Thanksgiving Menu for Three???

Question

It will be me, my 21 yr.old son, and his girlfriend. I am thinking of a turkey breast or Cornish hens but have no experience with either. Stuffing would be so nice.... and any sides. Please ..no web sites. Just tried and true ! Thank you so much !

Answer 1

Mini Holiday Dinner

Cornish hens would be great!
When I do them I allow 1 small hen per person. I stuff them with stuffing that I have added a little rice, celery, apples, little green pepper to. You can use your favorite stuffing recipe.
Rinse and pat dry each hen, fill loosely with stuffing. Place on rack in roaster pan, add a little chicken broth or water to bottom of pan. Season birds with a little salt & pepper. Cover with foil and cook at 350 for about an hr., uncover and place back in oven for another 20 to 30 minutes, until they are nice and golden brown.
I use rice in the stuffing for little hens, so I do not do a white potato dish, but you can. I serve them with gravy [made from pan drippings...also add the giblets to bottom of pan for more flavorful gravy]
Squash or sweet potatoes
peas
cole slaw
cranberry sauce
hot rolls and butter
pickles and olives
Pie [usually pumpkin with whipped cream]

Answer 2

If this was me I would just look at www.PaulaDean.com Which I have alredy done, she is a southrn cook.

I would make three cornish hens:
I would put all three in a pan the size for a regual turkey,
I would put carrorts, onionis, celery, red potatoes around them, I would put butter (a sick, but only a few lines, you can cut into three sections the butter) in the inside of the hens (this always flavors them great), Chicken sesoning (any on the spice Isle will work) sprinkle on the top!!
I would get a can or two of turkey/chicken stalk to poor in around the hens. Bake at 400 for about 2 hours.
I would also cook the stuffing (Stove top Savory Herb>2 boxes) then bake this in the oven in a pan to brown the top layer, right after you pull out the hen's pop in the stuffing.
Then you can also make Baked Macarioni And Cheese. All you need is this:
Two or Three bags of Maccorini> Boil until soft.
Then layer them in a baking dish one row at a time (spray pam or it will stick) on the first row add sclices of velveta cheese, then repet on the top layer you top with pramasen cheese, place small amounts of butter on the top (this is so it browns right). Bake in the oven for 45 mins, at 375.
Then a few rolls and mabey a salad. Buy the pie for desert.

I do this for dinner every so offten, so trust me... It is a great Choice for three. It is only my husband, daughter, and me (with baby now)...
The real key is to try before hand and that way you can learn your stove, for the love of god do not wait for the day of!! HA!! I made a complete trukey dinner the other year after not being that great of a cook. It was about 4 years ago now. I just went to Paula's site and she had the best tips.. Good luck!!

Answer 3

This is the menu we have used for years; it changes very little. The combination of flavors, textures, temperatures, and aromas is just perfect.
The star of the meal, of course, is the turkey stuffed with My Great-grandmother's Stuffing. This stuffing is made from apples, raisins, onions, butter, eggs, and bread - that's it! Its simplicity complements the other flavors in the meal. I did change it this year by adding some toasted pecans.

The gelatin salads, Parker House Rolls, desserts, and most of the side dishes can be made ahead of time. At the last minute, we're mashing potatoes, making the gravy, and carving the turkey, but everything else is on the table.

And for your grocery list, don't forget to get English muffins and refrigerated pizza dough, along with Gruyere cheese and celery for my favorite after Thanksgiving recipes: Turkey Mornay and Turkey Salad Focaccia Sandwiches (use leftover turkey instead of the canned chicken).

Answer 4

My son's (23 and 25) are all about the starch on Thanksgiving. So I would definitely do the mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy. A simple but elegant side is Minted Peas, cook frozen petite peas according the package, add butter and about a tablespoon of crushed dried mint leaves. Candied sweet potatoes are also pretty traditional. You can use canned sweet potatoes (I wouldn't recommend, fresh are not that much harder) and add 1/4 c butter, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/4 c orange juice and some orange zest (optional). Melt the butter and brown sugar together until bubbly, add OJ and zest, remove from heat. Peel and cube (about 2 inches) sweet potatoes (or canned if using), place in a greased casserole dish, pour sugar mixture over and bake (about 1 hr for fresh, 30 min for canned).

Don't forget the cranberry relish (preferably whole) and maybe a relish tray (olives, pickles, sweet peppers, etc).

Answer 5

A turkey breast would be great...but a better idea would be to find a turkey that is small...8-10 pounds or so, that way, you will have a few leftovers. I also think, that with making a "real" turkey, you get the full taste of all the goodness such as the skin and the bones...turkey breasts tend to be a bit dry all by themselves. I've been cooking for 23 years and I hope these recipes will help!!
Just adjust the timings and amounts to whatever size turkey you decide to get!!!

BASIC STUFFING FOR A 10 POUND TURKEY

1 lb. sausage
1 c. firmly chopped onions
8 c. bread crumbs or cubes
2 tsp. dried tarragon (moistened in a little white wine for 1 hour)
1 c. firmly chopped parsley (optional)
1 tbsp. salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Brown sausage. Remove sausage from pan. In the sausage grease, saute the onions very slowly over medium heat. (You may need to add butter to the grease to have enough moisture to cook the onions.) Put the sausage and onions in a bowl. Add the bread crumbs (you may need to add butter for moisture). Add all other ingredients and toss well. Taste for seasoning.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp

Answer 6

Yes to the turkey breast...use the bag method (they sell them every where this time of year) season with salt an pepper and maybe some old bay and Greek seasoning. Make a stuffing with 2 boxes of stove top but kick it up with sauteed onion and celery in butter. Do a side of mashed potatoes (mix if you want) Use McCormick help with the gravy and buy some rolls. I love a corn casserole (2 cans of creamed corn/1/2 sleeve of saltine crackers (smashed)/2 eggs/2cups of Cheddar cheese and a bit of milk..bake @350 until bubbly) and a green been casserole right off of the box of Frenches onion can and you will look like a super star!! Have fun and happy holidays!!

Answer 7

This might be just the ticket! It's from Bon Appetit and was originally for a pork loin roast, but the year before last I made it with turkey breast instead for Thanksgiving (it was just us 3; my family were all sick with the flu!) and it came out beautifully. You do need the turkey breast to be butterflied as described in the recipe--any supermarket with a real-live person at the meat counter can do this for you. But my experience was that turkey breast cooked more quickly than pork. Your meat thermometer is your best friend when it comes to this recipe. AND--it has stuffing!

Roast [Pork Loin/Turkey Breast] with Herbed Bread Stuffing

--5 tablespoons butter at room temperature
--1 1/4 cups chopped onion
--2 1/2 cups fresh (soft) white breadcrumbs
--9 tablespoons mixed finely chopped fresh herbs--my favorite is parsey, thyme, and chives)

--[1 4-pound center-cut boneless fresh pork loin roast, trimmed, OR...] 1 fresh boneless turkey breast, butterflied (3 pounds will easily serve 3 with leftovers. The butcher can butterfly it for you--basically it involves cutting the meat almost, but not quite, in half lengthwise, leaving about a 1-inch margin. When you're ready to prepare the roast, spread out a large sheet of plastic wrap, and on top of it, unfold the meat as if you were opening a book. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on top, then use a meat mallet to pound the meat about half an inch thick. Before proceeding with the recipe, season the meat well with salt and pepper.)

--2 tablespoons flour
--3 cups turkey (or canned chicken) broth

Preheat the oven to 375. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.Mix in the breadcrumbs and 6 tablespoons of the fresh herbs. (Note: it also works well to use mostly parsley chopped together with a couple of tablespoons of poultry seasoning.) Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper and set aside while you pound and season the turkey (or pork).

Spread the breadcrumb stuffing evenly over the seasoned turkey (or pork). Starting at 1 long side, and using the bottom plastic sheet as an aid, tightly roll up the meat. Discard the plastic sheet. Tie pork at 2-inch intervals to hold a "log" shape. (It doesn't have to be perfectly tidy; when sliced, it will still look absolutely beautiful.)

Sprinkle the exterior with salt and pepper. Place the meat on a rack (nonstick if you have it) in a shallow roasing pan. Roast until thermometer inserted in the center of the meat reads 160--no more! (When I made this with a 4-pound pork roast, it took just over an hour. When I used a turkey breast (it was smaller) it didn't even quite take an hour. My best advice is, get a good thermometer and rely on it!)

Transfer meat to platter; tent with foil. Don't clean the roasting pan. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and flour in a small bowl until smooth. Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat, over 2 burners if necessary. Gradually whisk in 3 cups of the stock or broth and bring mixture to a boil, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Whisk in butter/flour mixture and remaining herbs. Cook and stir until thickened to sauce consistency, about 4 minutes. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.

When gravy is done, the turkey/pork will have rested long enough so that it will stay juicy when sliced. Slice crosswise 1/2-inch thick, place on a warmed platter, and serve with the gravy.

Though this is a long recipe, it's not at all difficult. The first time I made it, I had my dad help me stuff it and tie it. I could have done it by myself just fine, but having it be a joint project made it a lot more fun! I would suggest recruiting your son, his girlfriend, or both, and making a big enjoyable mess together as a family. Happy Thanksgiving.

:)

Answer 8

can i come to dinner?