Gravy is essential to a Thanksgiving turkey, but only if it is good gravy. And what makes gravy good is delicious drippings from a beautifully roasted bird. Many gravy methods involve making it right in the pan the turkey was cooked in, to scrape up all the bits and juices. And that’s great. But I realized some years ago that trying to do this while my family stands around … [Read more...] about Make – Ahead Gravy for Your Turkey
Thanksgiving
Bacon-Blanketed, Herb Roasted Turkey
This is the turkey. I’ve been perfecting this for many years now. I must say, it is a showstopper, and delicious to boot, because I treat it well. I send my turkey to a bacon spa. It gets a salt scrub, a bacon butter deep tissue massage, a hand-woven bacon spa robe, some time in the sauna and a little tanning to finish it off. I’ve got a set of instructions … [Read more...] about Bacon-Blanketed, Herb Roasted Turkey
Pumpkin Cornbread
I love cooking with pumpkin, so Halloween and the dawn of autumn present all sorts of opportunities in the kitchen. I have always been obsessed with sweet pumpkin dishes, but I have been expanding my repertoire to savory ideas as well. Working with fresh pumpkin is not difficult, you just need to be careful and use a good, sturdy knife. The texture of freshly grated … [Read more...] about Pumpkin Cornbread
Sweet Potato Cobbler
I’m going to go all Southern on you again with this delicious, old-fashioned, homey dessert perfect for the autumn table. I’m not, however, going to get into a discussion on what exactly a cobbler is – biscuit top, crumble top, pastry top, whatever. This is how I make cobbler, and that’s good enough for me. But really, is there any more comforting dessert than a cobbler, … [Read more...] about Sweet Potato Cobbler
Autumn Sangria
It’s always nice to have a special something to welcome your guests. And on a day like Thanksgiving, with lots of family and lots of work and lots of noise and lots of food, it helps if that little something special involves wine. The idea of making sangria with dried fruit and sparkling soda came from friend whose family is from Nicaragua. She brought a summer version to … [Read more...] about Autumn Sangria
