Cringing over Thanksgiving Preparations--but have some ideas

When I was a child, Thanksgiving sat between the important holidays: Halloween and Christmas. For me, Thanksgiving was the filler. For my mother, it was (and remains) the center.

These days, I am grateful for Thanksgiving, but I'm still amazed by how much we endure (the weeks devoted to the planning and cooking, the hours spent on gridlocked highways or in packed planes) to show our dearest friends and family that we are thankful for them, and all that we have. I guess I'll feel more sentimental about Thanksgiving once most of the detailed planning and the ever-so challenging scheduling of the calendar (the whens and wheres) have been completed. On Thanksgiving, I'll be thankful, or so past experiences have taught me. On Thanksgiving, I'll get on my warm Norman Rockwell glow. Until then, however, I can't help but obsess on the oncoming deluge of food preparations: those intricate stuffings, which the child I once was hated, the sweet potato variations, and the endless line of pies. And the turkey, naturally, there's the turkey or some other bird that needs basting.

Lovely Julia Child enjoying her
Thanksgiving Preparations.

Mentally, at this point, I am fixated on the horror of making food, and lots of it, and having lots of it made by others who are around me. For apart from on television, I have never seen anyone in the midst of preparing a Thanksgiving dinner look or sound anything other than stressed or harassed.

Chances are, you and your family will either host or attend at least one Thanksgiving Dinner, and it's likely you'll feel compelled to make or bring something. As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be making a macaroni and cheese casserole, something I'm making especially for the kids, as not every dish that we serve for Thanksgiving suits the palate of children, and frankly I have a repertoire of about 20 dishes that I make really well. With that out in the open and established as fact, I've begun to assemble a list of things that may make your Thanksgiving planning and traveling a little less of a hassle:

A Cookbook to Consider:  The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever
Please note this: (Just about all of these links lead to Amazon--does not mean that you have to shop there.) Obviously! Just a great place to read reviews. Personally, I do a lot of shopping from their site, but other times I opt for different places. These links lead you to product reviews that give you a better sense of whether or not the product is right for you.

The book, known as The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever, by Beatrice Ojakangas has more than 500 casserole recipes. These recipes range from casseroles for two, casseroles for crowds, casseroles for breakfast (scrumptious) and there's even a small section devoted to casseroles for kids, though my seven-year-old likes most of the recipes that we have tried from this book. Ojakangas refrains from using pre-made soups to flavor her casseroles, preferring to provide you with her own cream of mushroom soup, etc., making for meals that contain less sodium. And, though most casseroles seem to demand vast quantities of butter or cream, she does have a suitable number of recipes that have no dairy products. Some dishes take 30 minutes to cook, while others can be left virtually unattended for three-four hours. During this time, the scent of your meal sweeps through the house, curling up the stairs and into rooms, so that when the meal is ready--and you've done a dozen other things, like curl up with a book--everyone sits at the table with a hearty appetite. Oh, I do love those moments!

I am sharing her "Mac and Cheese to Beat the Box" recipe, found on page 572. This easy to make dish is the first macaroni and cheese recipe that I have ever found that my seven-year-old feels rivals Kraft's version. Essentially, when this recipe proved a hit I went crazy with the book and have made about 20 of the author's recipes. Some I have never returned to, and others I have revamped to better suit the palates of my family--that's another nice feature: these recipes are easy to use as a base.

NOTE: If you would like to have your children participate in the preparation of this meal, just make a few adjustments for a fairly mess-free experience. First, instead of mixing the cheese mixture directly in the casserole dish, put the contents in a large bowl. Then let them go to it, whisking the various cheeses to their heart's content (this step also enables you to pour the contents into the casserole for a more even layer). They can also help you mix the melted butter with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Again, use a larger bowl. If your children are older, or you feel comfortable doing this, have them help you measure the ingredients: this is a great hands-on and visual experience that helps your children understand aspects of math--just what is half a cup, for instance. This in itself can lead to some interesting discussions. Finally, they can help you drizzle the breadcrumb concoction across the casserole, allowing them to utilize their motor skills. The best part: put on the oven light. Since this casserole does not need to be covered, your children can watch "their" culinary concoction transform into something that looks absolutely delicious.

"Mac and Cheese to Beat the Box"
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat or regular elbow macaroni (or, in a pinch, penne, farfalle, or cavatelli)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (mild, medium, or sharp)
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, cubed
1 cup undiluted evaporated milk
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 400F.
2) Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water according to package directions. Drain, but do not rinse.
3) Combine the macaroni with the Cheddar and cream cheese in a shallow 1-quart casserole. Stir until the cream cheese melts into the hot macaroni. Stir in the milk and scrape down the sides of the dish.
4) In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter and grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are browned.

