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Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Obligatory "First Thanksgiving I ever cooked, didn't find the giblets" story, unfortunately. Was the first one, and I didn't get the bird thawed enough before cooking (couple days in fridge just not enough, decided to just cook the thing anyway). Found the neck in the body cavity (took me half an hour to wriggle it out, frozen and all) - but could not figure out where the giblet package had gotten to, as the skin over the neck cavity was still frozen. Found 'em after we roasted the thing. (Yes, we ate late. But it was yummy anyway.)

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'On the Line'

There's so many nice ways - sushi, deep-fried soft shell crabs, fresh grilled fish... but my favorite is the simplest: fresh caught lobster, boiled/steamed (no butter neeed). Served on the picnic table with a bib and a bottle of beer.

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Weekend Book Giveaway: 'American Cheeses'

Had some smoked bleu at a restaurant that's supposedly from California - would love to try that one again. If I have to shop the local megamarts, then Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar for me (artisanal? probably not, but it's yummy anyway).

From Serious Eats

Top Chef Calendar Giveaway: What's Your Favorite Sugar-free Dessert?

Banana smoothie (blend banana into a cup or so of yogurt)... with a small bit cocoa powder for variety, or occasionally some sugar-free coffee syrup for extra flavor. But it really doesn't need much beyond blending!

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From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Obligatory "First Thanksgiving I ever cooked, didn't find the giblets" story, unfortunately. Was the first one, and I didn't get the bird thawed enough before cooking (couple days in fridge just not enough, decided to just cook the thing anyway). Found the neck in the body cavity (took me half an hour to wriggle it out, frozen and all) - but could not figure out where the giblet package had gotten to, as the skin over the neck cavity was still frozen. Found 'em after we roasted the thing. (Yes, we ate late. But it was yummy anyway.)

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'On the Line'

There's so many nice ways - sushi, deep-fried soft shell crabs, fresh grilled fish... but my favorite is the simplest: fresh caught lobster, boiled/steamed (no butter neeed). Served on the picnic table with a bib and a bottle of beer.

From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'American Cheeses'

Had some smoked bleu at a restaurant that's supposedly from California - would love to try that one again. If I have to shop the local megamarts, then Tillamook Extra Sharp Cheddar for me (artisanal? probably not, but it's yummy anyway).

From Serious Eats

Top Chef Calendar Giveaway: What's Your Favorite Sugar-free Dessert?

Banana smoothie (blend banana into a cup or so of yogurt)... with a small bit cocoa powder for variety, or occasionally some sugar-free coffee syrup for extra flavor. But it really doesn't need much beyond blending!

From Serious Eats

'Top Chef' Season 5, Episode 5: Stefan Is a Snarky Button-Pusher, But Knows Turmeric

Really thought Jamie was good for the win this week, but Tom's blog on the Bravo site made a good point -- while the cameras showed the viewers what went on the kitchen with the 'borrowed' team, the judges didn't have that information. The team presented a united front, with no one taking credit for the concept, so the judges rewarded the best item on the plate, as they saw it. If Jamie wanted the win so bad, she might have gotten it by pointing out it was her idea.

Fabio is adorable, but he's starting to wear a little thin (although he appeared to charm the nylon stockings off of the ladies at the shower) - he's going to need to get back to the fantastic cooking and away from the charm and the good looks to win this thing.

From Serious Eats

Win a Free Organic D'Artagnan Turkey Here!

Corn bread-sausage stuffing with apples... mmmm, makes me hungry now!

From Serious Eats

Heavy Metals Found in Organic Agriculture; Does that Make Organic Dangerous?

Honestly, I'm not surprised. The unnatural process is the farming to begin with - we mess with the system by putting any fertilizer in the soil that wasn't there to begin with... or even planting (adding plants to an ecosystem that weren't there before).

This is especially true when we use animal byproducts for fertilizer - we're using a substance (manure, guano, etc.) that were waste products for some living being.. and then we concentrate all those cast off substances into one place (where they wouldn't be naturally).

Let's face it - most of things humans do aren't "natural" and have an effect on the environment... the trick is to assume we'll have an effect and figure out how to minimize it.

From Serious Eats

Sandwiches at Primanti Brothers: Pittsburgh Between Two Slices

MIssing Pittsburgh, too :(. Hitting Primanti's for dinner and a few beers before walking over to the Pirates' game is a favorite memory (and I'm really not a baseball fan, either).

