Thanksgiving Challenges

Thanksgiving dinner for those dealing with a small apartment or condo kitchen can be a challenge. Such kitchens do not provide storage space for luxury items such as electric roasters, and large plans for preparing stuffing.  With a little ingenuity you can make do with items that are readily available.

Whether in a full service kitchen or a scaled down one, it helps to prepare some ideas ahead. On the day before cook the cranberry sauce and store in quart jar/jars in refrigerator. Peel the oranges for the ambrosia, store in quart jar/jars and wash celery and crisp in cold water in refrigerator. If you have not guessed by now, I like jars for refrigerator storage so I place celery in a jar, and fill with water and refrigerate. Next prepare the pie crusts for the pies.  Rolled crusts can be stored in a large zip lock bag. Bake cornbread for dressing. Bake sweet potatoes for casserole.  

In my family the young ones think they must have chocolate pie.  I premix the dry ingredients and store for use the next day. I also premix dry ingredients for cornbread if I am cooking the cornbread Thanksgiving day.

For an apartment dinner, poach a Turkey breast. You will need the stock for your crock pot dressing and gravy so poach in 2-3 quarts water. I like stock left over to use for left overs. You may add pork for richer stock.  This is especially important if cooking a skinless breast..

Thanksgiving day chop onions, place onions in large Visions or Pyrex container, and microwave in enough stock to just cover the onions.  Starting with tender onions shortens the cooking time for the dressing.  Crumble cornbread into crock pot, add, onions, pepper, and stock. Bake. Use only enough stock so dressing is the right consistency when you start.  Moisture will not cook out in crock pot like it does in conventional oven.  See "get crockin" for crock pot dressing recipe.

About an hour before dinner, bake pie crust. Finish sweet potato casserole and bake. Microwave pie filling and place in crust.  Reheat turkey, complete ambrosia, and arrange relish tray.

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