Ah, Thanksgiving. One of the few holidays with a pretty straight-forward title, giving thanks for everything good. More important than giving thanks, however, is gorging on delicious food with cherished friends, family, and loved ones. Sitting around a table with good food and a good spirit has more power than many expect, and that’s what makes Thanksgiving one of the best holidays out there. Food connects people, and with that in mind, here are some simple ideas for some great, quick Thanksgiving dishes.

Cranberry Salad

No thanksgiving meal is complete without a healthy dose of cranberries. For this, you’ll need:

• 5 oz. can whole cranberry sauce (Ocean Spray works great for this)
• 6 halved green grapes
• 11 oz. canned mandarin oranges, drained and quartered
• 2 tbsp. sweetened flaked coconut
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 diced red apple

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and allow it to settle for 30 minutes before serving. Or don’t, you rebel you.

Homesteader Cornbread

Perfect as an improvised turkey stuffing, or alternatively served with chili con carne.

• 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400F (200C.) Combine the cornmeal and milk in a small bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Mix in the cornmeal mixture along with eggs and oil until smooth. Pour batter into the pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, and enjoy!

Easy Apple Crisp

Unfortunately, almost 10% of Americans have diabetes. I assume if more people knew about this recipe, we could easily reach a solid 20%. Get it together, team. You’ll need:

• 6 apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
• 1 cup water
• 25 oz. packaged white cake mix
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350F (175C.) Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish (use the one from the cornbread!)

Get your apples evenly layered in the bottom of the dish, and pour the cup of water over them.

Mix the cake mix, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add in and stir the melted butter (or margarine if you swing that way) until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. At this point the mixture should be crumbly. Sprinkle this over the apples.

Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes.

Objectively Perfect Turkey

Now I’ve noticed a lot of you aren’t very good when it comes to turkeys. I’m going to fix that. This is the objectively, period, best, period, turkey, period, you will ever taste. So take note. Do you have a pen and paper out? No? What is this, amateur hour? Write this down, you’ll need:

• 1 18lb whole turkey (except neck and giblets, of course)
• 2 cups kosher salt
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 large onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup dry white wine (Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Chardonnay is on sale often enough and pairs well with the spices. Just have your parents get whatever’s convenient)

Rub the turkey all over with the kosher salt, making sure to get both the insides and outsides. Place the rubbed bird in a big stock pot, and cover it with cold water. Put the whole thing in the fridge, and allow the turkey to soak for at least 12 hours (preferably overnight)

Preheat oven to 350F (175C.) Rinse the turkey thoroughly, and throw away the brine mixture.

Brush the turkey with half of the melted butter. Place the breast side on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Stuff that bird with one onion, half the carrots, half the celery, a sprig of thyme, and throw that bay leaf in for good measure. Put the rest of the vegetables and thyme around the bottom of the pan, and pour the white wine over them.

Roast the bird uncovered for 3.5 – 4 hours, or until the inside of the thigh hits 180ºF (85ºC.) Turn the turkey breast side up about 2/3^rds of the way through, and brush with the rest of the butter that you’ve hopefully kept around. Let the turkey rest for a solid 30 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

With these recipes, you’re sure to surprise your family and friends, and have a great thyme time doing it. However, make sure to remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving! Even though eating a ton of food is tradition, the real reason we celebrate is to give thanks for all the wonderful things in our lives actually to eat a bunch of food… and then buy a bunch of new things on Black Friday the day after since what we have isn’t enough. Have a wonderful break, Kadets!