You decided on your Thanksgiving recipes weeks ago, made numerous trips to the grocery store, have multiple dishes in various stages of preparation — and yet you still have questions.
Will this one turkey feed everyone I’ve invited? What if the pop-up timer doesn’t pop? Why is my pie crust doughy?
Here are some places to call that might have answers:
is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and on Thanksgiving Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 1-800-288-8372. The company also has an app for Android and iPhones.
The Crisco Pie and Baking Hotline offers advice in English and Spanish: 1-877-367-7438.
Turkey Confidential, annual live call-in radio show, will be broadcast on KCFR and KUNC from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 27, with such guests as Lidia Bastianich and Carla Hall along with host Lynne Rossetto Kasper. You can also listen to the audio live stream and find some of the show’s favorite recipes at splendidtable.org
And in the category of facts you probably don’t want to know, people typically consume 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving, twice as many as their normal intake, according to Colorado State University’s department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. That includes snacking, the main dinner, dessert and alcohol.
Here’s a recipe that will shave off a few calories.
Guilt-free Turkey Gravy
From the Colorado State University department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Makes 8¼-cup servings.
Ingredients
½ cup onion (finely chopped)
½ cup mushrooms (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)
2 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium and fat-free), divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
In a saucepan, over medium heat, sauté vegetables and parsley in ¼ cup of broth until tender.
In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch, pepper and ½ cup of broth. Stir until smooth. Add this to saucepan along with remaining broth.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 2 minutes.
For extra flavor, add a splash of white wine and turkey bits straight from your roasting pan.
