Thanksgiving

I hesitated when thinking of covering such a large project as Thanksgiving, knowing our cooking relationships are just beginning. Yet, I have confidence in you and your children. Here is a basic fun group of recipes for Thanksgiving. Next year, with an additional 12 months of sharing recipes and techniques together, I'll increase the degree of difficulty. I give thanks for the wonderful children I have, for the ability to have food, any food, on the table and a roof over our heads.
From experience, I have learned that often the Thanksgiving Holiday is an event where the children might share with each parent separately. So prior communication with your "ex" will help your children adjust and set expectations. Do you really want them to be eating two Thanksgiving Feasts the same day?  And, do you really want to be known as the parent who just let the children eat desserts for Thanksgiving? Maybe you have your children for the morning half of the day, or maybe the afternoon and evening? Here are some suggestions.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tip: buy a meat thermometer for around $7.99 and use it to confirm cooking temperatures. Wipe with rubbing alcohol and a clean unused q-tip to sanitize after each time you place it inside of food.

Breakfast- Pumpkin Pancakes with Bacon
Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients
1 container frozen pre-mixed "Aunt Jemima" pancake batter
1 can pumpkin pie mix
1 package pre-cooked bacon strips
1 package frozen mini pie shells
1 small can dried  ground cinnamon
1 can non-stick cooking spray "canola"

Preparation

Parent: Thaw the pre-made pancake batter in your refrigerator over night, or at least 12 hours.
Child: Pour the pancake batter into a 2 qt mixing bowl
Child: Spoon two tablespoons of pumpkin pie mix into the pancake mix and whisk or stir to mix evenly together.
Child or Parent: Over your sink, spray frying pan with non-stick cooking spray
Parent: Heat frying pan, electric or on the stove at medium temperature for 3 minutes
Parent or child over 12: Using a 2 ounce ladle or if you have a measuring cup with a spout, pour the mix into a measuring cup then pour about a silver dollar size (3 inch round) of batter into your heated pan. When the outer rim of the pancake begins to bubble, use a spatula to turn the pancakes over. Cook each pancake on the second side for 3 minutes or until golden brown.
TIP: Use the pancake spatula and go halfway under the cooking pancake after the second side has cooked 3 minutes and gently lift the pancake and peek under it to see if it is golden brown. If not, put the half back down to cook another minute. Using a timer with your child can be fun here too! 
Child: While pancakes are cooking, place your pre-cooked bacon on a double thickness of paper towel
Child: Place the bacon and paper towel on a microwave safe plate, into your microwave
Child or parent: Top that bacon plate with a single sheet of paper towel
Child: Microwave on high for 15 seconds just to heat it through
Parent: Remove heated bacon from microwave. Remove from paper toweling. Serve with cooked pancakes.
All: Garnish with your favorite syrup, jelly, peanut butter or powdered sugar.
Left over pumpkin pie filling options:
Parent: Remove the frozen mini pie crust shells from the freezer
Parent or child over 12: Pre-heat oven 350*F
Child: Spoon the remaining pumpkin pie filling evenly into as many mini pie shells as you can. Leave about 1/8 inch from the top of the pie's crust to allow for expansion.
Child: Sprinkle each pie top lightly with cinnamon
Child: Place pie shells in their tins, on a non-stick cooking sprayed cookie sheet
Parent or child over 12:  Place the cookie sheet with pies into the 350*F oven for 20 minutes
Child: Set timer for 20 minutes
Parent: Remove pies and allow to cool. These can be placed inside a box or cup cake tin/ carrier or on a heavy paper plate, then covered with foil or clear wrap. Suggest that your children bring them to family, friends or neighbors to show thanks. If you child is leaving you after breakfast to head to another location, they can bring the mini pies that they baked to the next location and get recognition and praise by others.

Tip: You only cook the portion of bacon you know you will eat. Wrap the remaining un-used bacon in a zip lock type package and freeze it or refrigerate it. It keeps a week in the refrigerator if air tight. You can freeze cooked pancakes and drop them into a toaster from the frozen state and toast for 3 minutes to re-heat.


Lunch- Turkey Beanie Weinie
Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

1 package turkey hot dogs
1 can baked beans
1 tbsp catsup
1 tbsp yellow or brown mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup, agave or honey

Preparation

Child: Cut each hot dog using a butter knife, into nickel shaped rounds, as evenly as possible, yet perfection is not important.
Parent or child over 12: Open can of beans and pour into a 3 qt sauce pan
Child: Place cut hot dog rounds into sauce pan with the beans
Child: Measure the remaining ingredients and add each to the sauce pan
Parent: Place the sauce pan on the stove over medium heat (#4 setting) and stir.
Parent: Allow to cook 15-18 minutes, stirring in a figure 8 every 5 minutes to prevent burning. When the pot of ingredients is bubbling around the edges, it is done.
Parent: Serve in a bowl, or over a slice of your favorite bread

TIP:  Ask what your child/ren have learned about Thanksgiving in school and what they think about Thanksgiving. There are no wrong answers. Just learn what your kids know and are thinking about. Let them know you are thankful that you get to be their parent.

