It’s no surprise that Thanksgiving is one of many collegiettes’ favorite holidays. What’s not to love about a home-cooked feast, family time, and some much needed TLC? However, it’s not always easy to make it home for the holiday. Break is short, and many students live pretty far away. For those of you staying at Duke, don’t despair. Her Campus Duke has compiled a collection of some of the easiest Thanksgiving recipes known to man. Doubtful? I don’t blame you. But rest easy – my cooking abilities, thus far, include: oatmeal, jello, pb&j, boiled eggs, and pasta. Sometimes I don’t even get the boiled eggs right. If I find these recipes doable, so should you.
Now, gather other Dukies sticking around for the break and throw a feast of your own! I suggest a potluck style meal to minimize stress and potential fire hazards. If everyone brings a dish, you’ll have a legitimate Thanksgiving meal in no time. Check it out:
Martha Stewart’s Mashed Potatoes
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Serves 6 people
- These potatoes can also be made 1 day in advance. Just reheat at 350° in a foil-covered dish for 10-20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled, and cut into ½ inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- ½ stick of cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 to 1 ¼ cups milk, warmed
Directions:
- In a large pot, cover the potatoes by 2 inches with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender (about 12 minutes). Drain thoroughly and return to pot
- Mash with a fork until potatoes reach desired texture
- Over low heat, add butter and stir until melted. Continue to cook, stirring constantly until potatoes are stiff (about 1 minute)
- Gradually stir in 1 cup of milk, add up to a cup more if needed
- Season with salt and pepper
- Total time: 15 minutes
- Serves 6-8 people
Ingredients:
- 1 (10.5 oz) can of gravy (chicken or turkey)
- 10.5 oz water
- 1 ¼ oz onion soup mix
- 12 oz ground sausage
- 2 celery ribs
- 14 oz seasoned stuffing mix (one bag)
- Cooking Oil
Directions:
- Add oil and sausage to pot. Cook until sausage is brown
- Add chopped celery to browning meat
- Once sausage is brown, add onion soup mix and stir well
- Add stuffing mix and stir well
- If desired, bake at 350° in pan covered loosely with aluminum foil
Martha Stewart’s Roasted Broccoli
- Total time: 20 minutes
- Serves 4 people
Ingredients:
- 1 head of broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds) cut
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves (skin on)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Toss together broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes onto rimmed baking sheet
- Season with salt and pepper
- Roast until broccoli is brown and tender (about 20 minutes); stir halfway through
- Toss with fresh lemon juice
Martha Stewart’s Roasted Cauliflower
- Total time: 22 minutes
- Serves 4 people
Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower, cut
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup grated cheddar (4 oz)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Toss cauliflower with oil onto rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper
- Cook until tender (about 20 minutes); stir halfway through
- Push cauliflower to center of sheet and top with grated cheese
- Return to oven and cook until cheese melts (about 2 minutes)
- Toss again before serving
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of milk
- 3 tablespoons of butter
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°
- In a medium bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt
- In a small bowl, combine egg, milk, and butter
- Add small bowl to flour mixture
- Stir together until all dry ingredients are moistened
- Pour in pan
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean
Seriouseats.com’s Cranberry Sauce
- Total active time: 12 minutes
- Total time: 42 minutes
- Serves 8-12 people
Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan with ½ cup of water
- Bring to boil over medium-high heat
- Cook, stirring occasionally until berries start to pop
- Press berries against side of pan with wooden spoon and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until berries are completely broken down and have jam-like consistency
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for 30 minutes
- Add water in 1 tablespoon increments to adjust to desired consistency
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Total time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Serves 8 people
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup of sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
- 1 ¼ cups evaporated milk or half and half
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 frozen deep-dish piecrust
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°
- In large bowl, mix all ingredients (except crust, obviously)
- Pour into piecrust
- Bake 15 minutes
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°
- Bake for another 40-50 minute or until inserted knife comes out clean
- Let cool for 2 hours
- Serve or store in refrigerator
The. Turkey. (courtesy of foodnetwork.com)
Okay, people. Here comes the hard part. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. I know this seems terrifying. I’m having heart palpitations just thinking about it. But, don’t let the dreaded turkey scare you away from what could be the most impressive student-made feast to ever grace a university campus.
Now, take a deep breath and think of this as just another chem lab. Imagine yourself in the French Family Science Center. Got it? Now, picture yourself following the lab book’s directions perfectly. Okay great, now throw away any hazardous chemicals that may be lurking in your kitchen and get started.
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 3 hours
- Total time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Makes 1 turkey (haha – did that really need to be stated?)
Ingredients:
- 1 Turkey
- Salt and pepper
- Onions, chopped
- Carrots, chopped
- Apples, chopped
- Butter
*** I know the amount of ingredients seem vague, but it really depends on the size of the turkey. Err on the side of caution and buy extra veggies. They’re good for you.***
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity
- Remove the liver. Save the giblets for gravy if you’d like
- Dry the turkey with paper towels
- Season the inside and out with salt and pepper
- Fill the turkey with chopped onions, carrots, and apples
- Place the turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter
- Tent the turkey with foil and roast for 2 hours (if your turkey is 10 lbs or more, add an extra 15 minutes for each additional pound)
- Remove the foil and baste with more melted butter
- Turn the oven up to 425°
- Roast for another hour. If you have a cooking thermometer, the thigh should register about 165°
OR, you could go buy one of those pre-made roasted chickens from the supermarket. Nobody will judge you.
Myrecipes.com’s Turkey Gravy Recipe
- Total time: 10 minutes
- Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 3 cups of chicken broth
Directions:
- Melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour. Heat and stir until light brown
- Remove from heat and gradually blend in chicken broth until smooth
- Return saucepan to heat. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently
- Reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened
There you have it. Now go on and give your very own Thanksgiving a try! Don’t forget, at the end of the day it’s probably not the mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie that make this holiday so special (I mean, okay, it’s pretty important, but still). Remember to just have fun with it, relax, and give your family a call. It’ll be Christmas before you know it and you might just have some new cooking skills to show off… Have a great break!
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