My son wants a authentic thanks giving dinner.but money is tight.?!
Answers: any. ideas ...............!!!!
make your son buy the turkey!!!!
Most grocery stores have small frozen turkeys for a very reasonable price at this time of year. Or, look for just a turkey breast instead of a whole bird.
I would suggest sticking to a small menu--what does authentic mean to you/him--and forget the rest.
Here are some ideas for an inexpensive, but traditional Thanksgiving dinner:
1. At Safeway or SaveMart, you can purchase a turkey for $5.95 to $11.95 closer to Thanksgiving Day. They're great turkeys, just make sure you've defrosted them completely.
2. Stuffing: To one box of Mrs. Culbretson's Cornbread Stuffing mix add: 1 onion, diced, 2 stalks celery, chopped and sauteed in 1 cube butter until tender. Add chicken broth to moisten and two beaten eggs. Season with salt, pepper and sage if desired. For a flavorful alternative, add cooked turkey italian sausage. Stuff in bird, or cook along side.
3. Mashed potatos: One 5 lb. bag of russet potatos should only cost about $2.00. Peel and cook in salted water. Mash with butter, salt, pepper, and sour cream.
4. Green bean casserole: Use frozen julienned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, onion, and worcestershire sauce. Top with cheese or french fried onions.
6. Cranberry sauce
7. Hot rolls: one package of Pillsbury crescent rolls is about $2.49.
8. Pumpkin Pie: Mrs. Smiths Pumpkin is usually 2 for $5.00 this time of year.
Total cost: Between $30.00 and $45.00 give or take a bit.
If that still is too much, then consider a turkey breast, instant potatoes and plain green beans. Have banana pudding for dessert!
Most of the stores will probably have some pre-cooked portions at their deli bar.
They may have rolled turkey roasts in the freezers.
They are considerably cheaper than a whole bird and there is less waste.
If it is just you and your son you would be eating turkey every day for a week, if you bought a whole bird.
The good news is that a full, traditional Thanksgiving dinner does not have to be expensive. It will still be a few dollars more than your average weekly meal, but the leftovers will feed you for a few days too, which evens things out.
Turkey is the only really expensive part of the meal. You can usually get small whole turkeys. A turkey breast can be quite affordable, but is not quite the same. Remember that the a medium sized turkey will povide Thanksgiving dinner, several days woth of sandwiches, and a good sized pot of turkey noodle soup. So it may not be nearly as expensive as it seems when you account for the weeks worth of groceries you won't have to buy.
Great stuffing can be made from plain white bread. It is best made from slightly stale bread, so buying day-old bread from a bakery, or bread from a bread outlet is even better than good fresh bread. The other option is to bake a loaf of bread at home the weekend before Thanksgiving. It will be just about perfect come Wednesday night when it is time to make the stuffing. Tear the bread into small pieces. Cook some minced or grated onions and celery in butter, and toss with the bread. You can add sage or poultry seasoning if you prefer. Stuff the turkey with it right before roasting. I much prefer this simple cheap recipe to fancy chesntnut or oyster stuffings, and it's way better than anything in a box at the store.
Potatoes are cheap and easy to boil and mash. (You can mash the potatoes with butter, milk, or the water you boiled them in, or a combination. Obviously, the potato water can save some dollars, although I would still use at least some butter or milk.)
Homemade gravy is a skill that takes some practice. The good news is that getting the taste is easy. The texture is the tricky part. Lumpy gravy may not look great, but it still tastes pretty good. Just cook turkey drippings and flour in a skillet with a little salt and pepper, stirring constantly until smooth.
Cook some green beans. Fresh, frozen or canned, whichever is your preference or happens to be on sale.
Frozen pumpkin pie is not very expensive, and really very good. Or, you can go the slightly cheaper route and buy a can of pumpkin pie filling and make your own crust.
If you are feeding any extended family or friends, you can ask them to contribute a side dish or dessert, saving you some work and money.
If you do everything homemade, your shopping list should look something like this:
1 Turkey (Safeway has small whole turkeys listed at just over $10. Large ones are probably going to be cheaper by the pound, so don't forget the leftovers when deciding what to buy.)
2 loave of white bread ($3)
One bag of onions ($3, and you'll have some leftover for later use)
1 Lb butter ($3.50)
5 lb bag of potatoes ($3-4)
One bag frozen green beans ($3)
One gallon milk ($3-4)
1 frozen pumpkin pie ($8)
Good luck on your Thanksgiving dinner.
all it takes is turkey (get a small one) mashed potatoes (potatoes are cheap) some frozen veggies and a pumpkin pie. I bet you could feed a family of four for like $30
do your shopping at Aldi, it's way cheaper
If money is tight and you aren't a cook... Then buy prepackaged... Yoder's makes a really good mashed potatoes in a bag.. You just empty the bag in a heat safe bowl and heat in microwave. For a 16oz. bag it's under $3... Get a small turkey or turkey breast . I like whole berry cranberry sauce that's about $1 a can or so... Or you can make your own.. I say if he wants a traditional dinner than he should be willing to help $$$ or cook the meal.. I think that's fair.. Or spring for a buffet that has a good Thanksgiving meal.. I know some restaurants do free turkey dinner for those in a needy/bad way.. If things are really, really tight or have a potluck... Good luck
Try thinking smaller. Turkey can be small (around 10 lbs.). Or you could make just turkey breast. Also, one year my grandmother used a good short cut for stuffing. She bought stove top & added ground sage suasage & a litte onion & celery. It was very good & no one even noticed! Good luck! Hope this helped.
yes. thanksgiving dinner ( authentic ) is not all about the food or all that is about getting together and setting down with family and friends and enjoying giving thanks for what you have instead of what you don't have THANKSGIVING DINNER i'm sorry but i am very old fashion and i believe that the thanks should start with the words thanksgiving just explaine it to him and if he depending on his charater will understand things are tight. he is your son and should have some understanding and respect for your problem.
For authentic, research the original Thanksgiving menu. Very different from what we've come to expect. For example, they had no sugar or sweeteners, had fish as well as fowl, no potatoes, etc. For traditional, others have made some fine suggestions. Authentic would be cheaper than what's come to be traditional.
KFC!
lol
frozen tv turkey dinners and a nice desert would do the thing