat to medium-low and continue to easy holiday
Ingredients cook, stirring occasionally, until the side dish.
•12 oz. fresh cranberries (about 3 cranberries have popped and the
cups) sauce has thickened, about 7 to 10
•1/2 cup pure maple syrup minutes. Can be made ahead and
•Zest and juice of 1 orange stored in the fridge.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Preparation
Combine all ingredients in a Getty Images/
medium pot. Bring mixture to a boil HOMEMADE RECIPES PAGE 3 iStockphoto
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