Find Yourself In A Hurry? Make Some Turkey Curry

Counting the blessings in your life probably is not high on your list of priorities right now. It will wait until tomorrow, when your family sits down to a Thanksgiving meal.

Today, however, you’ve got a major hurdle to jump through - that last-minute shopping. But don’t worry, grocery stores are ready for you.

Assistant store manager Thad Schoesler at the Latah Creek Tidyman’s anticipates plenty of business today.

“I would say it’s the busiest day of the year,” says Schoesler, who’s been with Tidyman’s for 7-1/2 years.

Here’s his main advice for shoppers: Try to get in before 8 p.m. to find the best selection in the perishable departments, such as bakery, meat and produce. Bring your shopping list, and look for help from Tidyman’s in locating items.

“We have a store directory, but we’re creating a special shopping list with aisle numbers for all the holiday-type things, to make shopping easier,” says Schoesler.

Not only is Thanksgiving dinner a considerable meal, people who have guests need more food for the next three days.

Some will buy frozen turkeys today, although there will be a run on fresh turkeys. Aisle shelves deplete fast, so look for free-standing displays for additional stock. And there’s last-minute help: fresh pies and rolls from the bakery, meat and cheese trays in the deli, fruit and vegetable platters in produce, shrimp trays in the seafood department and homemade stuffing, ready for your bird, from the meat department.

If that’s still too much for you, the deli is taking orders for holiday turkey or ham dinners to go, while supplies last.

When tomorrow’s all done, you’ll probably have leftovers. Here’s a recipe for something quick to fix.

Blessings to all on this Thanksgiving holiday.

Fast Curry From Turkey Leftovers From

“All-Day Singing and Dinner On The Ground,” by Willadeene Parton (Rutledge Hill Press, 1997.)

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1-2 tablespoons curry powder, to taste

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon ginger

2 cups water or turkey broth

3 cups cooked diced turkey

Melt butter in nonstick skillet. Saute onion and celery until tender. Add curry powder, flour and ginger. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Gradually add water or broth and bring to a boil, stirring, and cook 2 minutes. Add diced turkey and heat.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 230 calories, 8.1 grams fat (32 percent fat calories), 30 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrate, 88 milligrams cholesterol, 284 milligrams sodium.

, DataTimes MEMO: The goal of Five and Fifteen is to find recipes where you can do the shopping in five minutes and the cooking in 15. Merri Lou Dobler, a registered dietitian and Spokane resident, welcomes ideas from readers. Write to Five and Fifteen, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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