A Simple Thanksgiving for One

Not everyone gets to enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family, but that's no reason to miss out on the celebration of giving thanks and diving into a fantastic meal. Making a Thanksgiving dinner for one isn't as hard as it seems, and it doesn't cost as much as you'd expect. All you need area few basic items from the supermarket and a hungry belly.

Things you'll need for your Thanksgiving for One

A crock pot

A frozen turkey breast, such as Butterball's Frozen Whole Turkey Breast ($10 to $15)

One large sweet potato or yam ($1)

One large white potato or three small red potatoes ($1)

Fresh or frozen veggie of your choice ($3)

Jiffy corn bread mix ($.50)

Small can of creamed corn ($.70)

One pound of butter ($3)

Brown sugar ($2)

Eggs ($2)

Milk ($2)

A nearby Boston Market ($2)

A slice of pie from the freezer case at the supermarket

Seasonings like salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper

Optional items: buttermilk

The turkey will take about seven hours to cook in the crock pot so keep that in mind when planning your Thanksgiving for one. There is no need to thaw it ahead of time. Just remove the plastic and the gravy packet and place the frozen turkey breast in the crock pot with its mesh sleeve still on. Turn the crock pot on high and let the turkey do it's thing. There is no need to add broth or water because as it cooks, the turkey will make it's own juices. Every now and then flip the turkey breast around inside the crock pot to cook everything evenly. Save the gravy packet in the fridge until later.

Make a run to your nearest Boston Market. Buy a side of their stuffing. It's easy, it's delicious, and you can do it a day ahead of time if you want. Boston Market's stuffing is never dry and crunchy, and it is convenient. Bring it home and throw it in the fridge.

An hour to an hour and a half before you're ready to enjoy your Thanksgiving for one, boil some water. One pan for sweet potatoes, one pan for regular. The pans don't have to be huge, but there should be enough water so the potatoes can float around freely. For the sweet potato, cut it into three or four smaller chunks leaving the skins on. Place them in boiling water. When the potato becomes soft and the skins start to separate that's when you know to drain them. For the white potatoes, peel them first if you like, then cut them into smaller chunks. Boil until they're soft and drain.

Once the sweet potatoes have cooled a bit remove their skins and discard. They'll probably be soft enough to mash with a fork. Mash up the sweet potato adding copious amounts of butter until smooth. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon to taste and you have an easy sweet potato casserole.

Place the white potatoes in another bowl and add another unhealthy dose of butter. It's your very own Thanksgiving for one so get crazy with the butter. Start smashing with a potato masher or electric mixer. Add a little milk or buttermilk to smooth things out. Sprinkle on garlic powder, salt and black pepper to taste. Garnish with a pinch of paprika for color. Here's a tip, when you're making a big batch of mashed potatoes, throw in a raw egg. It'll make the smoothest, most perfect textured potatoes you've ever had.

It'll only take about 20 minutes to make cornbread. You can either follow the instructions on the Jiffy Cornbread box or you can get creative. According to the Jiffy recipe you'll need the cornbread mix, milk and an egg. If it doesn't scare you too much, replace the milk with a small can of creamed corn. Add some buttermilk. Mix a little honey into the batter. You really can't mess up Jiffy Cornbread.

Cook your Thanksgiving veggies in the microwave or on the stovetop. Steam them, sautee them, boil them. Whatever method you like is best. After all, this is your Thanksgiving for one. You can make your Thanksgiving meal however you like. Warm up the stuffing while you're at it.

Pull the juicy Thanksgiving turkey out of the crock pot, slice and enjoy. If you want, mix up the gravy according to the instructions on the package.

And for dessert, grab one of those single slices of pie from the frozen aisle at the supermarket. It doesn't have to be traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin or pecan. Have key lime pie at your Thanksgiving dinner for one. Or peanut butter pie. Or coconut cake.

Round out your Thanksgiving for one with a tasty bottle of wine and have yourself a Thanksgiving feast for one that you'll never forget.