Thankfully, serving holiday dinner doesn’t require cooking all day
Terrified of the turkey? Cranky about the cranberries? Petrified by the pie?
Relax. If the thought of whipping up Thanksgiving dinner is a little more than you can handle this year, rest assured that there are a lot of opportunities across the valley for getting the whole shootin' match to go.
Dawn Miller said her family has been getting Marie Callender's holiday feast -- which the company calls its Holiday Feast -- for at least five years.
"The first time we did it," she said, "we were very pleased with how good the food tasted. You warm it up and it tastes like it just came out of the oven."
The food is in separate containers, she noted, in a special box, and heating instructions are provided.
"It's very well-organized and very nice," Miller said.
She said she usually has about six people for Thanksgiving dinner and ends up with a few leftovers -- just like with a home-cooked meal. Her family has begun to look forward to it, she said.
"They all know that we're going to get dinner from Marie's," she said. "It's become our own tradition."
Andrew Chadwick, executive chef at Ravella at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, said the hotel's management decided to offer takeout dinners for this, the resort's first Thanksgiving.
"We have so many homeowners at Lake Las Vegas, and a number of them fly out here to eat with their family," he said. "You don't want to eat once; you want to eat twice. By the third football game, you're ready for a turkey sandwich."
And the host or hostess, he said, can "claim they sweated over a hot stove all day."
Ravella is going the traditional route, in part because of a more traditional clientele. "We're not on the Strip, where we can do a deconstructed turkey with meat glue and foam," he said.
But some traditions aren't sacrosanct. While Chadwick's kitchen is whipping up a green-bean casserole, he admits with a laugh that no, it won't be made with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup.
"We do a little different spin on it," he said. "We try to get the traditional flavors." To the blanched and shocked green beans they'll add a rich mushroom gravy made with a turkey-stock base and top them with very thin onion rings, crushed with a little bit of panko.
"Crispy, crunchy -- you have all those flavors," Chadwick said.
He hopes to take orders for 100 to-go packages.
"It'll keep us very busy," he said.
At the Smith's store at 9851 W. Charleston Blvd., service-deli manager Elizabeth Markey recommends early orders, since she'll only have 85 packages available.
She said the store sees a lot of regular customers for the Thanksgiving dinners, because "they work at casinos, they do all kinds of different jobs, and they can kind of meet in the middle and make the meal quick and have a meal with their family."
The food is fully cooked, she said, and just needs to be warmed up.
"They're wonderful," she said. "They're easy. They make their Thanksgiving complete."
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Following is a listing of some of the packages available across the valley. It is not meant to be a complete listing. Order as soon as possible -- at least a few days in advance; the deadline for some is Saturday, and in many cases, quantities are limited. And note that some turkeys are partially cooked, some fully cooked.
■ Albertsons, multiple locations across the valley
Classic Turkey Dinner ($49.99) serves eight to 10 and includes 10- to 12-pound fully cooked Butterball turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing. Ultimate Turkey Dinner ($89.99) also serves eight to 10 and includes 16- to 18-pound fully cooked Butterball turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls and a 10-inch pie. Ham and prime rib dinners also are available.
■ The Barrymore, 99 Convention Center Drive
Family-style dinner for six or more includes roast free-range turkey, autumn salad, bacon-mushroom dressing, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato gratin, mashed potatoes with giblet gravy and pumpkin tart with spiced whipped cream. The cost is $40 per person with a six-person minimum. Individual dinners also are available for $35. Optional wine pairings are $15. Pickup is anytime after noon on Thanksgiving Day.
■ Buca di Beppo, 412 E. Flamingo Road or 7690 W. Lake Mead Blvd.
Thanksgiving to Go comes in small (serves three, $39.99), large (serves six, $69.99) or extra-large (serves up to 20, $199.99) and includes turkey, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and cranberry sauce. Order by 9 p.m. Saturday; pickup between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
■ Food 4 Less, multiple locations in valley
Turkey dinner ($39.99) serves eight to 10 and includes a 10- to 13-pound roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls and 8-inch pumpkin, sweet potato or apple pie. Ham dinners also are available. Pickup on or before Thanksgiving Day.
■ Hash House A Go Go, 6800 W. Sahara Ave. location only
Turkey Dinner To Go Go ($89.95) serves six and includes 10-pound deep-fried turkey, stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, pumpkin mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots, biscuits and strawberry jam, cranberry sauce and Snickers or pumpkin bread pudding. Order deadline is noon Monday, with pickup between noon and 8 p.m. Nov. 23.
■ Honeybaked Ham, three locations in valley
Whole Roasted Turkey Feast ($69.95), which serves 10 to 12, includes 11- to 13-pound turkey, cornbread dressing, sweet potato souffle, turkey gravy and 9-inch Southern pecan pie. Whole roasted, smoked or Cajun-seasoned turkeys also are available, as well as ham and beef dinners. Pickup until 8 p.m. Nov. 23.
■ M Resort, 12300 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Henderson
Thanksgiving To Go Package ($139.99) serves 10 and includes butternut squash soup, whole roasted turkey, traditional stuffing, Yukon gold mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, maple-glazed yams, cranberry relish, creamed corn, green beans almondine, Hawaiian sweet rolls and honey butter, apple pie and pumpkin pie. Optional wine pairings are an additional $20. Call 797-1884 by Saturday; pickup on loading dock, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
■ Marie Callender's, four locations in the valley
Holiday Feast includes roasted turkey breast ($99.99) or whole turkey ($119.99), serves six to eight and comes with apple-sage stuffing, roasted yams with cranberry-struesel topping, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, vegetables, cornbread, whole pumpkin or apple pie, and coffee. Ham and ham-turkey combos also are available. Pickup on Thanksgiving Day or up to a week before.
■ Ravella, Lake Las Vegas, Henderson
Thanksgiving To-Go ($120) serves five and includes 15-pound turkey, roasted butternut squash soup, herb stuffing, mashed Yukon gold potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet peas, carrots and pearl onions, cranberry citrus relish, homemade gravy and choice of two pies -- pumpkin, apple, pecan or lemon meringue. The order and pre-payment deadline is Saturday. Pickup at the hotel valet between noon and 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
■ Smith's, multiple locations across valley
Turkey dinner ($39.99) includes pre-cooked 10- to 12-pound turkey, stuffing, turkey gravy, mashed potatoes, King's Hawaiian rolls and 8-inch pumpkin or fruit pie. Spiral ham and prime rib dinners also are available. Pickup the day before or on Thanksgiving Day.
■ Sunflower Farmers Market, 3365 E. Tropicana Ave. or 4020 S. Rainbow Blvd.
Meal Deal options are a turkey breast (serves two to three, $29.99) or whole 10- to 12-pound roast turkey (serves six to eight, $49.99) with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, French-cut green beans almondine and dinner rolls. Ham dinners also are available. Pickup on Thanksgiving Day.
■ Whole Foods Market, four locations in valley
Holiday Meal for six (between 10- and 12-pound turkey, $79.99; between 12- and 14-pound turkey, $89.99; between 14- and 16-pound turkey, $99.99; between16- and 18-pound turkey, $109.99) with stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce. Roasted or smoked turkeys also are available. Pickup between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.
Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.
