Preparing Thanksgiving Dinner with Zip Top

Thanksgiving dinner can be a lot of work, but Zip Top can make meal planning less stressful.

Don’t wait for Thanksgiving day to start prepping dinner. You can start making your sides a day or two beforehand. Use Zip Tops to keep ingredients fresh for dishes like homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce. Convenient pour corners make it easy to mix and pour wet ingredients.

Here are a few of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Hill Country Stuffing

Ingredients

• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• 12 cups bite-size pieces bread, baguettes, or leftover rolls
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-2 large onions, finely chopped
• ⅔ cups dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1⁄4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarsely

Instructions

Tear bread into bite-size pieces (you should have about 12 cups) and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with some type of covering, like a tea towel, and let it sit out 1-2 days. Stir the bread each day.

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter and  set aside.

Drizzle olive oil over bite-size pieces of bread and stir until oil is well distributed. Place bread on a greased baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Toss the bread, then continue to toast until edges are lightly browned and crisped, about 5 minutes longer. Turn the oven off.

Melt 1-2 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add celery, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until celery begins to soften, about 2 minutes minutes. Add onions and cook until vegetables are soft but not browned, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add cranberries and sage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Reheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add vegetable mixture to bread and toss with spatula until well combined. Drizzle broth over mixture and stir until well combined. Transfer the stuffing mixture to prepared 13 by 9-inch dish and spread into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir with spatula, turning crisp edges into middle, and spread into even layer. Bake for another 15-25 minutes, until the top is crisp and brown. Stir in parsley, sprinkle with walnuts, and serve.

Orange Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• ½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 12 ounces (3 cups) fresh cranberries
• 1-2 tbsp finely diced jalapeno
• 4 2-inch-wide strips zest from 1 orange
• 2 peeled oranges

Instructions

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Add shallot, mustard seeds, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot has softened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add water, vinegar, and sugar. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add 1 1⁄2 cups cranberries, orange zest, oranges, and jalapenos; return to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have almost completely broken down and mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes.

Add remaining 1 1⁄2 cups cranberries; continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to burst, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and cool for at least 1 hour before serving. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

When you’re finished with Thanksgiving dinner, Zip Top containers are perfect for storing your leftovers. They’re freezer safe, and when you’re ready for more, simply pop them into the microwave for an easy meal.

Recipes adapted from Cook’s Illustrated