Over the hills, and through the woods...with a bread machine in tow



I am taking my bread machine with us to Oklahoma again this year.  Every family that is coming to my inlaws for Thanksgiving brings something to share, and one of my contributions is rolls.  I will also be making a spinach-artichoke dip and a spicy cranberry sauce that you eat with cream cheese and crackers (but you could also spoon a little onto your turkey). 

All of this requires some planning and packing.  I designated a large Rubbermaid plastic tub to be the food prep tub.  The bread machine goes in first, since it takes up the most room.  Inside the machine I put a small washcloth on the bottom of the bread 'bowl' to cover up the small metal post that the kneading bar attaches to.  Then I pack in the ingredients I need for the rolls.  In three separate Ziploc bags (because I will be making 3 batches), I pre-measure all of the dry ingredients I need for the rolls - flour, sugar, salt and yeast)  These rolls are fool-proof, so I never pay attention to the rule for bread machines that you have to add stuff in a certain order.  I put the all of the wet ingredients first, and then add the dry.  I only use the machine to make the dough, I bake the rolls in the oven.  Then I add my pizza cutter to the bin (I use it to cut the dough).  I also throw in my 2-cup glass measuring cup because I use it when I am making the recipe as well.  (A post about the rolls, including the recipe, will be forthcoming...)  I know from experience that I need to bring the extra tools with me and when we are in the throes of pulling a Thanksgiving meal together, it is handy to have extras - especially the tools you are accustomed to using.



I will also add my Pampered Chef Mini-baker stoneware, to use for my spinach-artichoke dip.  It is the perfect size for this recipe (forth-coming as well), and I would rather not be without it.  Wrap it up in a towel and nestle it in the bin.  I need to add a couple of ingredients for this recipe to my grocery shopping list for the trip.  I have a gripe here: Oklahoma City is a wonderful place.  It is huge.  It is vast.  It goes on and on and on.  The neighborhoods (most of them) are beautiful, and on every corner and in between there is either a restaurant or a church.  BUT, finding a decent grocery store is impossible.  I must be looking in all the wrong places (the only decent one I've found is all the way in Edmond, a 20 minute drive from my MIL's) because I have yet to find one that I can count on to find stuff other than the basics.  So I will be purchasing the marinated artichoke hearts and the fancy table crackers that I need before we leave.  I will also throw in jars of the variety of spices I need because I am not for certain what my MIL has on hand.  A list of items that will need to go into the cooler will be added to the packing list as well.  (The pre-made frozen cranberry dip, a measure of mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, soy sauce..ect)  These all seem like very basic items, but my MIL may or may not have them on hand.  I don't want to waste a lot of money on buying ingredients there, that I already have here, that I can just bring along with me.  I will also bring my bread cutting board and bread knife to cut the baguette bread to use with the spinach dip.  (Which I am praying I can find in OKC).

We are staying at my inlaw's so they are feeding us for several days as well.  I want to help ease my MIL's burden of having to all of a sudden cook for 8 instead of 2, so I plan on making a crock pot meal for all of us on Wednesday, so that we have a wonderful meal waiting for us at the end of a long, food-preparation marathon day.  Something very unThanksgiving mealish - Tenderized Round steak w/peppers on rice.   So I need to pack the crock pot and rice cooker as well.  I know that my MIL has a crock pot (maybe even two??), but I also know that they will be pressed into service on the big day, and having an extra on hand will really help.  I remember last year we needed to borrow one from Dean's sister, Stacy, to have enough for the Christmas meal.  Since I will have the bread machine with me, I will also pull together a batch of caramel-pecan cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving morning, so that we have something to sustain us while cooking. 

So, just thinking out loud here...

The bin will contain the bread machine, crock pot, rice cooker, bread board, pizza cutter, bread knife, stoneware baker, glass measuring cup, 2 extra spatulas, garlic peeler, basting brush, oregano, ginger, garlic powder, cornstarch, marinated artichoke hearts, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 2 garlic cloves, basmati rice, stoneground wheat crackers, light Karo syrup, brown sugar, chopped pecans, cinnamon/sugar, bag of caramel roll ingredients, 3 bags of butter crescent roll ingredients, recipes for steak & peppers, spinach & artichoke dip, and caramel rolls. (butter crescents are memorized)

In the cooler: 6-7 basil leaves, frozen cranberry sauce, mayo, Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese, soy sauce, sliced bell peppers plus all in-car lunch and snack items.

When we arrive, the bin can stay in the garage, where it will be out of the way.  I can retrieve stuff as I need it, and then put it away when done, so it is out of the way.  Counterspace is at a premium, so that certainly helps.  The bin, because of it's size and stability, can be one of the first things packed into the van.  I don't have to worry about things getting crushed or spilling, because it is all safely contained.

It is also nice to have this all planned out a couple weeks ahead of time, instead of frantically trying to pull it all together the night before we leave, or just winging it when I get there.  I tried that it in the past... and it was a fantastic failure.  Uugh.

So what if you aren't traveling for the holiday?  Here is some general holiday cooking advice...

• Plan your meal out now. 
• Shop now. 
• Prepare what you can ahead of time, and freeze it. 
• Pre-measure ingredients and bag it up ahead of time.
• Chop up what you can the day ahead.
• Pull together the cookware and utensils you need a few days ahead.  Did you forget that a few months ago you dropped that favorite serving bowl and it shattered into a million pieces?
• WHERE is that favorite recipe?  Put together a Holiday recipe binder.  Put in tabs for each holiday.  Add the recipes as you think of them.  I have struggled every Christmas with trying to remember where each and every favorite cookie recipe is.  I only have about fifty billion cookbooks and Taste of Home copies to look through.... Pull your favorites, type them up or make a photocopy of them, and add them to the binder. (Scrapbook it even!)  That way, when the holiday rolls around, you've got it all in one place.  When your kids move out or get married, you can make a copy and pass it on to them - a keepsake for them and their spouse will love you for it.

So - check back soon... the recipes mentioned above (and photos) will be forthcoming!