Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for Newbies

If you usually go to a relative’s home for Thanksgiving but have decided to cook your own this year you probably need some handy tips to get you started.

The first thing that you will want to think about is how you will cook your turkey. Up until a few years ago your only choice was to bake it, but recently people have started frying their turkey instead. If you’re interested in frying your turkey this year you can cut your bird into manageable pieces and fry them in just about any of the small fryers that DealDash has on their site, or you can get a specialized fryer that is made for turkeys – which DealDash also carries.

Butterball Digital Electric Extra-Large Turkey FryerButterball Indoor Electric Turkey FryerButterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer

If frying a turkey isn’t really your idea of an ideal Thanksgiving dinner, and you don’t have a large enough oven to accommodate the turkey as well as the sides, how about getting a turkey roaster from DealDash instead?

Nesco 22-Pound Turkey Roaster Oven, 18-Quart Capacity, Stainless SteelHave you thought about what kind of sides that you will be serving with your Thanksgiving meal? Some of my favorites are mashed potatoes, corn, and stuffing. You’re going to need of a selection of casserole dishes to put your sides in to bake and serve. Happily, DealDash has a great selection of kitchen items.

Rachael Ray 3.5-Quart Cast Iron Covered Oval Casserole, OrangeCorningWare French White 17 Piece Bake and Serve Set

Other than all of the cooking, if you’re inviting people over to enjoy Thanksgiving with you, you are probably going to want to clean your house as well as put up some decorations, or at the very least a table cloth! DealDash has all of your cleaning supplies covered, of course – they carry everything from the biggest items like vacuums and steam cleaners all the way down to the most humble of the cleaning supplies – paper towels, dish soap, and spray cleaners.

If you’re having a lot of people over you also might want to consider getting a card table and chairs so you will be able to accommodate everyone that you’ve invited to your Thanksgiving feast. DealDash has a great table and chair set that would be perfect for the task.

Mainstays 5 Piece Card Table and Chair Set, Black

 

 

 

If you are going to be hosting your family’s Thanksgiving this year be sure to check out DealDash. There are so many things there that you will be able to use for Thanksgiving dinner, but also be able to incorporate into your everyday use as well. Some examples of things you might want to look for in the kitchen section are: knife sets, pot & pan sets, cutlery, baking items, and much more. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

Holiday Trips with Children and DealDash

 Here it is, the end of October! Does your family travel in November and December to visit relatives? If you have small kids even a small weekend trip requires preparation.

November is just a day away, and with November we have Thanksgiving, then of course December is right behind it with all of the holidays that come with it. My family makes at least 3 or 4 small trips in the winter season to visit various relatives, and let me tell you, travelling with small kids can be awful if you aren’t prepared.

Coleman Cooler Combo, Red

First and foremost, you should acquire a cooler that fits comfortably in your car, and fill it with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Even if the trip you’re taking to Grandma’s or Auntie’s is only a couple of hours, the kids will be whining “I’m hunnnnggrrryyy!” at the first fast food place they see. Save your money and your time by preempting the hungries with kid friendly snacks such as grapes, goldfish crackers, pretzels, and juice boxes in your cooler. You can find some nice travel coolers on DealDash in the Hobbies, Toys, Outdoors, and Games section.

RCA 7-Inch Dual Screen DVD PlayerApple iPod Classic 160GB MP3 PlayerApple iPad mini with Retina display Wi-Fi 32GB, Space Gray

Next up in saving your sanity, entertainment! There there are some great products out there such as portable DVD players for the car, and of course MP3 players and tablets. Just make sure that you get some headphones for the kids from DealDash. That way the kids will be occupied with their devices and you can have some peace and quiet. Check the Electronics & Computer section for a variety of headphones and other electronic devices. A word of advice, though – if you have small kids under the age of 12 or so, please don’t let them use earbuds. Earbuds aren’t safe for younger kids who don’t realize that it will hurt their ears to turn up the volume too loud. Please choose over-the-ear styles for younger kids. A lot of the headphones meant for children have a built in volume regulator so the kids can’t turn them up too loudly and damage their hearing. Please check the headphones carefully before you let your kids use them to be sure they are at a safe volume.

