Holiday cooking on a budget

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holidays can also be the most expensive. If you're looking to stretch your dollars over the season, you may be able to prepare Christmas dinner for less than you thought.

Preparing a tasty turkey dinner for a family of five or six can be done for $40-$50, says Cole Snell, the owner of Uptown Cut restaurant in Thunder Bay, Ont., but it may take some creativity, and planning.

When the challenge was put to him by CBC, Snell decided to be strategic, by first taking stock of ingredients he already had.

"Keep it close to home," said Snell, "take an inventory of common household ingredients before you venture to the grocery store," so that you won't be buying things you don't need.

Most people will have simple ingredients such as flour, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar and butter on hand, said Snell, and when he peered in his own fridge he also found some oranges, so he settled on making turkey with an orange glaze.

He then set off to the supermarket to price out ingredients at a Superstore (owned by Loblaws) in Thunder Bay.

Here's his basic grocery list, with approximate prices:

• Turkey $15
• Crusty bread (for stuffing) $2
• Walnuts (for stuffing) $4.50
• Dried apricots (for stuffing) $3
• Dried cranberries (for cranberries) $3
• Potatoes $5
• Garlic $0.25
• Whipping cream(for potatoes and pie) $4
• Canned pumpkin pie filling $2.50

Total: approximately $39.25 Add another few dollars for oranges, and any other ingredients that you might not have at home, and you're still looking at a pretty low-cost meal.

Preparing the turkey

The most expensive part of a turkey dinner is usually the turkey. At 95 cents perpound, Snellsaid he would opt for a 12-15 pound 'utility' turkey.

Utility turkeys are less expensive because they're not aesthetically perfect.

Snell said he would brine the bird for 24 - 48 hours before cooking it with a simple glaze made of sugar and orange juice, and a stuffing made with bread, olive oil, walnuts, apricots and herbs, and stock made from the turkey neck and giblets.

The sides

The main side Snell planned for is a simple dish of mashed potatoes with roasted garlic. He also suggested making a gravy from the turkey drippings, and fresh cranberry-orange sauce cooked over the stove.

Dessert

A classic pumpkin pie won't cost much if you use ingredients you already have to make a simple pie crust, and there's nothing wrong with canned pumpkin, said Snell.

The splurge

It may take you over-budget, but Snell said his ideal holiday menu would also include a tortiere made from ground pork seasoned and sauteed with salt, pepper and cloves, and a simple pie crust made with flour and butter.