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Vegetarians, How Do You Do Thanksgiving?
The lack of awesome, sophisticated, non-borrowed vegetarian entrees in the world is a serious thorn in my culinary side. My standby veganizable "fancy dishes" are the mushroom strudel from Smitten Kitchen (I believe Fillo Factory, which is available at Whole Foods, makes vegan filo; skip the parmesan and sub Earth Balance for butter) and the wine-glazed lentils and vegetables from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (possibly dubiously legal copy here: http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Green%20lentils%20with%20wine-glazed%20vegetables). For non-vegan vegetarians, there are a lot of awesome recipes for veggie tarts or galettes, but cheese is often a critical ingredient. Ditto winter-veggie lasagna or pasta dishes.
Key rule for vegan cooking: subbing for butter and milk is easy; subbing for eggs is hard!
Cook the Book: 'New Classic Family Dinners'
One of my childhood favorites that I still make is breakfast for dinner. The classic arrangement in my family is French toast made with cinnamon bread, home fries, fruit salad, and bacon for meat eaters.
Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'
I love a lot of the blogs already mentioned, but I have to give the shout-out here to Tammy Donroe's Food on the Food, which has led me to a lot of fantastic local stuff.
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Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
The first year I had a serious boyfriend, we decided to do both of our family's dinners. Of course, he was over six feet tall and could pack it away; meanwhile, I think I offended both families by eating pretty much one bite of everything at both meals!
Vegetarians, How Do You Do Thanksgiving?
The lack of awesome, sophisticated, non-borrowed vegetarian entrees in the world is a serious thorn in my culinary side. My standby veganizable "fancy dishes" are the mushroom strudel from Smitten Kitchen (I believe Fillo Factory, which is available at Whole Foods, makes vegan filo; skip the parmesan and sub Earth Balance for butter) and the wine-glazed lentils and vegetables from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (possibly dubiously legal copy here: http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Green%20lentils%20with%20wine-glazed%20vegetables). For non-vegan vegetarians, there are a lot of awesome recipes for veggie tarts or galettes, but cheese is often a critical ingredient. Ditto winter-veggie lasagna or pasta dishes.
Key rule for vegan cooking: subbing for butter and milk is easy; subbing for eggs is hard!
Cook the Book: 'New Classic Family Dinners'
One of my childhood favorites that I still make is breakfast for dinner. The classic arrangement in my family is French toast made with cinnamon bread, home fries, fruit salad, and bacon for meat eaters.
Cook the Book: 'The Pioneer Woman Cooks'
I love a lot of the blogs already mentioned, but I have to give the shout-out here to Tammy Donroe's Food on the Food, which has led me to a lot of fantastic local stuff.
Cook the Book: Pumpkin Baking
Thai pumpkin soup! Mmm.
Cook the Book: 'The Craft of Baking'
I am unshakably loyal to the ice cream of my childhood, which comes from Kimball Farms in Westford, MA. It faces some stiff competition from the house-made tiramisu at Trattoria Toscana in the Fenway in downtown Boston, though.
Cook the Book: 'Gourmet Today'
The first cookbook I ever owned was the Klutz book "Kids' Cooking." The first one I remember cooking a recipe out of was Nava Atlas's "Vegetariana," and the one I got when I moved out was the first revised edition of "Joy of Cooking." (The one I'd give someone moving out today, though, is Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything!")
Cook the Book: 'Dishing Up Vermont'
I think MA can give VT a run for its money in the maple syrup business.
Betty Crocker gluten-free mix?
My celiac friend gave the yellow cake mix a good review as well: he used it as a base for making cake-like blueberry muffins.
Seriously Meatless: Fresh Tagliatelle with Green Beans, Rainbow Chard, and Aged Goat Cheese
This looks awesome! You appear to have left the pasta out of the ingredients list, though :) I'm going to guess maybe a couple of pounds of fresh pasta, which would be enough to make 4 cups or so worth?
Cook the Book: 'Bite-Size Desserts'
Mini cream puffs: sticking one in your mouth whole is the only way to eat them without risking a creamy disaster!
You truly do get what you pay for
I have ethical standards about dairy and eggs, and so end up spending more on those. I have taste standards about coffee.
I also like to eat some foods that just aren't cheap, like mushrooms!
Here's a trick I learned somewhere: buy cheap olive oil for cooking with, and then a nicer version for finishing dishes, where you'll taste its flavor strongly.
