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Do IT this week: Layering
Fresh, homemade dishes not only taste better but they can be cheaper to fix Thanksgiving
By Lisa Abraham
Beacon Journal food writer
Published on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009
Attention, Thanksgiving cooks: Put down the can and back away from the countertop.
When it comes to cooking Thanksgiving dinner, you may be surprised to learn that a ''can-don't'' attitude will put more fresh food on your table as cheaply as opening a series of cans to create traditional side dishes.
To prove our point and to show just how easy it can be to make basic holiday side dishes from scratch, we've done the shopping, created the recipes and broken it all down for you in a guide to holiday sides.
We shopped locally at Acme and Giant Eagle stores, buying a mix of national and store brands. Some items were on sale, but others could be more deeply discounted as we move closer to the holiday.
We didn't count the cost of items like milk, sugar, syrup, butter and cooking oil that we assumed were pantry staples. But we did count the cost of all fresh, canned or frozen ingredients that we used.
We'll start with that American classic, the green bean casserole.
Yes, everyone loves it and there would be a revolt if you didn't serve it. But have you ever stopped to consider just how expensive that casserole is?
We used the recipe from the back of the can of French's French Fried Onions, and spent $7.67 for a six-serving casserole, $1.28 per serving.
We were unable to find fresh green beans the day we went grocery shopping, and opted instead for a 2-pound bag of frozen cut green beans. We added sauteed mushrooms and butter laced with fresh garlic, caramelized onions and some almond slices for crunch. We spent $6.54 on 12 servings, or about 55 cents per serving.
Candied yams or sweet potatoes are so simple to make, it is surprising that anyone would bother with the canned variety. Fresh yams were selling for 99 cents a pound when we purchased them, while 40-oz. cans of yams, depending on the brand, were selling for $2.39 to $2.99.
We selected a can of the top-selling national brand of cut sweet potatoes in syrup which was priced at $2.79. The real surprise came when we opened the can and realized it was more than half syrup. The potatoes were a mishmash of bits and shreds, so after we drained the syrup off, what we had left was about a cup and a half of potatoes.
What's more, while the yams did come in a sugary syrup, they were far from candied. In fact the can's label included a recipe for candied yams that called for the addition of a stick of butter and 2/3 cup of brown sugar along with some of the reserved syrup from the potatoes to candy them.
We spent about 20 cents more on three pounds of fresh yams, boiled them and made a simple candying mixture using less butter and brown sugar, but adding half a cup of maple syrup. Maple-flavored pancake syrup would work just fine, too.
The result was a casserole of candied yams to feed eight at about 37 cents per serving, versus a can of yams that would feed only two or three tops, at 93 cents per serving.
Finally, there's the cranberry sauce.
On sale, a can of name-brand sauce was just $1 for either jellied or whole-berry varieties. At roughly six servings per can, that's just 17 cents per serving and a hard price to beat.
While it may seem daunting, turning that bag of fresh cranberries into homemade sauce takes just minutes with the addition of sugar and water. To make it even more flavorful, we added the zest of one orange and two tablespoons of juice from that orange, which cost 79 cents because oranges are out of season.
After spending $2 on the bag of berries, our homemade sauce cost $2.79, serving eight to 10, making it 28 to 35 cents per serving. Yes, it's more expensive than the can, but we felt that our homemade sauce had a better, fresher flavor, and a lot less jiggle.
Here are the recipes for making these simple holiday side dishes from scratch:
MAPLE CANDIED YAMS
3 lbs. yams or sweet potatoes
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (you can substitute maple-flavored pancake syrup)
Peel potatoes, place in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil, boiling yams until they are fork-tender.
Drain and cool completely. Once cooled, slice potatoes into circles or cubes.
Place potatoes in an ovenproof dish that has been prepared with nonstick cooking spray.
In a saucepan, melt butter, stir in brown sugar and maple syrup and cook over medium heat until combined into a sauce.
Pour sauce over potatoes and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until yams are heated through and bubbly.
Makes 8 servings.
GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS,
ALMONDS AND CARAMELIZED
ONIONS
2 lbs. frozen cut green beans
Cooking oil
2 small yellow cooking onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 (12-oz.) package white button mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. sliced almonds
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter (1/2 to 1 stick)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook beans in microwave according to package directions. Drain well. In a large skillet or saute pan over low heat, place 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Once heated, add sliced onions and a sprinkling of salt and saute slowly, about 20 minutes, until onions are wilted and take on a rich caramel color.
Remove onions from pan and set aside. Increase heat to medium and add sliced mushrooms. Saute mushrooms over medium heat until they turn dark brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add butter to pan and melt, then add garlic and saute quickly, 1 to 2 minutes, watching so that garlic doesn't burn. Add beans to garlic butter and stir to coat. Toss in mushrooms and caramelized onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with almond slices.
