Food

Cheater, Cheater, Turkey Eater!

Retirement Reflections

October 10 was our Canadian Thanksgiving. This day fills me with enormous gratitude…and immense fear.

Although I enjoy cooking and feel at home in a kitchen, I dread preparing the dishes that traditionally make up this meal. Every. Single. One!

Don’t get me wrong. I love eating a festive turkey dinner. I just don’t like preparing it.

Luckily, this Thanksgiving, like many before, we were invited over to a good friend’s place to celebrate. She is an awesome cook. l prepared a creative salad bar. Definitely my comfort zone!

You think that would have put an end to my Turkey-making fears, at least until Christmas. Sadly, not. We had celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday, and the next day we greedily devoured the leftovers generously given to us. When holiday Monday rolled around, we still kinda felt like eating a turkey dinner. (I blame it both on Kathy’s delicious meal and the Hallmark Channel)!

To assuage our cravings and my guilt, I made a cheater Turkey dinner. It would never be confused with a slow-cooked full turkey dinner, but it was great for two and surprisingly very satisfying. The Turkey Roll (which was half-price on Thanksgiving day) gets tossed on a baking sheet for 2 hours and cooks from frozen without any extra prep. The corn, mashed potatoes and gravy were simply reheated and took less than 4 minutes. For most of the 2 hours that the turkey was cooking, I relaxed and read a book. Totally stress-free!

Cheater’s Thanksgiving Dinner
Which we loaded onto our plates.
And ate outside on our back porch (you gotta love extended summers)!

Whatever you do, please don’t forget dessert (true sacrilege). At Kathy’s, we ate slices of both apple and pumpkin pies while answering the question, “If you could relive one day, which one would it be, and why?” It was a powerful bonding experience!

I realize this post is too late to take any stress out of your 2022 Canadian Thanksgiving, but it could help in a pinch for American Thanksgiving or Christmas!

My cohost, Deb, and I would love for you to share what’s been on your plate. And if you have any holiday feast timesaver tips, I’d love to know them. Christmas is just 55 days away. Yikes!!!

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Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

100 thoughts on “Cheater, Cheater, Turkey Eater!”

  1. Pingback: What’s On Your Plate Blog Challenge – Bingeing on Universal Yum Boxes Edition – THE WIDOW BADASS BLOG
  2. Pingback: Licking the beaters is the best #WOYP – Deb's World

  3. Yikes indeed Donna Christmas is fast approaching. We don’t have Thanksgiving Day at all, let alone just months out from Christmas so I’m impressed with all the trimmings and things you do for TD given the stress. I did chuckle when reading that you read a book while the turkey was cooking and that’s why we’re friends – because that’s the sort of meal I’d prepare too if I had to. Our Christmas dinner will be a casual affair with many hands making light work – I get to dole out the jobs to everyone or we decide beforehand who is doing what, and it works like a charm! Fab post for WOYP 🙂

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  4. A great way to celebrate Thanksgiving. When we lived on the west coast, I often barbequed a salmon for Thanksgiving. So easy, added baked potatoes and a salad or two.

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    1. Hi, Darlene – Salmon is one of my go-to dinners — I absolutely love it for any occasion. Richard (strongly) advocates for Turkey dinner for both Christmas and Thanksgiving. Now that I’ve discovered this Cheater’s Version it will definitely be making a reappearance! 😀

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    1. Hi, Leanne – No fuss, no muss (and time for a good book in between) makes complete sense – right? I am now feeling much better about this upcoming Christmas dinner.
      So glad to see you weren’t hiding in the Spam Folder today! 😀

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    1. Hi, Jo – It truly was. And it was interpreted two different ways. In the version that I took, people told about the day that they would like to relive as is. In the other version, people told about the day that they would like the chance to do differently. While both versions led to very powerful stories, the latter were often heartwrenching!

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  12. Donna, for twenty years we had an enormous kitchen and only roasted a turkey twice since ‘traditional’ Thanksgiving dishes aren’t a favorite of anyone in the family. Now that we live in an apartment Malcolm has decided to make a full-size turkey and all the side dishes – seriously. Still trying to talk him down from that ledge!

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  13. Pingback: A Taste of Fall – Picture Retirement

  14. I share your trepidation. We are down to 4 folks for T-day and I get a turkey breast. If it’s just hubby and me (pandemic) our local upscale store has a marinaded single turkey breast in some kind of bakeable wrapping. Wonderful! Our T-day is at the end of this month. Not sure who will be here. Kids fly in earlier so they won’t be here.

