Tried and True Thanksgiving Meal Tricks

Terrific Tips (Guaranteed!)

• Shortcut for Gravy: Use canned or bottled gravy and mix with pan juices instead of water for richer flavor.
• Shortcut for Potatoes: Peel raw potatoes for preparing mashed potatoes the day before Thanksgiving, cover with water and refrigerate. Then just as the water begins to boil when you do cook the potatoes, add a few packets or tablespoons of instant chicken broth to the water for extra flavor.
• Super Moist Turkey: Arrange sliced turkey parts and pieces on an oven proof platter. Baste with a little hot turkey broth, cover with foil and place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until serving time.
• Crockpot Stuffing: Place just a small handful of stuffing inside the turkey before cooking to give the bird a nice herb flavor. Free up the oven by placing the remaining stuffing into a crockpot coated with cooking spray and let the stuffing warm for a couple of hours on low setting.
• No Pumpkin Pie Spice? Use these spices in place of pumpkin pie spice (per teaspoon): 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.
• No Weeping Whipping Cream: Cream can be whipped ahead and chilled for several hours to eliminate weeping (the excess liquid that forms if the whipped cream sits too long.)
  1. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
  2. Place whipped cream into fine-mesh strainer over a bowl.
  3. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours. The excess liquid will drip into the bowl, and the cream will retain its consistency until serving time.
• Tender Cranberries in Your Relish: : For whole-berry relishes, cook the fruit before adding the sugar to ensure that the skins will be tender.
• For the Most Beautiful Pie Crust: Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful glossy finish.
• Cute Cranberry Shapes: Open a can of jellied cranberry sauce, slice, then cut out shapes with cookie cutters and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.