Though we have all seen the Christmas holiday presence in the stores since Halloween, Thanksgiving is here and it is a great holiday to get together with family and or friends.
A newly trending term is “Friendsgiving.” This is where friends get together and have a Thanksgiving meal around the Thanksgiving holiday, because if you think about it, friends are the family you get to choose and want to be around more.
Thanksgiving, like any other holiday, is what you make of it. To some people, Thanksgiving is a meal with family out at a restaurant. Others say Thanksgiving is a day where the men watch football, while the women are in the kitchen cooking for hours.
There no shame if you decide to not cook and go out, like some of us do. There are lots of places having Thanksgiving Day meals. Preparing the Thanksgiving meal is a daunting task, and some people are not prepared for the undertaking. Of course, make sure to tip well if you go out, even if it’s a buffet. These hard-working individuals are scheduled to work and are away from their families serving yours.
If you do plan on having Thanksgiving at home, you need to decide what type of meal you want to cook. Are you going to have people bring covered dishes? Are you going to have another protein besides turkey? Are you going to do chicken instead? Are you going to go the non-traditional route and make something completely different? These are all questions you need to ask yourself. (A tip from this insider: poultry prices are on the rise, so there is no shame in bagging the bird.)
Just because Thanksgiving is a daunting task doesn’t mean it has to be hard. As I said, the holiday is what you make of it.
So, it’s OK to go out for Thanksgiving dinner, it’s OK to not serve turkey, and it’s OK to make the meal easy. Here are a couple of full-proof recipes that will make your Thanksgiving meal — or another meal if you hit a restaurant on Thanksgiving day — delicious.
CIARA’S SWEET POTATO BAKE
Start to finish: 55 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
4 cups mashed sweet potatoes, cooled
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 cup melted butter
Topping:
8 marshmallow Peeps
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Heat the oven to 350 F. Spray standard-size baking dish with non-stick spray.
Combine cooled sweet potatoes with 1 cup brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and 1/2 cup melted butter in a mixing bowl. After blended, place mixture in baking dish.
In another bowl, combine all topping ingredients, except for Peeps.
Place Peeps on top of the potato mixture. Sprinkle topping mixture over top of the sweet potatoes and around Peeps.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Topping should be brown and crisp and Peeps should be melted.
BUTTERY BREASTED TURKEY
Start to finish: Approximately 2 hours
Servings: 8
1 cup salted butter, softened
2 tablespoons garlic herb sauce mix, such as Lipton
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 pound celery
1 pound baby carrots
2 large onions, cut into chunks
1 32-ounce container chicken stock
2 5-pound turkey breasts, skin on
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
In a small bowl, combine softened butter, sauce mix and crushed garlic. Use a fork to mix together until well combined. Place butter mixture on plastic wrap and form into a baguette shape. Wrap up and put in the refrigerator for 25 to 35 minutes, until firm, but not hard.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Place celery, carrots, onions and chicken stock in the bottom of a roasting pan (Tip: Use a double layer disposable turkey roasting pan. It makes clean-up a breeze.)
Rinse and dry turkey breasts. Separate skin around the turkey breasts, but do not remove.
Cut butter mixture into medallions. Place medallions under the skin of the turkey breasts. Rub the remaining butter on the outside of the skins and season with salt and pepper.
Insert pop-up thermometers at an angle about 3 inches into the thickest part of the breasts. (Tip: This is much easier than checking the temperature.)
Place turkey breasts on bed of vegetables in roasting pan. Place in the oven and reduce temperature to 300 F. Roast for 30 minutes, basting with pan juices every 10 minutes, or until thermometer pops up.
To complete your easy Thanksgiving meal, buy a delicious dessert, or have a guest bring one. And, don’t forget to buy rolls for those leftover sandwiches, made with your delicious turkey, that everyone will be wanting a few hours after dinner.
Happy Thanksgiving!
