Big bird landing-are you prepared?

It's always slightly amusing to watch the hubbub about turkeys before and after Thanksgiving, from Germany where that holiday is not celebrated. And then Christmas comes around. The standard fare for that holiday in Germany? a whole roasted goose, with stuffing, gravy, potato dumplings...the works. Not so amusing if you try to watch your weight.
Especially when you end up eating three or four consecutive days off that bird and the trappings.
For all those whose homes will in the next month be the place where the big birds come to roast- are you prepared?

Tip one: Think about how big a bird you want to serve. It's absolutely unnecessary to prepare more food than the whole family can eat in at most two sittings. For me, that meant downgrading the goose to a duck, which is as tasty but half as heavy. If you absolutely have to have a certain species of bird, look for the smaller ones. Geese, for example, come in calibers between three and ten pounds, so if you have just four people don't take the biggest ones.
Tip two: Usually, there are some side dishes that are eaten by everybody. Others are the last dish standing on the dinner table. You know which ones they are. You may as well not prepare them at all this year. I bet no one will miss them. But we always have...with our bird is not a valid reason to put something on the table nobody wants to eat. Reduce the amount of the other recipes, too. If it's gone it's gone. As long as there has been enough for everyone to have a taste of their favorites, there has been enough- period.
Tip three: Be prepared for leftovers. The best thing to do with them is freeze them at once and spread the enjoyment over several widely- apart meals instead of serving the same thing day after day until it has to be tossed, or your family goes on strike, whichever comes first. If you bought your bird frozen and didn't thaw it at once, there's a space in your freezer where that bird was kept. Use it to freeze the leftovers. Have suitable containers prepared when clearing off the table, and freeze the leftovers at once while they are fresh. For one, that prevents after-meal refrigerator raids, and it also minimizes any risk of food poisoning.

Wishing all of you a not-so-gainful holiday,


Julia