Disney Frozen Cool Tunes HeadphonesAmazing Spider-Man Headphones

Hopefully you and your kids will have a great holiday season visiting your family this year. Check out  DealDash and I’m sure you’ll find something to entertain even the most difficult child. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

12 Weeks Until Thanksgiving, Time to Get Ready

It’s only 12 weeks until Thanksgiving! As a first-time Thanksgiving host for my family I have already started my prep, and I have learned a few tips along the way.

The first thing that I noticed when I began my Thanksgiving prep was that I just didn’t have the right tools to get the job done. I definitely needed to get a roasting pan for the turkey itself, but I was also in need of a selection of different sized casserole dishes to put all of my sides in to bake and serve. After all, what’s Thanksgiving without the green bean casserole and the sweet potatoes? Luckily for me, DealDash has a great selection of kitchen items.

 

Speaking of delicious casseroles, here are a few recipes that you might like to try if you are going to be hosting your family’s Thanksgiving this year.

 

Classic Green Bean Casserole – This is probably the exact recipe that your Mother or Grandmother got off of a soup can 40 years ago.

Ingredients:

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk 
1 teaspoon soy sauce 
1 dash black pepper 
4 cups cooked cut green beans 
1 1/3 cups French’s® French Fried Onions 

Directions:

1- Stir the soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole.

2- Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling.  Stir the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining onions.

3- Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

You’re done! Even people who don’t normally like green beans usually enjoy this casserole.

Another favorite around the Thanksgiving table is another seasonal casserole, the Sweet Potato Casserole. If you aren’t familiar with Sweet Potato Casserole, it’s based on sweet potato pie, a favorite in the South. This famous Thanksgiving side dish has a delicious history. The marshmallows were added by Janet McKenzie Hill, the founder of the Boston Cooking-School Magazine, in 1917, when the marshmallow evolved from a specialty confection into an everyday treat. If you’ve never had it you should definitely give it a try this year. Here is a quick and easy recipe.

Ingredients:

4 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes 

2 tablespoons butter 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cooking spray 

3 cups miniature marshmallows 

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 425°.

2- Place sweet potatoes in a shallow baking pan lined with foil. Bake at 425° for 1 hour or until tender. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

3- Peel sweet potatoes; place in a large bowl. Add butter and next 3 ingredients (through cinnamon); mash with a potato masher until pureed. Spoon potato mixture into a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4- Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Top with marshmallows; bake an additional 10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.

That’s it! If you don’t tell the kids what it’s made of they will be sure to tear into the marshmellowy goodness.

If you are going to be hosting your family’s Thanksgiving this year be sure to check out DealDash. There are so many things there that you will be able to use for Thanksgiving dinner, but also be able to incorporate into your everyday use as well. Some examples of things you might want to look for in the kitchen section are: knife sets, pot & pan sets, cutlery, baking items, and much more. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving from the DealDash team!

We saw this cute Thanksgiving poem and just had to share it! We hope you like it and the Black Friday sale starting just after midnight pacific time. Thanksgiving hint… it’s the BIGGEST SALE of the YEAR on DealDash so get ready to have some fun!

Happy Thanksgiving from DealDash

Black Friday is Soon Upon Us!

Black Friday, otherwise known as the craziest shopping day of the entire year is soon upon us. So what is Black Friday really and why is it so wild? Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving in the United States and really launches the Christmas shopping season. Since many people typically take the day off the number of potential shoppers increases and therefore routinely has become known as the busiest shopping day of the year. Many retail businesses have recognized this and have started opening their doors earlier and earlier. Some retail shops including Walmart, which supply items for DealDash, even started opening their doors at midnight! Many retail companies start to turn a profit for the year and “go into the black”. There are other stories too about how Black Friday became known however it seems most people see it as the busiest shopping day of the year and therefore a chance to get some really great discounts! BlackFriday

Traditionally, Black Friday on DealDash has always been the BIGGEST PROMOTION of the year where not only are Bids cheaper but there’s usually a unique side special which is too sweet to pass! Kind of like the Candied Pecan Yams your Grandmother makes on Thanksgiving.. hmm hmm hmmm!! For those interested in a delicious recipe, click here.

Let us know what ideas you have for Black Friday and what type promotion you would like to see on DealDash.com.