LET’S TALK TURKEY

First thing ya gotta do is figure out how much turkey you're gonna need. That's where my BIRD TO BODY Formula comes in:

BIRD TO BODY FORMULA:

Whole Turkey	Pre-Stuffed Turkey	Bone-In Turkey Breast	Boneless Turkey Roast
12 to 16 ounces per person	Allow 1¼ to 1½ pounds per person	Allow ½ to ¾ pound per person	Allow ½ to ¾ pound per person

Now that you know how much you're going to need, it's time to buy that turkey. Well, I don't know about you. but I don't have the patience nor the mindset to let a turkey defrost for days and buying a fresh one means I've got to order it ahead of time--much too much thinking for this accidental housewife. That's why I was thrilled to find a bird that I can buy way in advance, leave in my freezer and just take out of my freezer and put it right into the oven when T-DAY'S here. I don't even have to take it out of it's bag--no muss, no fuss, no defrosting....Is this a great country or what! It's from Jennie-O and it's an accidental housewife's dream turkey come true....check it out at www.jennieoturkeystore.com

And, the rest of the feast can be just as easy, tasty and hassle-free by asking friends to bring the sides or dessert and engaging the other members in your household to help in a way that won't cause anyone much stress and strain.

Here's how:

PUSH BUTTON PALATE PLEASERS

My cooking theory is, no matter what their age, if they can use the remote to change a channel they can help serve up a tasty dish by pushing a few buttons on two of the accidental housewive’s favorite cooking tools-the blender and the microwave. So take away that remote and get those couch potatoes into the kitchen—It’s their turn to help ya carve out some more of the hassle from your Turkey Day prep. : )

Blenderful Recipes:

CRANBERRY-ORANGE RELISH:

1 12 oz. bag frozen cranberries                               Measuring cup
1 orange, peeled & quartered, seeds removed             Food processor
½ cup walnuts                                                         Bowl
½- ¾ cup of sugar

Put berries, orange and walnuts in processor and pulse until evenly chopped.
Put into a bowl, stir in sugar to desired sweetness and chill.

CRANBERRY HORSERADISH SAUCE-Sweet option to gravy!!!

2 cups frozen cranberries, defrosted
½ bag frozen chopped onions, defrosted
¾ cup sour cream
1/3 to ½ cup sugar (add according to sweetness and tartness taste pref)
2-3 tbs. white prepared horseradish

Chop cranberries and onions together in processor until relatively smooth—some texture’s ok.
Add the rest of the stuff and mix well.
‘Fridgerate ‘til ready to use

Microwonderful Recipes:

STUFFIN’ AND SWEET POTATO MAGIC

Microwave up some ready-to-serve stuffing or sweet potatoes (they come in a can with syrup and aren’t boxed-Bruce’s Yams are yummy!) and add your own touch:

For stuffing-Lots of options: Mix in some dried apples, cranberries, apricots, canned corn, bacon (chips or strips which you’ll need to microwave beforehand) or mushrooms
For sweet potatoes add marshmallows or cranberries on top

SIMPLE YET SCENTSATIONAL SPROUTS
2 Large Bags of Frozen Brussels Sprouts
2 tbs. Unsalted Butter or margarine
Garlic Salt to taste
OPTION: Truffle Oil
Microwave ‘em per bags instructions. Then sprinkle to taste with garlic salt and one to two tablespoons of butter.
If you’re feeling more extravagant you can add some truffle oil—FYI, you can find bottles of it for $15 or so on www.deandeluca.com –it tastes good, will last for a while and won’t break your bank account.

RIDICULOUSLY EASY DINNER ROLLS
Store-bought or Pillsbury frozen dough ready to bake dinner rolls

Store-bought: Heat for 20-30 secs in microwave safe bowl. Serve immediately
Frozen ready: Bake or microwave per package directions

SWEET STUFF
And, just in case everyone’s not stuffed by dessert, you can either ask friends to bring some, buy pies from your local bakery or supermarket or impress your guests with this incredibly easy pumpkin pie recipe!

PAINLESS PUMPKIN PIE (serves 8)
1 9 inch store bought graham cracker pie shell
1 can of pumpkin pie filling
TOPPINGS: Marshmallows, sliced banana, pecans or cool whip
Vanilla Ice Cream Optional

Follow directions on can for prepping filling
Pour prepped stuff into pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees until center is firm and edges are golden brown. Aprrox. 40 – 50 mins.
Let cool and decorate with mini marshmallows, bananas, cool whip and/or pecans.
Top with vanilla ice cream if you dare! DIET TOMORROW!

HASSLE-FREE SERVING IDEAS:

PUMPKINIZE YOUR TABLE: Use different sized pumpkins as serving pieces. Cut in half and let kids scoop ‘em out. Fill with things like stuffing, veggies, sweet potatoes and gravy. They’ll look great and better yet, when you’re done using them just chuck and preserve that manicure.
DESPERATELY SEEKING DISPOSABLES: Use disposable plates, silverware, glasses and tablecloths. Lots of stuff out there to choose from so make it easy on yourself. Also lots of the disposable ‘plastic’ type stuff can be dish washed and some table cloths thrown into your washing machine. So read the labels if you’re thinking you might want to use them again!
KID KARDS: Let your kiddies make up place and dish cards.

THE MEAL THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!

Here are some easy leftover ideas which will continue to carve out the hassle of mealtime for several days to come! Of course, you can also freeze stuff which is a great way to feed your Monday morning quarterbacks. Just pack away individual servings of leftovers in microwaveable plastic bags or containers and let household members exercise their remote skills once again by reheating these goodies in the good ole microwave!

A FEW FUN THANKSGIVING FACTS

Holiday Turkey
Per the National Turkey Federation, in 2004, an estimated 46 million turkeys were eaten at Thanksgiving.
Ninety-seven percent of Americans surveyed by the National Turkey Federation eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, meaning that approximately 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the United States during Thanksgiving in 2004.

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