Food

When Jacey Dawis makes cotton candy, it’s not usually a fluffy cone typically spun at the fair. Her creations are much more artistic, shaped to be everything from a unicorn to a flower to a Minion.

Thanksgiving is the ultimate food holiday. With it often comes a side of stress for the cook to make a beautiful, bountiful spread for their loved ones to enjoy. Whether you’re hosting your first Thanksgiving meal, are contributing a dish to the holiday feast or are a seasoned pro at putting on the entire production, it becomes easy to make mistakes that we normally wouldn’t if we let the pressure get to us.

I love turkey on Thanksgiving. This might be why I’ve been tasked with developing our team’s holiday turkey recipe three of the past four years. But there’s only so much leftover turkey I can eat reheated with the rest of the sides or in a sandwich before I get tired of it. If I’m being honest, I’m usually already over Thanksgiving once I’m done preparing the bulk of the meal.

The colder weather of fall calls for hearty foods and wines to match. This week we feature two affordably priced cabernets from California and Washington. And to help turn any day into a celebration - or to lead off your holiday toasts - we include a delightful bubbly from Sonoma County.

Patera started as a kitchen project between co-owners Annie McGuinness and Darold Miller, who also happen to be engaged. They were making sourdough, custards, kombucha and more. McGuinness especially loved experimenting with fermentation.

Mounds of food on the dinner table, Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys football on the television, boisterous children running about, grandpa asleep in his easy chair. These are some of the images many of us associate with Thanksgiving celebrations.

Food and lifestyle content creator Chadwick Boyd knew from about the age of 8 that Thanksgiving was his time to shine. His passion for cooking was clear back then when, as he helped his grandmother prepare the holiday meal, he began to see it as “the quintessential day to do what I love in a grander way.” Now, nearly five decades later, he has perfected the art of this feast.

The word “pancakes” may trigger thoughts of sweet, fruity breakfasts for most, but there is a whole world of savory dinner pancakes beckoning more attention, and I am personally smitten with them.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy ate one at his locker before the Super Bowl. Andy Reid, the coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, once offered them to his players as a reward. Before practice, during training camp and in the halftime locker room, they are a favorite of players across the NFL, a touch of childhood wrapped in plastic.

Before this week’s presidential election, before the coronavirus pandemic, before TikTok, before the long fight for marriage equality was won – join me as I zoom all the way back to the fall of 2014. That is when Deb Perelman, the recipe developer and writer behind Smitten Kitchen, one of the nicest places on the internet, brought a casserole dish of stewed beans covered in a blanket of melted cheese to a potluck.

Glittering chandeliers resembling dandelion puffs. Tables covered in white starched cloths set with quality china and gold flatware.

Regional baker Casey Bates landed a dream stint on Food Network's "Christmas Cookie Challenge" that airs Thursday night for a $10,000 prize. Fittingly, the show's farm theme of "Christmas on the North Pole Farm" made her feel right at home, because Bates runs her cookie business – Casey Bates Creates – from her home in Colton, Wash.

As the holiday season approaches, many have begun planning gatherings with family and friends. A special dinner is often the centerpiece of these festive occasions. Anyone who has hosted a holiday dinner knows what a challenge they can be.

Q: When cooking meat on the stovetop or grill, do I need to switch out my cooking utensil when the chicken is cooked before continuing the rest of the recipe? I have several recipes, such as stir-fries, that say to cook the chicken or other protein first in a skillet, then add the remaining ingredients. Since the spatula touched raw chicken, should I switch to a clean spatula before adding the other ingredients? Or should I make the switch after flipping the chicken but before touching it again to stir-fry?

A new restaurant has opened in Spokane’s South Perry district that merges the cuisines of Mexico and India, offering everything from naan tacos to steak with masala compound butter.

“Do you still enjoy cooking?” I’ve been asked this question regularly throughout my career as a food blogger, line cook and now food staff writer. It happened again recently when I spoke to students in a college food writing course. And, for better or worse, the answer is a mixed bag.

With life as hectic as it is, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut with the same shopping list and a handful of go-to dishes week to week. But enjoying more variety not only makes life more interesting, it is a good idea nutritionally.

Yomiuri Shimbun