How you can make Thanksgiving dinner in an hour
Is it possible to make a decent Thanksgiving dinner in less than an hour? Yep.
The key is knowing what you need to cook and what you don't.
Appetizer: Cranberry-Chili Cheese Spread
Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
1 green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
Assorted crackers
Yield: 14 servings
Place cream cheese on a serving plate. In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, green chilies, onion, lime juice and spices. Spoon over cream cheese. Serve with crackers.
¼ cup (calculated without crackers) equals 157 calories, 11 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 36 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.
Main course: Turkey breast tenderloins
Total time: 30 minutes
1¼ pounds turkey breast tenderloins
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 medium apple, sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
In a large skillet, brown turkey in butter. Add the apple juice, apple, brown sugar, bouillon, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°.
Using a slotted spoon, remove turkey and apple slices to a serving platter; keep warm.
Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Spoon over turkey and apple. Sprinkle with walnuts.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Yield: 5 servings.
(But if you can spare the time, it's worth quickroasting a turkey. That'll take you about 90 minutes. See recipe on page xx)
The sides
Mashed potatoes (or mashed sweet potatoes)
Time: 7 minutes in the microwave
Don't sweat the mashed potatoes (or mashed sweet potatoes). You can just grab pre-made ones in the dairy case of you grocery store. My favorite is Bob Evans, but Simply Potatoes and Country Crock also make excellent ones. After you nuke them, put into a bowl so they look more homemade. Or microwave in advance, add a little extra butter, and spoon into a casserole dish and stick in oven when you take the turkey out.
Stuffing
Time: 7 minutes in the microwave
Buy it already made. If you want to spruce it up, after microwaving, add Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles (available at Target) and warm in oven.
Green beans:
Sure, you can buy this, too, but this recipe is easy and will give your dinner a personal touch.
Cranberry-Orange Spiced Green Beans
Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 8 minutes
¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice
3 tablespoons butter or margerine
1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup dried cranberries
1 pound of frozen green beans, heated crisp-tender
Melt butter/margarine in large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook shallot, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice and cranberries and simmer 1 minute. Stir in green beans. Garnish, if desired, with orange slices.
Recipe Serves: 6
Bread
Time: 10 minutes
Buy frozen sourdough rolls, such as Rhodes.
Put frozen rolls on ungreased baking sheet and cook at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter before for softer rolls or brush with water for crispier rolls.
Dessert: Maple Sugar Pumpkin Pie Recipe
You can keep to your one hour time limit if you let this cool while people are eating dinner.
Time: Prep 10 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 eggs
1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)
Whipped cream, optional
In a bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Pour into the pie shell. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue baking for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate. Garnish with whipped cream if desired. Yield: 8 servings.
Yield: 8 servings
Drinks
And no family get-together is complete without drinks.
Festive champagne
Time: 5 minutes
Add a drop of cranberry sauce in the bottom of a flute, top with champagne.
Forgot to chill the wine?
Wrap your wine in a wet dish towel and stick in the freezer for 15 minutes to quick chill.
The clock
0-15 minutes
Make appetizers (10 minutes).
Start browning turkey breast tenderloins.
Put apple pie crust in oven to brown.
16-30 minutes
Microwave mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, make stuffing. Put in oven to keep warm.
Make apple pie, put in oven.
31-45 minutes
Finish turkey breast tenderloins, put in oven to keep warm. Start on green beans.
46-60 minutes
Bake your rolls. Finish green beans. Take everything out of oven, put on table. Take pie out of oven.