With Montgomery families now getting ready for Christmas dinner and other holiday meals, Im writing to suggest a story for L.A. in the Morning on a fun seasonal find: Alabama is ranked #3 in the U.S. for the most dedicated holiday meal preparation, according to the Del Monte Holiday Meal Census. So how long do you usually take to cook a special holiday meal for your family? Are you a Rushing Reindeer or a Sluggish Snowman? To put this question to the test, food researchers at Del Monte -- the countrys preeminent fruit and vegetable brand -- asked 2,500 Americans to describe how long it takes them to prepare the typical holiday meal. Shown below are the Top 25 U.S. states that invest the most time in holiday meal preparation (with the average prep time shown in parenthesis): *** DEL MONTE HOLIDAY MEAL CENSUS *** >> THE TOP 25 MOST DEDICATED U.S. STATES FOR HOLIDAY MEAL PREP #1: Mississippi (7.1 hours spent on holiday meal preparation) #2: Kentucky (6.9 hours) #3: Alabama (6.7 hours) #4: Georgia (6.5 hours) #5: Texas (6.5 hours) #6: Virginia (6.5 hours) #7: Arkansas (6.4 hours) #8: Maryland (6.4 hours) #9: Maine (6 hours) #10: Wisconsin (6 hours) #11: New York (5.7 hours) #12: Pennsylvania (5.7 hours) #13: Colorado (5.6 hours) #14: Oklahoma (5.5 hours) #15: Florida (5.5 hours) #16: West Virginia (5.5 hours) #17: Indiana (5.4 hours) #18: Rhode Island (5.4 hours) #19: Arizona (5.3 hours) #20: Oregon (5.3 hours) #21: South Carolina (5.3 hours) #22: Michigan (5.2 hours) #23: New Jersey (5.2 hours) #24: North Carolina (5.2 hours) #25: Missouri (5.1 hours) So which states have the shortest holiday meal prep times? Del Monte ranked those, too: >> THE TOP 5 MOST SPEEDY STATES FOR HOLIDAY MEAL PREP #1: Kansas (3.6 hours) #2: Iowa (3.7 hours) #3: Delaware (3.8 hours) #4: North Dakota (3.9 hours) #5: New Mexico (4 hours) (For the complete list of state rankings, just email me with your request.) >> HOW TO IMPRESS YOUR IN-LAWS WHILE KEEPING IT SIMPLE No matter what state you live in -- and how much time you have to prepare -- you can make your holiday meals more memorable with these four mouth-watering tips from recipe experts in the Del Monte holiday food kitchen: * STRATEGY #1: FAKE THE FANCY Use special garnishes to make each dish look more spectacular. For instance, try lining your meat platter with lemon leaves, clusters of rosemary sprigs, and citrus wedges. * STRATEGY #2: HAVE A SECRET INGREDIENT Even adding just one special ingredient can totally reinvent your favorite dish. Try adding apple cider to your gravy for that sweet change up or adding cranberries to your horseradish sauce for that tangy twist. * STRATEGY #3: WORK IN TECHNICOLOR Go the extra mile by introducing different and surprising colors into your traditional holiday menu. If your holiday dinner table looks a little drab, add a dish in radiant yellow like Del Montes Cheddar Corn Casserole. Cheddar Corn Casserole recipe: delmonte/recipes/side-dish/cheddar-corn-casserole/ * STRATEGY #4: TWIST YOUR TRADITION Experiment with simple ways to enhance your holiday staples. You could add crispy bacon to your green bean casserole, stir some caramelized onions into your mashed potatoes, or make a double-nut pie by combining both pecans and walnuts. >> MORE DETAILS * For ready-to-use photos of Cheddar Corn Casserole, Del Monte green bean cans, or the Del Monte logo, please download them here: bit.ly/14U69ER
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 21:03:07 +0000
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