Getting ready for the holidays is often overwhelming, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to get it all done- much less enjoy it! Thanksgiving is hands down my favorite holiday. It’s not about the perfect gifts. It’s really about being thankful for more things than one single day can contain. And let’s face it, getting ready for the holidays means good food and lots of it. So! I’ve put together a few things you can do quickly and easily while you’re getting celebration food ready for the holidays…
As far as you can- plan your holiday calendar for food and menus. Buy ahead, a bit each week instead of one huge purchase. Start with items that can be stored, chilled or frozen ahead of time. Note: Check out your seasonings and spices now- chances are they need to be replaced.
I also buy bulk pecans, almonds and cashews ahead of time. Pecans, cashews and almonds are stored in the freezer waiting to be toasted in the oven with butter and salt or even candied. Since nuts are often expensive- go ahead and buy them in advance. No southern cook worth her salt would be without at least pecans! Here’s how we’ve made Toasted Pecans
I make cheese balls ahead and freeze them- there’s always an event I’ve forgotten and believe me, they may not be the most exciting thing- yet somehow a cheese ball is always welcome! Speaking of cheese, I buy sharp cheddar in bulk also… Mimi’s Award Winning Pimento Cheese has never been turned down!
If you go ahead and chop celery and onion for making poultry stock or adding to dressing (we don’t actually say stuffing or cornbread dressing, yet for those who don’t know.. it’s made with cornbread!) anyway- put the whole batch in a large freezer bag. Take out what you need when you’re ready to use. I also make cornbread ahead of time, cool and freeze. These are such a time savers for me
If you serve a green salad with your meals, go ahead a week or so early and mix up homemade salad dressing and keep chilled, it will stay fresh about a week and that’s one less thing you have to worry about! And let’s face it, homemade salad dressing is always better!
Butter Balls aren’t named for turkeys… no butter balls will make your gravy silky and beautiful. They’re so easy to make, I keep them in the freezer almost all year round! And speaking of butter, the holidays require lots of butter! I buy it on sale if possible and freeze the excess.
Plan fun and easy treats- this is one of my favorites- Purchase donut holes, warm the donut holes, spear with long sticks. Then dip donut holes i your favorite fudge or caramel sauce, which may purchased as well. A platter of varied fruits, pound cake chunks and the donut holes makes a festive fun treat for children of any age!
I wish I was a wonderful yeast bread baker- I’m not. Still. In my area, there are wonderful rolls such as Millie Ray’s, Sister Schubert’s and even little Marshal’s biscuits! I buy ahead, freeze and bake fresh rolls for holiday meals and leftovers too! I’ve even been known to buy several pans of rolls, cinnamon rolls and orange rolls- stack them up, tie with a bow and it’s a wonderful gift or hostess gift!
Speaking of biscuits, Biscuit Mix is 
one of the 3 ingredients in Sausage Balls, which make an annual appearance! With one pound of sausage, one pound of shredded cheddar and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of biscuit mix formed into balls..baked at 350 until they’re done.. easy appetizer and! You can make up a double batch, freeze uncooked in a single layer on a sheet pan; stored in freezer bags- you’re almost ready for anything!
If you have one or two favorite casseroles or sides- double or triple the recipe and freeze or as in the case of Mimi’s Apricot Casserole– I double or triple the topping, seal in a freezer bag- set aside the other ingredients and foil baking pans so it’s ready to assemble and bake.
Green Bean Bundles seem to be a favorite side wherever they go. It’s just as easy to assemble them ahead of time, thaw slightly and bake until the bacon is browned and beautiful. There’s even a shortcut to get all of the flavor without even making one bundle! Place the green beans in a baking dish, cut bacon in pieces and scatter over the green beans, then add seasonings and bake as usual.
Simple Sugar Syrup is a must have for Southern Sweet Tea lovers. In a saucepan, using a 1/1 ratio of water and sugar, gently heat until the sugar is melted. That’s one cup of water simmered gently with one cup of sugar- in more plain English, darlin’ Cool and store in a tightly capped jar until you’re ready to use. Simple Sugar Syrup is also welcome for other sweetened drinks.