Primanti's has branched out to casual restaurants with menus and waitresses out in the suburbs (as opposed to the walk-up style originals) - perhaps worth a stop for the faint-of-heart, but to really get a good feel for Primanti's, you must really go 'dahntahn' to the original. Second best? Maybe the Forbes Primanti's (near Pitt campus) on a Friday night during the school year.

From Serious Eats

Serious Easter Artisanal Chocolate Egg Giveaway

Easter brunch (family tradition, rather than dinner) - runny eggs, bacon, sausage, and even a few sinful doughnuts.

And black jelly beans :)

From Serious Eats

Valentine's Day Chocolate Giveaway

Dark (but milk or white are just as welcome in my house...)

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'The Food You Crave'

mmm...steamed broccoli, with a dash of salt and pepper (or even a tiny sprinkle of parmesan cheese... extra calcium ;) )

From Serious Eats

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: A Year of Chocolate

Dark. Occasional milk chocolate splurge, but usually dark.

From Serious Eats

Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: A Year of Chocolate

Dark chocolate definitely - especially combined with fruit (dark chocolate covered cranberries sound fantastic right now)....milk chocolate every once in a while

From Serious Eats

Weekend Book Giveaway: 'The Elements of Cooking'

Not sure how to put this - I think the best word is "enjoyment"...you need to be able to enjoy how the food looks, smells, how it tastes, the texture on your tongue. A good cook has almost an intuitive understanding of how to make food enjoyable to all five senses.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

I hosted Thanksgiving at mt apartment one year when I was in college. The oven clearly wasn't calibrated correctly and the turkey was cooked in only 2 hours! It was pretty dry, but there was plenty of gravy to help it out.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

When I was young and hosted my first Thanksgiving, I inadvertently roasted the turkey upside down, which some amusement for the guests.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

I want!

My favorite food memory is when my little sister was 2, my family had our first "traditional" thanksgiving. My mom had just opened up a can of cranberry sauce, we all piled around it and asked, "what is it?", avoided it, crowded around the turkey as it was being cut (not knowing if it even cooked through all of the way) and turned around finding my little sister Jackie, covered in cranberry sauce from head to toe!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Oh boy! Well, my favorite food related thanksgiving story seems funny now but was quite interesting while it was happening.

It was the second year I was invited to my fiancee's(now husband) family's thanksgiving celebration. He had just moved to states to be with me and we were going back to his home state for a grand meal. Little did we know, his aunt had decided to take a trip to New York for the holiday and leave us all in the lurch. She's the main cook and without her, there wouldn't be any thanksgiving.

We scrambled to find a buffet that would do thanksgiving food, and his family thought it was horrible in comparison. I, on the other hand, gobbled down that dry turkey and canned cranberry like nobody's business.

The reason I thought it was the best meal on earth, we found out a few weeks later, is because I was pregnant. Now when I think back on that disgusting food, I laugh at how fickle a pregnant palate can be.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

When I was in high school I decided to make the entire Thanksgiving meal for my family with Alton Brown's brined turkey as the star. I didn't realize at the time how long it would take to brine and how big of a container I needed so I ended up having to stay up all night so I could flip it half way through. Needless to say I slept through most of the meal, but my mom still says it was the best turkey she ever had.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Oyster stuffing, ham, turkey, green bean casserole, corn pudding, sweet potato pie and all the relatives crowded around the table

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Not so much one story as an ongoing saga of the tale that is thanksgiving. We eat with my dad's side of the family. Its kinda scary though. I think that they're afraid to EVER try anything new or remotely different from the norm. I can list off everything that everyone will be bringing from the greenbean casserole to the type of mashed potatoes. Not to mention the fact that I don't think anything is seasoned at all. I'd like to change things up but I've been overruled by my mom already on more than one occassion when I've offered to cook something that isn't "traditional." I guess its good for a laugh at least.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

My grandmother's stuffing is a highlight of Thanksgiving. I make it now, but I remember as a kid, at her house, she's have a small casserole dish of it on the stove and she'd pick at it all throughout the meal preparation. It was her little treat!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