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  15. I, too, always dreaded Thanksgiving dinner. Confession time: I really don’t like turkey that much, and it never seemed as though it was worth the fuss. Now that we are vegetarians, we only have the sides for Thanksgiving dinner. Much easier! But if I were still eating meat, I would follow your cheating example. Sometimes, cheating is the way to go. 😉

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  16. Hi Donna – in South Africa we used to go to an English/Portuguese Christmas dinner – so a mix of too, too delicious foods … braaied (bbq’d), full range of salads, Portuguese dishes and on … and way too much to imbibe – dangerous days of youth. Then Christmas pud??? I haven’t often cooked a Christmas dinner – always been elsewhere. Mum and I when she worked in her care home – used to return home with champers, smoked salmon and salads … we’d snacked guzzled with the residents during the morning. Yours looks great fun – and left overs are always good. While the cheater eater dinner looks good – especially the reading. Cheers Hilary

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    1. Hi, Bernie – You made traditional turkey dinner for 120 people?! I am incredibly impressed! I am grateful for my friends (like you and Kathy) that enjoy making this meal and pull it off so expertly…and invite (very thankful) friends over like me!

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      1. 100 paying customers and 20 volunteers. I miss that event! Couldn’t find a post for it which seemed surprising as we held it as our main fundraiser for 10+ years.

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  18. America celebrates on Nov. 24th, but my family is celebrating Nov. 8th. That’s when both of my military kids could be home, together. It’s how we do things the last few years. Think of us on the 8th eating our turkey and stuffing!

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    1. Hi, Jacqui – I can definitely relate to celebrating when you can. My husband’s birthday was September 19, but we are celebrating as a full family (minus one) on November 19. That was the earliest we could get everyone together and being together was the main goal. Enjoy your time together!!

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  20. Last year it was just hubby and me, so we bought a whole turkey dinner (turkey breast and all the fixins) from Costco and it was yummy! We may do the same thing this year if we can’t wrangle an invitation from someone 🙂 The only thing I really miss is having the carcass to make soup from… oh, and the dark meat… I really love the dark meat.

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    1. Thanks, Dawn – I love everything about a slow-cooker (at least, almost everything). This sounds like a recipe that would definitely work for me.
      Last Christmas, we had turkey dinner at our eldest son’s place. My daughter-in-law assigned me the stuffing. I made it in a slow-cooker. It was easy-peasy and tasted great!

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  23. I don’t have any time saving tips (those would be great!). Holiday meals are a challenge for us because we always seem to end up in a house with one oven. So, we are always looking for recipes that don’t require the oven. We’ve been cooking our turkey outside on the gas grill and it’s been consistently good. That leaves the oven free for other things. That stuffed turkey breast looks like a great option!

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    1. Hi, Tracey – I have repeatedly heard good things about Turkey being roasted on an outdoor BBQ. I would have no idea where to begin with this. But if I could pass this full baton to Richard, I would be totally in!! 😀
      PS – The Turkey Roll did not take up the full oven so it was a great one-oven option!

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    1. Hi, Kathy – Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. I hope that other readers see this comment as well. I want them all to know that you are the masterchef behind that delicious traditional Thanksgiving Meal.

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  25. Hi Donna I’ve actually used the turkey rolls before mainly on Christmas Eve as it is always just Mike and I celebrating together. I do however love all of the preprations for a Christmas feast although these days the baton has been passed to my children who want to host. Cooking doesn’t have to be onerous does it and your Cheater, Cheater, Turkey Eater certainly wasn’t cheating in my book and looks delicious. How lovely for you to be surrounded by friend for this special celebration. Richard is looking very suave in his photo (you can tell him I said that!). Wishing you every happiness and I’m so grateful for our friendship despite the distance. Thanks for hosting WOYP it certainly makes me think about trying different things in the kitchen.

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    1. Hi, Sue – Thank you for your kind and wise words. I am incredibly grateful for our frienship as well and I greatly look forward to catching up soon.
      That feature photo of Richard and the big turkey is from our Beijing days. I will let him know that you said he was looking suave. He’ll love that!

