Thanksgiving 2020: Pandemic Edition
Feeding body and spirit
Few people have experience in planning a major holiday during a global pandemic. Quarantining yourself with immediate family and haven’t cooked an entire turkey dinner by yourself before? Alone at Thanksgiving this year? What will be different in this era of social distancing, hand sanitizing, and mask wearing?
You’re not alone. Below are a few tips and tricks to get you through this year’s holiday, including a recipe for homemade Cranberry Sauce that may have you asking yourself why you never made it from scratch before.
Tip 1. Learning to cook turkey and the trimmings has never been easier with all the great cooking videos and apps available. Two of my favorites are the free YouTube and Kitchen Stories mobile apps. Type in the search term “Thanksgiving” to find a wealth of inspiration.
Tip 2. If you’re celebrating solo, scale back to a turkey breast and a few sides. (Cranberry Sauce, anyone?) Alternatively, roast an entire turkey and avoid cooking again for a week. And if you share some with a fortunate neighbor, you may make a lifelong friend.
Tip 3. Grocery shopping may take longer than usual due to wait times at stores. Double the time you expect and you may be close. But with many bars, beaches, parks, and restaurants closed, what else is there to do?
Planning Thanksgiving around the obstacles posed by Covid-19 may seem daunting, but remember, you’re not just cooking turkey and pumpkin pie, you’re nourishing both body and spirit. Wishing you a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!
CRANBERRY SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
3 cups cranberries (12 ounces)
1 cup sugar, white or brown
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick (optional)
1 orange wedge (optional)
METHOD
1. Rinse cranberries in a colander and discard any that are mushy or discolored. Tip: Check the label as they also come in 8-ounce and 16-ounce bags.
2. Measure and add sugar to the pot. Any type of sugar will work. Use more sugar for a firmer cranberry jelly or less sugar for a more tart and liquidy cranberry sauce.
3. Add water and bring to a boil on High, stirring to combine.
4. When the sugar has dissolved, add the cranberries.
5. If using, add the optional cinnamon stick and squeeze the orange juice into the pot, dropping the wedge in the pot.
6. Turn heat to Medium and simmer for 10–15 minutes or longer, depending on the firmness of the berries, stirring occasionally until berries burst. If your burners run hot, you may wish to use Medium Low.
7. When most of the berries have burst and you can easily break any round berries against the side of the pot, they are done.
8. Pour into a storage container, preferably glass or ceramic, and allow to cool. Remove or leave the cinnamon stick and orange wedge in if you wish.
9. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. For best results, make this the day before serving.
🗓️ Save time and energy — Take stock of the ingredients you already have and get only what you still need with my FREE Turkey Dinner Shopping List!
Venice resident Jessica C. Williams is the author of Turkey Savvy: How to stuff a bird, feed fortunate guests, and make lifelong memories, with art direction by Rose Line Design, food photography by The Photo Pot and food styling by Belly Food Style, available November 2020.
Original version published in the print only magazine, Venice Living, in November 2020.
