Thanksgiving is a time to be with family. All across the country, families will join together to celebrate what they are thankful for.
Maybe you aren’t headed home for fall break, though. It could be your first time away from home over the holidays, and you have no idea how to celebrate by yourself. Here are recipes for a thanksgiving with a twist. Not only will remind you of your favorite Thanksgiving foods but will keep your wallet fat, and your stomach full.
Main Course
(Patrick Fort/CU Independent)
Making an entire turkey is a pain. Try out these simple turkey burgers with a great cranberry sauce spread.
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients:
Rudy’s Wheat Hamburger Buns
½ cup sugar
½ cup diced dried apricots
2 cups cranberries
2 cups pulp-free orange juice
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
½ Tbsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh spinach for burger topping
Brie cheese
Directions:
FOR CRANBERRY SPREAD:
Add the sugar, orange juice and cranberries to a large pot on medium heat. Let sugar dissolve and cranberries break down, then add dried apricots. Let simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is able to coat the back of a spoon. Let cool in a glass bowl for 10 minutes.
FOR BURGERS:
Place thawed turkey in a large bowl. Add dry seasonings (garlic powder, rosemary, and salt and pepper) and mix by hand. Divide into four equal-sized patties. Cook for five minutes in a pan on both sides, or until fully cooked.
TO ASSEMBLE:
Spread the cranberry spread on the top bun, place brie on top of the burger and add spinach. Enjoy!
Side
Nothing goes better with a burger than a side of fries. Normal fries won’t do here, though. Sweet potato fries are the best choice for your holiday meal.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
Two large sweet potatoes
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
Maple syrup
Directions:
Slice sweet potatoes into fries with a large chef’s knife or a French-fry cutter. Lightly butter a baking pan and place fries evenly over the pan. Bake for 20 minutes (or until crispy), flipping them after 10. Once removed from the over, season with both the salt and sugar. Use maple syrup for dipping.
Dessert
To finish off this wonderful meal, try out these easy pumpkin pie ice cream sandwiches.
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Yields 6 sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 pint vanilla ice cream
12 store-bought pumpkin cookies (look for cookies at least 3 inches in diameter)
Directions:
Let the ice cream thaw for a few minutes so that it is easy to mold onto the cookie. Once the ice cream is soft and malleable, place a scoop of ice cream on the tray-side of the cookie. Press down the ice cream so that it covers nearly the entire surface of the cookie. Place another cookie (again, tray-side towards the ice cream) on the ice cream and cookie tower and press them together, sandwich style. Repeat this process for all of the cookies. Line a baking tray with wax paper, put the sandwiches on the tray and freeze for ten minutes so that the ice cream can firm up and the moisture doesn’t ruin the cookies. After ten minutes feel free to enjoy as many sandwiches as you want. To store, place each dessert in a zip-loc bag and store for up to three weeks.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Patrick Fort at Patrick.fort@colorado.edu.
