By Melissa Pette

This is the second year that Costa Rica has included Thanksgiving as an official celebration. That's fantastic!

Let's raise our spirits and celebrate one of the most important days of the year for expats. It's the time to be thankful for the good and also, give thanks for the lessons learned this year.

So yes! Thanksgiving mode is on. Time to cook some easy, fast and budget-friendly recipes.

Today, we take a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving whole turkey and cook finger-licking turkey legs.

This recipe is for people with cholesterol predicaments. The recommendation also includes people a little bit overweight since turkey is white meat without much fat.

 So, let's go to the kitchen!

The ingredients are easy to find in Costa Rica. For four guests you'll need:

• 4 small or medium-sized turkey drumsticks.

• 2 green apples.

• 2 chopped large white onions.

• 125 milliliters (half a glass) of white wine.

• 2 sweet plantains (platano maduro).

• 8 dry large plums (seedless).

• Vegetable or sunflower oil.

• 1 teaspoon salt.

• 1 teaspoon pepper.

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

• 1 branch of parsley.

You can replace the turkey drumsticks for breast or thick slices. At Pricesmart a whole 3-pound Butterball turkey costs about $18, the Butterball brand 1.3 kg package breast for $15, and the Smithfield brand 1 kg thick-sliced turkey for $11.

Ground meat instead of turkey is another option. Try frying the meatballs after baking. This makes them more crispy.

For the breast, follow the same steps in this recipe. If you prefer to cook the thick-sliced precooked, you should bake for only 8 to 10 minutes.

After washing the turkey drumsticks, place them in a large baking Pyrex, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the salt and pepper all over the turkey with your hands.

Chop the onions into large squares, peel the apples into thick wedges and add them on Pyrex. Then, pour the wine and a bit of oil.

Roast the turkey, apples and onions in the oven at 392 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Then turn off the oven and keep the turkey in the oven but take out the onions, apples and the juice that we made with the turkey and the wine. Do it carefully, don't burn yourself.

The sauce. In the blender, add the onions, apples and juice. Blend very carefully because the ingredients are still hot. Set the sauce to the side.

Next, peel the plantains and cut them into large pieces, about 2 centimeters thick. In a pan, add more oil and fry them with large dried plums and a pinch of cinnamon.

I like to put the bananas and plums on the base of a large dish, then turkey and the sauce on top. Sprinkle a pinch of cinnamon. Finish the plate with some parsley as garnish.

Here you go! In a few minutes, you've made the main mouthwatering dish for your loved ones. 

You should add one or two more white wine bottles to the top of the ingredients list. Yay!

Have a Pura Vida Thanksgiving!

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Find more tasty step-by-step Costa Rican food recipes on the AM Costa Rica Food & Good Eating page. You are invited to share your favorite recipes with a horizontal photo of the dish by emailing food@amcostarica.com.