With the holiday season knocking on our doors, many students right now are looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving next week, and then, two weeks later, Christmas break. Many things signal the start of this season: cold weather, store sales, holiday decorations, but the most important, and the one that undoubtedly brings up the best memories of the holiday season, is food.
This is the time of the year where you get rid of lite, summer dishes and bring on the heavy comfort foods that warm you during the cold winter months. Casseroles upon casseroles are baked, pies and cakes are sliced and warm bowls of soup are slurped, all reminding us of the good times our families had around the dinner table. And most of those memories are so fond because they recall the times when our families stop fighting because the food stuffed in their mouths leaves no room for shouting.
And the food eaten at this time of the year is basically the same throughout the country, with a few variation between regions of course. There’s the sweet potato casserole, with marshmallows or nuts. There’s the stuffing, which is most likely made from cornbread if you’re from the South. And then there’s the turkey, an animal more synonymous with a holiday than the Easter bunny, probably because we don’t eat the little guys on that day.
At no other time of the year do more people have their emotions wrapped around food. Traditional food that we’ve eaten our whole lives on that day. Food that we diet and exercise for all year long so we can give it all up for one day of gastronomic indulgence in everything in sight that’s laced with butter and gravy. Food that transports us through time to days when we didn’t worry about, or know about, degrees, tuition and grade point averages. Food that, if cooked differently one year or forgotten on that year’s menu, puts more sadness and depression into our hearts than when we found out our first pets died.
Therefore, I’m not going to tell you to watch food portions, don’t eat that whole stick of butter with your rolls and stay away from the sweet potato pie. The food you’ve waited for all year should be enjoyed to the fullest extent. However, I am going to advise that if you’re a dessert fanatic like me, that you eat a little less turkey and dressing and save some room for that second and third piece of pie, which I always have the day of Thanksgiving.
Unfortunately, many students here aren’t going to be able to make the trip home for Thanksgiving because of the distance between home and State. What’s worse is that some may not even be able to go home for Christmas break either. So I’m going to give you few recipes to make an extremely affordable holiday meal for one or two, so at least you won’t miss out on the food even though you won’t be able to see your families.
First there’s the turkey. Naturally, a turkey isn’t going to be a good fit for a dinner for one or two, and if you have a small oven like my apartment does, then it’s impossible to even fit one inside it. There are many pre-cooked turkeys in the grocery stores that will most likely not be whole but in parts like the legs and breasts sold separately. But if you do want to actually cook a bird, then a Cornish hen is the best option. Think of it as a miniature chicken that tastes better than a chicken, plus its small size makes it ideal as an individual portion. Just wash the hen from its packaging juice, pat it dry and sprinkle it with salt, pepper and store-bought poultry seasoning. Rub the hen all over with olive oil and butter and put into a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the hen to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting it.
Next are the side dishes. Take help from the grocery store and buy the stuffing in a box. It may not taste like homemade, but if you have a limited kitchen and budget, it’s a no-brainer. But for the vegetable, green bean bundles are always a staple on my holiday table, and they’re easy to prepare.
Buy a can of French-style green beans, bacon and a bottle of your favorite Italian dressing. Wrap about two tablespoons of the beans in a slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Lay all the bundles in a shallow dish and cover them with enough dressing to coat. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked through.
My recipe for twice-baked sweet potatoes is above, and again, take help from the store for dessert and buy your favorite pie, whether it’s a traditional pumpkin or, my personal favorite, pecan.
Just because you can’t make it home for the memories of the holidays doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice holiday food, too. It’s more a part of the holiday season than anything else, and everyone is entitled to that luxury no matter where they are in the world.