When I just saw this image of Sweet Potato Tart Tatin on the Kitchn, I nearly dropped my sandwich. Looks fantastic and you don’t even have to make pie crust! I’m on appetizer duty for Thanksgiving (and bread and veggie duty for a “friendsgiving” I’m attending tomorrow) so if anyone I’m celebrating is reading these, I hereby nominate this for dessert.
Via the Kitchn and Dam Good Sweet by David Guas and Raquel Pelzel, published by Taunton Press.
Thanksgiving just keeps on getting closer. Are you losing your holiday spirit before the holidays have even really begun? Buck yourself up with a little black humor—the Thanksgiving ritual has been fertile ground for wags practically since Pilgrim days.
Day Five: Thanksgiving Satire
Do yourself a favor and read “Wild Turkey.” I nominate this essay, which appeared on the long-running blog Tomato Nation, as a nascent classic piece of Thanksgiving literature for our times. (Maybe I’m not the only one who feels that way—I have to confess I found it because it was the first hit when I Googled the phrase “best Thanksgiving blog post ever.” And now you know about my research methods…gulp.)
“Wild Turkey” is pure sweetness and light compared to William S. Burroughs’ “Thanksgiving Prayer,” recorded in 1986, first heard by me on CD as an 18-year-old in another kid’s dorm room, and now made easy to find thanks to the wonder of the interwebs.
Or you may enjoy Calvin Trillin’s 1981 essay about his (as yet unsuccessful) campaign to have turkey replaced by spaghetti carbonara as the Thanksgiving national dish. I feel a little bad about this, but all I can find is a pirated version, here. The real thing is in Trillin’s book Third Helpings.
And if nothing else works, dust off your mother’s LP of Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Resturant—because as I observed a few posts back, holidays are about nothing if not tradition, and for some reason Arlo’s long, rambing tale about dodging the draft and getting picked up for littering on Thanksgiving was ever ours.
I’ve been updating my google reader a lot lately, going through blog rolls of blogs I like and seeing what strikes me. Cucina Nicolina is this week’s discovery and I know that I will continue to look forward to each week’s Wordless Wednesday post that’s filled with breathtaking food photos. Here’s a bit from Nicole about her site:
I live in San Francisco and cook a lot, because to me, food is life (not to mention, I can get a wee bit obsessed). I started cooking in college just a little bit, but when I moved into my first apartment, on a busy street in Washington, DC, I started throwing dinner parties and haven’t stopped since. My major achievement was a 17-person sit-down dinner in my studio apartment a few years ago (I might still be recovering); but of course, any night I get to have people over for dinner is a good one.
I’m a vegetarian but I cook fish sometimes; I bake a lot, sometimes veganly; I love to try new recipes, but always hang on to my tried-and-trues. I have a wonderful farmers’ market in my neighborhood that gives me gorgeous produce about half the year — and saves me money at the same time. I think this quote by Laurie Colwin says it all
Cookbooks hit you where you live. You want comfort; you want security you want food; and you want to not be hungry; and not only do you want these basic things fixed, you want it done in a really nice, gentle way that makes you feel loved. That’s the big desire, and cookbooks say to the person reading them, ‘if you read me, you will be able to do this for yourself and for others. You will make everybody feel better.
[Substitute 'cooking' for 'cookbooks,' and that's pretty much my philosophy.]
When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m usually out for a run, playing with my doggie friends, drinking tea, or getting outdoors as much as possible, preferably along the coast.
Recipes of hers that I’d like to try include Sweet Potato Biscuits and the Ginger Pear Upside Down Cake.
Day Four: Prep Smartly!
In my apartment, at my sister’s place, and at our parents’ house too, Mark Bittman’s big yellow How To Cook Everything is the cookbook of choice for basic dishes and general how-to advice. His “The Minimalist” column in the New York Times is often a good read, too.
On Wednesday, Bittman posted 101 ideas for Thanksgiving dishes you can make ahead, because “[i]t’s not easy to roast a turkey and sweet potatoes for 20 at the same time.” Hear, hear.
[via Lifehacker]
ReadyMade’s countdown to Thanksgiving rolls on…
Day Three: Drumming Up Some Fun
When you and your human friends are eating well, it’s only natural to want to give a little something extra to any four-leggers who might be hanging around.
But what if you’re eating at the home of a conscientious pet owner who wouldn’t dream of giving a splintery turkey bone to Fido or Mittens? What if you’re that kind of pet owner yourself?
Could these be the solution?
Plushoff’s innocently happy-looking stuffed turkey legs are made out of child-safe felt and poly fill. They’re ten inches long and five inches wide—just about like the real thing—and while they’re probably not as delicious as a giant drum of turkey, we’re betting that the pet in your life will be happy to rough them up a little.
That is, if you can bear to throw so much cuteness to the dogs. I’d probably be tempted to keep mine on the mantelpiece or find a cute infant to foist it upon. And then I’d try making one of these recipes for edible Thanksgiving treats for your pet instead.
[Image from Plushoff, onFlickr]
Nine days and counting! Here’s the idea du jour for Thanksgiving enjoyment.
