Are You Christmas Ready

 The big day is a week away. Are you ready for that day tha'ts not only known for gift giving but major cooking. Are you all set for that second or third batch of Christmas cookies?

To be honest it's tough to find good deals. Few groceries are offering discounts on such Christmas staples as ham and turkey. If you haven't bought yours yet, then think about going to Aldi or LIDL for a discount.The next question is what to serve with it. Ham is a bit easier, You could easily go German style and have potato salad and baked beans. As for the turkey , you could do a rehash of Thanksgiivng and have stuffing along with cranberry jelly and green bean casserole. If you're going this route decide if you want to use Stove Stop stuffing - which is easier - or homemade stuffing which is more labor intensive. For vegans and vegetarian have you bought you tofurkey or tofu loaf yet? These are becoming arder and harder to find on store shelves.Have a Plan B on the ready. Keep in mind you can create a festive loaf using Beyond Meat and then serving it with a mushroom gravy. Another Plan B meal is Gardein's Turkey Cutlets with gravy. These taste like the real thing and have gravy with them. Buy a few packages of these (there are four cutlets per package) for your dinner.

Have you started on your baking? What about what to serve after  Christmas dinner? Luckily there are some small deals on baking ingredients so take advantage of these. Do you have enough flour for all those batches? What about the other baking basics like eggs and sugar? Buy two dozen eggs if you feel you'll need a lot for baking cookies and cakes. Sugar,  like flour , goes fast. Buy a four pound bag instead of a two pound (you can always use the extra for every day coffee and tea. Do you have enough confectioners sugar. That too goes fast, thanks to it being turned into butter cream and royal icings. Another must check are deocorations. Do you have enough food coloring in both liquid and gel. Remember that some icing recipes work better with colored gels than liquid dye. Are there enough sprinkles and sanding sugar? Now is the time to stock up before you actually start baking and decorating. what about that Christmas dessert? do you want to go with a fancy cake like a red velvet or a trifle. The second is an  easy and fun boozy mix of a cake like pound cake layered with pudding, cream and fruit. You can douse it with rum for even more kick. 

Are you Christmas ready? This is the week to make it so. It's not too late to plan a sumptuous Christmas feast followed by a lush dessert.

Are You Thanksgiving Ready?

 It's that question that's asked every year. Are you Thanksgiving ready? Have you been stockpiling? Testing all the appliances? Checking pots and pans? It's time to look over what will be the busiest room in the house.

One thing home chefs can do is look over their larger appliances. Is the oven working correctly? What about the microwave and air fryer? These are sub major players in the whole meal game but if can be dire if they break. Microwaves are used for melting butter and cheese along with quick vegetable steaming . Air fryers come in handy for crisping up rolls along with  air frying potato and sweet potato wedges. Make sure they up to par and their wires are still sturdy. Other smaller items to check on - mixers and blenders. MIxers are usied for everyhting from kneading bread dough to even easily mashing potatoes. Blenders are used for batters and blending ingredients for salad dressings. Check to make sure the machines are running smoothly and the blender body is not cracked. Food processors and choppers should also be examined. These too are integral in creating the perfect dishes too. Look over you knives as well. Do they need to be sharpened? Now is the time to do it - in that calm period before all the cooking frenzy.

Once the appliances are thoroughly checked  then start looking at your ingredients. Have you bought your turkey yet? Buy it now because you never know if your store may run out or may run out fo the size you want.Vegan and vegetarians should also have their tofurkey already bought. Some places may only carry two or one tofurkey kits (these include a glaze and stuffing). You may have to drive around and look in two r three stores before finding one. The same applies to Gardein's turkey cutlets and gravy. This is my Thanksgiving go too and I noticed stores like Target and Acme didn't really stock it as they did in the past. I had to  buy it two weeks ago and it was the last one in my local Acme. Another item to stock up on now is pre made stuffing. Many home chefs don't like the idea of making the dish from scratch , although they'll never have to run out of bread. Get a box of the family's faovrite stuffing now. Green beans are going to be popular too , thanks to everyone planning on making casseroles.Of you can;t fidn them sub in another veggie like lima beans or corn. Also make sure you have enough flour , sugar and spices for baking along with eggs. They may seem like a small things  but also check to see if you have enough napkins and containers for leftovers too.

Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Be ready now for it. It does pay to be prepared,

Serving Your King ::Father's Day Meals

Funny how dads are not treated as greatly on Father's Day as mothers are on Mother's Day. There's no fancy breakfasts in bed or elegant lunches out. However it's time to treat the king of the castle with respect and good food.

Yes, it's OK to make breakfast in bed  - or out on the deck - for the man of the day. Pancakes are always a good start but jazz them up with beer. Sub in the cup of milk with beer for a different kind of breakfast. Serve with eggs and caramelized bacon. This last is easy to make. Dip bacon strips in an equal mix of brown sugar and cinnamon and then arrange on a baking sheet. Bake eight minutes , and turn once.If hes' not a griddle cake fan, then think waffles, in particular bourbon waffles. This are grown up Eggos,  thanks to quarter cup of the liquor added to the batter. Serve with pecans and warmed maple syrup. Another fun idea dad may like is a breakfast hero. Toast a hero roll in the oven or on the grill, and fill with a layer of cheesy scrambled eggs or his favorite omelet. Layer on sausage patties, Taylor ham and Canadian bacon. Throw in some tomato slices and guacamole if he's into them.Do dads do brunch? Of course - just tailor it to their tastes. Yes, real men do each quiche but turn it Paleo  by adding beef cubes or steak tips and some cheddar.For some fire, toss in a few tablespoons of  chopped jalapenos. What about the drink? Save the mimosas for the moms and splash some vodka into the orange juice for an eye opening screwdriver.

What about lunch?Since the day is going to be a beautiful one think picnic,whether at the beach, park or mountains. Health conscious dads may want a whole wheat sandwich, stuffed with vegan cold cuts. Tofurkey has an excellent array of them from soy baloney to soy ham,They also have soy cheese that tastes like the real thing.It would be a good time to try out the aquafaba based mayo. This is a simple mix of the liquid from a can of chickpeas, blended with vegetable oil and apple cider vinegar along with dry mustard and lemon juice. It can also be used to make a healthy coleslaw too, along with good for you whole wheat macaroni salads. If dad is a meat eater, then think of turkey or London broil sandwiches, with fresh sliced tomatoes and onions. Instead of chips, sub in olives from the salty Greek kalamatas to the mellow black ones. What about the king's dinner? How about a meal that combines the big guy's two favorite things, the grill and chili, Grilled chili involves grilling beef cubes and green peppers over a fire and then adding them later to the rest of the recipe.The recipe can be made with chicken too.Homemade pizza is also a great way of celebrating any dad. especially when it's homemade and loaded with his favorite  toppings. End the day with chocolate stout cupcakes and a cigar!.

Treat the dads out there with respect and fun dishes. Make their special day  just that special, with good meals and fun treats. They're the best gifts of all.

A Different Spin On Holiday Dishes

In another week we'll all be sitting down to the usual turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes. Yet its' not written in stone that we should have this for Thanksgiving or even Christmas. If the menu is boring, or too predictable, then it's time to mix it up. Nothing livens up a meal than a surprise dish.

Turkey is always a mainstay in any Thanksgiving, holiday or family dinner. It's usually basted in just butter and then seasoned simply with salt and pepper. For a little zing try brining the bird in citrus.It's a mix of lemon and orange wedges with more traditional ingredients such as thyme and onion. A sweeter brine can be made with  apple cider or apple juice. The cider is the hard alcoholic  kind and brown sugar is also added too, along with a variety of spices like cinnamon, allspice and whole peppercorns.If you really want to change it up serve capon which is a castrated rooster..It has a higher fat content , thus having a richer taste and moister texture.It can be brined, just as a turkey, try a lemon sherry one .Many just like it basted  with butter. It's an easier roast than turkey and novice home chefs should try it before graduating to the bigger bird. Some may worry that capons won't feed large crowds. Most are between eight and ten pounds so it can feed a small crowd.Of course there is tofurkey, the tofu loaf that's a standard with vegans and vegetarians. It's certainly different but also healthy.There are zero carbs and it's slightly lower in calories. Be warned however, tofurkey is made with wheat which has gluten.If you want  a different main dish, then go with the capon.

