- Follow us:
Tuesday, November 13th, 2018
Collectors Room Pieces: Set up a formal dining space this Thanksgiving.
When the word Thanksgiving is mentioned to you, what things run through your mind? You probably think of the pilgrims and Indians but the real story is less joyful than these. In fact, the history of Thanksgiving is laden with wars and slavery. The Pequot women and children were the ones who inspired Thanksgiving with their yearly Green Corn Festival.
Let’s not tackle how the Dutch and English mercenaries celebrated their Thanksgiving, neither the other frenzied celebrations because those events were tragic to say the least.
It was George Washington who finally decided that only one day every year should be set aside as Thanksgiving and, eventually, Abraham Lincoln decreed that this day become a legal holiday.
So what are the things that you are grateful for? The mere fact that you have a roof over your head and good food to eat are awesome reasons to celebrate and give thanks.
Most of the time, people forget how lucky they actually are with all the things that they take for granted such as a soft bed, a clean and spa-like bathroom, and a spacious home. All these are reasons to celebrate this coming Thanksgiving.
Let’s Eat
It’s Thanksgiving so it’s the perfect time to gather the family, celebrate, and eat. What’s Thanksgiving anyway without ample food on the table? This is the time to feast and to devour, ingest, gobble up, wolf down your food or even to pig out.
Polish off your plates when you serve these foods –
Traditional Turkey
But of course. What is Thanksgiving without family members carving a huge turkey? This bird is often prepared whole and filled with vegetables, fruits or some other stuffing.
Turkeys are usually seasoned with several herbs and spices and then roasted over open fire or inside an oven. Be sure to roast this till it’s deliciously tender but still juicy.
It takes skill to properly roast a turkey. There are many videos showing how to roast this bird so that it’s still juicy once it’s done.
The Thick Gravy
The turkey will have juices once it is being roasted. Don’t let this go to waste. Turn the turkey juices into a thick gravy sauce which you can use to flavor the mashed potatoes.
Stuff ‘Em Right
The stuffing is the filling or also referred to as the dressing. This goes inside the turkey before it is roasted. Traditionally, the stuffing is comprised of bread, herbs, and sausage.
The Creamy Mashed Potatoes
This is another traditional Thanksgiving food. To serve this, you must first boil and peel the potatoes. Once they’re cooked, have them mashed till they are soft and creamy. Add milk, butter, and a few spices according to your liking.
Varieties of Corn
If bread rolls are a staple during Thanksgiving meals, then so is corn.
Corn can be served as cornbread, creamed corn or corn on the cob.
Sweet Cranberry Sauce
The sour, sweet and tangy flavors of the cranberry sauce are what make this sauce the best sauce for the turkey. There are many shops that sell the cranberry sauce but you can also make your own if you have ample time.
Make this sauce by boiling cranberries, lemon zest, sugar, and water. Simmer over a small flame then you’re done.
Candied Yams
The yellow, sweet potatoes are known as yams. They have a soft texture and they can be used as a side dish or could even be served during the main course. These can be baked, mashed or be made as casserole.
Add some spices, butter, brown sugar, and top with marshmallows for the perfect baked candied yams.
Sweet as a Pumpkin Pie
The pumpkin spice is a reminder that Fall is happening indeed. There’s pumpkin spice cookies and coffee, even bagels and sausages. But it’s the pumpkin pie that’s to beat.
Tags: Getting ready for Thanksgiving, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, preparing for Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving foods
Posted in Dining Room Design, Fall Season, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Thanksgiving 2018 – What’s for Dinner?
Monday, November 5th, 2018
Fine Furniture Design’s Collectors Room pieces: Thanksgiving is all about formal dining and having fun with the family.
Thanksgiving is now right around the corner. If you have not planned yet, don’t worry, you still have ample time to do your preparations. And when you’re about to host a Thanksgiving dinner party, then you should seriously double-time.
Here are some smart ways that you can prep for this special occasion –
Inspect the Kitchen Tools and Equipment
Apart from planning the menu, it is also as important that you check on your kitchen tools and cookware. After all, you will need all these to cook the dinner. The basics are that roasting pan, meat thermometer, some pie dishes, and even the cutlery.
If you’re in charge of cooking, then you should also consider having your knives professionally sharpened. If you’re too busy to have it taken to the experts, then at the very least, you should have honing steel or a sharpening stone. It often takes days to have a knife sharpened so you should schedule this activity in advance.
Keep in mind that a dull knife is likely a dangerous knife so you wouldn’t want to get cooking with such a set of knives.
Make the Foods and Sauces Now
A frozen turkey remains that for a long time so you should consider when to thaw it. A huge, completely frozen bird will need sometime to thaw. Remember that for each four pounds of frozen turkey, you will need a day of thawing.
Thanksgiving time is gravy time. Since you’ll need a lot, why not tackle the duty of prepping this essential now? Worry not about the drippings because you can always add these to the gravy on the last minute for a more authentic flavor.
The cranberry sauce is also an important part of every Thanksgiving dinner. Although this is the case, there are times when you might forget it during grocery shopping.
Make sure that you do have this sauce during this special day. This contains sugar so it can be made and then kept and frozen in the fridge till the day.
Another Thanksgiving essential is the mashed potato. While the potato may not take freezing well, with mashed potatoes, it’s a totally different story. For as long as they are mashed and covered with lots of cream and butter, then this can be stored until the big day.
Another thing that you can make now are the dinner rolls. These can be baked now and then frozen until they are ready to be enjoyed on your Thanksgiving meal. You can also make and freeze the pie crust whether you’re going to use it for a pumpkin, apple or pecan filling.
Schedule Ahead
Even when you’re done prepping for the food and beverages that will be enjoyed during the Thanksgiving meal, it would be more helpful if you know how your day will exactly play out. You need to sort out your schedule in advance especially when it comes to cooking and baking.
You need to be certain about your schedule during this day. If you have travel plans for this date, then make sure that you have the right tickets for your train or airplane. Have these bought in advance so that you won’t have to pay for an astronomical amount.
Go over the tickets, connecting flights, your schedules, even the driving directions just to make sure that your trip is going to go smoothly. If you are going to check in a hotel, then book now. The earlier you book, the lower the rates.
And when you’re not heading out, you would need to make sure that your home is well prepped to accept guests during this wonderful occasion.
Tags: Getting ready for Thanksgiving, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, preparing for Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving prep, Thanksgiving preparation
Posted in Dining Room Design, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Thanksgiving Prep – 3 Essential Steps to Remember
Follow us on our social media
© McCreery's Home Furnishings | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
