Preparing for Christmas usually goes like this: at first, it feels like you still have a lot of time. Suddenly it begins to shrink rapidly. A few days before Christmas Eve, you panic: you do pre-Christmas cleaning, buy gifts, because Christmas Eve will be at your place. And in addition, you have to prepare it yourself. But it doesn't have to be that way! However, preparations for Christmas may be different - check out our Christmas guide!
Preparations for Christmasin the case of some housewives they look like they stand by the pots all night, and then they only hold for giving presents. Tired people usually leave their guests at the table and go to sleep overnight cooking. Other, very busy housewives, on the last day, run around the shops and buy "cash". And they are generally angry because there is nothing they wanted to buy, and they spent a lot more money than they planned. They all always agree that next year will be different. What to do to preventholidaysfrom becoming the housewife's nightmare? Check out ourChristmas guidefor just three but very important rules for Christmas preparations.
Preparing for Christmas:
1. Good planning
Good organization is essential in order not to fall into a Christmas panic. Everyone who cares about preparing the holidays knows about it. It is best to start with writing out a menu for all festive days. Then make a shopping list tailored to it. It is worth distinguishing products that you can buy in advance (e.g. flour, sugar, oil, dried fruit, sweets), and leave only those that cannot be left lying down for a long time for the last week. Thanks to the list, you won't be running to the store every time it turns out that you just missed something.
Then, with the calendar in hand a week before Christmas Eve, make a schedule of activities. Make a note of exactly what you have to do: e.g. cook vegetables for a salad, cut an onion for herring, take the pate out of the freezer. It's better to spend more time making a plan than then bustling around the kitchen from one job to the next and wondering: what else do I have to do.
2. Measurestrength for intentions
Some people advise you not to be too ambitious when preparing dishes and buy ready-made products instead of hand-made handles or red borscht. A good idea, as long as you know where to buy the tasty and proven ones, or you can rely on the opinions of others. During the holidays, even people who are unfamiliar with the kitchen on a daily basis want to prepare jelly fish by themselves or to bake a poppy seed cake.
Another piece of advice is to limit the number of dishes. The less of them - the less time you spend on preparation. Deciding which to give up is not that simple. You don't prepare Christmas Eve dinner only for yourself, but most of all for your relatives.
Each of us has our childhood memories and dishes that are associated with Christmas, and the Christmas Eve dinner is a bit of a wish concert. And that's why in some houses there must be two soups or several types of dumplings.
In order not to become a tormented cook, it is worth using the freezer unscrupulously. You can freeze ready-made dishes that only require heating or "semi-finished products". Start preparing the dish earlier, freeze it - then just season it and reheat it. It is also important to clearly indicate what is in the bags, so as not to make a mistake and take them out in the correct order.
3. Distribute the preparations in time
Some housewives wait until the last minute to prepare their Christmas dishes, because only then they are tasty. Meanwhile, some of them can be easily prepared 2-3 days in advance.
Even if you don't have a freezer or a large freezer, you can spread the work over several days. The previously cooked cabbage with mushrooms or the dumplings heated on a special Christmas Eve oil are even tastier than the ones just made.
Preparations for Christmas - an exemplary schedule
Here is an example schedule that you can prepare in advance to save nerves and Christmas Eve bustle:
- 4 days before Christmas Eve:Christmas cabbage without roux;
- 2-3 days before Christmas Eve:herring, poppy seed cake, fruitcake, borscht patties;
- 2 days before Christmas Eve:dumplings, dumplings, red borscht without leaven, mushroom soup;
- 1 day before Christmas Eve:dried compote, vegetable salad, fish in jelly, kutia.
For Christmas Eve you will only have to fry fish or bake Christmas meats. Of course, wherever possible, make sure that everyone in your household is involved in Christmas preparations. An adolescent child may not fill the dumplings, but he will cut the vegetables for salad and wash the dishes, and the husband will gutfish or clean the apartment.
Because Christmas is for everyone - also for the busy lady of the house.
- Holidays are a time of reflection, not an exam for the perfect housewife
- How to buy gifts, i.e. gifts from the heart
- How many calories do Christmas Eve dishes have?