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  26. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. I personally love cooking Thanksgiving dinner most b/c my good man barbques the turkey and I can take care of all else (including a pasta corse) with plenty of oven room. This year, however, we are heading to FL to set my mom up in her Condo for the winter. No grill.

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    1. Hi, Antoinette – I can totally envision (and smell the wonderful aromas of) Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner served with your large family. What pasta dish do you usually serve with it? That sounds like quite the combination!

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  27. I love the idea of this “cheater” turkey dinner. What a great idea for very small families or people who live alone and need their turkey with all the trimmings fix!!! I’m going to try one of these rolls someday, like maybe after Christmas when they go on sale.

    Deb

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    1. Hi, Deb – That is a great plan. My guess is that these rolls will be on sale at most of our grocery stores for the full week of December 26 – 30. They come in different varieties. I definitely recommend the one that includes the light meat, dark meat, stuffing and cranberries. I would say that one roll would be enough to feed four people but……

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    1. Thanks, Terri! I love salad – they are usually so fun and easy to prepare. For two different Thanksgiving gatherings at my friend’s place, I have brought a full salad bar — equipped with Autumn Apple Dressing. Easy-peasy and gets me out of the more traditional Thanksgiving courses. 😀

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  29. I am blessed to have a husband who loves to cook, and we work together to create a feast for Thanksgiving! We make some dishes the day before leaving just the special ones that can’t be made in advance. We are so grateful to be able to spoil relatives and celebrate with them! Don’t you love the leftovers?!!!

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  30. Absolutely nothing wrong with cheating! Last time I cooked turkey at Christmas must be at least 12 years ago in the UK, and we bought a ‘crown’ as it was called for 4 people. Honestly, am so glad we don’t do turkey etc for Christmas any more – Swedish table for Christmas Eve, friends for Christmas Day for a barbeque. So much easier and everyone helps themselves.

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  31. There’s nothing wrong with cheating. Anything to make the process more efficient. As long as it’s tasty. My nephew hosted Thanksgiving. It was the first time he & his wife hosted a holiday meal. H is from Newfoundland so the traditional boil up (potatoes, turnip, carrots, cabbage) was served with the other sides. It was all delicious. There’s always a turkey bought on sale in the freezer. Any protein under $2/lb is a good buy. Turkey doesn’t have to be saved for the holiday meals. I have a friend who often debones the turkey prior to roasting. I tried it – once. Other meals this week: lasagna, bruschetta, roast steak & root veggies, ham/noodle casserole using up some KD. Is it just me? KD isn’t what it used to be. I want to share the bruschetta recipe. It’s always a big hit.
    1/2 c miracle whip
    1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
    2 med tomatoes, diced
    1/4 c chopped black olives
    1/4 c parmesan cheese
    1 tsp oregano
    1/4 tsp basil
    1/2 tsp pepper
    Spread on buttered baguette slices. Bake in 350F oven x 15 min.

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    1. Hi, Mona – It’s not just you. While we were ‘apartment camping’ in the US recently, I picked up a regularly looking box of KD. It definitely was not at all what I remembered! I asked around to see if it was just me. It wasn’t! Apparently, in December 2015 Kraft removed artificial preservatives, flavors and dyes from its mac & cheese recipe. To keep its yellow-orange glow, Kraft swapped out artificial food colors, including yellow 5 and yellow 6, for natural spices like paprika, annatto and turmeric.

      Thank you for your Bruschetta Recipe. I will definitely give it a try!

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  33. What a fun post! I know that I have absolutely no qualms about finding easier ways to prepare fancy dinners. It’s more fun to talk with the people around the table than spend a gazillion hours in the kitchen by yourself. Just saying, you’re onto something here.

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  34. Hi, Donna,
    For several years, I cooked a turkey in a deep fryer. The cooking time is reduced to an hour for a 20 lb turkey, which is very moist. Somehow we got away from the fryer and back to the oven. May need to re-think that since we are feeding 18 this year. Would love to know the tradition behind Canadian Thanksgiving. Have a great weekend. Joe

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    1. Hi, Joe – I have never had deep fried whole turkey. It does sound like a quicker, oven-free opinion.
      Canadian Thanksgiving started in 1859 when Protestant leaders called on the colonial government to create a day for giving thanks.
      Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving. That’s quite a crowd you are feeding!

