Also Known As “ How Not To Go Insane This Holiday”

Somehow, trying to get the entire family under one roof for a holiday always seems to turn into a headache.

Everybody says they'll be there, but when it comes time to decide who's bringing what, half the family's plans have changed - now they aren't coming. Great Aunt Jean said she'd host, but dropped out at the last minute. Uncle Tim said he'd bring dessert, but then brought the dreaded casserole instead. The sister who was supposed to bring the drinks only brought ice, the brother who was supposed to bring the bread brought a salad... And now no one knows what's going on. The person pressed into hosting is taking a frantic tally to figure out what's missing, someone's already in their car on their way to the only store in town that's open on Thanksgiving, and no one knows whether or not the turkey will be done in time.

It happens every year, in varying degrees, to every family. There are always too many moving parts. So this week's post is dedicated to keeping everything simple. Read on for the easiest recipes we could think of to help you get through this mess with your sanity intact.

The easy way, and the COVID-19 friendly way, to survive the holiday is to not have everyone over. Do a smaller celebration. The recipes in this post are sized for a group of four to six people.

Appetizer

Taco Bites

Chances are the kids are going to try to skip as many healthy foods as they can when dinner hits the table. Let's sneak something in early.

Ingredients:

2 15.5 oz cans chickpeas

1 1 oz packet taco seasoning

3 Tbsp oil

1/4 head iceberg lettuce, torn

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Tools:

Cutting board, knife, colander, baking sheet with a rim, plastic bag, paper towels

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 450.

Pour your oil into the baking sheet and tilt to move the oil around until you've coated the entire bottom of the pan. Place the coated pan into the oven for two minutes.

Dump your chickpeas into the colander, rinse them and allow them to drain, and then pat them to remove some of the excess water.

Pour your taco seasoning into the plastic bag, add the chickpeas, seal the bag and shake! The goal is to evenly coat the chickpeas. There will be seasoning left over, and that's okay. You can hold on to it and sprinkle it on top later if you'd like.

Spread your seasoned chickpeas in a single layer on the hot baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes.

While the chickpeas are baking, wash your lettuce and tomatoes. Rough chop the tomatoes and tear the lettuce into large pieces.

Once you remove the chickpeas from the oven, allow them to cool down some - but not to room temperature - and drain off excess oil.

Wrap a spoonful of chickpeas, a few chunks of tomato, and a sprinkling of cheese into a strip of lettuce and roll it up like a burrito (hold in place with a toothpick if necessary). Serve with guacamole, sour cream or salsa if desired.

Entree

Thanksgiving is all about the turkey for most families. But why carve up a whole bird and encourage everyone to fight over the drumsticks while they ignore everything else? We suggest a turkey pot pie instead. It's so easy you can have the kids help! Cook the turkey and potatoes in the slow cooker overnight so it's all ready to shred and mash in the morning.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 boneless turkey breast (Butterball Cajun-seasoned 3 pound is a favorite here)

6 large russet potatoes, chunked

2 14 oz bags frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

1 18 oz jar turkey gravy

1 can Pillsbury crescent dough

Tools:

Slow cooker, deep baking dish, mixing bowls, cutting board, slotted spoon

Instructions:

The night before you plan to have your Thanksgiving dinner, wash and cut up your potatoes. Place them into the bottom of your slow cooker, and add enough water or broth to cover. Place your turkey breast on top of the potatoes, place the lid on the slow cooker, and set it to low. Allow it to run overnight, at least seven hours.

In the morning, turn off the slow cooker and pull the turkey. Shred it on the cutting board and set it aside to cool. Stir your mixed vegetables and gravy in with with your shredded turkey.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes from the slow cooker. Put them into a mixing bowl and mash them with a fork. Lumps are fine, no worries! You may choose to add milk or butter at this step.

Line the bottom of your baking dish with your mashed potatoes. 

Pour a thick layer of your turkey and vegetable and gravy mixture on top of your mashed potatoes.

Top with the sheet of crescent dough. It's okay to trim it down or stretch it to fit - just make sure to stretch evenly and gently so it doesn't tear.

Poke a few small vent holes with a fork or knife before placing your pot pie in the oven.

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

Sides

Cranberry Sauce

Repeat after us: Cranberry sauce is not supposed to come from a can.

Cranberry sauce is the easiest Thanksgiving side, by far. (Unless you forget the lid on the pan. Trust us, do not forget the lid!) The tried and true method of berries, a simple syrup, a handful of spices, and a few minutes of intense heat makes a foolproof sauce.

Ingredients

1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Tools:

Sauce pan, lid, heatproof serving dish

Wash your cranberries and toss out any sad-looking ones. Sad berries make sad sauce.

Combine your sugar, water and spices in the pan. Place over medium heat and bring up to a boil.

Pour in your fresh cranberries - be careful not to splash!

Cook your cranberries in your covered (we cannot stress this enough! Boiling sugar hurts, and exploding berries are messy!) pan, stirring frequently, until all of your berries have popped.

Remove from heat and stir in your lemon juice.

In the event your family does not want lumps in the sauce, you can push this mixture through a fine sieve to separate the skins from the jelly - but we like it better with the lumps. We also prefer it warm, but feel free to put it into the fridge for half an hour if you'd like it to firm up.

Bacon Cheddar Brussels Sprouts

In our experience, most kids despise Brussels sprouts. But most kids love bacon and cheese. Hopefully, in your case as in ours, they balance out a bit. And just about every Thanksgiving dinner could use some more veggies.

Ingredients:

1 2.5 oz bag bacon crumbles

1 12 oz bag frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 stick butter, melted

Tools:

Baking sheet

Mix your Brussels sprouts, melted butter and bacon together in a mixing bowl.

Arrange the sprouts in a thin layer on your baking sheet. Make sure to leave a little wiggle room between them for air to circulate. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. You can roast them a little longer if you'd like, but keep a close eye on them so they don't burn. Literally no one will want to eat burned veggies.

It's that simple. Honestly.

Desserts

Everyone expects pie on Thanksgiving... But it doesn't have to be the same old pie you've had every year. Don't get us wrong here, we love pumpkin pies - they're fantastic looking, easy, delicious and they keep well for a few days.

Every once in a while, though, it's nice to flip the script. This year, try an ice cream pie!

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

Ingredients

24 oz vanilla ice cream, softened

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

pumpkin pie spice, to taste

1 9" pie crust (traditional or graham, or even Oreo if you'd prefer)

Tools:

Mixing bowl, pie pan, aluminum foil

If you're using a traditional crust, bake it ahead of time and let it cool. Please don't pour ice cream into a raw or still-hot crust - you'll end up with a soggy mess either way.

Spoon your softened ice cream into a mixing bowl. Shake in some pumpkin pie spice - however much you like. Some people like a bunch, some families aren't fond of it.

Fold in your pumpkin puree and stir. Mix it until thoroughly incorporated if you want a uniform pie, but if you want the swirl effect, just stop mixing when it looks the way you want it to.

Pour your ice cream mixture into the prepared pie crust, wrap up the top in foil and stick the whole thing into the freezer to chill back up. It should be firm and good to go in about three hours.

If you want to be extra fancy, drizzle it with caramel syrup and top with whipped cream when you serve it.

Take a deep breath. If you've reached the serving dessert stage, the worst of the craziness will soon pass.

What do you think? Are you as eager (read: apprehensive) about the holiday as we were? We hope you'll let us know over on our Facebook page. Feel free to share your family traditions or Thanksgiving hacks! And if something in your kitchen is acting like a little turkey and making you want to use some fowl language... Give us a call, or make an appointment online here.