I'm ok with most of the suggestions, but in an article about shortcuts, I'm surprised the author insisted on stuffing the bird. It takes longer. It makes timing the cooking harder (cooking the stuffing til done often means an overdone breast). And often there isn't enough stuffing to fit into the bird and serve everyone, meaning you either make another side of stuffing separately or just let everyone have a tiny portion.

i agree. The best stuffing is homemade with bread crumbs, sage and of course lots of the butter and parsley, celery poured over the stuffing after sauteeein gthe .

The best pies are home made of course but for a good coconut pie just make your own puddin gout of milk cornstarch and real flavoring cconut then thecoconut, if lemon then the lemon and of course then top this wiuth a cream cheese and real lemones or coconut or even pumkin ccokes the little ones cooked very fast in a mcirowave or on teh stopve top. Canned yams in their jsuice is the bes wayto make a sweet yam casserole fast just add teh pecan, brown sugar and butter with a little flour to crumbly and this will melt and make a great cramel topping this is very god. Then add hte marshmallow and they melt and the kids love that marshmallow topping.

In our family the large frozencorn in the freezer make the best corn and also the broccli and cheese casseroler is alwyas great with the plain chopped brocilli. Allens green beans coutry style have the best flavor in a can and if the oil used is a healthy oil such as olive, canola or even corn oil then this is a good dish also.

the best topping fora german choclate cake is from low percent milk better, sugar and then add teh conut and pecans. That way there is very little sugar neded of course coconut milk and the frozen coocnut are a must in some desserts such a a cocnut cake. KFC cole slaw is our favorite and then amborsia with jus fruit cocktail, cool whip and lemon flavoring and slices of banaNAS and oranges.

I perfer the betty crocker rolls in canned good biscuits section of the store there is a great cheese and garlic quick biscuit mix from martha white.

A stuffed bird adds flavor to the bird and the gravy and to the stuffing as well. Brine your birds and the white meats will not dry out. Keep any egg products out of your dressing and you can eat it raw. Take the extra stuffing that does not fit inside the bird and put it in a casserole dish and heat up once the bird is pulled from the oven and resting. I give mine at least 1/3 to 3/4 an hours rest while I pull together the rest of the food including this baked stuffing.

I always stuff the bird. Always. It's just wrong not to. One thing that some people miss is stuffing the neck cavity - on a big bird, that can make a huge difference and cause less whining. I've put the excess in foil on the side of the roasting pan with good success. It still soaks up some juices and tastes way better than adding stock.

You can avoid a dry turkey breast by starting the cooking breast down and turning it over about 3/4 of the way through. I also put a piece of foil on the breast and remove it in the last hour to brown up the skin. If you do that and make sure there's some liquid in the roasting pan, you should be good.

This year the stuffing involves shitake mushrooms, leeks and Granny Smith apples. It sounds wonderful..

Absolutely stuff the neck. You'll need to pin it closed but it does hold a good volume of stuff(ing).

My stuffing........leeks, celery, white raisons, italian sausage, water chestnuts with a sage/butter toasted white bread base and a tad of chicken stock to pre-moisten.

Add apricot nectar (I use 2 8oz cans) to the basting material before cooking. You'll never go back to just plain chicken broth.

The earlier message--how to eat well on a budget, with the kinds of foods available in working class neighborhoods and towns--was very useful.

That another reader took it for a "joke" confirms the classist underpinnings of this piece.

That sounds amazing. Let me know how it turns out. I've never used sausage in a stuffing before, but it would be a good way to add some spice to the proceedings. The only stuffing that I just won't make is oyster. That just strikes me as vile.

We're basting with an apple cider reduction that has just a leeedle bit of Calvados.

And believe me, I've been poor, so I know precisely how to cook on a budget. In fact, I'll be willing to be that I can come up with a cheaper, healthier Thanksgiving dinner than that poster described.

There are some things that I can tell you right off the bat are too expensive. Canned yams? Please. They're cheaper fresh. It only takes a minute to peel them. Gimme a break.

Marshmallow topping? No way. Too much money. If you want a sweet yam dish, cook the yams until they're done, add a little butter, some skim milk and maple syrup and whip it with a hand mixer. Top with some crumbled bacon that you've had cooking on the stove top earlier in the day. Cheaper, better for you and it isn't pretending to be dessert.

The fact that I don't need to worry about the cost of groceries any more really hasn't made a difference in the way I cook. Everything tastes better fresh, no matter what it is. The only cans in my pantry are tomato paste, plain kidney beans, and pumpkin. I don't use instant or pre-prepared anything, except for rolled oats.

I don't understand why people are afraid of taking a little extra time, using a knife and really cooking a meal. In fact, I consider it a challenge to use things like tough cuts of meat to make dinners that people rave about. Try it sometime.

The key to cooking on a budget is to not waste any food that you do buy. There's a ton of meals in a turkey. It is actually one the best buys you'll get on meat. Too much to devolve into here but literally until your down to just plain bones a turkey has a lot to offer.

"add a little butter, some skim milk and maple syrup and whip it with a hand mixer"

Oh. Why, that's totally inexpensive and gives a working person a day off from menial tasks. Good show.

Go to any grocery store. Look at a can of yams. What is the price per ounce? It's an easy calculation. Then compare that to fresh yams. See how easy that was? See how cheap it is?

Now price the marshmallow stuff. Then compare it to, say, brown sugar or maple syrup. Throw a banana into the yams before you beat them. Cheaper, I guarantee it.

Cole slaw from a fast food joint? Yeah, right. Buy a frickin' head of cabbage for less than a buck and make your own.

There was a time when I was working a full time job, a part time job (both about minimum wage) and going to university at the same time.That was all I had to pay for rent, food, taxes, tuition and books. There was no, and I mean zero, money for clothing, coffee, eating out (McDonalds was too expensive) or anything else. There was no family to help me, and no one I could turn to if I got in trouble.

I only had enough money to eat dinner three days a week. If I missed a day of work, I didn't eat that day. At all. I was operating on about four hours of sleep a night. If I cooked the way you're claiming is cheap, I would have been eating one day a week.

Don't give me any bullsh** excuses about money or time. If you aren't willing to start from scratch on a few things to save money, then you deserve to go hungry. That's just lazy.

Actually, when you're down to bones, throw them in the oven and roast them. When they're nice and brown, toss them in a stock pot with enough water to cover, with some onion, mushrooms and carrots.

When the liquid is reduced to half, strain the stock, discard the solids and put it back on the stove. Add some salt, but not too much and continue to reduce it. Season it as you go along. Use salt and pepper and whatever you think tastes good. Marjoram is nice. When it tastes right, add potatoes, whatever veg you have in the fridge, more onion, a little garlic, simmer until they're done, and TaDa!

Soup for at least a couple of days.

Stuffing is gross. I only stuff with onions, apples, celery and carrots. And make cornbread dressing in a separate baking dish.