Halloween is not far off, then there’s Thanksgiving, and before you know it Christmas will be here. So, with that in mind and with prices on so many things climbing it is a good time to get busy stocking up for the various holidays. Don’t wait until a holiday is upon you to buy what you need. It is not only more costly, it can also overwhelm.
First thing to do is make a menu of what you plan to have for a specific holiday. Then make a list of the items you’ll need. Start picking things up each time you go to the food store and don’t pass up a sale you see now. If cans of cranberry sauce are on sale, grab them now, and put them aside. If you see a good price for a turkey, grab it, and keep it in the freezer so you are all set with a turkey for Thanksgiving. If you are making any pasta dishes for the holidays, stack up on the pasta now and the sauce. If you make your own, start getting the ingredients you need now.
Thinking of a creating a charcuterie board, grab those specialty mustards, olives, pickles, crackers, jams, nuts, honey, dried fruits, whatever you have planned. Pick up one or two a week and by the time the holidays hit you will only need to buy the fresh ingredients to add to the board.
Planning ahead will make the holiday season less stressful and you also will be spreading out the cost so you don’t have a big food bill all at once or wonder how you can afford everything you need for the holidays.
I don’t know about you, but I love baking cookies for the holidays. I have a bunch of cookie cutters for almost every holiday, and I love using them. I also have favorite cookies I love to bake every year as well as trying new ones.
The one thing I do at this time of the year is a baking pantry purge. I go through all my items to see if any have past their expiration date, if I’m low on any necessities, and if I have the ingredients I need for any new recipes.
Here is a list of baking items I keep stocked for the holidays.
Flour
Eggs
Butter (unsalted & salted)
Shortening
Sugar
Brown sugar
Confectionary sugar (powdered sugar)
Salt
Baking soda
Baking powder
Vanilla extract
Flavored extracts (almond, lemon, orange, peppermint etc.)
Shredded coconut
Oats
Peanut butter
Molasses
Cooking chocolate (squares & pieces)
Coco powder
Food coloring
Cookie cutters
Cookie press
Cookie baking sheets
Parchment paper
To get you started for the holiday season here’s 41 Halloween Cookie Recipes For A Spooky Good Time.
Watch for more holiday tips. Until then…
Stay prepped and prepared!
Pepper