As a Filipino working for American companies for 99% of my career, I’ve been exposed to federal holidays as if they were my own. While I normally just got those days off, I finally experienced my first American Thanksgiving last year.

Celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November, this federal holiday is usually portrayed in movies and television as a mix of: football games, stuffed roast turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, parades (most notably Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), and ridiculous distant relatives coming in to wreck the day. Oh, and of course, giving thanks.

So what did I expect when my boyfriend invited me for Thanksgiving last year? All of the above, and none of it at the same time. I was excited as hell, but he didn’t cook and didn’t want me to cook either. “Baby, I couldn’t ask you to do that as my guest,” he told me. “That just… Not being a good host haha.” He’s not wrong, but I wasn’t going to have my first Thanksgiving eating boxed mac and cheese (it’s good, but not exactly festive).

Being the stubborn woman that I am, I insisted, and he caved. But I panicked, because: a) this is beyond my paygrade, and b) most Thanksgivings involve a ton of food. Neither of our families will be with us, so I had to make a proper dinner for two.

I’m sharing these recipes with hopes that you, too, can have an easy time preparing a yummy dinner for you and whomever you’re spending this special holiday with! After all, it’s just two weeks away. Or heck, just prepare it any time of the year as a special two-person meal (or maybe for yourself as a 2-night meal prep idea!)

Roasted Chicken/Turkey for Two

Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 3/4 lb chicken or turkey breast (I used chicken)
• sea salt and cracked pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Drizzle olive oil over chicken breast; coat using brush or your clean(!) hands.
3. Sprinkle rosemary liberally on the chicken.
4. Add salt and cracked pepper to taste.
5. Place the chicken in a shallow roasting pan.
6. Cook for approximately 25 minutes per pound (so keep checking every 20-25 minutes to see if done).
7. Periodically baste with juices in the pan, especially near the end of the process.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients

• 2 cups cranberries
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup honey (depends on your preferred sweetness level)
• 1 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• zest and juice from one orange
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Cook over medium-low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep stirring, and allow the fresh cranberries to “pop” as they cook.

Mac and Cheese

Funny story, this was actually derived from a truffle mac and cheese recipe (see below). However, they ran out of truffle oil at the grocery, so I made it without.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups pasta (I used penne, but feel free to use macaroni or any similar type of pasta)
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (if using parmigiano reggiano, make sure to finely grate it)
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 block cream cheese
• ground or cracked pepper to taste (I used cracked black pepper)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to its package directions (don’t forget to salt your water!).
2. Drain the pasta (set aside some pasta water for later) and place in a bowl.
3. Warm the chicken stock and then adjust the heat to medium.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the parmesan and flour so that the flour coats the parmesan. Add this the warmed stock and stir until the cheese melts and mixture thickens slightly.
5. Add the pasta and cream cheese, and stir until the cream cheese is completely melted. Add pasta water if the consistency gets too thick for your liking (it will reduce over time).
6. Serve, and season to taste with freshly ground/cracked pepper.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

• sea salt
• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed and for serving
• 1 ounce cream cheese (or sour cream), at room temperature (optional)
• ground or cracked black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat as you prep the potatoes.
2. Peel the potatoes. Then, chop as finely or as coarsely as you’d like. Note that the finer they are going into the water, the easier they will be to mash later.
3. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and simmer until they are falling-apart tender, which usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. As the potatoes boil, warm your dairy. For this recipe, I used 1 tablespoon of butter and 1/2 cup of milk. Feel free to alter this, but remember that the more fat, the creamier your recipe will be. Just make sure to warm the dairy first (using the microwave is fine), and let any cream cheese or sour cream come to room temperature.
5. When the potatoes are quite soft, you can drain them completely and then return them to the pan. Add the butter and cook for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring the potatoes rapidly and vigorously to help any extra water evaporate. If you don’t have a potato masher, a fork or spoon is fine for the job. Mashers make for super smooth potatoes, but my mom and I have been making mashed potatoes with forks for as long as I can remember.
6. Add the warm milk or cream, and any other dairy you’d like to throw in like sour cream or cream cheese (which I used). Pour the milk in slowly, stirring constantly. Keep stirring and cooking until the potatoes are of the consistency you want.
7. Serve immediately, but you can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Disclaimer: I derived recipes online and modified them as I went about in the kitchen. Proper credits are below.
Rosemary Roasted Turkey | Cranberry Apple Chutney | Truffle Mac and Cheese | How To Make Mashed Potatoes for Two