Movable Feast Save Time And Space With A Ovenless Thanksgiving Meal

It’s almost time again for those Thanksgiving sob stories from cooks who slave away all day, through parades and pigskin skirmishes, preparing fabulous feasts for their family and friends.

But if you think you work hard, what about your poor oven? Between pies and rolls and casseroles and stuffing and, of course, the bird itself, your oven is probably more burned out than you are. (Figuratively, that is. We hope.)

With that in mind, today we’re offering a complete Thanksgiving dinner that can be prepared without so much as a pilot light. And while we realize you probably won’t go quite that far, working a few of these dishes into your menu can help save time and avoid that last-minute oven space crunch.

Cooking your turkey on a barbecue grill can produce a flavorful, beautifully browned bird with moist meat. The trick is using indirect heat - cooking with the coals on either side, with the turkey placed above a drip pan in the middle - and being careful not to overcook (keep a close eye on that meat thermometer).

Instead of stuffing the bird (which the feds now frown on as unsafe) or baking the dressing separately, why not combine those bread crumbs with the constitutionally required cranberry course in an easy, lowcalorie, stovetop Cranberry Stuffing? Devote another burner to preparing piquant Pearl Onions Glazed With Mustard and Brown Sugar.

As for the sweet potatoes, according to one of our co-workers, the microwave oven produces a particularly succulent sweet spud. Pierce with a fork in a few places and microwave on high power until done; a large sweet potato takes about 10 minutes. Serve them in their jackets, or scoop them out and mash with some milk and spices.

And at our house, it simply wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a creamy, comforting Crockpot Spinach Souffle fighting for space on the plate. Adapted from a long-lost crockpot instruction book, it’s ridiculously simple; throw everything in the pot, turn it on and come back at serving time.

After dinner is devoured, top After dinner is devoured, top everything off with a quick, no-bake Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie that provides an automatic a la mode.

Well, there you have it. With this battle plan, you might not even remember you have an oven until the following day, when it’s time to warm up the leftovers.

Then again, why do you think God made microwaves?

Grilled Turkey with Sage Garlic Baste or Five-Spice Butter Baste

Recipe from Kingsford Charcoal. These bastes would also work well with a traditional oven-roasted turkey.

1 (9- to 13-pound) turkey, thawed if frozen

3 lemons, halved (optional)

Sage Garlic Baste or Five-Spice Butter Baste (recipes follow)

Prepare a charcoal fire in a large, covered grill.

Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Season turkey cavity with salt and pepper; place lemons in cavity, if desired.

Brush turkey with baste of your choice. Pull skin over neck and secure with skewer, attach wing tips to breast with toothpicks and tie legs together with cotton string. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the thigh, being careful not to touch bone.

When fire is medium-hot, arrange briquets on either side of grill to make room in the middle for a large rectangular metal or foil drip pan. Fill pan halfway with hot water. Place turkey, breast side up, on grill directly above drip pan.

Grill, covered, for 9 to 12 minutes per pound (about 2 to 3 hours, depending on size) or until meat thermometer registers 185 degrees. Baste about every 20 minutes with remaining baste. Add a few briquets to each side of the fire every hour, or as necessary, to maintain a constant temperature.

Yield: About 8 to 10 servings.

Note: While the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not recommend cooking stuffing inside any turkey, grilled turkeys in particular should not be stuffed because of their shorter cooking times.

Sage Garlic Baste

1 lemon (juice and grated zest)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced, or 1 teaspoons dried

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In small pan, combine all ingredients; cook and stir over medium heat for 4 minutes. Use as a baste for turkey or chicken.

Yield: About 1/4 cup.

Five-Spice Butter Baste

1/3 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder (available in Asian markets and the Asian sections of larger supermarkets)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

In small bowl, combine all ingredients. Use as a baste for turkey or chicken.

Yield: About 6 tablespoons.

Nutrition information per serving (4 ounces skinless meat), with Sage Garlic Baste: 194 calories, 34 grams protein, no carbohydrates, 5 grams fat (26 percent fat calories), 79 milligrams cholesterol, 106 milligrams sodium.

Nutrition information per serving (4 ounces skinless meat), with Five-Spice Butter Baste: 204 calories, 34 grams protein, no carbohydrate, 7 grams fat (29 percent fat calories), 86 milligrams cholesterol, 166 milligrams sodium.

Cranberry Stuffing

Recipe from Marriott Management Services.

8 ounces (about 1 cup) onion, diced

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 cup sugar

1-1/2 pounds fresh cranberries, washed

8 ounces (about 2-3 cups) fresh bread crumbs

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

In saucepan, combine onions, hot water, sugar and cranberries. Bring to a boil and cook until cranberries “pop”; reduce heat and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Add bread crumbs and lemon rind and stir well to combine.

Yield: 1 quart (8 to 12 servings).

Nutrition information per (1/2-cup) serving: 120 calories, .7 grams fat (5 percent fat calories), 1 milligram cholesterol.

Crockpot Spinach Souffle

The amount of butter and cheese can be halved for a less fattening, but still tasty, dish. You also can use low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese, and 1 whole egg and 4 whites in place of the 3 whole eggs.

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 cups cream-style cottage cheese

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into pieces , 1-1/2 cups jack or other easy-melting cheese, cubed

3 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 4-5 hours.

Yield: About 8 servings.

Pearl Onions Glazed with Mustard and Brown Sugar

Recipe from the Butterball turkey people. Using frozen, pre-peeled, pre-cooked onions makes preparing this festive side dish a snap.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 (16-ounce) package frozen small whole onions, thawed

2-1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle onions with brown sugar and gently stir in mustard to make a smooth coating. Cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

Yield: 6 small servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 85 calories, 1 gram protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fat (42 percent fat calories), 10 milligrams cholesterol, 71 milligrams sodium.

Ice Cream Pumpkin Pie

Recipe from the National Turkey Federation.

1 (9-ounce) prepared graham cracker pie crust

1 pint vanilla ice cream or nonfat frozen yogurt, softened

1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin

1 cup whipped cream or fat-free whipped topping

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mace and cloves)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fill pie crust with softened ice cream and freeze until solid.

In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, whipped cream, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Spoon mixture over frozen layer of ice cream in crust; freeze until solid.

Remove pie from freezer and place in refrigerator 1 hour before serving. Slice and serve with additional whipped cream, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo