Bye-bye Halloween decorations, hello Christmas. But before we get too caught up with the ornaments and twinkle lights, let's not forget about one very special holiday in our midst: Thanksgiving. Not simply a precursor to the biggest sales of the season, this cherished day is a chance to catch up with friends and family, and eat from sun-rise well past sunset. (It's basically an anti-fast.)
This year, whether you're planning a FriendsGiving on campus, or trying to impress your parents with your new-found life skills, here are three easy-peasy dishes you absolutely have to try.
Heart-Warming Hearty Meals:
Classic fall recipes with a twist - perfect for any college student's budget or workload. Serve as a side-dish or let it steal the show as the main course.
Quiches
Quiches really are a college student's best friend. Virtually anything can be put into a quiche – from frozen veggies to last night's leftovers – and cooking requires little set up or attention. Best of all, quiches just look classy.
Getting Started: For your basic quiche, all you need are eggs, a pre-made pie crust, and your choice of filling. (Cheese is always a definite plus, too.) I personally prefer to use liquid egg whites, as they require less prep work and don't overpower the other flavors in the dish.
Recipe: Press raw crust into pie pan (alternatively, defrost a frozen crust that comes in a disposable pie tin). Using the crust as a bowl, gently mix all ingredients together, being careful not to rip the dough. Cover with cheese for an extra delicious and beautiful finish, and then place the dish in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees.
Feeling Creative? Wake up with a spinach and bacon hash brown quiche, or try a refreshing caprese quiche (both pictured above).
Pot Pies
Like the roasted turkey before them, pot pies have become an American tradition. A pseudo-pastry even Ron Swanson would approve of, pot pies are a delicious opportunity to bathe your favorite foods (read: meats) in a creamy broth before tucking them away beneath a flaky crust.
Getting Started: For this college-style recipe, all you need is one canned soup of your choice (preferably cream based), your favorite meat filling, frozen veggies (if desired), pie crust, and a thickener. (If you are like me and realize at the last moment you do not have a thickener, such as Bisquick, shredded bread works and adds flavor).
Recipe: Gently press raw dough into pie tin (or defrost frozen crust). Cook all raw meats and defrost any frozen vegetables as needed. Mix all ingredients together using the crust as a bowl. If your soup of choice is not cream based, add milk or cream as desired. Add top crust, then place dish in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Voila, you're a chef!
Desserts
Thanksgiving is basically the Oscars of baking: all of your favorite cookies, cakes, and strudels make an appearance, and all of them look amazing. But the show-stoppers, of course, are the pies. From the festive pumpkin to the decadent Oreo cheesecake, desserts just taste better when served in pie form.
Cookie Pie
Whether at home with my parents, or in my apartment here at college, there are (conservatively) at least a dozen cookies hiding somewhere between the fridge and the freezer at all times. If you're like me, this holiday season put your favorite cookie dough to a new use, and impress your loved ones with a mouth-watering cookie pie.
Getting Started: All you need is cookie dough, a pie tin (preferably shallow), and some crust.
Recipe: For best results, use a shallow pie tin and layer the cookie dough 1-2 inches thick. (Less is more in this case, for piling the dough too high will cause the filling to cook unevenly.) Then place pie in the oven for 10-20 minutes (depending on thickness of filling) at 375 degrees.
Feeling Creative? Switch it up and use cookie dough as the crust for your next pie creation.
Lemon Bar Pie
Are you, like so many, a lover of lemon bars? How about key lime or raspberry bars? This holiday season, vamp up your favorite recipe by using a pre-made graham cracker crust instead of the box mix.
Getting Started: You'll need 1-2 boxes of lemon bar mix (the additional ingredients asked for on the box, such as water and eggs), and one frozen graham cracker crust.
Recipe: Defrost and pre-heat frozen crust as directed by the packaging. Meanwhile, mix the lemon bar filling (or other bar mix) as instructed. If using a larger crust or desiring a stout pie, use two boxes worth of filling. Do not prepare the crust mix. When the graham cracker crust is ready, remove from oven and add the lemon bar mix. Smooth mix to an even depth, then bake pie in oven for 26-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Feeling Creative? A few minutes before the pie is done, prepare the crust mix and add it to the top of the pie for extra sweetness.
