Planning Ahead for Holiday Cooking

I have already started my cooking for the holidays. Last week, my store had over ripe bananas for 9 cents a pound. I bought all they had and it is now in the freezer; some as banana bread and others in baggies, ready to be baked. The week before, they had canned veggies on sale for 29 cents a can. I bought 12 to 24 cans of each; corn, green beans, sweet potatoes and carrots. The last few weeks I have been saving the stale bits of bread in the freezer for making stuffing, normally I throw out to the birds. Last night I made up a double batch of noodles and they are now in the freezer. This weekend, I will be making pumpkin pies and I already have apple pies made a few weeks ago when I picked the last of them off my trees.

By starting early, it takes the stress out of doing it all the day before. And, I am saving a ton of money by taking advantage of the sales. I never have too many baked goods, as any extras make good Christmas presents for unexpected guests who may drop in. The day before the big meal, all should be done except for the turkey and ham. So, I have time to relax, clean the last minute items to clean, and visit. I only need to remove the items from the freezer the day before and move them to the fridge to thaw, then reheat them the morning of.