We are T-7 days from Thanksgiving… how did that happen?? Great news - we are here for you with some ideas to get you through the holidays as smoothly as possible. Starting with… how to order your dinner this year! I mean, we’ve been through enough, why cook all of this?
One of our favorite caterers, Eco-Catering, has a food delivery service bringing you farm fresh ingredients to the comfort of your own home. They support amazing local farms and vendors here in the DMV, while impacting our planet as little as possible. For $175, you can have them do all the prep work (including brining your turkey!) and bring you 3 sides and 2 desserts with the instructions to cook and/or finish. Click here to order (Molly’s order was placed this morning). Order by 11:59 p.m. on November 21.
being together while staying apart
Did your holiday plans suddenly change? Is your family on another coast or in another country? Ours too. So even though our Zoom-fatigue is real (like really real), we are doing our best with investing in the technology to give us the best experience to visit with family over the holidays - check out the Facebook Portal and the Echo Show. Are they mining your data? Yeah, but they are doing that already. Honestly, just a regular facetime call is not good enough anymore. Check out these reviews here and here to read more but make sure you do the demos to see how cool these things work.
Food & Friends
Food & Friends provides nutritionally-tailored, home-delivered meals to people in the Washington D.C. region facing a life-challenging health crisis. We believe that food heals and this year we will prepare and deliver more than 1 million meals across 5,300 square miles to our neighbors – at no charge. Established in 1988 during the height of the AIDS crisis, we strive to help our clients feel better, connect them to their community and empower them to manage their illnesses. Thousands of volunteers will touch more nearly 4,000 lives this year. At Food & Friends, we are driven by a simple premise: anyone can get sick and everyone can help. To volunteer with Food & Friends, visit www.foodandfriends.org/volunteer or you can donate to support our services here.
You can also support Food & Friends by purchasing items from their Amazon wish list here. Please ensure your donations are sent to "Food & Friends” on the shipping page when you check out.
PIES FOR A GOOD CAUSE!
Kristy is helping the food shelter we work with - Food and Friends - by selling pies this Oct/Nov. Every pie sold equates to an entire day of meals for one person they deliver to. If you're interested in a pie (they're delicious), use her link! - Jacob (*The last day to purchase a pie is on Thursday, November 19).
Recipes
Bourbon Slush - an Oakley Family favorite!
Ingredients:
7 cups hot water
1.5 cups sugar
2 cups strong tea
2 small cans of frozen lemonade
1 small can of frozen orange juice
1 cup bourbon
Mix all of the ingredients in a large freezer-safe container (or mix in a large bowl and then split into different containers). Freeze for 24 hours or until solid. Before serving, use a large spoon to break up the slush. Fill a highball glass with the slush and then top with 7up or Sprite. Enjoy!
Turkey Noodle Soup - A great day after Thanksgiving Recipe!
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Cloves of Garlic
1 Stalk of Celery
3-4 Cups of Turkey
3 Bay Leaves
2 Teaspoons of Dried Thyme
½ of a Teaspoons of Salt & Pepper
8 Cups of Chicken Broth
6 Ounces of Egg Noodles (Uncooked)
1 Cup of Frozen Peas
2 Tablespoons of Chopped Fresh Parsley
Directions
Heat oil in large stock pot. Add leeks, carrots, garlic and celery. Saute for 4 minutes over medium heat. Add turkey, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper and mix well. Add broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Return mix to a boil then add egg noodles and cook for a further 10 minutes. Sir in peas and cook for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Then it is ready to serve!
Stick of Butter Rice - Only 4 ingredients needed!
Ingredients
Can of Beef Consomme soup
Can of french onion soup
1 cup of uncooked White Rice
Stick of butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 425
Add rice and both soups to a 8x8 baking dish and mix together
Cut up butter into slices and place them on top of rice mixture
Cover with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes
Remove tin foil and cook for 30 more minutes.
Gluten-free or dairy-free? Here are two sites with some great options to include those with challenging diets:
https://www.mamaknowsglutenfree.com/the-best-gluten-free-thanksgiving-recipes/
https://www.asaucykitchen.com/
And if all else fails, listen to Ina. Happy planning, everyone!