H-E-B Cooking Connections manger shares simple tips for stress-free holiday cooking

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Cooking a big holiday meal can be overwhelming when deciding which recipes to use or what seasonings will create the right flavors.

Emily Russell, the in-store selling manager at H-E-B, said the key is keeping things simple.

“I don’t think any kind of celebration with your family needs to be difficult and I don’t think we should stress over it too hard,” Russell said. “Often times simple flavors do the best and that’s what we always want to encourage, is find your flavors, find your palate, see what people really like, and go for it, try it out, see how you enjoy it.”

Preparation is key

Russell said one of the biggest pieces of advice is to do as much preparation as possible before the big meal. She said a mistake people often make is trying to cook everything at once.

“So, chop your onions, chop your garlic, wash your produce, prep your meat, season your meat ahead of time, let it sit, it will make such a big difference,” Russell said. “Do those little things, write it out, do those little things, it will make your holiday meal so much easier.”

Quick alternatives available

For those who didn’t thaw out their turkey this year, H-E-B offers alternatives that can be cooked quickly with the same great taste.

“I also recommend our hickory-smoked turkey. It’s fully cooked, you just have to heat it up, similar to our hams, they’re just heat and serves,” Russell said. “This will feed quite a few people, and of course it’s gorgeous, that smoke ring is beautiful, and if you don’t want that, our hickory smoked ham, you can eat it cold or hot, it makes a fantastic sandwich, it makes a fantastic centerpiece.”

Russell said regardless of cooking experience, don’t stress yourself out, and your holiday meals will turn out well.

“Your best is absolutely going to be fantastic, the meal you’re going to make is going to be good,” Russell said. “It’s always great to have family and friends around, it’s going to be a fun holiday, so enjoy it, don’t stress yourself out with holiday shopping, don’t stress yourself out with food, we’re always here to help if anything goes wrong.”