Stress Free Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. The friends, the family, the colors, and most of all, the wonderful and bountiful foods! The one thing that gets to me at thanksgiving is that old holiday visitor...stress. I'm sure it happens to us all - the guests are due in an hour and we are still putting finishing touches on the turkey. This year I have vowed to make it easier on myself. I did a little research and found these excellent tips from Good Housekeeping for having a Stress Free Thanksgiving. It has a tip for each day from now until the big day.

Early prep is the secret to enjoying Turkey Day. I make as many dishes ahead as I can, so I can spend more time with my guests and less time in the kitchen when the holiday arrives. I've already started making pies and casseroles. I make one or two dishes a day and pop them in the freezer. Make as many dishes as you can that will freeze or refrigerate well. Fruit pies, cranberry sauce, and casseroles freeze particularly well.

Here is a super easy recipe that really wows your guests. I made these last year and everyone asked for the recipe. You can make it the day before and refrigerate or make it now and pop it in the freezer. These Two Tone Twice Bake Potatoes are absolutely delish. Check out the video and the recipe below.

Two Tone Twice Baked Potatoes

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 6 medium sweet potatoes
• 2/3 cup sour cream, divided
• 1/3 cup milk
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons minced chives, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

Directions

1. Pierce russet and sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until tender. Set sweet potatoes aside.
   
2. Cut a third off the top of each russet potato; scoop out pulp, leaving skins intact. Place pulp in a bowl; mash with 1/3 cup sour cream, milk, cheese, 2 tablespoons chives and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. Cut off the tip of each sweet potato; scoop out pulp, leaving skins intact. Mash pulp with remaining sour cream, chives and salt. Stuff mixture into half of each potato skin; spoon russet potato filling into other half. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.