Rating this meal

When we asked Kevin Rathbun to prepare a Thanksgiving meal, the Dinner Dare came with Thanksgiving sized restrictions: Prepare a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, three sides and a dessert in about three hours, including prep time.

Rathbun was also given a $100 budget and instructions that he could only include ingredients and cooking equipment available to the average home cook — so no deep-fat fryers or Green Egg smokers allowed.

How did he do?

The first step in the Dinner Dare required Rathbun to go shopping and bring back receipts. After cruising the aisles at Publix, he spent $63.13.

“It would have been less, but I even bought sugar, salt and other basic staples that most cooks would already have at home,” said Rathbun.

“I was looking for something a little bit different that adds some spice,” said Rathbun. “The southwest really interests me so I drew inspiration from there.”

We asked for a meal to serve six to eight, but he cooked enough to serve 8 to 10.

Rathbun racked up points for preparing his feast from start to table in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

“Timing was really my whole focus,” he said. “If you’re really organized, you may be able to get it done in two.”

He also aced the budget restraints, coming in under the limit. And even though his menu featured two sides instead of three, the addition of the flavorful cilantro dumplings to the stew made up for the negative marks.

As a bonus, Rathbun was asked to come up with a day-after dish. With the turkey stew as a base, that request was easily met.

“The stew itself could be a great next-day dish,” he said. “You could thin it down a bit, add potatoes and turn it into a chowder. Or you could dress it up with puff pastry vol-au-vents or turn it into a pot pie. Take a little liquid out and roll it up into a soft taco. It’s a really flexible dish.”