44 The Queens Courier • buzz • NOVEMBER 10, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com buzz Delicious uses for holiday leftovers THE KEY TO AN EASY AND GREAT THANKSGIVING More than half of all Americans will feast on takeout this Thanksgiving, according to the National Restaurant Association. It’s easy to guess why. All the things we love about takeout - such as convenience and time-savings - are doubly valuable during the busy holiday season. Holiday takeout can be a time-saving, fuss-free and low-labor way to have a great meal without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Less time preparing a meal and cleaning up afterward means more time to spend with loved ones so you can do the things you enjoy during the holidays. Still, holiday takeout requires some planning to get it right. “Thanksgiving is a busy day for restaurants, too, so it pays to put some thought into your holiday to-go plans,” says Bill Kintzler, chef for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. “In fact, Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for our restaurants. We expect we’ll serve about 1.4 million meals over the nine day Thanksgiving holiday season.” Kintzler offers some advice to ensure your holiday takeout is a success: • Place your order on time. Call at the last minute and the restaurant may no longer have availability - and you may find yourself preparing your own holiday meal. Cracker Barrel advises customers to order at least 24 hours before the holiday. • Calculate how much food you’ll need for the number of guests you anticipate - and don’t forget to allow extra for leftovers. Generally, you should allow a pound of turkey per adult guest, a few ounces of side dishes per guest, and at least one slice of pie (about a 3-inch wedge) per guest. Ask the restaurant how many guests their takeout meal should serve, and request information on portion sizes. • Get a clear list of what’s included in your order, and find out if substitutions are allowed. For example, if your family loves turkey but doesn’t eat as much stuffing, will the restaurant allow you to order additional meat and gravy and cut back on other trimmings? Will the order include entree, sides and bread? Cracker Barrel’s Thanksgiving To-Go meal includes turkey breast, cornbread dressing, gravy, sugar-cured ham, cranberry relish, and a choice of sides and biscuits, corn muffins or a sourdough loaf. • Confirm your order a day or two before the holiday - especially if you’ve placed it well in advance. Some restaurants may offer email or text-message confirmations, but you should also be able to call and quickly confirm the order with the restaurant. • Order from established restaurants and/or caterers that have a track record of providing good food and service. Getting your takeout meal from a restaurant where you’ve already dined and had a good experience can help you be more confident that you’ll get a great meal. • Ask the restaurant for detailed reheating instructions and follow them to ensure the best results. • Don’t forget that you can always personalize your takeout meal by adding one or two side dishes of your own, as well as appetizers or a traditional family dessert. “The holidays are supposed to be about spending time with loved ones,” Kintzler says. “Having someone else prepare your Thanksgiving meal can help you spend more time with family and friends and less time in the kitchen!” Courtesy BPT Every year, we face the same question after large holiday dinners: What to do with all the leftovers? Rita Held, culinary professional and creator of Holland House Cooking Wine recipes, knows that one of the rewards of holiday cooking is leftovers and all their possibilities. “If I’m too busy to make something at the time, my freezer comes in handy,” says Held. “I slice up turkey, ham or roast beef and freeze in individual sandwich-size portions, or I dice it into small portions to use in scrambled eggs, omelets, or soups.” This year, keep the party going with a few innovative tips and recipes from Held to take your holiday leftovers from dull to dazzling. • Storing leftovers. How leftovers are stored will determine how much you can use later. Make sure that food cools before sealing and storing it in the refrigerator, and use shallow containers to ensure freshness is locked in. While it’s tempting to keep casseroles and sides wrapped in the serving dishes, it is best to store these in airtight containers as well. • Deliciously “filled” appetizers. Create simple stuffed mushrooms by removing the stems and scooping leftover stuffing into the cap. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake until mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is golden. Make tasty turnovers by filling pastry dough with scoops of any meat and vegetable dishes and then bake until golden. • Extraordinary sandwiches. All that leftover turkey usually means sandwiches for a week. Break routine with the traditional turkey sandwich and make a warm Panini sandwich with a flavorful cheese and cranberry sauce, or a croque monsieur sandwich with sliced ham and Dijon mustard. • Savory pies. Use leftover mashed potatoes and vegetables to create a shepherd’s pie. No more mashed potatoes? No problem! Create delicious potpies with leftover turkey for a simple meal the whole family will love. • Hearty soups. One of the easiest ways to use leftover meats and vegetables is by making soup. Laced with sherry cooking wine, this Wild Rice ‘n Ham Soup is great way to use leftover ham and wild rice. Serve with a fresh spinach salad and a loaf of crusty French bread for an easy weeknight meal. Courtesy BPT
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