Is it ever too early to start planning for the holidays? I don’t think so.  Today, I got a head start on Thanksgiving. . . . yup – that’s right.  Simple do-aheads can make the holidays much less stressful.

Holidays were never meant to be stressful, but if your days are already overloaded, adding the planning and prep for holiday celebrations can create unnecessary stress.

Over the next few months, I will be posting ideas that may help your holidays be less stressful and more fun.

Today I cut all of the bread for the stuffing/dressing for our Thanksgiving dinner.  I had several loaves of rustic bread.  All I did was slice and cube the bread, spread it on a sheet- pan and pop it in a 200 degree oven.  I left it there for several hours, while I was working on other projects.  About half-way through the baking, I stirred the cubes around a little – that was it.  When they were completely dry, I removed them from the oven, let them cool, placed them into bags and vacuum packed them.  They will go into the freezer, not to be seen again until Thanksgiving, when they will be thoroughly seasoned, doused with melted butter and broth and combined with onions, celery, nuts, cranberries and whatever else I can sneak into my favorite Thanksgiving side dish.  40 cups of dried, cubed bread – and one less thing to worry about in November.

If you don’t have a vacuum packer, not to worry.  Place the dried bread cubes into an air tight container or zip top plastic storage bag.  No freezer space?  No worries.  If your bread is completely dried, it should be good for months. . . . (how long do you think that stuffing mix you buy at the store has been sitting around on the shelves?)

Let’s work together to make this year’s holiday season a great one!

Kathy