Quick n Easy Thanksgiving Dinner

It’s just the fella, kitties, and me this holiday. It is fantastically calm, with lots of cat cuddles.

Of course, pulling this together requires a teeny bit of planning.

1. Marinate the chicken about 5 hours ahead of dinner.
2. DRINK
3. Cook the crescent rolls about 2 hours ahead of dinner.
4. DRINK
5. Start baking the vegetables, and halfway through add the chicken to the oven.
6. DRINK

You can even cheat by cooking the chicken for 5 hours on low in the slow cooker.

Orange and Thyme Chicken (adapted from here)

• 1 large orange, zest and juice
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• leaves from 5 fresh thyme sprigs (about 1 tbsp)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper, ground
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp light tasting olive oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. In a bowl, mix everything except chicken. Whisk together vigorously until well blended.
2. In a gallon bag, pour marinade over chicken breasts. Seal the bag and put it in the fridge, letting the meat marinate for 4-5 hours.
3. Bake the chicken at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

Roasted Vegetables

• 2 lbs of hard vegetables
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Mix all vegetables, spices, and oil together in a large bowl, then pour onto a big baking sheet.
2. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes, turning once.

I normally have a lot of carrots, potatoes, and onions in the house, so that is my favorite mix. Other great options include squash (zucchini or yellow or butternut or acorn), mushrooms, tomatoes, yams, parsnips, broccoli florets, cauliflower, or even beets.

 

Carby-Sweet End

• 2 tubes of crescent rolls
• filling(s) of choice: good options include Nutella, jams, cinnamon-sugar, chocolate chips, mixed cream cheese and preserves
• powdered sugar

1. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, and preheat the oven to 375.
2. Unroll and separate a tube of dough, and spread filling in wider end. Roll, tucking filling into center.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until rolls are a light golden brown. Remove from oven, and sprinkle powdered sugar over rolls.

Note: Don’t use honey, peanut butter, or maple syrup as filling. For some reason these all make the pastry hard and crunchy, and taste terrible once baked.