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Shop early and stock your freezer and refrigerator with a variety of frozen and refrigerated foods – you’ll have convenient, tasty appetizer, meal, side dish and dessert selections at your fingertips!
 Appetizers – There is nothing better, or easier, than a variety of cheeses served beautifully on a holiday dish, with crackers and fruit. Always a crowd favorite! Also keep on hand, ready to heat and eat, frozen egg rolls, meatballs, shrimp, quiche, wings, chicken bites, pizzas and more.
Dinner – Try the many ready to eat entrees. There are numerous tasty, healthy “home-cooked” meal varieties that can go from the freezer to the table in just minutes.
Side Dishes – Complement your meals with the many easy side dish options like frozen vegetables, pastas and breads. Keep plenty of shredded cheeses, egg substitutes, bread dough, potatoes, butter, sour cream and more on-hand to create and/or complete any meal or side dish.
 Desserts – The frozen and refrigerated aisles are full of delicious dessert selections, including puddings, jello, ice cream, cookies, cakes, pies and much more. You can add your own special touches to give them a “home-cooked” appeal.
Breakfast – Don’t forget to fill the freezer with waffles, pancakes, bagels, muffins and breakfast sandwiches, sure to make holiday mornings much less work and much more fun. |
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Holiday Cookie Decorating Ideas
Paint a masterpiece on your sugar cookies! Make an edible food paint by mixing a few drops of food coloring with an egg yolk. Paint the uncooked cookie shapes with a clean paintbrush. The “paint” will dry while baking and give the cookies a colorful, glazed appearance. |
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Be “green” this Holiday Season and remember to recycle (and be nice to your garbage collectors). The amount of household garbage in the U.S. generally increases by 25% between Thanksgiving and Christmas, from 4 million tons to 5 million tons per week!
Also be nice to your postal workers – they are extremely busy too! The U.S. Postal Service expects to deliver over 20 billion pieces of mail between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. The busiest mailing day is set for Dec. 17, as more than three times the average daily volume of cards and letters will be mailed. |
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Try this Favorite
Holiday Appetizer! |
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HOT SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE DIP
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cups thawed, chopped frozen artichoke hearts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
Squeeze excess liquid from thawed spinach and artichokes. Place spinach, mayonnaise, sour cream, hot pepper sauce, Parmesan cheese and 1/3 of Monterey Jack cheese in food processor. Process until just blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and blend slightly to make a chunky mixture. Place in a greased 1 qt. casserole dish. Top with remaining Monterey Jack cheese. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with dipping toasts or chips. Scrumptious.
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A Tasty Holiday Breakfast! |
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BREAKFAST PIZZA
1 lb. turkey sausage
1 (8 oz.) pkg. refrigerator crescent rolls
1 c. frozen package hash brown potatoes
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
5 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Cook sausage until browned; drain and crumble. Separate rolls, place on ungreased 12 inch pizza pan. Press over bottom and sides. Layer first the crumbled sausage, then thawed potatoes, then cheddar cheese. Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and pour mixture over all layers. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Bon Appetit! |
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A Quick Meal for
Family and Guests! |
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SHRIMP AND VEGETABLE STIR FRY
1 1/2 lbs. frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled, de-veined
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cups of frozen mixed vegetables of your choice
3/4 cup teriyaki stir-fry sauce
Hot cooked rice
Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Add shrimp, cook 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Add vegetables to shrimp, cook an additional 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in teriyaki sauce; cook 1 additional minute or until heated through. Serve on hot rice. Makes 4 servings. Delicious! |
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Make a Cheesecake
Extra-Special! |
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CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE
SAUCE AND RASPBERRIES
1 frozen cheesecake
Chocolate sauce or syrup
Frozen Raspberries, thawed
Thaw cheesecake according to package directions.
Top with chocolate sauce and raspberries. Serve and Enjoy! |
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The U.S. Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests when choosing your holiday meat, be assured that all beef, lamb, pork, veal and poultry sold at your supermarket have been inspected for wholesomeness by the USDA or State inspection systems. Once your purchase is at home, refrigerate it immediately. Cook or freeze fresh poultry within 1 or 2 days; fresh meats, 3 to 5 days. |
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| The CDC also has advice for holiday hams. There are two types of hams – fully-cooked and those that need cooking. Fully cooked hams may be eaten cold or reheated to 140 degrees F. When storing these hams, observe “use-by” dates on hams sealed at the plant; use store-wrapped cooked ham portions within 3 to 5 days. “Cook-before-eating” hams must be cooked to 160 degrees F to destoy harmful bacteria that may be present. Use within 7 days. |
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