My slight variations:
I have made this dish in different ways, and have found that my daughter is put off by the Neufchatel, and prefers the taste of Philadelphia Cream Cheese to any of the other brands.
I do not use the evaporated milk, but substitute it with a cup of whole cream.
I use Panko bread crumbs (not fine)--we prefer the crustier form of breadcrumb for this dish (or make your own).
I combine various cheddar cheeses and actually use more than what is recommended.
Broccoli and/or cauliflower can easily be added to this dish, as can various porks: sausages, diced ham, etc.


The cookbook provides you with many simple, tasty dishes that can be prepared in 20 minutes or less, are easy to transport, even if you will be going on a lengthy road trip, and that can be slid into the oven once you arrive at your Thanksgiving destination.


YIKES: Ready for the traffic jams? Looks like a typical rush-hour moment for me, but if you're sitting in this for hours, it can really take a toll on your nerves, especially when you're on the highway.

Are you Ready?

While on the road, sitting in traffic, you may want your children entertained by something other than DVDs and portable game consoles. If so, here are a couple of game suggestions, two of which are quiet and one that is a family road-game.


Game one, recommended for ages 8+ but I think younger children would like it, too:  Find It: 
If your child has any interest in the Where's Waldo or the Eye Spy forms of games/books, then you might consider buying "Find It". There are many versions of this game, some of which are themed (birds, zoo, the Wizard of Oz--quite a variety). This one has a group of random objects, all of which are contained in a durable plastic shaped cylinder. Your goal: find the penny. Along the way, you'll also search for and discover all the other items listed by shaking that cylinder and peering at it from various directions. Some of the objects are really easy to find, but others are far more elusive, which makes for a nice game rhythm so that young ones don't get instantly discouraged and/or frustrated, as they almost instantly succeed at finding at least a few of these tiny pieces.

Appearance-wise, it's a fairly handsome cylinder and feels solid to the touch. Could also make a nice gift for a family member, or for someone on your list for the forthcoming holiday season.




Game two, recommended for children ages 6+, but I think that's up to you:   Perplexus Original
When you hand your kids this translucent globe, you offer them a world that could possibly awe (or frustrate) a roller-coaster engineer. Enclosed in the ball is a silver, pearl-sized marble that must be maneuvered from start to finish through a series of twisted, spiraling tracks. Each track has its own color and requires a different strategy to keep that ball from slipping off: flip, rotate, shift, and focus, focus, focus! Definitely a toy on which you need to concentrate if you hope to succeed at getting the marble to its final destination (but not as demanding as keeping your eye on the road). Also fabulous for hand-eye coordination--think motor skills. There are three versions of Perplexus so you can get the one that you think would best suit your children. For instance, the junior version, for younger ones.




Game three, recommended for children ages 5+:    
Melissa and Doug License Plate Game
So while you're on the road, viewing license plates from across the country, you might consider adding this magnetic board to help you keep track of the plates found. As you see, you get a map of the US with this game, which can help your little ones learn a bit of geography as they (and you, if you don't get too distracted!) attempt to spot as many plates as possible. You can also flip the plate over and learn the capital of the state. Nice looking family game. Haven't bought this one yet (as I did with the others I mentioned), but intend to for our next one-hour + on the road. Looks like great fun, and it's gotten exceptional reviews. Have fun hunting!

Game four, recommended for kids:
Table Topics: Enter promotion code: FSNOV11 to receive free shipping on all orders
$9.00 for the (Table Topics Conversation Cards--Kids Topics on the Go);
to go the Amazon Route: Table Topics by Amazon Priced (as of now--prices subject to change frequently--$9.07)

Feel like having a conversation with your kids that might be a little different?  I mean, if you were to manufacture toothpaste, what flavor would you choose? That's one example, but there are many, many more conversation topics--40, to be exact. Try out these cards. Personally, I have not, (though I have used other cards to keep my now seven-year-old, then five-year-old from repeatedly asking to be excused from the table--and they worked). These cards are portable. But there are also many additional variations: family gathering, family, teens, girls' night out--to name a few. I'm showing the URL to Amazon, and to TableTopics, the latter which is currently having a free shipping special. Just look over the prices, and determine for yourself what makes the better deal--should you be interested in this item (and the variations).
NOTE: Am also recommending other versions of this "dinner game" for family gatherings: sometimes we just want to talk, other times we want to talk about topics we wouldn't necessarily think of on our own. These types of cards could help you do just that--find something new to talk about so that both young and old can share their opinions/experiences on any given topic. Neat to hear a grandparent talk about a typical school day vs. today's child! Worlds apart, but helps some to share experiences and relate to one another. I'm getting some. But I do like odd, interesting, and surprising questions that make me think and listen to how others think/relate to the world.