Sage Cornbread and a Plan for Thanksgiving Dominationfeatured
My plan for world domination Thanksgiving Day success centers around an age-old strategy for stress-free entertaining: make as much in advance as possible.
Purple Sharpie in hand, I wrote out my menu, broke down my 7-day gameplan, and put together my shopping list. It would all come down to timing, organization, and lots of butter.
In preparation of a killer recipe for stuffing (coming soon!), I made a batch of this Sage Cornbread recipe from Stella over at BraveTart. I’ve been blog-stalking Stella lately…if you haven’t checked her out yet, do it now. She’ll make you laugh. She’ll make you want to bake something good. She’ll inspire you to run out and buy a kitchen scale so you can be a big girl baker too.
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Orange and Ginger Spiced Cranberry Saucefeatured
Thanksgiving countdown has officially begun, and for the first time ever, I’m making the entire dinner on my own. Eeek. There are so many things I want to make. And there are expectations, you know. A juicy, golden, magnificent bird…stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, green beans, some more obligatory vegetables, pie, pie, pie…oh yeah, and prime rib (because that is how my family rolls).
If I’m going to pull this off I know it’s going to take some planning ahead. Luckily, Melissa Clark answered my prayers with this super helpful Seven-Day Plan for Thanksgiving. With this game plan by my side, I am actually starting to think I won’t be a hot mess come Turkey Day.
First up on my list of make-ahead dishes is Cranberry Sauce. Homemade cranberry sauce is crazy easy to make. I mean it. It is stone cold simple. Once you try it, I promise you will never buy the weird canned stuff again.
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Harvest to Holidays Giveawayfeatured
Fall is my favorite time of year. The leaves are changing into bursts of reds and oranges, the air smells fresh and crisp, and the markets are calling my name with bushels of shiny apples, golden pumpkins, winter squash, and earthy mushrooms. ‘Tis the season for hearty roasts, steamy soups, and kitchens that smell of baking bread.
In celebration of the harvest season, I’ve put together some of my favorite items to help you get cozy as the weather turns chilly, and to get you ready for all the holiday cooking and entertaining on the horizon:
- CHEFS Catalog: Le Creuset 5.5-Quart Round French Oven
- Harry and David: Harvest to Holidays Gift Basket
- The Spoon Sisters: Split Decision Pie Pan
- Stony Brook Wholehearted Foods: Butternut Squash Seed Oil and Pumpkin Seed Oil (1 bottle of each)
- Scharffen Berger: Chocolate Baking Gift Set
- Sur La Table: $25 Gift Card
- Lick My Spoon: New T-Shirt!!!
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Interview with Chef/Restaurateur Michael Minafeatured
Chef/Restaurateur Michael Mina may have his roots in San Francisco, but with 18 restaurants across the country now, you don’t have to be in the Bay to taste his food. In fact, with the opening of American Fish‎, his latest venture at the sleek ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Sin City now boasts one more restaurant from Mina Group than even San Francisco (for those keeping score, the count is 5-4).
While I was in Vegas for the Food & Wine All-Star Weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down with Chef Mina, taste some of his food, and chat about inspirations, techniques you can bring into your own kitchen, great food, and guilty pleasures. Here’s what he had to say…
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