Thanksgiving Zebra Cake

I’ve been thinking of a dessert suitable for a small Thanksgiving celebration for one person or two. This one literally “takes the cake”! (The sweet young things with a gelled green Mohawk hairstyle, an eyebrow piercing, and a skull tattooed on their arms won’t know what that phrase means, and nor will their male friends. Live with it! I’m struttin’ my advancing years, Dollinks.)

I’ve been writing about small Thanksgiving celebrations, this week. Not everyone has a large family - and if they do, not everyone is able to visit. This dessert is ideal for your small celebration! It’s also inexpensive and very, very easy to make. It requires just three  ingredients: Whipped cream, confectioners’ sugar, and chocolate wafers. Important! Prepare this cake at least three hours ahead so the whipped cream softens the wafers, turning them into cake. 

A tip: Because it’s Thanksgiving, use thin, plain ginger cookies instead of the chocolate ones. 

Another tip: Whip the cream in the kitchen sink to minimize splashing. I’ve done that for years, with the result that my kitchen’s semi-clean.

I’ve published this excellent recipe before. You can make it large, or you can make it small. Treat yourself: Don’t use a whipping cream substitute when you make this outstanding little cake! Here’s where you’ll find it on my blog: 

http://nicoleparton.blogspot.ca/2013/09/zebra-cake.html

Just before serving, garnish the cake with one or two finely crumbled wafers. As the hair-color ads used to say: You’re worth it! Even if you do wear a gelled green Mohawk and celebrate Thanksgiving on your own.

Party Nugget Potatoes

These potatoes are an excellent choice for a small Thanksgiving dinner for one person or two. The cooking time varies with the size of potato. In my opinion, smaller nuggets are preferable to larger ones. While my recipe serves more than two, it’s terrific to have leftover nugget potatoes with bacon and eggs the next morning. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CXFXB4uknI

Naturally, vegetables and cranberry sauce are a huge part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal. If you don’t care for cooking and there’s just you, or you and a friend, don’t feel embarrassed to serve frozen mixed veggies and canned cranberry sauce with these easy potatoes. And check out the Cranberry-Orange Chicken Breasts I blogged yesterday!

Because these chicken breasts use a few cranberries, you’ll have plenty extra on hand … C’mon, go ahead and make that Cranberry Sauce! Click on the Index under Cranberries: Sauces. You’ll find some great recipes there!

Party Nugget Potatoes:

1 lb. (454 g) nugget potatoes (about 20 small), unpeeled 

1 tbsp. (15 mL) olive oil

1-1/2 tsp. (7 mL) garlic salt
1/4 tsp. (1 mL) dried onion

1/4 tsp. (1 mL) dried leaf-style thyme (not powdered)

1/2 tsp. (2 mL) dried leaf-style marjoram (not powdered)

Scant grinding of pepper

Preheat oven to 450 deg. F. (See Note) Select approximately 10 red and 20 white nugget potatoes. Wash potatoes, blotting dry. Add potatoes and oil to a small work bowl, stirring until potatoes are well coated. 

To a very small bowl, add garlic salt, dried onion, thyme, marjoram, and freshly ground pepper, combining well. Sprinkle over potatoes, stirring gently until evenly coated. Turn into small, ungreased oven-proof dish. Bake 30-to-40 min., depending on size of potatoes. Turn potatoes over halfway through baking time. Potatoes should be nicely browned, slightly shriveled, and soft inside. Test with a sharp paring knife to ensure doneness.

Note: I baked these super-simple potatoes in a toaster oven. 

Combine nuggets with olive oil and salted herb mixture.

Pop into an oven or toaster oven.

Ready for my close-up, CB!

Done!

Cranberry-Orange Chicken Breasts

The traditional image of Thanksgiving is one of huge families, all of whom exercise the boarding house reach in search of more potatoes, more cranberries, more turkey … Life doesn’t always match that image.  Sometimes, Thanksgiving is very small - dinner for one or two. No matter who you are or where you are, what’s important is to give thanks.

So here’s a simple recipe I invented a couple of days ago, with a small Thanksgiving dinner in mind. I’m printing it well in advance of the occasion, so you can be sure to have the ingredients on hand.

You’ll love these deliciously low-calorie Cranberry-Orange Chicken Breasts. Trust me, Dollinks! 
This dish is a keeper! I know it’s a disappointment not to have a

a photo, but (blush!) this chicken 
was so good that we gobbled it up fast! Only this dirty skillet remained.

Cranberry-Orange Chicken Breasts:

2 chicken breasts, about 10 oz. (285 g) each, fresh or thawed (See Note)

1/3 c. (80 mL) orange juice, preferably without pulp 

1/3 c. (80 mL) water

2-to-2-1/2 tsp. (10-to-12.5 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tsp. (10 mL) orange-flavored liqueur such as Grande Marnier (optional)

7 or 8 whole cranberries, fresh or frozen

Dusting of dried parsley or leaf-style dried marjoram or thyme  

Add orange juice, water, and chicken breasts to a medium-sized skillet. Place chicken in skillet, best side up. Cover, bringing liquids just to a boil. Reduce heat, simmering 20-to-25 min. Chicken is done when no pink remains at center. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside. Gradually whisk flour into liquids on low heat as orange sauce. Return chicken to thickened liquid, stirring in liqueur. Do not boil. Drop in cranberries, simmering 1 min. Nap sauce over chicken, dusting lightly with marjoram, thyme, or dried parsley. Serve hot. Makes 2 servings.

Note: Choose firm, high breasts, 

as per the photo.

Focus, men, focus! Stop thinking about Pamela Anderson! If they’re fresh from the farm, you may want to wash them in cold water, blotting them dry with a paper towel. Again … Stop thinking about Pamela Anderson!