Mrs. Cubbison's Thanksgiving Tips

Last Minute Thanksgiving

Whether your plans changed or you forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer, help is here. With plenty of advice and recipes, we will guide you through the process of making a delicious feast for Thanksgiving, even though time is not on your side.

    Canned Goods & Soup

    • Creamed corn (15 oz can)
    • Jellied cranberry sauce (14 oz can)

    Condiments, Spices & Bake

    • Celery salt (2 Tbsp)
    • Baking Soda (1 Tbsp)
    • Cornmeal (1/2 cup)
    • Mrs. Cubbison's Classic Seasoned Dressing (9 or 10 6 oz pkg)
    • Mrs. Cubbison's Seasoned Corn Bread Stuffing (6 oz pkg)
    • Chili sauce (12 oz)
    • Dried parsley (2 tsp)
    • All-purpose flour (3 cups)
    • Mayonnaise (1/2 cup)
    • Pimento stuffed olives (3/4 cup)
    • Black pepper (3 Tbsp)
    • Poultry seasoning (2 1/2 Tbsp)
    • Sugar (1 Tbsp, 1/2 cup)
    • Brown sugar (3 cups)
    • Salt (1 Tbsp)
    • Whipped cream (spray)
    • Quick cooking oats (6 cups)

    Dairy, Eggs & Cheese

    • Butter (3 Tbsp, 5 cups)
    • Cream cheese (12 oz)
    • Shredded cheddar (1/2 cup, 8 oz)
    • Egg (1)
    • Condensed milk (reduced fat or sweetened) (1 can)
    • Milk (2/3 cup)

    Beer, Wine & Spirits

    • Jiggers brandy (2 Tbsp)

    Fruit & Vegetable

    • Basil (1 Tbsp)
    • Green bell pepper (1/4 cup, 2 whole)
    • Red bell pepper (2)
    • Mushrooms (1 cup)
    • Onion (1 1/3 cup)
    • Sweet onion (1 1/2 pounds)
    • Zucchini (2)

    Frozen Foods

    • Thawed frozen corn (3/4 cup)

    Meat & Seafood

    • Bacon (6 oz)
    • Ground pork sausage (1 pound)
    • Meatballs (2 pound frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail size)
    • Oven-roasting bag (1 large)
    • Turkey (12 pounds)

When you need a last-minute Thanksgiving, you are looking for three things: food that's quick to prepare; food that cooks quickly; and food that, naturally, still tastes great.

Cutting down or even removing the prep time is going to be the biggest time saver. Normally, a turkey to feed your family is going to take days, not hours, to defrost in your refrigerator. Desserts might need to be cooked the day before in order to free up oven space for the turkey and stuffing. Homemade bread batter might need long hours to rise. When you're short on time, you need workarounds for all these things.

What to do:

  • Look for a turkey you can cook in the microwave. You'll probably need one that isn't frozen, and certainly that is small enough to fit in your microwave. You should literally take a tape measure and measure the inside of your microwave (including the door opening at the narrowest point), then take the tape measure to the store with you.
  • Look for stuffing that prepares well in a microwave, or stuffing that you can cook on the stovetop, quickly.
  • Look for high quality baked goods that are ready to serve, or mixes, like "5 Minute Bread Pudding", that prepare in a hurry. Even an oatmeal cookie mix from the store that cooks in 20 minutes in your oven can add a sweet punctuation mark to a hastily prepared Thanksgiving dinner.