Barbara Correa writes about work and family for the Los Angeles Daily News.Quickie Thanksgiving Feast took 4 hours
I did a little experiment yesterday. SInce we didn't do a traditional Thursday gathering with family this year, I wanted to cook an old school Thanksgiving meal for a small group on Friday. I had some enthusiasm for a yam/parmesan cheese caserole dish from an old Bon Apetit magazine, but other than that I wasn't feeling up for serious cooking.
So, with that in mind, I decided to conduct my own test to see how much time I could save cutting corners on the big meal.
By the time I got to Pavilion's, it was after noon, and the only turkeys they had were frozen solid as a rock. The grocer told me that even the smallest ones would take hours to defrost, and that's not counting the several more hours it would take to roast the bird. Detour to the deli, where I bought two precooked turkey breasts, which yielded a shocking amount of meat.
I bought a package of instant gravy for 88 cents, frozen green beans (I wasn't going for gourmet of the year, believe me), a big, tacky store-bought chocolate turtle pie for dessert and stuffing from a box. The only thing I made from scratch was the yam dish, which came out very well, I might add. For appetizers, I put some mixed nuts in a bowl and mashed an avocado for guacamole.
But even doing it the way I did, it took me four solid hours to prepare everything. I guess every step -- however simple -- takes time. But I was moving fast, and one kid slept through most of it and the other was in front of the TV almost the whole time, so I wasn't interrupted. I'm surprised that such a quickie Thanksgiving feast took so long to make. I think the answer may lie in -- dare I say it -- going out to eat next year!
Share your Thanksgiving stories at barbara.correa@dailynews.com