Thanksgiving On the Go

Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays. It conjures up many memories and traditions. From family gatherings, to cooking in the kitchen for many hours, to the smells that fill the house, to the anticipation of the big feast – these are the associations I have with Thanksgiving.

But the world is changing. As such, even my traditional associations with Thanksgiving seem quite in contrast to consumer trends in the food industry. Today it is all about convenience. Meals are rarely cooked from scratch anymore – they are fast and on the go.

Today brands promote terms such as ready-made, self-heating, single-serve, in the car, 90-second, etc. All of this caters to the needs of consumers for fast and convenient meals. Who has time to cook from scratch? Today we are becoming a society of on the go chefs where a microwave or a self-heating can is our best friend.

So how does the traditional home cooked Thanksgiving meal fit into this new world of super fast convenient meals? More importantly, as consumers move further away from cooking from scratch, can the slow-cooked Thanksgiving meal survive or will it go the way of the floppy disk? Will the Thanksgiving dinner evolve into some on the go version that is whipped up in less than 15 minutes without ever turning on the oven?

Maybe.

So for this new legion of on the go chefs I have created a recipe for a full traditional Turkey feast: turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie – in the fastest cooking time and with minimal use of kitchen appliances or tools.

It all starts with the turkey. But who needs to prepare that big bird when you can pick up Butterball Oven Roasted Turkey Strips which are sure to taste fresh since they are delivered in a resealable freshness container (perfect for all those leftovers) which is also dishwasher safe.
Cooking time - 0 minutes.

Next come the sweet potatoes. A can of private label sweet potatoes will do just fine. Just dump them in a bowl and put in the microwave for 2 minutes. Unfortunately you will need a can opener, as this pack does not have a pull lid. Oh well.
Cooking time - 2 minutes.

Next comes the stuffing courtesy of Kraft and Stove Top stuffing. It always tastes great, but will take 5 minutes to cook. Can’t they make this cook faster?! And you will have to turn on the stove (it’s that big thing below the microwave) and boil water in a saucepan. I know, this is getting complicated! Okay stay calm…it is Thanksgiving.
Cooking time - 5 minutes.

Corn and gravy are next. These should be easy, thankfully, and will permit some time to recover from all the work spent on the stuffing. For corn, I’ve chosen Green Giant Just for One. It comes in microwavable trays and cooks in 2 minutes. No can opener needed – perfect! For gravy it’s a can of Heinz Turkey Gravy that comes with a pull open lid. Just dump into a bowl. Next put both the corn and the gravy in a microwave and cook at the same time. Talk about multi-tasking!
Cooking time - 2 minutes.

Cranberry sauce is one of my favorites. In the old days I either made it from scratch or bought the jelly in a can. But it was so difficult to get the contents to slide out of the can in one piece. Instead I recommend Ocean Spray Squeezable Cranberry Sauce. Just put it on the table and you are set.
Cooking time - 0 minutes.

Finally it’s down to dessert. Baking requires too much time so instead my recipe calls for a ready made pumpkin pie from you local market. Just put it on the table and cut. I’m hopeful that by next year they will sell it pre-sliced so you have one less thing to deal with.
Cooking time - 0 minutes.

So there you have it. An on the go full Thanksgiving feast cooked in less than 10 minutes. Who needs to spend all that time in the kitchen? Due to new technology and innovation in the food industry, it doesn’t have to be you. Now that is something to be thankful for!

And for those who want it fast and convenient, this one is not Brand NonSense…it actually makes a lot of Sense!

But for those traditionalists, it’s really…Brand NonSense.