American Women's Club of Hamburg Currents Magazine November/December 2013 | Page 8
FEATURE
Sur viving Thanksgiving Chaos
by Kara W.
Hi, my name is Kara, and I’m a foodie. I love the idea of new
recipes, complicated dishes, and the thrill I get when said recipe
turns out a beautiful product. Here’s what I don’t love: my
kitchen looking like a flour bomb exploded, coating everything
in a fine layer of dust, the dishes that quickly pile up, the stress
of juggling two kids, two dogs, and a finicky dish in the oven or
on my stovetop.
I get this way with one dish. Last year I decided to undertake
a grand Thanksgiving meal to feed around fifteen to eighteen
people while my mother was visiting. Most of these people
were my German in-laws who had never had an American
Thanksgiving meal in their lives. I found myself facing the
challenge of finding all the ingredients I needed (okay, my mom
smuggled a good many in her overweight suitcase) without
spending loads of money and time. I also found myself having
to juggle all this cooking while going through the daily routines
that any Thursday called for in our home. Imagine how I felt
looking over my laminated recipes of about five to six dishes and
one dessert; I was pretty sure I would be bald and crazy by the
time the food went onto the table.
Through meticulous planning, lots of running around aimlessly,
and bossing my poor mother around in my kitchen, the meal
went off with hardly a hitch (okay, so my sister-in-law decided to
breastfeed at the table about the time I started carving the turkey,
but I digress. Wait, no, I had to explain to my very southern
mother why a naked boob was peeking out at her while she was
trying to eat mashed potatoes but that’s for a whole different
kind of advice article!)
I’m going to give you a few tips I picked up last year and plan
on using this year. Should you find yourself wanting to cook
a big meal in a small amount of time, feel free to use whatever
information you glean from this article!
1. Gather your recipes at least two weeks in advance and make a
list of ingredients, noting the ones you cannot get easily here
in Germany. I’m going to suggest several websites at the end
of this article for such ingredients. Also look for substitute
ingredients that can easily go in their place. Look up any
translations you may need for spices and other ingredients
so you don’t find yourself staring in wonder at the grocery
store, kicking yourself because you have no idea what sage
is in German. Make sure that the recipes you choose are
at your experience level. Don’t go for complicated if you
yourself are new in the kitchen. Sometimes the simplest
recipes make for the greatest results.
2. You also want to start looking for a turkey ahead of time.
Decide if you want a whole turkey or a turkey breast. I
remember a friend who lived in a small apartment in the
city not thinking the whole turkey thing through and went
via public transport to get a turkey, took it on a train ride
because it was really big to get it home, and then ended up
having to thaw it out on her balcony because it wouldn’t fit
in her fridge. She also had a bit of a problem getting the
darn thing in her oven. I used two turkey breasts for the
number of people I was feeding and injected them with my
marinade the night before.
3. Read through every recipe, noting the cooking time and
preparation involved. Specifically look for any dishes that
can be prepared in advance. This will help when you have
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four things that need to go into an oven that might fit
one dish max if you have a smaller kitchen and therefore a
smaller oven.
Make several time plans in advance about a week before the
day you want to host your meal. Make a shopping plan,
making sure you have ordered and received the special
ingredients. I started a day in advance on my cooking,
putting into place which dishes or steps could be done
beforehand. After that, I made a list of the dishes, their
cooking times, and when they needed to be started and in
what order. Luckily I have great dishes that hold in heat so
keeping food warm was not a problem. If you find yourself
needing this, reduce the heat of your oven to 50-100 Grad
after you have pulled out the last dish and sit the food in
there to re-warm before putting on the table. Remember
to get your turkey out and start thawing it the day before
to make it easier to stuff and cook. Note the cooking time
needed for the size of turkey you have and make sure you
have an oven that can fit more than one dish in it. If not,
start your turkey really early and wrap in layers of foil after
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