These are exciting times
By By Suzanne Langcuster
Have you made menus for your holiday meals?
We have some exciting days coming up. How fast the seasons pass and we want to be ready for family and friends.
An old Army phrase reminds us that "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance." That might be a good thing to remember to keep us on task for the days coming up.
Halloween might not be busy for some but for others it is a momentous undertaking. Yards are decorated, boxes of candies are purchased and mum pots fill the yards in colorful Fall blends.
Maybe you plan to go the extra mile and make homemade cookies or popcorn balls.
Often little goblins are happy with small bags of chips, apples or oranges and assorted nuts instead of sweets. These kinds of treat gifts can be placed in a zip top bags for easy handling.
Our next holiday will be Thanksgiving and will be here before we know it. Planning your meal now and purchasing items ahead that you will need will be a big help. Many of these items will be on sale a few weeks before the holiday. When planning appetizer remember that finger foods should wet the appetite, not satisfy it.
Never use a food as an appetizer that will be repeated in your main dish. Plan colorful appetizer for your holiday meals.
Select what your main dish will be. Everything else you prepare will revolve around the main dish.
Casseroles and quiche of chicken, ground beef, seafood, and ham that you can fix ahead will save valuable time. Of course we can have our traditional turkey ready the day before.
Broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, cream corn or lima beans all serve well with the main dishes motioned above.
Pickled peaches, fruit salads and fruit bowls are colorful and go well with this holiday meal. Be sure to choose a good homemade roll for your meal. If you don't make rolls, buy the frozen kind and serve with butter.
Mincemeat pies, coconut cake, fruit cakes, pecan pies, and fruit pies are wonderful with hot coffee at the end of your meal.
Enjoy the days and help others to enjoy it also.
Suzanne Langcuster is a food writer for the Franklin County Times.
