Stress-Free Holiday Cooking Demo Kicks Off Festival of Trees

Photo by Katie Sikora.

The Door County Maritime Museum will kick off its annual Merry-Time Festival of Trees on Saturday with the help of local caterer Morag Hornsby.

Hornsby, of Serves You Right Catering, will host a “Stress-Free” Holiday Cooking Demo at 10:30 am complete with a cooking demo, samples of prepared foods, recipes, holiday refreshments and free museum admission.

The 20-year caterer will focus her intention not on teaching participants how to cook their holiday dinners, but on how not to be stuck in the kitchen while friends and family enjoy the occasion.

“Everybody gets so stressed from making things from scratch and you shouldn’t,” Hornsby said. “Don’t make it so stressful. Entertaining and having friends over and providing beverages and food should be fun and relaxing, not create havoc in an already busy lifestyle.”

The key? Get back to basics. Hornsby will share her tips on the items to keep stocked in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to make those celebrations easier to stomach. People can also prepare ingredients ahead of time for soups or freeze pre-made appetizers or meals so the only thing to do when company arrives is heat it up in the oven.

“You just have some basics in your freezer that you make or you bought, same with your pantry, and it’s amazing how you can make an hors d’oeuvre into a dinner when guests stay and everybody’s having a good time.”

The Stress-Free Holiday Cooking Demo begins at 10:30 am on Saturday, Nov. 14. Registration is $20 and includes the cooking demo, samples of prepared foods, recipes, refreshments and museum admission. For more information, visit dcmm.org.