With Thanksgiving round the corner, families are gearing up for big family dinners. For unfortunate cooks like me, who love the gatherings, but not the cooking, here is a Thanksgiving menu that comprises a list of 5 simple Thanksgiving recipes that are very easy to prepare, and that will win you accolades from your guests.
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1. Thanksgiving Turkey
This recipe is probably the easiest recipe for turkey that I have ever had.
Follow these basic steps and you will get your turkey right.
1. Preheat the oven to 325º Fahrenheit.
2. While the oven is heating, clean the turkey by pulling out its neck and giblets, including the liver.
3. Pat dry the turkey with a clean paper towel and season with salt and pepper both inside and out. The sooner you do it the better, since it gives the turkey more time to soak in the condiments.
4. Now fill the turkey with fillings of your choice- onions, carrots, some herbs. If you like to be on the sweeter side of things, you can try stuffing the turkey with apple too.
5. Place breast side up, on the baking tray and brush with butter.
6. Wrap loosely in a foil paper so that the condiments do not rub off on the paper.
7. Let the turkey roast for two hours (for a 10 to twelve pound turkey).
8. Keep checking to see how far it is done.
9. After two hours, remove the foil and increase the temperature to 425º Fahrenheit.
10. Apply generous dollops of molten butter.
11. Roast on high for another hour. Add more butter as required.
2. Shredded Apple, Beet and Carrot Salad
This is as simple as one two three, tastes delicious and is very wholesome.
1. Mix two parts of lemon juice with one part of orange juice.
2. Take half a teaspoon of garlic paste, some salt and pepper and mix into the juice.
3. Add a quarter cup of olive oil in a slow drizzle, and keep stirring till the mixture gets an oily texture.
4. Now grate and deseed the apple, beet and carrot, and transfer both the dressing and the grated fruits/vegetables to a big bowl and toss lightly.
5. Let it settle for a while. Your Thanksgiving salad is ready.
3. Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Garlic
For this recipe to be perfect, make sure you use russet potatoes.
1. Peel and dice 4 to 5 russet potatoes.
2. Boil them in a pan of water, add a little salt.
3. Meanwhile, crush a few cloves of garlic and add them to two cups of half and half. (Half and half is a mixture of one part of cream and one part of milk so that the mixture becomes heavier than milk but lighter than cream).
4. Now heat the half and half, along with the crushed garlic cloves, over fire.
5. Set aside once the liquid starts simmering. You will notice a smell of garlic mixed with the sweet smell of cream coming from the mixture.
6. By now the potatoes have boiled too. Test by breaking with a fork. They must be so soft that they must fall apart with a little pressure from the fork.
7. Quickly drain the water. If boiled potatoes are left in the water for a long time, they will soak the water and lose their taste and texture.
8. Now mash the potatoes all the while adding the mixture of half and half to them.
9. Add some Parmesan cheese for some extra taste and creamy flavor.
10. Let the whole mixture stand for a few minutes so that the ingredients may combine and thicken.
Your creamy mashed potatoes are a great side to the roast turkey.
4. Caramel Cake
Who can forgo a little sweet something after a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner. No one. So here’s a recipe for a sweet caramel cake to finish off your Thanksgiving meal.
1. Set the oven to 350º preheat.
2. Grease the baking pan with butter, dust with flour and set aside.
3. Now mix three and a half cup cake flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Add a pinch of salt and mix all three ingredients together.
4. In a bowl, beat together three cups of unsalted butter and three cups of sugar.
5. Beat the eggs separately and add them to the butter. Also add 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
6. Now add evaporated milk to the mixture. Since evaporated milk contains less water than normal milk, you will need more of it- almost twelve ounces.
7. Now pour the cake mixture into the baking pan.
8. Let the cake bake for 35 minutes at 350º Fahrenheit.
9. Insert a long pin to see if the cake is baked properly. If well baked, the pin will come out clean from the cake. The pin will have wet cake crumbs sticking to it if the cake needs more baking.
10. Once fully baked, remove the cake from the hot oven and let it cool.
11. Slice the cake from the top so that it becomes even and we can apply icing.
For the icing
1. Mix sugar and salted butter in a pan over high heat so that the mixture becomes brown in color.
2. Now lower the flame to medium and slowly stir in evaporated milk till the mixture attains a thick brown consistency. Keep stirring to prevent the icing from getting scorched.
3. The icing should register 240º F on a candy thermometer.
4. After removing from heat beat, vigorously with a wooden spatula till it is consistent, smooth and can be easily spread with the spatula.
5. Now, cover all the surfaces of the cake with the mixture, and set it to chill in a refrigerator.
5. Reverse Manhattan
This is one of the simplest cocktails you can prepare; and yet, its smooth taste is the perfect complement to a simple and tasteful Thanksgiving dinner.
For this drink, you just need an ounce of Rye Whiskey, two ounces of red Vermouth, and three drops of bitters.
Stir all of these ingredients in ice and then strain into your favorite cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon and your smooth tasting cocktail is ready. You can experiment with the number of drops of bitters you add, to arrive at your preferred taste, and then stick to the recipe for a consistent serving every time.
Image credit : Martin Cathrae