Kara's Sights & Bites: Cooking Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be stressful

By Kara Kimbrough

    Thanksgiving is upon us and while it might seem impossible, there IS still time to get a decent meal on the table in mere hours. Of course, it involves a Crockpot to speed up the cooking process of a turkey breast since thawing a full-size frozen turkey is pretty much impossible at this late date, along with a quick trip to the supermarket for ingredients... but it can be done.

   I’m living proof that a delicious Thanksgiving meal can be cooked and placed on the table in hours. Four years ago, forever known as “the COVID holidays,” I was forced to pivot and create a Thanksgiving meal with little notice. I’m sharing a few of my favorite recipes from what can only be described as a learning experience that resulted in a delicious meal and plenty of leftovers.

    If you’d like additional Thanksgiving recipes, drop me an email and I’ll get them to you tonight. Trust me, there’ll still be plenty of time for one last trip to the grocery store.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

No Fuss, No Muss Turkey Breast

5-6-pound bone in turkey breast, thoroughly thawed

2 yellow onions, peeled and halved

For Turkey Butter:

Stick of unsalted butter, softened (or butter substitute)

1 tablespoon each: minced garlic, dry mustard, fresh rosemary, sage and thyme leaves, finely chopped

Teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground pepper (or use Mrs. Dash)

Mix ingredients together.

     To prepare turkey: Loosen skin from thawed turkey and pat breast dry. Use a small knife to cut slit on one side to separate skin from flesh. Using a butter knife, lift skin and coat breast with half of the butter. Coat the surface skin, including underside, with remaining butter. (If you prefer a lot of butter, simply double the recipe and amounts used to coat breast and skin.)

    Season skin by sprinkling lightly with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper or Mrs. Dash.

    Place onion halves in bottom of 5 quart or larger Crockpot. Place turkey on top, skin side up. Cook 6 hours on low (check temperature after 5 hours) until internal temperature reads 165 degrees when meat thermometer is inserted into the middle.

     Transfer turkey to baking tray (reserve juices in Crockpot). Cover loosely with foil, rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven broiler to high in preparation for final browning of turkey.

·       Important step for browning: Drizzle turkey very lightly with olive oil, not butter, to avoid burning. Place on a metal pan and put under a broiler at least 12 inches from heat for 5 to 10 minutes until skin is crispy. Watch very closely to make sure skin doesn’t burn. Serve with gravy.

No Fuss, No Muss Turkey Gravy

Crockpot juices (supplement with chicken broth or stock if desired)

½ cup water

¼ cup all-purpose

   Ladle cooking juices from bottom of Crockpot into a bowl and press juices out of onions; set aside. In a non-stick skillet, mix flour and water until smooth, then stir in cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 3-5 minutes. 

Notes: Adjust Crock-pot cooking time for larger turkey breasts. Meat is lean, so serve warm to maintain moistness.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

2-3 pounds boneless chicken breast filets or tenders, cooked and shredded (about 4 cups)

6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread (I don’t recommend Jiffy Mix for this recipe)

8 slices white bread, torn

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, cut into small

     Heat oven to 400 degrees Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients except butter. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Dot evenly with butter.

 Bake uncovered about 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown

 Green Beans and Bacon

2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans (I prefer French style, but you can use cut beans)

1-pound bacon (don’t use thick-cut)

1 stick butter

½ cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (more to taste)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (more to taste) 

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 teaspoons minced garlic

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using fresh green beans, trim ends and blanch for 5 minutes in salted boiling water. Prepare frozen beans according to package directions.  Pour drained green beans into a lightly buttered 13x9 inch baking dish.

   In skillet, fry bacon until done, but not super crispy. Drain grease from bacon, chop coarsely on a cutting board and place 1/2 of bacon pieces over green beans.

  In medium saucepan, melt butter, then add brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic to melted butter. Pour butter mixture over green beans and bacon. Lightly toss with spoon to thoroughly coat beans. (I add a little bacon grease to the beans, but this is optional.) Top with remaining bacon pieces. 

    Bake for 30 minutes or until beans are bubbly and bacon is crisp.

Easy and Delicious Thanksgiving Dessert When Time is Short! 

Marie Callendar’s Pecan, Dutch Apple, or Lattice Apple Pie

Note: All possess above-average crusts, not-so-sweet fillings and crunchy, almost-homemade toppings. At less than $10 each, it's a delicious, economical dessert. If you want to pass it off as your own, simply transfer it before baking into one of your own pie plates. Top with ice cream or whipped cream and serve!

Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at [email protected].