by JENNIFER BIUNDO
The date is Wednesday, November 24. Thanksgiving is one day away, and you don’t care.
Maybe you’ve announced your intentions to sit out the holidays this year with some Seinfeld reruns and a box of Chinese delivery. Maybe you’re planning to take your family out to dinner rather than going through the bother of cooking. Maybe you’re hundreds of miles from home and you don’t think it could possibly feel like Thanksgiving without your grandmother’s special green bean casserole.
Keep reading.
If you secretly want to cook up a Thanksgiving feast, but don’t think you have the time or money, there’s still hope. The Hays Free Press has searched out some fast and inexpensive Thanksgiving recipes that can easily make a full holiday dinner in less than two hours of cooking time. All you have to do is add the guests.
Step One: Find some guests
The most important part of a holiday meal is who’s around the table, not what’s on top of it. You don’t need a lot to put together a thanksgiving celebration, but you do need someone else. If you don’t have family in the area, consider organizing an “orphan’s Thanksgiving” for friends, co-workers or acquaintances who are on their own this holiday season. You could even make it a pot luck celebration.
Step Two: Set the menu
Whether you want a traditional turkey feast or you want to put your own unique stamp on the meal, there are plenty of tricks to keep prep time to a minimum. Believe it or not, putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table doesn’t have to take all day.
Main dish
If you’re making a last minute turkey dash, you need to pass on the frozen bird. A fully-frozen turkey requires one to five days to thaw in the refrigerator, and four to 12 hours in a tub of water.
“It takes longer to thaw it than to cook it,” said local chef Sue Bellows.
If you have your heart set on turkey but you don’t have the time or inclination to cook a whole bird, try buying some turkey breasts instead. You can roast a turkey breast in about an hour, while turkey breast tenderloins can go from grocery bag to table in 20 minutes flat.
One trick to keep a turkey breast tender and juicy – start it cooking on the breast side down, then flip it over near the end.
“That way it gets browned but doesn’t dry out,” Bellows advises.
Another option: outsource. Grocery stores such as HEB, Whole Foods and Central Market sell fully cooked turkeys and side dishes, as do local restaurants such as Bill Miller Barbeque. Some require a 24-hour notice, so call ahead before you make a mad dash to the store. It may cost a little more, but buying the turkey and fixings frees up your time to focus on other important things – like watching football.
Side dishes
For some people, it’s not Thanksgiving without green beans, dressing, cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. With the right recipe, none of those sides need more than a couple minutes of hands-on prep time.
A quick way to serve sweet potatoes: scrub them, pierce them with a fork and throw them on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for 40-60 minutes. You can also shave off some cooking time by starting them in the microwave for about three minutes.
Eat them like a baked potato, serving them with butter and a little brown sugar. If you have a turkey roasting in the oven, they don’t add to the total time load at all.
“At the same time you’re roasting the turkey breast, you can be roasting the sweet potatoes,” Bellows said.
Cranberry sauce can be as simple as opening up a can. If you want to jazz up the old standby, Bellows suggest mashing the cranberry sauce with a small can of mandarin oranges.
While Bellows typically makes her own dressing from stale bread, she notes that many of the boxed dressings are tasty despite being quick and easy to prepare. You can also dress them up by adding nuts or dried fruit, such as raisins or apricots.
Desserts
If you’re pressed for time, desserts can be a good place to outsource. Local companies such as Texas Pie Company sell a wide assortment of individual and full-sized pies, including Thanksgiving stalwarts like pumpkin, pecan and buttermilk pies. Local groceries also offer plenty of pre-made holiday sweets in their bakery and frozen sections.
But plenty of desserts can hit the table in a hurry. Try making pumpkin pie squares, a crustless version of the old standby that takes just 20 minutes of prep time.
Non-traditional meals
Who said Thanksgiving had to be all about the turkey? Roasted ham, roasted salmon and lamb also make great holiday main dishes. You could also branch out and pick an entirely new theme: what about an Asian, Mexican or Indian-inspired feast? With November often still gloriously warm in Texas, you could even break out the barbeque grill.
Step Three: Decorate
For a last minute celebration, you don’t have to pull out all the decorating stops. But consider spending a few minutes prettying up the house. Dig up a tablecloth, pull out your favorite serving dishes, and light a few candles to set the mood.
Some easy fall decorating ideas: Put out a glass bowl full of oranges, or wooden bowls of nuts. Almost any kind of candle arrangement will make the table look festive. If you’re short on candle sticks, put tall candles into empty wine bottles, or place pillar candles on dessert plates. Or try arranging decorative pumpkins and squash along the table.
Step Four: Be Thankful
Before you sit down to your last-minute holiday feast, take a moment to slow down and take stock of your blessings. Whether it’s your family, your health, your friends, or even just the meal in front of you, there’s always something to be thankful for.
Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breast
Ingredients
• 1 (12 ounce) package herb-seasoned bread stuffing mix
• 2 skinless boneless turkey breasts
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 (8 ounce) packages dried, sweetened cranberries
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2. With a sharp knife, butterfly breasts open to lay flat. Place each breast between two sheets of waxed paper, and flatten with a mallet. Spread the prepared stuffing to within 1/4 inch of the edge of each breast. Sprinkle each one with chopped pecans and dried cranberries, reserving some of the cranberries for garnish. Roll up tightly in a jellyroll style, starting with the long end. Tuck in ends, and tie in sections with string, about 4 sections around the middle and one running the length of the roll to secure the ends.
3. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully brown rolls on all sides.
4. Place skillet in oven, uncovered. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature is at 170 degrees F (78 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Do not let these get overly dry.
5. Allow rolls to set for 15 minutes before removing string, and slicing into 1/2 to 3/4 inch circles. Leave one roll whole, and slice the other for presentation. Stuffing will be spiraled into meat. Present on your prettiest platter on a bed of curly lettuce, and garnish by sprinkling with the remaining 1/2 cup pecan halves and the reserved dried cranberries.
Amount Per Serving: Calories, 387; Total Fat, 18.4g; Cholesterol, 34mg
Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
• 8 medium red potatoes, cubed
• 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup half-and-half cream
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon steak seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
1. Place the potatoes into a large pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon of the crushed garlic to the water for flavor. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes, and add the butter. Mash until the butter is melted. Mix in the half-and-half, sugar, steak seasoning, garlic powder and remaining garlic. Mix potatoes with an electric mixer until smooth.
Amount Per Serving: Calories, 548; Total Fat, 25.4g; Cholesterol, 67mg
Savory Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
• 5 cups turkey stock
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the turkey stock to a boil. In a small bowl, dissolve flour in water. Gradually whisk into the turkey stock. Season with poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and celery salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.
Amount Per Serving: Calories, 8; Total Fat, 0.2g; Cholesterol, < 1mg