We all want our homes to have the scents of the holiday. There may be nothing that draws us in quite like cinnamon, cloves and warm scents… we’ve got that covered too as we get ready for the holidays. And no, it’s not a candle- it’s the easiest, most delicious Warm Punch you’ll ever make and your house will smell like a holiday home. Combine one large container of cranberry juice with one large container of pineapple juice- toss in a few cinnamon sticks and 4-5 whole cloves. * Feel free to float thin orange slices or wide strips of citrus zest, for a variation. Cover and on low heat, bring to a slow simmer. Your home will smell like it’s ready for the holidays!
The best advice of all for those wonderful holiday meals you’ll be making- is my grandmother’s creed- ‘Have a lot of a few things. Just make sure each thing is delicious.’ We will see you again soon- in the meantime… on your mark, get set, go! Getting ready for the holidays the kitchen!
Love y’all, Camellia * All photographs are obviously mine- with one glorious exception! Mimi’s Award Winning Pimento Cheese was memorialized by the very talented Becky Hadeed. Find her on Instagram @thestoriedrecipe .
Fall is a wonderful time to go to California! We’ve been at various times of year and I have to say when the weather is still hot as blue blazes here- California’s September weather is almost perfect. San Diego is perfect year round, yet San Francisco has generally felt much cooler than I’ve expected whenever we go! This time, we did a multi-region trip. We flew into San Francisco and drove down the beautiful stunning Pacific Coast Highway to Monterrey, back up to beautiful San Francisco, then up to Napa and Sonoma Wine country where it was harvest time!
On Sunday, of course we wanted to visit the sea lions! And the whole Pier 39 area… so fun, at the Ferry Building to graze thru the vendors and purveyors of California made or grown food! Amazing gift shops and beautiful sites to sit outside and eat or visit.
Alcatraz Island is the number one tourist sight in this area- we did not go on this trip however- I was able to capture it for you! And, you do need to book this tour in advance of your trip since it sells out quickly- visit 
Maybe it’s the to and fro of the tide that pull us south to the Beaches of Alabama… Our hearts yearn for it. Perhaps Southern Saltwater flows in our veins; we need the Gulf’s infusion every now and then. To stand in the sea casting a line or in solitude as the ever patient Egret watching the horizon…
Lemonade was so common in the South that finding a recipe for it is almost impossible! We just knew how to make it- and when we did …it was usually for a picnic or a special occasion. Believe it or not even Orangeade was first made from real oranges. And then…it was mass produced. Local milkmen delivered small glass bottled orangeade and lemonade with a paper tab, that children drank at school and vacation Bible School alongside cookies which I still recall as a delicious combination! Only a few years later, mass produced lemonade and orangeade in wax paper cartons large and small were available. With the space age came mass produced citrus drinks and powdered versions of fruit flavored drinks like Tang or Koolaid; we loved those drinks too… anything to quench thirst in hot humid climates. Still. There’s nothing really to compare with homemade southern lemonade.
These days, I find myself craving the real thing, real southern lemonade- I’ve conjured it up from memory and honestly, it’s worth the effort- and really? There’s very little effort to it, and believe me a pitcher of homemade lemonade will make anyday feel like a special occasion! Here’s how you make Camellia’s Southern Lemonade:
Mimi’s Potato Salad is, of course my favorite- though I have to admit that any Southern cook worth her salt generally has a recipe that is her family’s favorite too! And, it’s crazy, yet many southerners add potato salad to their meals almost all year round! Mimi didn’t. She considered it a Spring and Summer side dish or even put a scoop on a plate and with a few extras like tomatoes and crackers, she considered potato salad to be a light lunch or a cool supper. Here’s the thing. Mimi was particular about her food and the way it was prepared and for what reason and why. She instilled things like this into my brain- I can still hear her now…
While the potatoes are cooking, grate the onion and mix up the dressing of good mayonnaise, yellow mustard and spices. Now, Mimi’s rule for the celery was to either do a fine dice or thinly sliced. You might not want to bite down on a big chunk of onion, yet the celery gave her potato salad a subtle flavor with just the right amount of crunch and a pretty color. Again, I followed orders. My mother did too! Mimi boiled her eggs along with the potatoes- claimed the calcium from the egg shells made potato salad healthier. Who knows? I do it too. Gently mix the potatoes into the dressing and chill. This made the potatoes firm up and gave the flavors time to develop. Here’s how you make Mimi’s Classic Potato Salad:
