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A Thanksgiving Feast Cooked in 10 Minutes? Done!

November 17, 2010   12 Comments

Yes, it is possible to create an entire Thanksgiving dinner in 10 minutes. How?

Cranberry Horseradish Relish Recipe

There are two steps:

1. Call your local supermarket and order a Thanksgiving dinner for the number of people are coming. (5 Minutes)

2. Make Cranberry Horseradish Relish - photo above. (5 Minutes)

Right now you are thinking: What kind of Food Blog is THIS? Has Snack Girl lost her mind? (I KNOW I am going to get flamed for this.)

All month, I have been inundated with beautiful Thanksgiving images on magazines and websites. The food just looks glorious. But, the point of Thanksgiving isn't the food.

It is a day to spend with your family and friends. It is one of my favorite holidays because it celebrates giving thanks, gratefulness, family, love, etc. (sniff)

So, I give you permission to order your dinner from the supermarket. My Whole Foods has an 8 person feast for $139 including turkey, mash potatoes, green beans, apple pie, gravy - everything you need to have a good meal.

It won't be as delicious as if you cook it. But, if you are already working all WEEK and the thought of working all DAY on Thanksgiving is painful - don't cook. I promise no one will notice.

I guess what I am saying is something that Della, Snack Girl reader, said to me back when things were really tough last summer.

She said, "Love yourself more than anyone else." I don't think she meant be selfish and cruel to others. I think she is saying, "Be kind to yourself."

BE KIND TO YOURSELF and enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Okay, so after you order the meal, try the cranberry relish recipe below. You will have to find the "prepared horseradish" which is near the sour cream in the dairy section of your supermarket.

This relish is so ridiculously easy and it is special. The sweetness of sugar, tartness of cranberries, the heat of the horseradish, and a little sour from the lemon take it into outer space. Paired with turkey, this will blow your mind.

(Here is Rachel Ray's 60-minute Thanksgiving Plan for those of you with more than 10 minutes.)

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Please share your thoughts on my 10 minute Thanksgiving.


Cranberry Horseradish Relish Recipe

(makes 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Chop cranberries and sugar in food processor. Put in bowl and mix in horseradish and lemon juice. Cover and put in refrigerator for at least one day. This relish can be made 3 days ahead and stores well.

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12 Comments:

I make a cranberry relish that is just fresh cranberries and a semi drained can of pineapple. The process is the same as your recipe above. I usually taste and sometimes add a little sugar if the cranberries are too tart. So yummy!

Well we (Hubby and three kids) have had a change in plans this year. We are going out to dinner with my Mom (who has Alzheimer's) three brothers and possibly my two nephews.

I am looking forward to it. I have two turkeys in the freezer anyway. So I can make them another time.

I do however, plan on making a Clean/Healthy Pumpkin Pie.

Thanks so much for the information and definitely agree. Not sure if you ever tried Jennie-O's Oven Ready turkey breast but it's fantastic and a huge time saver if you are only cooking for a small number. They are from 2.5 to 3lbs per bag. If interested here's some more details and have a great Thanksgiving! :-)

http://bit.ly/dxM6sZ

I agree. Buy the dinner, if you want to add a few "special dishes" do it but don't slave the whole day over a stove/oven. Enjoy the day!

I love the sound of this recipe. Between this and the brussels sprouts, this is going to be my easiest year yet! :)

Anne

I made rachel rays mini stuffings one year, and they were a hit. So easy. I agree enjoy the day and if you order from whole foods, you know it is all healthy and natural foods. Check out my post today on 5 ways to avoid thanksgiving weight gain!http://wp.me/p12fGr-9E

That's what I did for Christmas dinner last year, then I realized I didn't even OWN a turkey pan to heat the turkey in. No stores were open to buy one, so I had to hack the turkey into pieces and warm it up in the crockpot! lol Your cranberry recipe sounds good, but it will be hard to overcome my love for the canned, jellied, no berries stuff! :)

I agree that people should never ever feel guilty for buying a premade dinner, but I enjoy the hustle and bustle of making holiday dinners. But I don't slave away all day, it's a family day in the kitchen that I really look forward to. My daughters are old enough 21,19,16,14 to be a great help with all aspects of making the meal and the boys, 24,22,9 are great dishwashers...lol!

And it tastes soooo much better when you can make it all from scratch.

You know exactly what is going into each dish and how fresh the ingredients are.

Lol... I love making cranberry sauce, I'll have to try this. We have Thanksgiving at my aunts house and we all pitch in to help with cooking, cleaning and stuff. It is fun. Of course my aunt has the most work getting her house ready, she brines (sp??) the turkey, and she goes all out. She seems to enjoy it though. There are some funny things on our Thanksgiving/Christmas table that the family likes... One is canned cranberry sauce and the other is canned peas... I could do without both but I guess it is a sentimental thinkg for my aunts and uncle.

My husband and I are new to the "empty nest" thing....only one daughter can make it home from college for Thanksgiving so we are ordering from Marie Callenders this year! I can't wait....family,great food, football and relaxing! We will have a huge homemade breakfast then be thankful for our effortless turkey dinner!

I'm all for skipping the turkey and just tossing a gigantic ham in the oven. less prep, less worry, and it's delicious!

Looks really yummy! Sure beats the CRAN-log! Ugh -- hate those things! Love the idea of loving yourself by not killing yourself in the kitchen too. Last year, my daughter traveled 4 hours to get here, took over my kitchen, cooked an amazing gourmet meal for 8, but was so exhausted and cranky by the time the food was served, that she never really even enjoyed her time with us, and it was hard to enjoy her when she was so spent! Less work in the kitchen and more fun in the family room! I'm calling Whole Foods now and then I'm going to dust off our games and plan to have some good, old-fashioned fun! Thanks for reminding us what's really important about this holiday ;)

How sad! The main point of Thanksgiving IS THE FOOD, it's a harvest festival after all. In my family we all help out in the kitchen, and thoroughly enjoy teaching and passing on our traditions to our little ones. If people weren't so quick to run to the fast-and-easy processed and prepared foods, grew and preserved more of their own food, practiced moderation, and got a little exercise every once in a while, then we'd all have something to be truely thankful for, and it wouldn't be low-calorie snacks.


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