The thanksgivings I made a turkey...all by myself at the age of 13.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Thanksgiving day, 1965. That morning, a neighbor had brought my dead kitty to us in a cardboard box on a little red wagon. I was devastated. That afternoon, the parents of the guy my older sister was going with (and would later marry) took our family out to T-day dinner. My future brother in law's father sat next to me, and poured me a glass of red wine to have with dinner. I finished it, and said I liked it. "That's burgundy!" He said. I still like it.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

One year all the food was brown or beige. After that we decided we really needed to think about presentation a little bit more!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

We got a frozen 18 lb turkey for free one year... but didn't anticipate how long it would take to thaw! We ended up having to wait for our thanksgiving dinner for an extra day so it would get up to temperature. When we asked other people what they did, they decided to stick their turkey in the shower!!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Going down south to visit my family. We don't do that anymore and we should

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

My very first brined turkey has to be my favorite food memory for thanksgiving.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

My mother makes my grandmother's bread recipe every thanksgiving. Everyone in the family looks forward to my mom continuing this baking tradition. It also serves as the best toast the next day!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

I think my family was a bit non-traditional in a lot of ways and frequently this was shown by what was on the table for the "major" holidays. (My family arguably celebrated EVERY holiday whatever the denomination) One Thanksgiving my mom decided she didn't want to go through the trouble of preparing a turkey...so instead she spent the day making stuffed clams, crab legs and sushi. How is that easier?!?! It was an awesome dinner nonetheless!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Converting my then-fiance's parents to brussel sprouts. I make an awesome hash that the midwestern meat-and-potatoes crowd liked. Muahaha!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Not really a memorable T-giving, but I'm secretly proud that I've reached my age and never cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving. A chicken, yes; a turkey, no. And considering my age and that I spent many years married and have children ... I think that's remarkable. LOL!

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Not the best, but certainly the most memorable, and probably the family's favorite. I "started" on Thanksgiving morning. Which became the talk of the table - much to my horror - among all twelve of the guests. And now, twelve years later, I can't go a Thanksgiving without someone bringing it up and Mom telling the story, and me sitting red-faced at the table, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

My 1st Thanksgiving dinner w. my husband. We moved 2200 miles from home, so it was just the 2 of us. But we love to cook, so we made a full dinner: a huge turkey, whole pie, giant bowl of mashed potatoes, gravy, yeast rolls, green beans, asparagus, plus a full tray of veggies and dip. The amount of leftovers prompted us to invite all my coworkers over the following year- a tradition we've carried the last 2 years.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Each year, my husband always makes a feast on Thanksgiving - enough food for 30 people for the two of us. I'm not exaggerating.

We always just buy a breast since I don't eat turkey, esp. white meat. A couple years ago, he decided to do a whole turkey and bought a MONSTER turkey a day or so before Thanksgiving.

We bought a roasting pan that didn't fit the turkey, so we had to go out and get another one.

He spent most of the day before and all Thanksgiving day cooking sides.

On Thanksgiving day, the turkey was still frozen solid. We also found out our very tiny oven did not fit the enormous roasting pan -- depth and height. In fact, the oven isn't deep enough to fit a standard length cookie sheet.

Fortunately, none of the other dishes he made hinged on the turkey being made, so we ended up with sides for dinner. It was quite filling since he made up nearly 15 sides and we had 3 pies.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Discovering the wonderful Lingonberry, after returning from a foreign college exchange program in Sweden, 1981.
Far superior to the cranberry, in my opinion, but a very close relative.
The Lingonberry has been a regular guest on my Thanksgiving table now since.
Favorite Alton Brown "Good Eats" moment, was when Alton dressed up like Fried Chicken Pioneer Colonel Sanders and showed you how to make a classic "Mint Julip".
Absolutley hysterical, I could watch it over and over again and laugh every time just as hard.

From Serious Eats

Cook the Book: 'Good Eats: The Early Years'

Oh man. Mine would have to be the extremely hungover Thanksgiving that I spent with my then-boyfriends' (now husbands) family. I was about 19 (yeah, I know...), and we had gone to a big party at a friends' house the night before. Thanksgiving morning it took me forever to get ready, because I had to keep lying down on the bathroom floor to avoid getting sick. So, we're at dinner, and I'm so nauseous/headachy I can barely manage to sit at the table, and here are his grandmas (both of them!) prodding me to eat more. "Here, have some green bean casserole. How about some gravy? Jello salad?" UGH. I found out later that his entire family knew what was up, except the grandmas...

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