Aaron Kennedy
Features Reporter

Photos by Aaron Kennedy

This year Thanksgiving on a college budget has got to be cheap and easy. Besides going home to eat what mom made, or precooked turkey and cranberries in the shape of a can, students can prepare tasty meals on their own.

WCCC culinary student Haley MacDonald

“I’m doing a chocolate tort. It’s made with garbanzo beans instead of flour, plus chocolate and sugar.”

The recipe for a gluten-free chocolate tart is one and a half cups semi sweet chocolate chips, one 19 ounce can of garbanzo beans rinsed and drained, four eggs, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar for topping.  To prepare it you grind up the beans in a food processor, melt the chocolate down, add the sugar and bake it for 40 minutes. The recipe serves 12.

One of MacDonald’s other ideas for Thanksgiving on a college budget not buying a full turkey. It’s easier just buying and roasting a turkey breast. She sometimes does that at home.

“Then you don’t have to deal with preparing the whole bird,” she said. “You can do just the breast and brine it or just stick it right in the oven with some butter.”

MacDonald suggested a turkey breast recipe

One bone-in whole turkey breast, thawed (4-5 pounds), half cup butter, quarter cup dry white wine or apple juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon paprika, two garlic cloves chopped, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water. Combine ingredients and brush the turkey and roast uncovered for one hour. Brush the turkey again and roast for one more hour until thermometer reads 165° F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Wayne Smith, chef and technical professor at WCCC

“It’s time for traditional [recipes]. Everybody has their favorites that you want to have there, and kind of putting a little twist on it so that it stays interesting,” Smith said, “I would prefer to make homemade dinner rolls versus a dinner roll that has no flavor.”

He suggested a recipe for homemade rolls.

A recipe for homemade dinner rolls is one quarter cup warm water, one packet dry active yeast (about 2 1/4 tablespoons), 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 3/4 tablespoon salt, 3 cups flour, and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Start by combining water and yeast in a large bowl then whisk until does all dissolved and set it aside. Then combine milk, butter, sugar, honey and salt another glass bowl. Combine the ingredients and make into small portions on a floured surface, then bake on a greased cookie sheet for 25 minutes.

Jon St. Peter, chef and professor at WCCC

“I’ve taught a lot of courses here over the years. I don’t have any secret recipes. To perform a college-level Thanksgiving banquet there is power in numbers. If you can work with a variety of people you’ll be able to have a larger budget and more buying power.” St. Peter said. “I would recommend that they look at combining the resources with fellow students to produce something that’s nicer than perhaps they can buy on their own.”

akennedy2@mavs.coloradomesa.edu