7 Fixes for holiday food disasters

Oct 30, 2009

Michele Borboa, MS is a freelance writer and editor specializing in health, fitness, food, lifestyle, and pets. Michele is a health and wellness expert, personal chef, cookbook author, and pet-lover based in Bozeman, Montana. She is also...

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Food fixes for the holidays

Even after you've painstakingly planned your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you're in the final throes of getting it to the table only to realize your turkey is dry, the rolls are hard as rocks, you've overcooked your vegetables, or you are short on the after dinner dessert and drink. As much as you'd like to sneak out the backdoor and run quickly from your impending kitchen doom, you've got guests to feed, and the truth is you really can recover from the seemingly worst of culinary conundrums. We've got seven fast food fixes for your holiday meal to rescue the errant entrÃ©e, substandard side dish, or disastrous dessert. (Tape this article to the inside of a kitchen cabinet!)

Holiday food disaster #6: Piddly pumpkin

You thought your pumpkin pie recipe indicated two small cans of pumpkin to serve your crowd, but it turns out you need two large cans. Instead of serving tiny unsatisfying slices of pumpkin pie, turn that canned pumpkin into pudding.

Food fix #6: Impressive Pumpkin Pudding

For each can of pumpkin, prepare a box of instant vanilla or even chocolate pudding and stir in pumpkin along with pumpkin pie spice to your liking. Serve pudding in champagne flutes or wine glasses, topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. This pudding can also be used as part of a holiday trifle if you happen to have a chocolate cake on hand: Layer chunks of cake with pumpkin and whipped cream for an impressive holiday dessert.

Not into pudding? Bake this sweet Cranberry Pumpkin Bread