It may surprise some that pot pies have been around longer than Betty Crocker and Marie Callender. Pot pies have been feeding hungry humans since ancient times, nearly as far back as the Flintstones.
When I was starting out as a dietitian decades ago, I never could’ve predicted how much time I would ultimately devote to helping people escape an all-or-nothing mindset around food. It’s a trap we can easily fall into this time of year as the zeitgeist swings from holiday excess to new-year deprivation in the course of a month.
What’s your post-Thanksgiving Day plan? In years past, it might have included going to sleep early to wake up well before dawn to fight – sometimes literally – for the best Black Friday deals. Maybe it’s a trip to the theater to see the latest big movie release. I will be flying back to Washington from visiting my family. But if I were already at home, I would be taking it easy – and making a grilled cheese sandwich with leftover roast turkey and cranberry sauce.
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or first-timer when it comes to cooking for Thanksgiving, chances are you’ll encounter a little stress or confusion about at least one part of the holiday meal. We field many of the same questions year after year, so if you’re having the same concerns as Thanksgiving creeps closer, trust us, you’re not alone.
Thanksgiving is a time for celebrating and sharing our blessings. Giving thanks and sharing with others are the cornerstones of our American Thanksgiving tradition.
Few things capture the spirit of Thanksgiving quite like a golden-roasted turkey at the center of the table, surrounded by creamy mashed potatoes, savory stuffing and tart cranberry sauce.
Though nonalcoholic wines aren’t a new invention, good ones are. The first one I tasted, more than 20 years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner, was little more than dark grape juice in a fancy bottle, and while I was happy to have something a bit more sophisticated to sip at dinner, it was more about fitting in than outright enjoyment. It also felt like a shame to pair good food with not-so-good wine – especially on the one holiday that’s specifically all about the food – but still, it was better than drinking soda.
Making something out of seemingly nothing is one of the best kitchen tricks imaginable. It’s a skill that can save you time, money and ingredients, helping you take care of yourself and the environment. Not all dishes lend themselves especially well to improvisation. Soup, however, does.
Here are two ways to make a maple bar, one using premade biscuit dough, the other making yeast dough from scratch. Both work well; the yeast dough is easy – it just takes a bit of extra effort. The cooking and glazing are mostly the same. We defer to Kevin Lee Jacob’s real maple syrup-based glaze.
Soon after I arrived in Spokane 40 years ago, someone suggested getting a “maple bar,” and was shocked that I had not a clue. I quickly remedied this knowledge gap, along with any potential caloric deficit. In my defense, and to my Spokane friends’ surprise, the term “maple bar” was then, and is generally still, confined to the West, and mostly used in the Northwest (and British Columbia). In other parts of the country, the term “long john” donut is commonly used for the bar shape. But that term, along with “Creamstick” and “Bismark,” encompasses a variety of styles and flavors.
What I want to eat at any given moment depends on the weather, my mood, how hungry I am, how much time I have or even a random craving. But with alcoholic drinks, most of the time my answer will be some sort of whiskey-based beverage. I love the notes of wood and spice that the spirit carries. Naturally, my go-to cocktail is an old-fashioned. It’s got a lovely mix of the spirit’s inherent flavors alongside sugar, fruit and a touch of bitterness for complexity.
With some planning, a single store-bought rotisserie chicken can be stretched to make three meals. Beans and rice can feed a family for a week, without requiring money for meat. And a microwave or a hot plate can be enough to prepare homemade meals.
Fall has arrived, and the temperatures are rapidly dropping. It’s time to dust off the large cooking pots, plug in the slow cooker, and heat the oven for some hefty, hearty, bone-warming dishes. When it comes to main-dish soups, stews, beans, and casseroles in wintertime, I lean toward the big-batch recipes. It’s a lazy guy’s “cook once and eat for several days” philosophy.
Halloween is in the rearview mirror and Thanksgiving is now the next major holiday on the calendar. Oreo is celebrating the holiday with what the brand is calling a limited-edition test-and-learn line of flavors, called the Oreo Thanksgiving Dinner Inspired Cookies, which the brand says "reimagines classic holiday flavors in every bite."
