The ideal Thanksgiving: family and friends, miraculously getting along, stare in awe at a perfectly golden-brown turkey on a silver platter. Beautiful handcrafted china and a silk tablecloth adorn an enormous table covered with dishes of steaming hot food. A warm apple pie with a flaky crust waits in the other room beside a gallon of creamy vanilla ice cream for dessert.
For most students this Thanksgiving, traveling home for the perfect meal during fall break isn't an option. Instead, they will be forced to recreate their own from their tiny dorm rooms and apartments if they want to sit down to a home cooked meal.
"I work a lot, so I'll probably just get a 'Hungry Man' microwave turkey dinner for Thanksgiving," said Beth Hemingway, a senior health major.
Preparing a Thanksgiving dinner doesn't have to be a daunting task. John Williams, co-founder of UB's Culinary Arts Club, said the key is to let go of perfections and utilize pre-packaged foods.
Instant turkey cold cuts, mashed potatoes and stuffing aren't going to taste the best or yield the most nutrients, but they are easy with a microwave or stovetop, Williams said. Here, he outlines the basics.
The Bird: Not all students have the utensils to bake a 20-pound turkey. Buying a pre-cooked turkey or chicken breast at Tops or Wegmans will do the trick. Williams also suggests using turkey breasts or legs instead - either fry them in a pan or bake them in the oven. If you're without a stove, buy turkey deli slices and serve them on crackers.
The Stuffing: Great-tasting stuffing doesn't have to be baked inside the turkey. It's possible to recreate that superb taste simply by breaking up some breadcrumbs and croutons into a casserole dish and adding some onions and celery.
Williams advises throwing some turkey or chicken stock into a dish with crumbled stale bread and baking it with a cover (aluminum foil works) for roughly 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the cover and let the top of the stuffing become crisp before serving. Mix with olive oil or butter to soften.
The Side Dish: A fork and a spoon is all you need to make Martha Stewart style mashed potatoes. Peel the potatoes, cut them into quarters and place into a casserole dish. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until potatoes become smooth. Williams said that adding butter and milk as the potatoes become softer is a must to achieve a creamy, rich taste.
Another idea is to heat up arugula, a small green leaf that resembles spinach, with olive oil and butter. Season with salt, pepper and a handful of toasted pine nuts.
For cranberry sauce, used jarred or canned. Jazz it up with mandarin oranges, raisins, chopped macadamia nuts, orange zest, chopped apples or pears.
The Dessert: "I'm in charge of the desserts. I'm baking an apple pie, chocolate cake and pumpkin pie," said Jeanne Kirshon, a sophomore early childhood education major who is attending Thanksgiving at her friend's apartment.
One easy way to end the meal with a fancy finish is a pumpkin pie dessert bar. Purchase a pumpkin pie and an assortment of toppings to set out for your friends. They can dress it up themselves with melted chocolate, crushed coffee candy bars, macadamia nuts, granola or banana chips. Make sure to have lots of whipped cream.
The second-best thing to celebrating Thanksgiving with family is to start your own tradition with friends.
"My frat is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner. It's going to be great; we're going to have lots of food," said Nick Enser, sophomore business marketing major.
"We're having a Thanksgiving dinner at our apartment," said Jillian Pickett, a sophomore biochemical pharmacology student. "We're going to have everything- green bean casserole, stuffing and mashed potatoes."
For those without the energy to make their own meal, order the full spread at Wegmans for $139. For about $12 per person, there it gives you 10 pounds' worth of turkey breast, six pounds of mashed potatoes, four pounds of glazed baby carrots, two pints of turkey gravy, one pint of fresh cranberry relish, a dozen dinner rolls and a chocolate cake.
Renee Smith, a sophomore linguistics major, recommends going to KFC or Boston Market for a substitute Thanksgiving dinner.
To top off the meal, serve with a dry wine or sparkling grape juice.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
