Everyday Thanksgiving by Rachael Ray

As promised, I did try out Rachael Ray's recipe for Turkey Thyme Meatloaf Patties with Mashed Sweet Potatoes (Everyday with Rachael Ray, Nov.edition, pg.106). Although, I really liked the outcome, I was able to note some shortcuts and substitutions that I will make in the future to make it a true thirty minute meal. However, there really is no substitute for fresh thyme.

My substitutes would be:

1. Add onion soup mix to the patties, a long with bread crumbs, eggs, and thyme. This eliminates chopping of onions and seasons just right.
   
2. Use canned (yes, I wrote it) sweet potatoes. It will be much easier and saves time on peeling and boiling. But if you do boil, add chicken boullions to water (if you do not have broth) while boiling potatoes to season potatoes. Save the boiling water after draining potatoes, then reuse it to mash potatoes. This will keep the broth flavor in the potatoes. Use broth on canned potatoes, too. Really makes a difference. 
   
3. Make the sauce as directed, but leave out onions (already added with soup mix). Be careful not to burn the flour. Sauce recipe calls for orange juice and zest. It is okay to use just a splash of already made juice. 
   
4. I may add dried cranberries next time to the sauce to really "Thanksgiving" it up. I also left out ketchup from the sauce to keep more of a gravy taste. 
   
5. To the sweet potatoes, I added some fresh chives (though dried would work), a hint of ginger and a touch more of brown sugar. 

Here is a picture of the end result of my attempt at the recipe.

From fancy restaurant night

The kids liked it, but prefer no onions next time. Oh, well! 

My next recipe, Strawberry Whipped Sensation.