Serious Green: Save Money and Time, Cut Down on Waste by Joining a Co-op or Buying Club
I belong to a bulk buying club, and while I love some things about it, I find it doesn't always offer the best price on staples. Often, my local coop (Harvest in Cambridge) or even Whole Foods will have the same product for less. I think that this is because my club is relatively small; the distributor gives bigger discounts to high-volume buyers (like stores) that seem to make up for the markup. So while I think they can be great opportunities to save money and packaging, it's worth checking them against other sources you have access to!
That said, our club doesn't have an annual fee, and so it's totally worthwhile to me, even if I only buy things like vitamins and coffee where the club is reliably cheaper.
Do You Have a Favorite Greek Yogurt?
In addition to brands already suggested, Cabot makes a greek yogurt. It's hard to find, though, even in stores that carry Cabot butter and cheese, so I'm not sure if it make sense to test.
Cook the Book: 'What We Eat When We Eat Alone'
Right now, whatever was in my farmshare, sauteed and served in a whole-wheat wrap.
Cook the Book: '100 Best Vegetarian Recipes'
Right now, I am in love with roasted or steamed beets with sea salt and goat cheese. Mmmmm.
Cook the Book: 'Canal House Cooking, Vol. 1'
Flawless vanilla ice cream. Use at least one vanilla bean (scrape the insides out) and a teaspoon of Penzey's double-strength vanilla extract. Four cups of heavy cream! Milk is for the weak of heart, in this case.
(Close second: bruschetta)
Cook the Book: 'The Barcelona Cookbook'
My first solo trip in Europe was 2 weeks in Madrid. The first night, I went to a place famous for its patatas bravas. As a single blonde woman, it was quite the experience: although I'd never pass as a native, I do speak Spanish well enough to understand passing comments!
Threadless T-Shirt Giveaway: A Piece of Cake
I have an old-school affection for yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Frosting must be whipped; straight ganache ruins it!
Serious Cheese: Part Two in the Adventures of Lactose Intolerance
Aren't bodies mysterious?! I had a few years of serious lactose intolerance (apparently caused by a nasty bout of flu), but it spontaneously started improving after about four years and now doesn't bother me at all! Although seeing a doctor seems wise, you can also test by eliminating all lactose-containing foods for at least a week (which gives you a better idea of what baseline "feeling ok" is) before trying a challenge. If you're concerned about psychosomatic symptoms, you could try having a friend give you a glass of milk without telling you whether it's Lactaid or not :)
Threadless T-Shirt Giveaway: Baron VonFunburger's Haunted Castle Cavalcade
French fries, but NOT Mickey D's.
Cook the Book: 'L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook'
I have a CSA, so I especially love non-produce vendors at farmers' markets. Right now, I especially love Crystal's Natural Honey, because I go through it at a tremendous rate while making granola.
Threadless T-Shirt Giveaway: Pancake Mountain
My favorite to make at home is a buttermilk recipe a lot like the one in Cook's Illustrated. My favorite diner, though, makes amazing sweet potato pancakes.
Cook the Book: 'Modern Spice'
Thai, which is a favorite of both my mother and my boyfriend!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
We have a big family and cook 3 turkeys to feed the crowd. One of them is cooked outdoors since we run out of oven space. The first time I fried a turkey on my own I couldn't seem to get the oil hot enough. After a while, I finally noticed the probe wasn't far enough in the oil. After a frantic attempt to now cool down the pot (setting it on bricks in the grass and hosing the outside with water - not too smart), it finally cooled down enough and when we finally checked the bird, it was perfect.