Makes 12 servings.
FRESH CRANBERRY-ORANGE
SAUCE
1 (12-oz.) package fresh cranberries, washed and any stems removed
1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
Zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice, or more to taste
Place cranberries, sugar and water in a saucepan, stir to combine and cook over high heat until cranberries begin to pop. Once mixture comes to a full boil, continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring steadily, until berries have turned into a sauce.
Add orange zest and juice to sauce and stir to combine. Cool before serving.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Lisa A. Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.
By the numbers
While it was slightly more expensive to cook from scratch, we got more food for our money. Here's the price breakdown of our side dishes:
Green bean casserole:
2 cans green beans, $2.50.
1 can french-fried onions, $3.99.
1 can cream of mushroom soup, $1.18.
Total: $7.67 for 6 servings.
VS.
Green beans with mushrooms, almonds and caramelized onions:
1 bag (2 lbs.) frozen cut green beans, $2.29.
12 oz. package fresh mushrooms, $2.19.
2 small yellow cooking onions, $0.51.
1 fresh garlic bulb, $0.36.
1 package sliced almonds, $1.19.
Total: $6.54 for 12 servings.
Candied canned yams:
1 can yams in syrup (about 1ƒ cups without syrup), plus brown sugar and butter.
Total: $2.79 for 3 servings.
VS.
Candied fresh yams:
3 lbs. yams (about 4 cups after cooking), plus brown sugar, butter and maple syrup.
Total: $2.97 for 8 servings.
Canned cranberry sauce:
1 can jellied cranberry sauce, $1.
Total: $1 for 6 servings.
VS.
Fresh cranberry sauce:
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries, $2.
1 orange, $0.79.
Total: $2.79 for 8 to 10 servings.
Canned side dishes total: $11.46.
Fresh side dishes total: $12.30.
Attention, Thanksgiving cooks: Put down the can and back away from the countertop.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Los Alamitos, CA
Posted 11:40 AM, 11/18/2009
Amen! I'll never understand why people use canned yams. They are so easy to cook and so delicious when you just bake them whole until soft. Nothing beats a baked sweet potato!
Orrville, Oh
Posted 08:58 PM, 11/18/2009
Thanksgiving Cuisine
We, the government; of this Representative Republic; successfully elected; Representatives; Commander in Chief President Barrack Obama; and Governor Reverend Strickland; to comply with Biblical Exhortations; demanding; Fathers disqualified for affirmative action with white skin, Union workers, consumers, taxpayers, and Americas grandchildren’s children; fund all stimulus packages, property tax abatement, tax incentives, tax credit, tax refunds, tax exemptions. And pay for the more stock dividends (money). Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders (money marketers) market quarterly; in the wholesale and retail price; of EVERY product and service Human Beings use for life. And Government needs to build, maintain, and operate schools; infrastructure; and provide government services; and national security. That gets only product or service; and fund; volunteers without wages and nonunion parasites; willing to work; for fewer wages than they can afford life; paying with welfare checks, food stamps, housing vouchers, and Medicaid. With money derived from wages or independent business profit.
Reality demands: Americas grandchildren’s children pay; the $40 trillion social security and the $9.3 trillion national debt. Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders; used slaves in foreign countries; and American farmers; working for fewer wages or independent business profit; created; to produce; the food and fiber; on Americas Thanksgiving tables.
America’s grandchildren’s children are responsible to pay; Hillarys, Chinese, Foreign and Domestic Investors and Stockholders interest; with the $7.30 per hour government mandated labor wage; American families cannot pay; with money; derived; from wages or independent business profit!
Akron, OH
Posted 08:26 AM, 11/19/2009
Eberly,
What meds are you on? That is something!
Canton, OH
Posted 08:47 AM, 11/19/2009
i bet thanksgiving at Eberly's house would be interesting.
Mogadore, OH
Posted 11:55 AM, 11/19/2009
they should be thankful they live in a country where they can post drivel like that
Akron, OH
Posted 01:49 PM, 11/19/2009
Sorry Ms. Abraham, but it isn't "Green Bean Casserole" without the creamed soup and french fried onions.
I noticed that you didn't even try to claim that your "GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS,ALMONDS AND CARAMELIZED ONIONS" was a Thanksgiving 'casserole'.
Your choice to take on the traditional item is truly an 'apples and oranges' comparison.
Akron, OH
Posted 01:51 PM, 11/19/2009
============
1 can french-fried onions, $3.99.
============
Where the heck were you shopping for this item?
Sounds like some grocer was trying to bend over the customers if this isn't a typo.
