In the ideal Thanksgiving dinner, the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving dinner, we start weeks ahead of time, polishing silver, chopping cranberries and making corn bread for homemade stuffing.
The days leading up to the holiday meal are a glorious countdown of pureeing pumpkin and rolling pie crusts, of roasting chestnuts and mulling cider.
Welcome to the real world, where folks work or simply don't have the time to give Thursday's Thanksgiving dinner a thought until Wednesday. That reality sends many panic-stricken people to the supermarket to buy turkey, precooked, and all the trimmings.
That'll work. But you can retain the tradition of cooking your own Thanksgiving dinner, without investing weeks of time.
The secret is to keep the menu simple and take shortcuts where you can.
Use store-bought bread crumbs for the stuffing. Start with canned sweet potatoes instead of baking your own. And don't forget refrigerated pie crust and bread or rolls from the freezer section or bakery.
Some things, however, can't be rushed.
"The most important element is the turkey," says Celia McClelland, a home economist.
"A fresh turkey is the best choice for a last-minute dinner; then you don't have to worry about thawing," she says.
As long as you keep the turkey cold -- 35 degrees or colder -- it'll keep a good three days.
But many meat markets require ordering in advance, a tactic last-minute cooks might overlook. By Wednesday night, a frozen bird might be the only option.
The safest method of thawing the turkey is in the refrigerator, says Ms. McClelland. But again, you have to plan. Butterball recommends five hours of thawing for every pound of turkey. At that rate, a 15-pound turkey would take about three days to thaw in the refrigerator.
Enter the rapid thaw method. "If you need to thaw out a turkey quickly, you can do it in cold water," Ms. McClelland says.
First check the turkey bag to be sure there are no tears. Put the turkey in the sink or a large pan filled with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes or so. It's tempting to want to use warm water, but the water must remain cold. That's the key to preventing bacterial growth. The general rule for cold-water quick-thawing is 30 minutes defrosting time per pound.
The microwave oven is a good quick-thaw tool, suggests Anita Frank, a Dallas cooking consultant who teaches a quick-meals class. However, she offers one proviso.
"You have to be ready to cook it immediately once it's thawed out," she says. "That's the thing with the microwave: You can't thaw anything unless you finish cooking immediately. Sometimes the edges start cooking and once it starts, you can't stop it. If you rotate it frequently, it thaws more evenly."
Butterball suggests limiting the microwave thawing process to turkeys 12 pounds or under.
When it comes to cooking a turkey, there aren't many shortcuts. Reynolds Oven Bags, introduced 23 years ago as the Brown-In Bag, make the process convenient for cleanup but shave precious few minutes from the cooking time.
Ocean Spray, the cranberry company, suggests cooking two smaller turkeys at the same time instead of one larger turkey. ("It will cut cooking time by 2 1/2 to 3 hours," says the company's cheery little brochure.) But smaller turkeys are often the first to go at supermarkets.
About one point there is no dispute: The internal temperature of a turkey must reach 180 degrees Fahrenheit, in order to ensure the destruction of salmonella bacteria. Use a meat thermometer to check.
Cooking charts show a stuffed, thawed turkey takes 18 to 24 minutes per pound to cook, while an unstuffed turkey takes only 15 to 18 minutes per pound.
Ms. Frank cooks her dressing separately. "If you're worried about
taste, then baste the dressing with your turkey drippings, which gives nice flavor," she says. Or add plenty of chicken broth for moisture.
Many from-scratch fans have abandoned the old-fashioned way of making dressing and turn instead to seasoned bread crumbs or corn bread stuffing mixes.
"Those seasoned stuffing mixes are surprisingly good," says Ms. Frank. "I start with those and add things such as chopped onions or celery or pecans or sausage.
"A good variation if I'm really rushed is to use Pepperidge Farm's sage mix with a packet of wild rice," she says. "I boil the rice in chicken broth until the rice is tender. When it's chewable, I scoop it out and mix it into the stuffing mix. I save the broth and use it to moisten the dressing. The rice makes it look nicer and it tastes richer."
For chestnut dressing, Ms. Frank recommends buying chestnuts that are pre-shelled and cooked. Some supermarkets sell small bags in the freezer case.
Other side dishes such as vegetables are easy to make while the turkey is cooking. You can use frozen vegetables or some of the new precut packaged vegetables on the fresh produce aisle to save time. You can also find frozen or refrigerated mashed potatoes.
Rolls from the bakery are a good last-ditch effort, but the supermarket offers a couple of choices for cooks who want that home-baked effect. Frozen bread doughs are thawed and baked at home. Even brown-and-serve rolls can be dressed up with your own touches.
Ms. Frank has a recipe that she calls "Scarborough Fair Rolls."
"I buy frozen bread dough rolls -- they're little chunks of frozen dough," she says. "The night before, or even Thanksgiving morning, I lay them out, still frozen, in a baking pan. I drizzle melted butter and sprinkle on dried herbs -- parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, you know, the Simon and Garfunkel song.
