Bachelor Chow: Thanksgiving

Gentlemen, I know I came to you saying that I would give you some simple ideas on how to cook for yourself, but in a very short day and a half thanksgiving comes upon us. This is the perfect time of year to eat well without having to cook a single thing.

As we all know, Thanksgiving is the special time of year when families get together, eat dinner, and pretend to get along, but living as a bachelor, this time of year presents itself as the perfect situation to scam a delicious series of post turkey day, left-over meals from relatives.

As families get together for the feast, it is a common courtesy that every attending family bring at least one item to be shared with the entire group. This is where being a lone wolf and not knowing how to cook comes as a blessing. Everyone else brings the food while you just sit back watch football and eat other peoples meals. It really doesn't get much better than that.

Most families are cooking for a small army even though no more than a few family members are attending, and this is where the bachelor makes out like a bandit. Let's face it guys, everyone loves Thanksgiving leftovers, but at the end of most feasts there is too much for even the host to hang on to. This is where I say load up. Grab an extra plate or two and grab some more turkey. Take that last slab of canned cranberry sauce everyone was too full to eat. You may think to yourself, "That's a bit rude." Wrong! In my experience, after a huge meal family members act like used car salesmen trying to get rid of last years inventory; and come on, by that time everyones is too full and tired to even argue. So again i say LOAD UP! Extra pie? Sure.

It may seem like I'm telling you to rob you host and other family members blind of all the left-over edible happiness, but that's simply not true. While I do say go for the good stuff, if you leave enough for your host to enjoy later they are more than likely to be happy you're taking some of what may go to waste off their hands.

The best part of turkey day for some may be enjoying the company of family, which I do enjoy, but to me it's all about the food, and being able to eat turkey for the next few days without cooking is the best. Heat and eat.

Now, if your host happens to be your mother and she only lives a couple miles away, like mine does, you can do what i do. Forgo the whole idea of making a big plate to take home, and drop by her house unannounced around dinner time to help polish off some of those extra bits of heaven. Either way you're going to be eating well for the next few days.

I realize that some of you out there may be completely isolated from any near by relatives with no means, funds, or time off to go visit, and i do have a couple of suggestions. You may want to think about finding a community center that offers a Thanksgiving meal. I don't believe you'll be able to take any left-overs, but i could be wrong. There may be other people out there just like you who can't get to their families for the holiday, which offers up a chance to make new friends and possible company to feast with next year if the same problems arise.

If a community center Thanksgiving is not your style, I offer this second suggestion as one i myself have taken once or twice in my life. Get a Swanson Hungry Man dinner. They're simple and satisfying.

"Hey, I'm a guy who likes to eat seconds!"

Not a problem, friend. Buy two Hungry Man dinners and stagger the cook times by ten minutes. Put one in and then put the other one in ten minutes after. That way your second "plate" of food,when you eat it, is just as hot as the first.

And if you can pack away two pounds of Swanson Hungry Man turkey I commend you.

I would also like to point out that this theory works well with other holidays too, such as Christmas, and to a lesser degree (in my experience) Easter. So eat up men!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and until next time remember, bachelor cooking and scamming left-overs from family is not that hard.