Thanksgiving dinner-in-a-box from Lucky

All this plus a package of Hawaiian bread is yours for $50. You have to let the turkey thaw for 2-5 days in the fridge, though.

If you take away anything from this post, it's that if you order Thanksgiving dinner from Lucky, the turkey and most of the trimmings that come along with it are frozen. It's advised that you defrost the turkey two to five days in the fridge before warming it in the oven. (The turkey is fully cooked, which brings some peace of mind.) Having tried dinner-in-a-box for Thanksgiving from 99 Ranch and Safeway, we assumed the meal would be warm and ready to eat. Not so.

Still, the dinner packed a value. You get everything you see in the photo above plus a tray of Hawaiian bread (which we gobbled up while waiting for the turkey to thaw) for $50. My wife liked the cranberry sauce the best, the kids liked the mashed potatoes and gravy. And, the 12.3 lbs. turkey was good for several meals, lasting days after Thanksgiving. The turkey smelled great as it spent its two hours in the oven at 325 degrees. When we pulled it out the skin was crisp and the meat tender. It turned out better than the turkey we roasted last year. It turned out so well, in fact, that we're pretty sure to sign up for next year, too. We'll just have to remember to pick up the bird a few days in advance.