"Put the pan somewhere near the oven. If your kitchen is warm, as it should be on Thanksgiving Day, they'll thaw quickly. You let them sit another 20 minutes to rise -- the hotter it is, the faster the yeast will do its thing.
"You bake them according to the directions. You have the most incredible herb butter bread," she says.
Or try one of Pillsbury's Quick Bread mix -- there's blueberry, banana and cranberry.
Convenience products make a pumpkin pie one of the holiday's fastest desserts, says Ms. Frank.
"It's very quick," she says. "You buy frozen pie crust and pumpkin puree that comes preseasoned. You open the can, drop it in the pie shell and put it in the oven."
Or, make a big dessert that serves a crowd, such as Cranberry
Crunch with its simple oat topping.
California Dip
Makes 2 1/2 cups
1/2 cup picante sauce
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese or low-fat ricotta
2 to 3 drops red pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
vegetable sticks
Place picante in bottom of blender. Add remaining dip ingredients; blend until smooth. Refrigerate a few hours. Serve with vegetable sticks.
Per 2-tablespoon serving: 19 calories; trace of fat; 2 mg cholesterol; 125 mg sodium; 12 percent calories from fat
Lemon Sage Dressing
Makes 8 servings
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup shredded carrot
8 cups unseasoned stuffing cubes
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups canned chicken broth
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter. Add celery, onions and carrot. Saute until vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into 1 1/2 -quart casserole and bake 30 to 45 minutes.
Per serving: 259 calories; 14 g fat; 33 mg cholesterol; 675 mg sodium; 48 percent calories from fat
Cranberry Crunch
Makes 5 or 6 servings.
1 16-ounce can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread cranberry sauce in 9-inch pie plate. Combine oats, flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the cranberries. Bake for 25 minutes. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Per serving: 345 calories; 10 g fat; 26 mg cholesterol; 129 mg sodium; 26 percent calories from fat
Corn Bread Stuffing With Mushrooms, Pine Nuts
Makes 8 servings
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 (8-by-8-inch) pan corn bread, finely crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken stock
seasoned salt and pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see note)
Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet. Add onion and saute over moderate heat until translucent. Add celery and continue sauteing until onion is golden. Add mushrooms, cover and saute until they are wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the corn bread, sage and thyme, and gently combine with onion-mushroom mixture. Add just enough stock to make the mixture moist but not soggy. Stir in parsley and season with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in pine nuts and serve.
Note: To toast pine nuts, cook in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until lightly browned.
Per serving: 153 calories; 7 g fat; 27 mg cholesterol; 540 mg sodium; 39 percent calories from fat
Sweet Potato Puree With Crunchy Topping
Makes 8 servings
4 cups hot mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon thawed orange-juice concentrate
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flaked coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Mix mashed sweet potatoes with 1/3 cup butter and sugar. (Melt butter if sweet potatoes are not hot.)
Beat in orange-juice concentrate. Beat eggs with milk; blend into sweet potatoes. Turn into greased 1 1/2 -quart baking dish.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine pecans, coconut, brown sugar, flour and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour; watch so topping doesn't burn.Per serving: 227 calories; 12 g fat; 2 mg cholesterol; 48 percent calories from fat
Wild Rice Casserole
Makes 6 servings
1 4-ounce package wild and white rice mix
8 ounces bulk pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup shredded fresh spinach
1/2 cup pitted olives
1/2 cup reduced-calorie mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Prepare rice mix according to package directions. Cook sausage; drain thoroughly. Cook onion and celery until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients except pecans. Pour mixture into 1 1/2 -quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Bake 30 minutes in 350-degree oven. Per 2-tablespoon serving: 19 calories; trace of fat; 2 mg cholesterol; 125 mg sodium; 12 percent calories from fat
Hot Buttered Cranberry Cider
Makes about 10 servings
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup mild honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (48-ounce) bottle cranberry-juice cocktail
1 quart cider
cinnamon sticks (optional)
Blend softened butter, honey and spices. This may be done ahead and refrigerated. When ready to serve, combine cranberry cocktail and cider. (Add fresh lemon or orange juice, if desired.) Bring to a boil. Have butter mixture beside the pot. To serve, put a small spoonful of honey-butter in each mug or cup. Fill with hot cranberry cider. Stir with cinnamon stick, if desired.Per serving: 227 calories; 7 g fat; 17 mg cholesterol; 28 percent calories from fat
TURKEY TO GO
Whether you're cooking or visiting, The Baltimore Sun has everything you need to get ready for Turkey Day. After looking at more than 10 years' worth of Thanksgiving Day recipes, we've selected more than 40 of the best for you.
You'll find pies, side dishes, yummy leftovers, stuffings -- and, of course, the turkey to go with them.
Just call Sun On Demand, (410) 332-6800, and ask for "Turkey To Go," only $2.50 plus tax. Additional recipe sets can be bought on such subjects as low-fat foods, low-fat desserts, appetizers, poultry, chocolate, and French, Italian and grilled foods.