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  35. I adore the full Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner – all the side dishes! The leftovers! The last couple of years, we have gone to friend’s houses since our family unit is small for a full turkey dinner experience – it is really hard to cook that for two. I do miss the leftovers. So much that last year I broke down and did full turkey dinner for Christmas… Only a 12 pound turkey but we ate that for days and days. 🙂

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  36. There’s nothing like stretching out the Thanksgiving dinner celebrations, especially when someone else does most of the cooking. We are lucky that one of our children typically invites us over for the big Thanksgiving Day feast and then sends us home with leftovers.

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    1. Hi, Christie – You are very lucky to have children inviting you over for Thanksgiving Dinner. Our nearest son lives over 2.5 hours away and our furthest son lives over 10,250 km away! 😦 Lucky that we have Kathy to the rescue!

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    1. Hi, Anabel – We had such a long, warm, extended summer here that we were all afraid to mention it aloud so as not to jinx anything. Sadly, Autumn did finally find us and it is cool and wet today. It was great while it lasted!
      You have a wonderful excuse for not making a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. Even though I prefer to eat meat-free, this is not exclusive, so sadly I don’t get off the hook!

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  38. I love this post! And this sentence resonates with me, in reverse: “Although I enjoy cooking and feel at home in a kitchen, I dread preparing the dishes that traditionally make up this meal. Every. Single. One!”

    I am NOT comfortable in the kitchen, and yet cooking a Thanksgiving Feast (with days of planning and prep work) fills me with joy. I can’t explain it. (And my kids would remind me that I can get very cranky in the last hour before “go” time.)

    I wish you a year of abundance, warmth and many things for which to be grateful!

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  39. Hi Donna – I LOVE this! I’m gearing up to prepare a Thanksgiving feast and, although I’m roasting a turkey AND a turkey breast, I may use some of these cheats. Sounds like you had several festive turkey meals and how nice to be able to eat your cheater’s meal out back. This post has come just in time for us American folks. Happy Thanksgiviing to you – I love the question about which day to relive – that would take some hard thinking.

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  40. Sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving for you, Donna. Lots and lots of food and leftovers three days in a row – a bit much but at the same time it is a holiday treat 😊 We don’t do Thanksgiving here in Australia. The main holiday here this time of the year really is Christmas and it’s really not far away at all. There were already Christmas decorations in store about a month ago. Nothing to share holiday-wise on my plate, but I did have pizza for dinner this week and it was great 😄

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    1. Hi, Mabel – Great to hear from you. Yea, that was quite a bit of turkey at one time but still every bit was delicious. I’m good now until Christmas and will continue trying to get out of making it, 😀 Pizza is a favourite around here especially when we make it from scratch. Wishing you a great month ahead!

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  42. Oh my goodness Donna! You have spoken the universal dread that comes with prepping for a big dinner party! and so much added stress when a particular menu is required!

    Love the idea of your salad bar offering: healthy, a great counterpoint to all the cooked dishes (I need a clean green salad to eat with just about all my meals), and everyone gets to make one to their taste! Brilliant!

    I am a HUGE fan of kitchen shortcuts – so of course, your idea of a cheater Turkey dinner I love very much! Stress-free cooking is how we all aspire to!

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    1. Hi, Ju-Lyn – I didn’t realize that it was ‘universal dread’ — but I love it. I don’t feel so alone now! I’m glad that you like the idea of the Traveling Salad Bar. I did it for a previous Thanksgiving with friends as well. It’s fun, easy, gives me the chance to get creative and everyone can have what they like. In both cases of The Traveling Salad Bar my friend served it first so she could finish up the last minute cooking of the turkey, potatoes, gravy, etc. It also allowed us to break up our eating and not have everything all at once. Win-win! 😀

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  44. Pingback: This week’s small pleasures #309 – Thistles and Kiwis

  45. I laughed so hard while reading about your cheater Thanksgiving dinner! Of course, here in Savannah GA, our American Thanksgiving will be celebrated next week. I guess we will be having a bit of a cheater dinner…our neighbors have invited us to their Club for a huge Thanksgiving buffet. We went last year and it was delicious! Everything you can imagine was served. Best part was no prep and no clean up. However, I did feel a bit guilty. My 94 year old Mother always said, “I will make Thanksgiving dinner as long as I can.” Now she can’t, and I should. But we are miles apart and travel on this holiday is such a head ache. I will let you know how the buffet goes!

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