911: Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips

I had some time this morning since I have my dinner basically finished (evil laugh) and I wanted to post some ideas for what to do when, all of a sudden, you find out YOU are hosting Thanksgiving, and cooking.

It happens. Maybe the relatives that were going to host got sick, or decided to join a commune in Oregon, or maybe you misunderstood something, or….

Well. It happens. I envision the scene from A Christmas Story where they eat Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant. Roast duck, anyone?

So…here are some ideas, mine and around the web, for putting together a quick but gourmet feast that you will be proud to serve. Every thing on this list takes less than 1 hour total…except maybe the turkey.

Appetizers:

1.Mushroom, Oregano & Gorgonzola Beggars Purses

These look deceptively difficult but are very easy and quick. For an easier version use the filling and frozen puff pastry dough to make palmiers. Just thaw the puff pastry sheets (don’t get the pre cut) and roll out. Spread with cooled mushroom mixture and roll each side to meet in the middle. bake as directed.

2. Just get a nice assortment of cheese and fruit. Classic and wonderful. Apples, pears, grapes, and even mango and pineapple pair well with many types of cheese. Add some smokey ham or Greek olives for a nice contrast. Head to the gourmet cheese section of the grocery and pick up a couple of classics like brie, camembert, and gouda and then some that you may not have tried like kasseri, pepato, or teleme.

Turkey :

1. This Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Breast takes nearly 3 hours to prepare, bake and serve..but still less than a whole turkey.

2. This Roasted Turkey Breast with Cornbread and Sage Stuffing from Epicurious takes less than an hour start to finish!

3. Again from Epicurious, Turkey Cutlets with Cilantro and Almond take 35 minutes.

Since each of those comes with stuffing we will head on to the Side Dishes

1. Artichoke, Portabella, and Potato Gratin takes about an hour in the oven. Cut the preparation time by using canned artichoke hearts.

2. Roasted Baby Sweet Potato Medley. I found a bag of tiny, fingerling sized, sweet potatoes and yams of several different varieties at my local grocer. I washed them well, cut in half,dunked them in melted butter and roasted them at 375 for about 30 minutes. Simple but OH SO GOOD.

3. Food network has this recipe for Roasted Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips and Brussels Sprouts that clocks in in under 40 minutes.

Bread :

O.k..Listen up..Not many people know this but you can use the microwave to raise bread dough in record time. If your microwave has a very low setting then after you have kneaded the dough, grease it and put in the microwave at it’s lowest setting for 5 minutes, let it rest 5 minutes and then 5 minutes at the lowest setting. Leave in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Shape, and allow to rise for 30-45 minutes and bake as usual.

If you want to buy the brown and serve rolls go for it…but dip the tops in melted butter before you brown them.

Desserts

Chocolate Fudge Pudding Cake in about 10 minutes

Pumpkin Crisp in about an hour

Or, try Pumpkin Pecan Praline Ice Cream Pie ..just get a graham cracker crust, soften 1 quart of Butter Pecan ice cream and mix in 1 cup of pumpkin puree. Add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp each of ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix well and spoon into crust. Freeze.

And, last but maybe the coolest thing of all is this Last Minute Thanksgiving Timeline with a schedule for you to follow starting right now.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!