#hungryyet

Again with the inflation! 

If you are having family over at your home for Christmas, consider surveying the group to get a consensus on the main source of protein (I will touch on vegan options later). If they prefer a honey baked ham, consider making your own but having everyone contribute to the cost of the ham (I’m certain you have most of the other ingredients already on hand).  The other meal components such as the sides and desserts can be brought by your family but can also be polled in your survey for the menu. As the person hosting the event you may want to use signup genius. I love the different formats of signups they offer. Consider having everyone signup to bring an item from the menu you’ve put together OR have everyone signup and enter an item they want to bring. Signup genius can be used free. 

Here is my honey baked ham.                

Pork alternatives: marinated and smoked turkey wings (more reasonable than purchasing the entire turkey).

Oxtails are also great as this works as it isn’t something you eat daily, you’d make no more than 4lbs at a time.           Thanks Chang ;-)      

What’s up? Food prices driving the inflation of the Thanksgiving meal. Don’t forget, good food will always be good food. Remember, it’s the time spent with your family that’s the focus. Give thanks and reflect on good times, funny stories, and don’t forget to include a moment of celebration for your loved ones who are no longer physically with you. 

 IMPORTANT: if you’re a planner (who may procrastinate) like me, you may want to check in with everyone to start the planning for your next meal and get together. Everyone has those meals, sides, or desserts they’re great at preparing. For example, my aunt is always on yams duty. My sister is a go-to for anything fried. I am great with air fryers, desserts and large pieces of meat, marinating protein and my boyfriend is the smoker of meats. Allow everyone to contribute their expertise and don’t forget to make sure you include the younger generations- them being able to prepare their own foods instead of relying on heavily processed foods will benefit them in the long run.

 So what did we eat? Rosemary lemon chicken with butternut squash sautéed   kale and roasted brussels sprouts.          

  Also, Consider making Cornish/French hens- you don’t have to cook in your kitchen in preparation for an entire week and you can tailor the flavor of each hen to suit the preference of each family member.