In Partnership with Safeway
There’s no denying that the pandemic going on is going to change the way we celebrate holidays this year. With less travel and smaller gatherings, I wanted to get creative about how we can share a holiday meal together without actually being in the same room together. Rather than having 20-30 for dinner like we’ve had in the past, this year might be more like 4 or 6 of us together at the table, and a multitude of family members joining by zoom.
Thankfully, lots of our family lives within an hour of us here in Denver, and what better way to spread holiday cheer and delicious food than deliveries of holiday sides to make the cooking easier for family dining from afar.
Dish Inspiration
So, we started thinking about side dishes that could be individual servings, reminiscent of Thanksgiving favorites and things that could easily be reheated. Three dishes came to mind, and we think the twists on these recipes– primarily that they’re all cooked on my grill– are pretty fun and delicious.
Green bean casserole is a favorite at our Thanksgiving table. We wanted to put a spin on it, making it easy to share and not requiring everyone scooping from the same casserole dish. These Green Bean Casserole Bundles will become a new favorite in no time with your family and friends.
You have to have cranberry sauce with your meal. We took a family favorite recipe and then have a fun way to serve it for your family and friends in individual servings.
Sweet potato casserole is a decadent mainstay at our usual Thanksgiving dinners, and we took all those delicious flavors and packed them back into the potato skins for a different twist that kept everyone from sharing a big pan of the sweet treat.
Gathering the Ingredients
To make it super easy and safe to make Thanksgiving this year, we did all our grocery shopping from home. Logging into the Safeway Delivery & PickUp app, we picked out each item we needed and clicked “order”. A few hours later, we pulled up in front of our local Safeway and Dustin delivered our groceries right to our trunk. Safe, easy and super fast!
It truly couldn’t have been more simple, using Safeway’s Drive Up & Go program® and we got everything we needed for all three of these dishes– and the to-go-containers too– in one quick trip.
Our Shopping List
- One bag O Organics® organic green beans
- Two Signature Farms® whole organic portabello mushrooms
- One yellow onion
- One box of Lucerne® sweet cream butter
- One pound of Open Nature® bacon
- One can of Signature Select® cream of mushroom soup
- One carton of O Organics® chicken broth
- One bottle of Signature Select® soy sauce
- One can of Signature Select® french fried onions
- One box of Signature Select® granulated sugar
- One bag of cranberries
- Two honeycrisp apples
- One lemon
- Eight navel oranges
- Six small sweet potatoes
- One bag of Signature Select® dark brown sugar
- One bottle of O Organics® ground cinnamon
- One bag of Signature Farms® pecan halves
- One bag of Signature Select® mini marshmallows
- A set of foil containers with lids
Cooking It Up
Like any holiday dish, the cooking always takes longer than the eating. But we cooked all three of these dishes simultaneously, and it took just over an hour. With super easy ingredients we got at Safeway and a little time, we had three amazing side dishes done that we packed up into individual boxes for our family.
A Doorstep Care Package
After we cooked up everything, we packed them up into individual takeout containers we also got from Safeway, and labeled each box. Then, each family member we weren’t going to see in person for Thanksgiving will receive a customized bag of Thanksgiving sides they can enjoy with their meal.
It might look different than in years past but with these holiday side ideas your family will be ready for a feast.
Happy Thanksgiving and happy holidays! Be sure to tag us in your holiday meals! https://www.safeway.com
Green Bean Casserole Bundles
Equipment
- Cookie sheet lined with parchment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 20 ounces O Organics organic green beans
- 2 portobello mushroom caps
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 tbsp Lucerne sweet cream butter
- 10 slices thin-cut bacon
- 1 can Signature Select cream of mushroom soup
- 1/4 cup O Organics chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Signature Select soy sauce
- 1 cup Signature Select french fried onions
Instructions
- Preheat your grill or oven to 400°. Bring a pot of water to boil while you wash and trim the green beans. Slice the onion into ¼ inch thick rings. Slice the portobello mushrooms into ½ inch thick slices.
- When the water is boiling, cook the green beans in two batches until just crisp tender (about 4 minutes). Transfer to a water bath to stop them from continuing to cook. Repeat with other half of beans, and once cooled completely, drain the beans.
- In a large frying pan, melt ½ of the butter and cook the onion slices until golden brown and softened. Remove onions to a plate, and then melt the other half of the butter. Arrange the sliced mushrooms in a single layer in the pan and cook until browned and softened. Remove mushrooms from the pan and allow to cool briefly.
- Arrange the bacon slices on a plate lined with paper towels and microwave for 1 minute until par-cooked.
- Assemble the bundles by gathering 8-10 green beans, a few slices of cooked mushrooms and a few pieces of sauteed onion in your hand. Place a piece of par-cooked bacon on a cutting board, and then place bean/onion/mushroom bundles on the end of the bacon. Then wrap tightly and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, with the seam side down on the pan.
- Repeat with the remaining beans, mushrooms, onion and bacon. Place cookie sheet in the hot grill and cook for about 20 minutes until the bacon is crispy. While the bundles cook, combine canned mushroom soup, chicken broth and soy sauce, and heat through.
- When the bacon is crisp, transfer the bundles to a platter and drizzle with mushroom soup mixture. Sprinkle with the French fried onions and serve. Budget about 2 bundles per diner.
- If you’re making these to deliver to family for a virtual dinner together, skip the final step with the soup and mushrooms, and deliver those items on the side. When ready to serve, simply reheat and then top with soup and fried onions.
Smoked Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups Signature Select granulated sugar
- 1 bag cranberries 1 pound
- 2 honeycrisp apples
- zest of one lemon
- 1/4 cup Creme De Cassis liqueur
- 8 whole navel oranges
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 225°. Place the rinsed cranberries on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish and place in the grill for 20 minutes to smoke. While the cranberries smoke, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the sugar melts. Peel and chop the apples into a small dice.
- Add the smoked cranberries to the pan with the sugar mixture along with the apple pieces, lemon zest and liqueur. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes. Continue cooking until the mixture resembles jelly. Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly.
- While the cranberries cook, trim the ends off of the oranges and then hollow out the fruit, creating a cup. Dip the open end in sugar and then broil briefly until golden and caramelized.
- When the sauce has cooled, fill the hollowed out oranges with cranberry sauce, and top with additional lemon zest. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Budget one filled orange per diner.
Sweet Potato Skins
Ingredients
- 6 small sweet potatoes
- 1 stick Lucerne sweet cream butter
- 1/2 cup Signature Select dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp O Organics ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Signature Farms pecan halves
- 1 cup Signature Select mini marshmallows
