American Cuisine: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a treasured holiday – a time to gather with loved ones, reflect on what we’re thankful for, and stuff ourselves with tasty Thanksgiving recipes.
If cooking isn’t your forte, we understand a Thanksgiving dinner might seem overwhelming. We don’t want anyone to miss out on one of the United States’ favorite cultural traditions, so we’ve compiled three types of Thanksgiving dinners you can create. Poult (baby turkey) for those who want to quickly whip up the taste of Thanksgiving. Jake/Jenny (young turkey) for those who enjoy their time in the kitchen but don’t want a day devoted to cooking. Tom/Hen (adult turkey) for those who are culinary enthusiasts and can’t wait to cook a classic Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, Thanksgiving is best when shared, and that includes cooking duties, so we encourage you to celebrate potluck style. Get together with friends and co-workers to collaborate on a dinner – each person can choose one dish to create for the group. A Thanksgiving dinner can be a combination of a Poult, Jake/Jenny, and Tom/Hen based on each cook’s experience and confidence level!
Poult
Thankfully, Thanksgiving is such a core holiday for Americans, that every food store is equipped to help its customers create their best Thanksgiving. For our Poult cooks, that means store-bought products that require minimal cooking and can be quickly assembled into a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Our inspiration for the Poult dinner comes from a post-Thanksgiving favorite – the Thanksgiving leftover sandwich. As its title suggests, this sandwich is created by piling all the Thanksgiving fixing between two pieces of bread. For the main ingredient, the turkey, we suggest purchasing sliced turkey meat from the deli. The additional toppings are up to the cook - load up as many you want or save some as a side dish. If you’re hosting a dinner, place all the side dishes in the center of the table and allow everyone to build their own sandwich. A Thanksgiving meal wouldn’t be complete, according to Americans, without cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. For the bread of the sandwich, you can choose a traditional loaf, or you can mix it up by using Crescent Rolls. Most Thanksgiving dinners also include a variety of vegetables, and we suggest a pre-made version of green bean casserole. Finally, for dessert, pick-up a delicious pumpkin or pecan pie from the bakery section of your grocery store or support a local bakery.
Jake/Jenny
The Jake/Jenny dinner will give you the experience of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner, without completely immersing yourself in the full event. For the turkey, you can choose to cook a turkey breast, rather than the whole turkey. This will trim down the cooking time, and you can incorporate cranberries into the dish, tackling two Thanksgiving staples in one dish. Since you won’t be roasting a turkey, traditional gravy is not possible, but don’t worry. You can still make delicious gravy without the drippings. Gravy goes with mashed potatoes like PB&J, so you can’t skip this side dish! For the stuffing, we recommend store-bought but jazzed up by adding ingredients to make it uniquely your own. For veggie compliments to your meal, maple bacon carrots and homemade green bean casserole are a must – even veggie-haters will enjoy! To add a southern flare to your Thanksgiving dinner, choose to make cornbread over dinner rolls. Finally, no Thanksgiving meal is complete without classic pumpkin pie.
Tom/Hen
The Tom/Hen dinner is the ultimate American cooking cultural activity! The pièce de resistance of the Thanksgiving meal will be the turkey with stuffing. Take care to read all the instructions and time your cooking properly to ensure a perfect centerpiece to your meal. The turkey is best savored when married with the other Thanksgiving classics – cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and gravy – all homemade! Although sweet potatoes were not present at the first Thanksgiving, sweet potatoes casserole has grown to be a common side dish at many Thanksgivings today. Round out your meal with candied yams and green bean casserole, and you’ll have an unforgettable hit! We recommend having a varied bread basket with both dinner rolls and cornbread. There’s always room for dessert, and most Thanksgiving dinner feature more than one. Pumpkin pie and pecan pie are sure to satisfy everyone!
Are you vegan or gluten-free? There are many dishes for you too!
Before you settle into your meal, remember to take time for everyone around the table to share what they are most thankful for this year. Gratitude leads to happiness!
We are looking forward to seeing how you’re celebrating the day. Share with us on social media @wwceusa!