If you still want the traditional turkey , then switch sides - literally. Cranberry sauce usually evinces winces and groans. Liven it up with some spicing.Add some cloves   and cayenne(!) for true zip and zing. There will be no leftovers, guaranteed. Another recipe  is cranberry chutney, a nice alternative to that glop that slides out of the can.The cranberries are mixed with cut apples and diced celery along with different sweet spices such as cinnamon, ground clove and nutmeg .Mashed potatoes are always thought of as bland sometimes. Try buttermilk instead of regular milk for something different. Garlic mashed potatoes are  a restaurant top favorite. They're easily replicated at home, simply by adding six to seven crushed garlic cloves. Throw in some parmesan cheese for more flavor. A totally different interpretation is making the mashed potatoes the day before and then turn them into puffs. It's an easy transformation of rolling the cold mash into balls then first dipping into beaten eggs and then bread crumbs. Fry in oil or butter. It's a fun crisp twist on the classic goes well with gravy or as a base for a hot turkey sandwich.

Thanksgiving or any holiday dinner is meant to be fun eating. Liven it up with some twists and spin on the original. It wll be a memorable meal with truly memorable dishes that everyone will love.

Hearty And Soy

Do vegetarians and vegans eat enough to be healthy? Many think they're deprived because they've eschewed meat along with dairy and eggs. Surprisingly these soy lovers are well fed and have a variety of different dishes to choose from. from breakfast to snacks.They're not starving, thanks to to an ever expanding range of vegetarian products.

With the holidays coming up people wonder what their vegetarian friends and family will eat. After all the highlight of any Thanksgiving meal is a burnished turkey  with the trimmings while Christmas dinner features a pink, juicy ham.There is tofurkey after all and it's far from the joke people think it is.it has improved over the years and the taste and texture is similar to an actual Tom Turkey.The company Tofurky has an excellent array of "meats' and dishes. They even have a feast that includes all the holiday goodies, including brownies and even Tofurkey cards. The company has a roll with a stuffing interior and a gravy packet.The company also is known for their hot dogs which do taste like the real thing. They also have Jumbo dogs for those who like the big ballpark franks along with kielbasa and chorizo. Vegans can enjoy Bolognese sauce again thanks to their meat crumbles. Many other companies, like Morningstar Farms also has them as well and they are versatile. Home chefs can make chilis or Sloppy Joes with them, two hearty dishes for the chilly days ahead..

The other aforementioned company, Morningstar Farms is the giant in soy products. They are chock full of choices for hamburgers even recently adding spicy Indian flavor to their repertoire . They also have great fun foods, that are perfect for parties or a let loose Saturday supper.They have garden veggie  nuggets which would please anyone meat lover from age three to one hundred.There is also enchiladas which are a great quick lunch  or dinner. Both companies have a section just on recipes and these are separated by meals and appetizers. You could make bacon double cheeseburgers with patties along with soy cheese and soy bacon.. Try a homemade pepperoni pizza with soy slices  or a cheesy beef crumble..Create a meat free Eggs Benedict with soy ham and soy scramble.   Vegans and vegetarians can go to any tailgating party and come back stuffed, thanks to Tofurky's brats  and Morningstar Farms corn dogs.Bring a few burgers along to convert the most die hard meat lovers. It's easy to do. There's no turning back once you try soy.

Vegans and vegetarians are not starving.They have a wide variety of different products to choose from, for any meal or snack. They are not only getting  flavorful dishes but also nutritional and filling ones too. .