These days I now cook the bird on my Weber. It's way more predictable!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
Every year I grab whomever is in my unit at Dland to treat them to a Thanksgiving dinner. The reason being that for about 4 years I had to work on Thanksgiving and Xmas and know what its like trying to find somewhere to eat on that day. So it has become a tradition to invite all the guys who had to work that day and couldn't go home.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
My story is; I was born on Thanksgiving. No one had dinner that fateful day!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
Story, story, story, story. I wish I had a good one for you. All I know is that the best food always was done by my Grandmother. Southern cooking and all. She learned from the best. Her dumplings are legendary.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
My mom made really good gravy. I think I was in second grade. I was so excited about it, I got up in front of my class and told them about it. Not much of a story unless you know my mom and her cooking repertoire.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I can't say I have any particularly interesting stories. My parents never did the thanksgiving thing until I was at least in jr high and even now i'm not sure we really have a handle on it. this year i'm doing it, we'll see how it goes.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I was transporting a cooked turkey with the fixings to a friend's house. When I got there the gravy had spilled all over the trunk of my car. I had to clean the trunk and run home to see what kind of gravy I had in my freezer, couldn't serve turkey and fixin's without gravy. sharonaquilino(at)hotmail(dot)com
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I was newly married and it was my first attempt at cooking a turkey. I was completely repulsed by the gizzards and neck. So much so that I really couldn't even eat any turkey. I'm over that now.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
A couple of years ago, we decided to forgo the turkey and have a roast and Yorkshire pudding, with all the trimmings. My mom popped the pud in the oven and unexpectedly had to leave for a few minutes, putting my sister and me in charge of watching said pudding. Well, it was ready and my sister grabbed it out of the oven and the pudding took flight out of the pan and flew across the kitchen, landing broken on a (thankfully) clean floor mat. I just remember that time stopped and the look of utter shock on both of our faces. We pieced the pudding back into the pan before mom got back.....we were going to keep it secret until she finally commented that she didn't do a good job because of all the cracks. We fessed up and had a good laugh
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
Update on the AB smoked turkey that I have been worshipping and coddling for 5 days. We put it in the smoker and after about an hour the new, fancy smoke box thingie malfunctioned, the wood and the turkey caught fire and I thought all was lost. We wiped the smoke off the bird and realized its bottom really didnt need to see the light of day so we just kept cooking and it is out now and resting. Havent tried it yet but I am hopeful.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
A couple thanksgivings ago some friends of mine decided to make a turducken. I think they liked the idea of it more than they really wanted to eat one, and none of them were (or are) particularly avid or experienced cooks. Anyway, they approached it sortof casually in terms of avoiding cross contamination and deciding when it was finished cooking. Turns out, that much meat takes longer to cook than you might assume. End result: awful food poisoning.
I am making thanksgiving dinner for the first time for my family this year, and that story helps me to calm down about the whole thing. As long as I don't sicken everyone, I am doing better than my friends did. Hooray for the instant-read thermometer! And non-amalgamated poultry.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving, or any holiday really, is when the extended family leaves and my parents, siblings, and I all come back to the table again to REALLY eat.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I was living in France last thanksgiving and it was probably the best thanksgiving I have ever had the pleasure of organizing and attending. We had all the fixings and we made pilgrim hats and indian headdresses and all of our European friends wore them and stuffed their faces!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
For the first time ever we are going to have an "Alton Brown turkey". Yum yum.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
One year, the turkey was so inedibly dry; we had to order pizza. As a kid, I was far happier with the pizza.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I think this year is going to be the best story so far. Having discovered my culinary chops recently, I got put on point for Thanksgiving dinner. Promises to be a delicious day!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I remember most years growing up with the adults eating at the kitchen table and the kids eating at the "little table" - which was a tiny little tikes plastic table
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
All the awkward family get togethers.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
A word of warning....if your oven goes out right before Thanksgiving, make sure that the fast food poultry chain that offers fully cooked, rotissarie turkeys will have it warm and ready to eat when you pick it up. We picked ours up eager to get it home and carved. We had our side dishes in serving bowls, warm and ready to eat only to realize our turkey was cooked, but cold! We had to cut it up and try to warm it in our toaster oven. Thank goodness we had our oven fixed shortly thereafter.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
my sister forgetting to remove the bag of giblets...i think everyone does it once. the turkey tasted just fine!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
The first year I made Thanksgiving dinner for my family (taking over from my Southern grandma), I had everything down pat! Pies were baked, dressing was ready to go - I knew EVERYTHING! The thing I didn't know? Remove the bag of giblets before roasting the turkey! :) Thankfully, the turkey was still fine! Now every year - it's been at least 10 since then - my grandma asks if I remembered to take them out of the turkey!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
I make the pies. One year I made two plain pies, and one where I went to town on the pastry. I made a whole fall scene on a 9" pie. And then my mother dropped it.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
The first thanksgiving my wife and I were married was also the first in our house. We had a bunch of people over and I decided to use the leftover turkey carcasses to make broth and have some turkey noodle soup. The house smelled great, and soup was pretty good too. It's been a few years, and we haven't been in a house big enough to host for a while, but I'll have to try again soon, definitely.
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
My best story is honestly any year that my drunk uncle Bob came to dinner. It was about 5 times and then he was requested not to come because he would drink and drink and pass out at the table every time! I thought it was hilarious, my family not so much!
Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'
No good stories, but this is the first Thanksgiving my SO and I are spending together and away from family. While we didn't give in to the temptation to deep-fry a turkey Alton-style, here's hoping that any anecdotes that come out of tomorrow are more amusing than horrific.
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The first year I had a serious boyfriend, we decided to do both of our family's dinners. Of course, he was over six feet tall and could pack it away; meanwhile, I think I offended both families by eating pretty much one bite of everything at both meals!