PREPARE AHEAD FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Merchandizing generally, is starting earlier and earlier to rev-up the public for holiday shopping, so why should supermarkets be different? This is especially true of baking supplies,
which encompasses the dairy and produce departments as well. A decade or so ago, one saw candy on sale in October, flour, fruit and pie filings in November, the major sugar sales including the ones used for sprinkled toppings and candied fruits appeared in December. Butter and flour sales lingered into that month too.
Perhaps it’s the recent popularity of Halloween as an adult day to party. Perhaps it’s the growing emphases on Thanksgiving as family centered, food focused national holiday. Perhaps it’s the increased ethnic diversity of the U.S. population, causing Christmas to share the month with other holidays. Whatever the reason, the major sales on baking ingredients now start before Halloween and end at Thanksgiving. Candied fruits and colored sugars still appear in December, but not necessarily at reduced prices. I think the food industry has concluded that, with all the baking to be done for the first two occasions, people have used up their bulk supplies and need to re-stock.
I first realized this fact a couple of years ago when I was caught short. Halloween had been simply handing out treats and Thanksgiving I was on the vegetable brigade for a family dinner at a relative’s house. I hadn’t done any real baking since July and was low on supplies. I always make my Christmas cookies right after Thanksgiving weekend. So that Monday, I set out to stock up and was shocked to find that I would be paying appreciably more for the things I needed than I would have in the previous weeks. Flour, sugar, butter averaged $0.50 to $1.00 more per package, eggs, nuts, even mixes were also up. There were no fresh cranberries and the canned jelly and sauce were half again the price of the week before as were the sweet potatoes in any form.
I couldn’t pin my surprise on inattention to the flyers either. Most of these items had been listed back in October and had continued on at the sale price, unannounced, through November. The quick changes were unexpected to say the least, and the total bill was higher than calculated. I had been aware of this trend in more seasonal things, like pie fillings and stuffing breads, but never encountered it in the general holiday food shopping range before. I think that was also the year I realized that turkeys were advertised for Christmas, but priced at least double what they were at Thanksgiving.
I grew up in a large resort where the cardinal rule was prices up in season, down off. Maybe December is still the peak of the baking season, but I admit to being perplexed as to why turkeys are lower before National Turkey Day? And why is ice cream sky high, with virtually no featured sales during the winter but reasonable during the summer? If the baking supply prices make sense, the other food items don’t. Still, year after year this trend continues and rather than attempt to understand it, it’s more productive to figure out how to deal with it.
The first step, of course, is to plan ahead for what you need and shop early. If sticking to a budget is important, this is a big help because it allows you to amortize the holidays—all of them. One of the first things I buy is one of the last things I make. Raw almonds are on sale in August, in vacuum sealed bags, but are only crisp for a week or so after being toasted. They get done Christmas week. Other things are made months ahead. I substituted fruit cake for a fruit bread years ago. It’s easier, more appreciated and can even be served for breakfast. Baked with wine in the mix, sprinkled with whiskey and well wrapped, it keeps for several months in the refrigerator. I make two in September and they’re perfect by late December. My cheeses are mixed and kept chilled in crocks from mid-November. Again alcohol in the ingredients preserves them and gives the flavors time to meld. Like the breads, they taste better after aging.
Not all my pre-prepared foods for the holidays are table ready, but most do require refrigeration. I have discovered the dough for the rolled cookies can be made a couple of weeks ahead and kept in the fridge or a couple of months and frozen. Drop cookies don’t do well either chilled or frozen, so they get mixed and made when the others are baked. Pie dough and rolls do freeze well. For the pies, I roll out the rounds and freeze them stacked and separated by double sheets of waxed paper in a plastic bag. Crepes and pancakes are great this way too.
My family stuffing recipe calls for homemade croutons ns well as grated onion and celery. For the original recipe, the croutons were sautéed in lots of butter. In the interests of healthy eating, I now drizzle them with melted butter and bake them. They keep for six weeks in an air tight container. The grated onion and celery is done in the processer and frozen, again six to eight weeks ahead.
Having mentioned the stuffing, I should “talk turkey” too. As I’ve said the price of the birds is at its lowest before Thanksgiving. The price has always gone up before Christmas, but the escalation has really increased over the past five years, as I learned the hard way. I always bought fresh turkeys, and according to family tradition again, always toms over 20 lbs. aware that I was going to pay a premium especially for the fact that it was fresh, not frozen. Then four years ago I went to pick up my order on Dec. 24th I had noted that the price was about $1.00 a pound.in November and was braced for a higher cost, but not for the register shock I got. My turkey was almost $2.50 per pound.
The next year I cleaned out my freezer and bought a frozen turkey at the Thanksgiving price, paying just over $14.00 for a 22 lb. bird. No one noticed the difference, I was able to take my time thawing and brining it, and best of all, I didn’t have to be concerned about getting out to pick it up. For me frozen is the way to go from now on. This option can be applied to any type of roast needed for a special occasion. If price and weather are important factors, consider buying ahead and freezing. There’s a possibility your butcher will even do it for you in-store.
In any event, preparing ahead for holidays, be they one or several grouped together, is a smart, cost effective way to go. It allows them to be amortized, which is easier on your wallet, but far easier on you, your nerves, your schedule and ultimately the peace in your household. I urge you to give it a try. Below are a few recipes to start you on your way, or at least point you in the right direction.
CHEDDAR CHEESE SPREADS
NUMBER I: the original
(1) 8oz.bar of sharp cheese-any brand, even the supermarket’s own-yellow or white
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 Tbs. white wine- or dry sherry
Blend all the ingredients but the nuts in a food processor until smooth. Add more mayonnaise or wine if it seems too dry… Add the nuts and pulse only to combine. Put into a container, seal and. chill.
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To the cheese and mayonnaise add;
¼ cup toasted walnut pieces
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 Tbs. Port
Proceed as above.
NUMBER III
To the cheese and mayonnaise add:
2 Tbs. caraway seeds
2 Tbs. of bourbon or rye whiskey
Proceed as above.
FRUIT BREADS
This recipe is wonderful in that by using the options, you can make it into your own. Start with
2 boxes of quick bread mix with fruits—DO NOT buy a swirl or sweet variety.*
¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts
¼ cup raisons
¼ cup chopped candied fruits
¼ cup other chopped dried fruits not in either mix**
Ingredients listed on boxes.
Red wine
Rye or Bourbon for wrapping
Cooking spray
Whole pecan or walnut halves and candied cherries for decoration
Colored sugar crystals.
(2) 8 or 9 inch round cake pans or 2 regular loaf pans
Make up batters separately replacing half the water required with wine, then combine them. Mix in the chopped fruits and nuts. Spray pans and divide batter between them. Decorate the tops with the nut halves, cherries and sugar. Do not press in or they will sink into the batter as it rises. Alternatively, pull out the oven shelf after about 15min. and place the fruits and nuts. The sugar can be sprinkled before baking. Cook and cool according to package directions*** in a preheated oven and on a rack. Remove from pans and invert onto plates.
When cool, sprinkle liberally with the whiskey, and wrap in plastic wrap, Refrigerate on plates. Unwrap every week to ten days and re-sprinkle with the whiskey.
*I like Cranberry and Pumpkin for the mix, but Cranberry and Date Nut is good too. It depends on the holiday and your preference.
**The best choices of dried fruits for this type of bread are apricots, dates, figs and pineapple. Just don’t duplicate a fruit already in the mix.
***Even when using the same brand there may be a variation in cooking times This may require a bit of math. Usually there will be a common ground if you overlap the time brackets. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
