7 Questions With … Katie Fondrick and Cathy Zachary

The Enterprise sat down with Fondrick and Zachary and to speak about some Thanksgiving ideas and methods.
Q: What’s in your Thanksgiving menu?
Zachary: We’re having turkey, we’re having ham, we’re having cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, inexperienced beans and candied yams.
Fondrick: Mine’s a bit extra veggie pleasant. We’ll do quite a lot of roasted root greens and parsnips and issues like that. I all the time do like some form of stew for those that don’t need the standard turkey, ham form of stuff.
Q: What’s your favourite Thanksgiving meals? Do you may have a reminiscence behind it?
Zachary: My favourite Thanksgiving meals is cornbread dressing, as a result of my nice nice grandmother taught me tips on how to make cornbread dressing. All through my years, I’ve discovered tips on how to make cornbread dressing about 10 or 15 alternative ways, however after I’m at residence, I nonetheless return to my household custom of creating cornbread dressing.
Fondrick: Dietitians are bizarre, we don’t like meals like folks do. We prefer it in several methods. So, I truly don’t like Thanksgiving meals ever. Once I go to Thanksgiving, I get some dried turkey. I don’t like gravies and stuff, however the factor that I do all the time eat is the bread. So, yearly I host and I all the time do some form of totally different bread. This yr I’m doing a wreath pull aside bread with all totally different toppings and all of the totally different breads and stuff. For me, bread is the place I get excited.
Q: What are some cooking ideas for these cooking a meal this Thanksgiving?
Zachary: Prep and extra prep, timing and funky down correctly. Cool the meals down earlier than you set it straight within the fridge. Take your day trip, let it cool correctly after which put it up. Don’t put it up scorching, as a result of it might be effervescent and all tousled. So, take your time and prep your meals and have time to chill it down correctly so that you could have secure meals for Thanksgiving and all people’s not feeling sick afterwards since you didn’t eat and observe the precise steps.
Fondrick: Let your meat relaxation earlier than you chop it so that you don’t lose all of the juices and might preserve all of the tenderness and the moistness. Make as a lot as forward as you may. You’ll be able to freeze pies and no matter you may. Simply prep so that you’re not so pressured on the day earlier than. Farm it out, farm out to individuals who can take issues.
Q: In relation to prep, when ought to folks start?
Zachary: For me, I began off with my dessert. I’ll begin my desserts possibly a few weeks (earlier than). I’ve made my pumpkin pie, I’ve made my candy potato pie, I’ve made my pecan pie. I’ve made all of the pies that’s going to take up my oven area. I made these a few weeks (in the past), as a result of I’ve the area to freeze them. Now, I gained’t make my desserts until three days prior. Three days prior, I’ll begin making my desserts in order that I can have the ovens free for that main day that I need to do all of the prep.  Some folks freeze their desserts, however I’m not into that frozen cake. I would like it a bit bit more energizing for me. Whereas I’m ready on that, I’m nonetheless chopping onions and getting ready them placing them within the freezer within the ziplock luggage, and I’m blanching some greens, getting them prepared and I’m peeling my candy potatoes, all that previous to that week. I’m simply consistently doing a bit bit all through the time.
Fondrick: I take a look at my menu and I form of like stage it by what I can do when. Particularly just like the greens and stuff, I do as a lot as I can forward of time, however for the day of, the night time earlier than I’ll go and chop every little thing and have all of it able to go. All I’m doing is assembling and cooking, and it’s not having to love cease and chop or do various things. (I additionally) ensure that I’ve every little thing I want, so there’s no final minute journeys to the grocery retailer, which all the time occurs.
Q: What are a number of the finest/most ingenious methods to make use of leftovers?
Zachary: Let me let you know, some turkey makes one of the best gumbo. Turkey Gumbo is basically good. And ham makes one of the best ham and sausage casseroles. I take my meat I discover all alternative ways. Any of my rice, I add it into like a stir fry for greens and stuff to make fajitas. I’ll flip my ham and all that into simply various things like quesadillas, soups and gumbos are a number of the finest issues which you could make with a few of your leftovers. Some issues you may’t use for leftovers, however your meats and your beans and stuff you need to use to make several types of quesadillas, soups, gumbos.
Fondrick: Soups are primary. (I do) quite a lot of soups. I don’t eat dressing, however my complete household likes to take the leftover dressing and put it in a waffle iron and make it a waffle after which put like cranberry stuff on high of it. They like it. It makes it like crispy like a hashbrowns texture.
Q: What are some enjoyable substitutes to the standard Thanksgiving meal?
