Quaintrelle Weekender
Four ways to a better weekend
Welcome to Quaintrelle Weekender.
This is a short list of things I am currently loving to make eating, drinking, and hosting easier and a lot more interesting.
Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians!
I am headed to my parents’ house today for a weekend of eating, drinking, and a bit of hiking to combat all the eating and drinking.
It is mercifully stress free for me, as I took care of everything in the weeks and days leading up to this holiday. If you are new here please check out my previous posts on Thanksgiving planning, which I broke down into three easy chapters, so no one had an emotional breakdown. You might want to save them, as the planning works for any big dinner party, regardless of the time of year.
This week, I’m focusing on the last few things to make your holiday hosting a little easier. My best recommendations on stain removal, organization, keeping healthy, and working those old bones into something new.
I’m off to fetch a piece of apple pie… that’s a totally acceptable breakfast, right?
Taking Stock
If you want to make stock from your leftover turkey carcass, and I recommend you do, take this tip from Serious Eats and cover the cooked bones in vegetable oil than roast for another 45 minutes at 450°F. This will help coax the flavourful gelatin from the bones and give richness and depth to your stock. It’s 45 minutes well spent – especially if you’re eating dinner while it’s roasting – for a superior stock.
Hang Time
This week’s Quaintrelle focused on my third and final tips for getting organized for the holidays. One of my top tips that I recommend for every single party is to clear out your coat closet to give guests the graced and hospitality of a proper place to put their coats. (Also, nothing ruins a carefully decorated home faster than a bunch of puffy jackets strewn all over the place.) If you happen to live in a space where closets are limited, get a rolling rack for times such as these. However, a word of warning: don’t get the cheap one! It will just fall down with all your friends’ good coats landing in the wet boot pile below. This one from Canadian Tire (linked above) is collapsible for easy storage and can hold 80 pounds of stuff. For the MacGyver’s out there, you could even place a board between the two bottom rails as a shelf for outdoor shoes.
Immunity Booster
It seems there’s a cold going around Toronto, just in time for the Thanksgiving long weekend. Natch. Last winter I discovered this excellent tea which combines citrus with powerhouse flu-fighters ginger and turmeric. I used it everyday and truly believe it warded off all that ailed me. Maybe it’s all in my head, but they say believers of placebos get just as healthy as the drug-addled ones, so I’m sticking with it.
Sparkling Reputation
I’ve mentioned a few times about my secret weapon to getting rid of red wine stains. As we move through the weekend, it’s entirely possible that other signs of a good time – cranberry sauce, coffee, pumpkin – will appear on your linens. I highly recommend getting yourself some sodium percarbonate – which is just sodium carbonate, which removes dirt, mixed with hydrogen peroxide, which is active oxygen to help remove tough stains. Not only does it make my red wine stains disappear instantly, it effortlessly removes tough, oil-based stains like mascara and foundation. The brand linked above is truly amazing: I used it in washing my reusable make-up pads and they came out white and bright… even after months of use and discolouration.
One Last Thing …
A quick reminder I will be hosting food and wine workshops every Thursday evening in November at Vantage Venues, downtown Toronto.
If you’re in the area, and are interested in learning about food and wine pairings, tasting great wine, sampling excellent food, and, hanging with me, please join in the fun. (These classes also make for fun holiday events with co-workers!)
November 7 – oyster shucking lessons and wine pairing
November 14 – tasting tour of Italy
November 21 – tasting tour of France
November 28 – cocktail party basics
Thank you for reading Quaintrelle.
This newsletter is written by me, Erin Henderson, journalist-turned-sommelier-turned-entrepreneur. I literally drink and throw parties for a living, and every Saturday, I share some of my favourite finds for better weekends.
For the next few weeks this newsletter will remain free, with an option to upgrade to a paid membership coming soon for special perks and privileges.
If you enjoyed reading this post, you could always let me know by clicking that heart, and consider sharing Quaintrelle with all the party hosts, wine lovers and cooks you know.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Erin!
Great tips Erin, as always. Thank you.