“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” Rumi

Hi there,

It is very interesting to me that my contributors to this Thanksgiving Edition have submitted recipes for small Thanksgiving dinners. All year I have been reading about ways the Pandemic has changed us, and I suppose this is another example of that change. It seems we are very content with smaller, more intimate gatherings.

What follows is my friend, Helen Fern, http://www.lazygastronome.com, recipe for Thanksgiving for two.

Thanksgiving for Two

Posted on November 23, 2020 by HelenFern

This year many families are going low-key for Thanksgiving.

This nasty pandemic is putting a damper on the normal Thanksgiving get togethers. Typically my husband and I go to my niece’s home with the rest of the family – my sister and her husband, my niece’s family, my brother, my grandson and his girlfriend and anyone else we can find to bring. It’s a loud and wild event, and we have a lot of fun and eat too much. And everyone gets a little turkey to take home for sandwiches later. But, not this year.

This year my grandson will stay home with his mom and sister. My niece will have her mom and dad (my sister and brother-in-law), and my brother will be home with his roommate. And my husband and I will celebrate alone. But we intend to enjoy it!

We’ll stay in our PJ’s most of the day. No chores except cleaning up after ourselves allowed. And we’ll even have a Thanksgiving meal – with enough leftovers for sandwiches!

Here’s How to Do it:

Let’s start with the turkey. Just two big turkey thighs will produce enough drippings for gravy and enough meat for two plus sandwiches later! Like lots of leftovers? Use four turkey thighs!

In a small bowl, mix together the spices and rub the turkey on all sides. Let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator for about four hours or overnight.

Make the cranberries the night before too. Simply mix everything together and refrigerate. Easy!

Mix the garlic and sea salt with the butter and rub the skin gently with it. Place the thighs, skin side up, in a roasting pan and bake at 350° for about 1-1/2 hours.

The skin should be crispy and brown.

Let it sit for five minutes or so

and carve the meat off the bone.

Side dishes? We used stove top cornbread stuffing with some sautéd onions and pork sausage. Of course, there were mashed potatoes and gravy from the pan drippings. Add all the condiments you like and enjoy a downsized Thanksgiving meal.

And later, the sandwiches!!

© Copyright 2020 The Lazy Gastronome

Servings: 2 people

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

Turkey Thighs

• 2 large Turkey thighs or a turkey breast
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Cranberries

• 1 14oz can whole cranberries
• 1/2 teaspoon raspberry balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 Tablespoon chopped walnuts

Instructions

1. Let’s start with the turkey. Just two big turkey thighs will produce enough drippings for gravy and enough meat for two plus sandwiches later! Like lots of leftovers? Use four turkey thighs!
2. In a small bowl, mix together the spices and rub the turkey on all sides. Let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator for about four hours or overnight.
3. Make the cranberries the night before too. Simply mix everything together and refrigerate. Easy!
4. Mix the garlic and sea salt with the butter and rub the skin gently with it. Place the thighs, skin side up, in a roasting pan and bake at 350° for about 1-1/2 hours.
5. The skin should be crispy and brown.
6. Let it sit for five minutes or so and carve the meat off the bone.
7. Side dishes? We used stove top cornbread stuffing with some sautéd onions and pork sausage. Of course there were mashed potatoes and gravy from the pan drippings. Add all the condiments you like and enjoy a downsized Thanksgiving meal.
8. And later, the sandwiches!!

Recipe Notes

© Copyright 2020 The Lazy Gastronome

Thank you, Helen, for allowing me to use this wonderful post, and I hope everyone will stop over and become readers of Helen’s posts at http://lazygastronome.com.