Want to know a secret about Thanksgiving? You don’t have to make everything from scratch! If you’re busy and don’t have time to make everything yourself, Arlene is here to help. With a few tricks, she shows how to “dress up” store-bought ingredients so they taste as good (if not better) than homemade dishes.
Easy recipes include roast turkey breast with gravy, easy stuffing casserole, cranberry relish squares, baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon butter, cheesy lemon broccoli “con queso,” Linda’s mashed potatoes, and more. Yummo!
Filmed in 2012, the was Arlene’s last Thanksgiving special. She’s joined by her husband Paul, former At Home producer Linda Wilson, and Hannah James, daughter of producer Laurie James and camera/lighting operator Larry James.
Note: We don’t have the exact recipe for the fruit salad, so we included another one of Arlene’s recipes. You can customize it with your favorite fruits.
EZ Roast Turkey Breast with Gravy
This recipe has all the familiar Thanksgiving flavors, but with a lot less work!
Ingredients
- 1 turkey breast, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth, divided
- 3 jars turkey gravy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Wash turkey well and pat dry. Season the turkey breast well on both sides with salt and pepper. Place turkey meat side down into baking pan or roaster. Using a basting brush, liberally brush butter over entire surface of turkey on both sides. Pour about 1/2 cup chicken broth into bottom of pan.
- Place turkey into preheated oven and bake uncovered until golden brown, according to the instructions on package. If skin begins to brown too much, cover with foil.
- Remove turkey to cutting board, cover with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. Pour about 1 cup chicken broth into bottom of baking pan and loosen any juices or bits that may have accumulated during baking. Pour these drippings into a medium large saucepan and add the jars of gravy. Whisk to combine and heat until hot and bubbly. The drippings and broth will give the gravy a homemade taste.
- Remove foil from turkey and cut meat from one side of bone, in one piece. Slice meat into even slices, keeping slices together. Place on serving platter and repeat with other side of breast. Garnish with parsley and clusters of grapes. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings plus leftovers. Enjoy!
EZ Stuffing Casserole
This recipe takes store-bought stuffing and dresses it up with fresh veggies.
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Stovetop Stuffing, turkey or chicken flavor
- 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Butter a baking dish. Set aside.
- In a skillet, over medium heat melt butter; add onion and celery and cook, stirring often until tender, but not browned.
- Prepare stuffing mixes according to package directions. Add the onion/celery/butter mixture and stir with fork to combine.
- Place stuffing into prepared casserole and bake in preheated oven about 15 to 20 minutes. If top begins to brown, cover with foil. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy!
Cranberry Relish Squares
Ingredients
- 3 pkg cranberry, raspberry, or strawberry flavored gelatin (4 serving size, each)
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 can whole-berry cranberry sauce (14 oz)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
- sour cream
- maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Place gelatin in a medium bowl and add boiling water; stir to dissolve gelatin. Add cranberry sauce, pecans, and oranges; mix well.
- Pour into an 8-inch square baking dish; cover and chill for at least 4 hours, or until set. Cut into 8 squares and place a dollop of sour cream and a cherry on top of each square. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy! Note: This can be made several days in advance. Simply keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. If you can't find cranberry-flavored gelatin, strawberry or cherry gelatin will work just fine.
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Butter
Sweet potatoes are very good for you, and this recipe is so fast and easy.
Ingredients
- 8 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- butter
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup soft butter
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp bacon bits, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, or if need to bake other dishes at 350 degrees, use that temp. You must adjust baking time longer if you bake at a lower temp.
- Wash and thoroughly dry each potato. Rub outside of potato lightly with butter and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Place potatoes on baking sheet and put into preheated oven and bake until a fork inserted into potato comes out easily and potato is soft.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon well using a whisk. With a spoon, stir bacon bits, if using, into butter mixture. Set aside.
- To serve, place potato on serving dish, cut down middle and, using a fork, fluff up potato inside shell. Place spoonful of topping on each half. Makes 16 potato halves. Enjoy!
Cheesy Lemon Broccoli “Con Queso”
This is a fast and easy side dish for any meal.
Ingredients
- 2 pkg frozen broccoli florets, thawed (10 oz each)
- 2 tsp grated lemon rinds
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/3 cup conqueso cheese dip
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli florets and remaining ingredients, except cheese dip. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring gently.
- Place 1/3 cup conqueso dip in glass bowl and microwave about 30 seconds until hot. Place broccoli in serving dish and pour heated dip over all. Serve immediately. Makes 8 servings. Enjoy!
Linda’s Mashed Potatoes
Linda makes them so good you'll never know they're instant potatoes!
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 sticks butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk
- 4 cups instant potato flakes
Instructions
- Place water, butter, and salt in a microwaveable bowl and heat mixture on high for 5 minutes.
- Add milk and continue heating 2 additional minutes on high.
- Remove the bowl from microwave and add potato flakes and whip with a fork until creamy. You can add more milk, butter or flakes, if needed.
- Just before serving, heat 2 more minutes on high. Add pat of butler on top and serve. Makes about 8 to 10 (half cup) servings. Enjoy!
Brunch Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can pineapple chunks (20 oz)
- 2 large firm bananas, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
- 1 cup green grapes
- 1 can mandarin oranges (15 oz), drained
- 1 medium red apple, sliced
- 1 medium green apple, sliced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Combine the pineapple, bananas, grapes, oranges and apples in a large bowl; set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add the orange juice, lemon juice and reserved pineapple juice; stir until smooth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Pour over fruit; mix gently. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Makes 1 0 servings. Enjoy!
Transcript
- The transcript from this program is not available.
Two things that my mother kept on hand in the kitchen was pure vanilla extract and also cream of chicken soup. She would add the vanilla to boxed cake mixes to improve the taste and aroma. She would fold in the cream of chicken soup into her “from scratch” cornbread dressing for moistness and enriched flavor; also would add cream of chicken soup to broth she made from turkey or chicken wings, sauteed onions, garlic , bell peppers, celery to make a savory creamy gravy. She was definitely a “from scratch” cook who appreciated and found value in using pre-made items also. The most important ingredient she put into everything was love ❤️ Blessings to all the At Home Family 😊
Yummm… that all sounds delicious! She sounds like a great cook. Thank you for sharing your family memories!