Thanksgiving: One of the best holidays of the year to spend with family and friends around the dinner table.
There is no doubt, I will enjoy a big meal of turkey and/or ham and all the trimmings, stuffing, mashed potatoes and my favorite side of baked sweet potatoes with loads of sweet, creamy butter. My mother always makes cherry cream cheese pie – a family favorite.
Often, I cannot have dinner with my family or Matt’s on Thanksgiving Day because of work schedules, so it’s often moved to the weekend. But I still like to enjoy turkey on Thursday, too, so here’s an alternative if you’re on your own for the day and still want to celebrate in a more simple way: turkey burgers.
There is so much you can do to enhance the flavor of this easy, low-key meal.
I start out with a pound of ground turkey, combine in a mixing bowl with ¼-cup panko breadcrumbs, an egg, salt and pepper. Form patties and pan fry until cooked through to your liking.
I chose steak fries to go along with my burgers, so I cut up a couple of potatoes, tossed with a little oil, salt and pepper, and spread out over a baking sheet. Cook at about 425 degrees for 26 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
When the timer is down to just a few minutes, I spread a little butter over both sides of my hamburger bun and add to the baking sheet for a few minutes until lightly toasted.
What you do with the burger after this is up to you, but for me, melted cheddar cheese, crispy fried onions and blue cheese dressing are the perfect combination.
Now, here’s the best part: dessert.
After next week, I’ll share my mother’s recipe for her cherry cream cheese pie, but for today, I’m going to share my cherry turnover recipe. I’ve made this for my family for years. It is so easy, so delicious and is always a hit.
I use cookie dough for the shell of my turnovers, but you can use any pie dough, and a can of pie filling. I like cherry best, but apple filling is near perfect, too, for this tasty hand-held delight.
I roll out a little dough into a circle, about this size of a small tortilla, add a few spoons of pie filling, and cover one side over the over, crimping the edges with a fork to seal the pie.
Cook at 350 degrees until the edges are golden brown. I like to add a little sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon.
I hope you enjoy these easy holiday-theme recipes for a simple meal during the next week or two.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers, friends and family!