Dinner- Basic Thanksgiving Meal
Serves 4-12 people

Ingredients
Turkey:
1- 12 pound frozen turkey- (place in refrigerator in a large baking dish, 4 days prior to Thanksgiving morning. It takes 24 hours per every 4 pounds of frozen turkey to thaw safely in your refrigerator.)
1 pound healthy butter substitute, or unsalted butter if you must
1 carrot, washed, large dice
1 large onion, peeled, large dice
1 bunch of celery,washed, 4 stalks large  dice, save rest for snacks
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup canola or olive oil
2 tbsp dried poultry seasoning
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 roll aluminum foil- you'll need enough to cover your bird at the end, about 24 inches
2 large aluminum foil turkey roasting pans that are larger in length and width than your bird
1 turkey baster (buy one if you do not have one)

Preparation:

Parent and child: using your thermometer, stick it inside the thickest part of the turkey breast to make certain the meat is not colder than 34*F
Parent: Remove one oven rack or adjust rack so the height of the turkey, while seated on the bottom rack will not touch the roof of your oven.
Child: Pre-heat the oven to 325*F
Parent: Place your turkey in the sink
Child: Turn on the cold water and help your parent rinse the turkey inside and out side
Parent: Remove both  the neck package and giblet/heart package from inside the turkey. You do this by putting your hand up each open end of the turkey and pulling them out.
Parent: Unwrap the neck and giblet/heart packages and toss out the package and place the meat products into a double thick aluminum foil disposable turkey pan. Wash your hands with hot soapy water every time you finish touching or working on your Turkey. Also wash and sanitize all cooking surfaces and the sink once you have placed the Turkey into the oven.
Tip: You are placing one roasting pan inside the other to double the strength. This reduces the chance of the pan bending when you lift the turkey in and out of the oven. It's possibly your first time handling a turkey this size, so I'm being more careful with you.
Parent or child over 12: Cut the vegetables per instructions and scatter around the outside of the turkey in the pan bottom AND place some vegetables inside the vacant turkey cavity, stuffing from top and up from the bottom.
Parent, then child: with a butter knife, cut 3 sticks of butter into about 10 slices per stick
Parent: Place one stick of butter in a microwave safe bowl, covered with a paper towel, microwave on high for 40 seconds, stir and repeat to melt the butter.
Parent, then child: With your fingers, slowly and gently lift up areas of the turkey skin and with a gentle rubbing motion, move your hand deeper into the bird trying to lift gently the skin away from the meat. You can do this in some areas, yet not for example, the wings. This will not be perfect, yet what the goal is, will be to separate the skin from meat for the next step.
Parent, then child: With those same gentle fingers, pick up a slice of butter and slip one slice of butter into an area of the bird between the skin and meat. The goal is to place as many of the butter slices as possible between the skin and meat to add moisture and flavor to your turkey.
Parent: Allow microwaved butter to cool 2 minutes, then brush inside of the turkey cavity, the best you can with the melted butter, or just rub the inside all around, vegetables too, with your gloved hand and the melted butter. This too adds flavor and moisture.
Child and parent: wearing disposable latex or plastic cooking gloves, take turns rubbing the entire exterior of your turkey with canola or olive oil. This promotes even browning and seals the skin to retain moisture.
Child: Sprinkle the exterior of the turkey with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning as evenly as possible
Parent: Fill in "bald" areas your child may have missed to get an even coating of seasonings.
Parent: Open oven, standing to the side to avoid getting your face scorched, and place your turkey that is in the aluminum roasting pan on the lowest rack of your oven.
Parent or child over 12: Open one can of chicken broth and pour it into the bottom of the roasting pan
Parent: Close the oven door
Child: set time for 3 hours 30 minutes
Parent: Every 30 minutes, you are to open the oven, safely, by standing aside to allow the heat to escape and not burn you or your children. You are to squeeze the turkey baster with your fingers to remove the air and while holding the baster squeezed, place the baster in the bottom of the roasting pan and open your hand, or un-squeeze the baster. It will fill up with liquid from the pan. Place the baster over the middle top part of the turkey and re-squeeze gently, to let the juice flow slowly out and over the bird to baste it. Repeat, each time covering a different part of the bird to get the wings, legs, breast and thighs basted every 30 minutes. Add a second can of broth or cup of water if the liquid is not enough to get into your baster.
Parent: With 1 hour remaining to cook the turkey, tear off a sheet of aluminum foil that is as long as your turkey roasting pan. Fold a crease in the foil length wise like a tent top.
Parent: Open the oven, pull the bottom rack out slowly half way and place the aluminum foil tent top over your turkey. This is called "tenting" the turkey. It prevents the top skin from continuing to brown/reduces burn, while holding in the juices of the turkey.
Parent: When the 3 1/2 hours of cooking has ended, stick your meat thermometer inside the thickest part of your turkey breast and count to 15 with your child. Then pull the thermometer out and read the temperature. It MUST be 180*F or you have to cook the bird an additional 30 minutes and check again. Repeat until 180*F. ( Some ovens are not equal, so times vary.) Another hint is to look at the liquid that comes from the bird when you pull the thermometer out. If those juices are red or pink, you need more cooking. If juices are white or yellowish, chances are your bird is 180*F.
Child : Place two clean dish towels under a large cutting board on a flat surface
Parent: When the bird is 180*F, remove from oven.
Parent: Using one long handled spoon in each hand or strong tongs, insert a spoon or tong up each end of the turkey and lift it out of the pan and onto the cutting board to rest for 15 minutes, before carving.
Parent: On a stove top in a 12 inch sautee pan, melt one stick of butter
Parent: Pour the remaining hot liquid and cooked vegetables and giblets from the roasting pan into a food processor or blender. Do not blend or process the neck. Eat it or discard it!
Parent: Add 2 tbsp of all purpose flour to the butter and stir to mix. This is making a "roux".
Parent: Add Roux to the blender and cover the blender leaving 1/8 inch open facing away from you or your children. Cover the opening with another dish towel to avoid splashing, yet to let the steam escape. Turn the blender on high and mix for 2 minutes Add chicken broth if the gravy is too thick, adding liquid 2 tbsp at a time.
Parent: Return the gravy to the sautee pan on low heat and stir. There should be a nice thickness, like wall paint or syrup. If it is too runny like water, stir in 1 tbsp of flour, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps and allow to cook 2 minutes to thicken up. Still loose? Repeat, one tbsp at a time.

Candied Yams:
1 large can of yams
1 bag marshmallows
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 TBSP Orange marmalade
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Preparation

Parent or Child over 12: Open the can of yams and drain half the liquid out.
Child: Place the yams into an oven proof casserole dish
Parent or child over 12: Open  the can of crushed pineapples.Pour the liquid into a small mixing bowl. Place the crushed pineapple into the casserole dish.
Parent or Child: Mix the marmalade with the pineapple juice using a whisk or spoon, to mix/blend thoroughly.
Parent or Child: measure the nutmeg and cinnamon and add to the marmalade mixture
Parent or Child: Pour marmalade mixture on top of yams and add nuts
Parent: With 30 minutes remaining for your Turkey, place the yam casserole into the oven on the top rack, covered. Bake your casserole for 20 minutes at 325*F, then remove cover and place large marshmallows around the top of the casserole dish and return to the oven for 10 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown.

Green Bean Casserole:
1 pack frozen cut green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup half and half or milk
1 can French's dried onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Preparation
Parent or Child over 12: open can of soup and spoon into a large mixing bowl
Child: add the milk or half&half to the empty soup can and stir to get the remaining bits of soup out of the can. Then pour the soupy milk into an oven proof casserole dish.
Child: open frozen cut green beans and scatter evenly around the casserole dish into the soup
Child: measure seasonings and sprinkle over the casserole
Parent or child over 12: open the can of dried onions, being careful not to cut yourself on the lid.
Child: sprinkle the onion pieces evenly over your casserole
Parent: With 30 minutes remaining for your turkey, place the casserole dish uncovered into the oven on the top rack next to your yams and bake 325*F for 30 minutes.
TIP: If your oven is small, no worries! You can remove the turkey to "rest" and wet a dish towel with warm water and place it on top of the resting turkey foil. Then bake your casserole dishes in the empty oven. So your turkey will rest 30 minutes instead of only 15, to allow time for your casseroles to cook.

LEFTOVER TIP: Remove as much of the turkey meat as possible and dispose of the  turkey carcass. Portion the turkey meat into usable portions. You can place turkey in a zip lock type bag and store in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can double zip lock bag (one bag inside the other to prevent freezer burn) the turkey, mark the date on the outside of one bag with a sharpie marker and store in the freezer for up to 30 days.

I wish you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving together. I'll have some suggestions for Turkey left overs, next time. Happy Thanksgiving!