There are few holidays that call for infusion more than Thanksgiving. After all, you (or your family and friends) are likely already spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing an epic dinner. And with a meal that almost necessitates overeating, some herb can go a long way to help you stay hungry for it all and feel relaxed—rather than uncomfortable—when it’s over. Infusions can be intimidating, though, especially when you’re already making a giant turkey and tons of side dishes. Herb interviewed Chef Milz of Rockstar Chefz for some easy tips on how to make a Danksgiving—and ensure no one gets too high while eating it.

CBD Drinks

“If you put THC in it, CBD it. If you don’t put THC in it, CBD it,” says Milz. CBD is an easy—and harmless—way to make sure everyone stays in a good place whether your Thanksgiving is medicated or not. You can put a few drops of a good tincture in anything, says Milz: eggnog or cider for after dinner or the water people are drinking throughout the meal. It could be a good way to introduce family and friends to the healing potential of CBD, which can help folks relax and alleviate pain. Importantly, if the meal is infused, it helps balance out THC so no one suddenly finds themselves way too high. CBD can be ordered online in all 50 states.

Danksgiving Weed Biscuits and Gravy

One of the biggest mistakes people make when cannabis cooking, says Milz, is that they make dishes which require too much heat for too long. This decreases the potency of THC. Biscuits and gravy, however, are a great dish to infuse. Firstly because “the secret of a good biscuit,” says Milz, “is chunks of butter,” and cannabutter is a key ingredient for most infused cooking. Secondly, because they only go in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.

If you want to do infused gravy with your biscuits, you can also use cannabutter, which is what’s recommended in Herb’s recipe, or you can just put a few droppers of a tincture in your gravy once it’s done. You can also put a CBD tincture in your gravy to balance out the weed biscuits.

Just make sure if you’re using cannabutter—whether in the biscuits, gravy or anything else—you use half cannabutter and half regular butter, says Milz. A rookie mistake is that people use too much cannabutter and then their food tastes like weed. It’s not necessary, though, to use that much cannabutter to get elevated. In fact, it’s probably not a good idea if you’re going to infuse your whole meal.

Danksgiving Turkey with Infused Stuffing

So you want to infuse your turkey, eh? Ambitious. Turkey is the perfect example of an infused dish that will lose a lot of its potency because of how long it needs to cook in the oven. Instead, you can infuse your stuffing with cannabutter and then put it in the turkey. Too much cannabutter in your stuffing, however, runs the risk of making it greasy, says Milz. A good option is to just chop up some raw cannabis flower along with the parsley, celery, onions and other raw ingredients you typically put in your stuffing. The turkey cooks for so long that the flower will actually decarb itself inside the turkey. You can also, once again, put a CBD or THC: CBD tincture into the broth you use to moisten the stuffing.

Danksgiving Weed Mashed Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes

Milz says potatoes are the perfect ingredient to infuse because the starchiness of them takes the full effect of the THC butter or oil. Potatoes, also, tend to call for a lot of butter anyway. You can make whipped sweet potatoes using Herb’s recipe or try Milz’ Medicated Mashed Potatoes Au Gratin. She loves this recipe because they achieve that delectable combination of sweet and salty often called “umami.” “They’re creamy, they’re silky,” Milz says. “They activate all the senses of your tongue and that’s what I look for in all my food, whether it’s medicated or not.”

Chef Milz’ Medicated Mashed Potatoes Au Gratin

Ready in: 40 Minutes

Serves: 6-8 people

Potency: 5 mg of THC per portion

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons of medicated butter THC/CBD
• 5 tablespoons of non-medicated Butter
• 1 ½ cups of milk
• 1 cup of Parmesan Cheese, shredded
• 4 Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut in four
• Salt and White Pepper
• 2 tablespoons of chopped flower or one whole leaf for garnish (optional)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Place peeled potatoes in a large Dutch oven
• Cover with water; add a few pinches of salt & bring to a boil
• Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender; drain
• Return potatoes to a bowl
• Add 2 tbsp of butter & ⅓ cup of milk and cheese
• Mash with a fork or potato masher until they start to break down. As they become smooth, continue to add butter, milk & cheese until they’re your desired consistency (save a tbsp of butter & Parmesan cheese for topping)
• Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese and butter
• Put in the oven covered with Aluminum foil for 20 min, then uncover and put back in the oven for another 10 min or until you have a cheesy browned crust on top
• Sprinkle chopped flower or place one leaf of hemp on top for a pretty garnish

Tips

• If you’re preparing your own butter, remember to not decarb it longer than 27 minutes at 251 degrees
• Dosage provided is a calculation based on the specific strain I used. Dosage may fluctuate based on the flower used.

Danksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving—and especially a Danksgiving—are not complete without pumpkin pie. And according to Chef Milz, it’s not that hard to infuse either. Using Herb’s recipe, you can do it in a short 35 minutes with cannabutter. This could be a great way to end the meal, even if you decide to cook everything else normally.

There are some other options for infusing here too. Once again, you can use a tincture by mixing a few drops into your pumpkin filling or whipped cream so that not everyone has to partake. Or, if you don’t want to make cannabutter, you can try infusing with Ruby’s Cannabis Sugar. They have a THC version available in some legal states and a CBD version available in all 50 states.

Chef Milz has cooked for celebrities including Snoop Dogg, Tyga, and Travis Barker, among others. Her company Rockstar Chefz is bringing infused cooking to Miami, Charleston, South Lake Tahoe, and various locations across California in 2019. For information on upcoming events, sign up for her mailing list here.