Zachary: I might say Mexican meals. Fajitas — steak, hen, shrimp rice, beans with all the perimeters with some queso. You’ll be able to take the queso and salsa and guacamole and set it out when you’re grilling, and it provides folks stuff to graze on and munch on. I like having that out, salsas, queso, cheeses and simply set an entire board that they’ll simply stroll round whereas the stuff is grilling and getting executed. It’s like a fast, hour meal and smile and I’m executed.

Fondrick: When you’re speaking about complete substitution, I might often go Mexican. If we’re attempting to love lighten energy or something, I do like roasted parsnips as a substitute of mashed potatoes. As a substitute of like a inexperienced bean casserole or cranberry jelly or one thing, I’ll do like brussel sprouts with roasted cranberries and almonds, some olive oil and salt and stuff. So, I simply discover the identical form of factor however like lighten it up a bit bit.
Q: We all know we’re not supposed to place the stuffing within the turkey anymore. What are another meals security ideas?
Zachary: Probably the most (essential) factor is that individuals really feel like once they make this large ‘ole gigantic pot of gumbo, it could actually keep out all day and be scorching. No, begin taking that large ‘ole pot and break it down. Break it down smaller to the place you’re solely pulling out a lot after which it gained’t bitter. What occurs (with a) large ‘ole pot of gumbo and (folks) flip it off, however they don’t notice that the pilot beneath there may be nonetheless preserving it heat and when it’s alleged to be cooling, the underside is just not cooling. The highest is cool, however the backside is (staying) scorching and it sours. So, it’s finest to attempt to break a number of the meals down in smaller batches and put it away.
Fondrick: The opposite factor, for me, is defrosting accurately. Folks don’t defrost our turkey accurately or they neglect after which attempt to like rush it, so that they’ll set it out for not sufficient time and like the entire thing’s not thawed and the middle will nonetheless be frozen. They then like smoke it or flash fry, or no matter, and the skin will get cooked however the inside continues to be uncooked and frozen. You’ll see quite a lot of foodborne sickness from that. So simply actually temperatures typically whether or not it’s  defrosting or cooking.
Zachary: One other factor, don’t go away your turkey out all day and say “oh properly, it’s gonna defrost.” Don’t go away it out to room temperature all day. Put it in your fridge take the three days that’s wanted. Turkeys actually take three days on the backside of your fridge, typically they’ll take as much as every week. Take them out of the field, in the event that they’re within the field, and set them on a tray to allow them to drain correctly and defrost correctly, as a result of then you may have a pleasant defrosted turkey able to stuff.
Q: All through totally different media protection and meals developments, there’s quite a lot of noise about unhealthy consuming habits but in addition with the ability to indulge. What are some essential takeaways for folks to recollect this Thanksgiving?
Zachary: Take pleasure in your loved ones. As a mom, we take all that point cooking and so by the point it comes, we don’t need to eat…  We have to cease, restrict the quantity of meals that you simply need to prepare dinner and if you happen to get to a degree, begin saying, “Hey Sister, you need to make this…” Provide concepts for everyone to make a number of the stuff. You’ll be able to nonetheless prepare dinner it, however have someone else make one other pan of macaroni, one other pan of this and convey it in.
My mother has Thanksgiving prepared at 9:30 within the morning, however that’s been a practice all our life. My mother has all the time had our meals able to go. Actually, we eat Thanksgiving all day. Make a good schedule so you may have self time and meal time so that you’re not pressured by the point all people involves your home. You need to see them. You need to take pleasure in them, and also you need to benefit from the meals that everyone brings. (Simply) decelerate and simply take into consideration the gratefulness that you’ve having all people round you.
Fondrick: From a dietitian standpoint, who needs folks to be wholesome and stuff, I believe Thanksgiving is a time — whoever your individuals are you’re assembly with whether or not that’s household or pals or no matter — that is meant to be loved. So, it’s taking the time to love not get caught up in all of the prepare dinner and the prep for whoever’s having to do this however like actually taking the time to be with your loved ones and pals consuming the meals that you simply need to eat.
Put on comfortable garments, don’t put on tight restrictive issues, as a result of that’ll make your abdomen damage, that’ll provide you with reflux. But in addition take the time to not simply shovel down the meals, story the time to speak and revel in these folks as a result of, for me, it’s household I don’t get to see typically. It’s actually being conscious of what I’m consuming in that I’m going to eat every little thing I need to eat, however I’m additionally going to take the time to love decelerate and discuss and acknowledge after I’m full however nonetheless benefit from the household side of it.