Day Two: Lovely Leftovers
Everyone knows that leftovers are one of the best things about Thanksgiving. More meat, more stuffing, the year’s best sandwiches, pie for breakfast, cranberry sauce on everything…what’s not to like? Okay, we’ll admit it: after four or five days, eating those very last creamed onions with, yeah, more mashed potatoes and whatever’s left of the poultry pile starts to lose its charm. Which brings us to today’s lesson, on avoiding leftovers monotony. Our prescription? Have fun. Get fancy. Go beyond what you think “Thanksgiving food” is supposed to be. Channel your inner David Chang. Or even get architectural…
Consider Exhibit A, above. Hidden inside this mouthwatering yet demure breakfast sandwich is a pile of leftover Thanksgiving swiss chard. As SixtyBeast (which seems to be the nom de Flickr of Becks & Posh blogger, English gal, and toast arteest Sam Breach) explains on her photo page:
I was sent home from a Thanksgiving Family dinner to which we were
invited as friends, with a bag of leftover swiss chard that had been
braised with pine-nuts and spicy chipotle. I figured it would be a
great filling for an omelette the next day for brunch. I decided to
have fun and experiment with fancy presentation. I cut 6 disks from
the bread I had bought with the intention of making a
turkey-accompanying ‘bread sauce’ (very British). I didn’t get round
to making the sauce, so the bread was left over too. I lightly toasted
the disks. I cut 4 of the same-sized circles from the swiss chard
omelette and sandwiched them together with crispy fried strips of
bacon. I topped each little tower with grated gruyere and then grilled
until bubbling. How cute-looking is that? It tasted pretty good too!
Now…what are you going to do with YOUR leftovers?
Every time I make these cookies the name gets longer. Last week, I did the original recipe that I saw on Tara’s blog, Seven Spoons. They were fantastic, but I was craving the addition of coconut. So when I needed to bring something to a potluck (if you read my post Thursday, I did make the apple cake, but I saved it for myself!), I decided to try the cookies with the addition of coconut. Since the dough is already chock full of add-ins, I took a risk and added another egg and while I worried that they would spread while baking (even though the dough was stiff), they turned out perfectly. I used half cherries and half cranberries purely because I didn’t have a full cup of either. The sweet/tart combination was a hit and I have decided that the texture is even better—chewy and slightly crispy—because of the coconut. This version of these cookies is my new go-to dessert.
Note: This photo is of Tara’s cookies because by the time I remembered to take a picture of this week’s batch, they had all been eaten.
Chocolate-chip Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut, Pecans, Dried Cranberries and Dried Cherries
Adapted from Seven Spoons and Cooks Illustrated published May 2005.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup dried sour cherries
1/2 cup cranberries, chopped coarse
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate chips
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons, 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C), with racks on the top and bottom thirds. Use parchment paper to line several standard baking sheets and set aside.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl combine the oats, pecans, coconut, dried cherries, cranberries and chocolate.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on medium-low, add the eggs and beat until incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the mixer down to low, and add the flour mixture to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Finally incorporate the oats, nuts, coconut fruit and chocolate. Do not overmix. Turn off the mixer and use a rubber spatula to give the dough a final stir and make sure that all the ingredients are incorporated.
Using an ice cream scoop to measure 1/4 cup portions of dough. Roll these portions lightly between your hands, then place 8 on each baking sheet, spaced evenly. Wet your hands and lightly press the dough to a 1-inch thickness. Bake the cookies, two trays at a time, in a preheated oven for 12 minutes. Rotate the trays top to bottom and back to front and bake for another 8 minutes or until the cookies are uniformly golden, but still wet in the middle. You might think that they’re undercooked, but you’re wrong – resist the urge to overbake, they will set up further as they cool.
Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes 16.
Greetings, ReadyMakers. By our calculations, Thanksgiving is a mere ten days off, which means that the holiday season is basically upon us, full-bore. Are you ready? Is anyone, ever?
Whether this Turkey Day you’re planning on cooking a semi-formal feast for twelve, enduring some form of conveyance back to your ancestral home, meeting or being met by your beloved’s relatives, or simply gathering a few friends together to rustle up some holiday cheer on your own terms, we’d like to mark the time between now and the big event by presenting you with a fresh idea each day—something to do or make, or at least an item we think will bring a smile to your face and fortify you for this, the season of going overboard.
Day One: Orange Rind Votive Holder
A wise social scientist once observed that holidays are often characterized by a return to old-fashioned ways of doing things: practices that have been phased out in decades past, like daily baking or, you know, eating together with the whole family, make a triumphant if temporary return in the guise of tradition and nostalgia.
On that tip, here’s an appropriately pioneerish idea for your table. The orange rind votive holder is a sweet-smelling, old-fashioned, and low-tech disposable centerpiece that comes from the creative couple behind farmhouse/gift shoppe/brand Beekman 1802. Fast to make, fun to use, and, the idea goes, way better-smelling than chemically, commercially-scented potted candles, oranges prepared jack o’ lantern style cast a homey glow. Use the meat from the hollowed-out citrus for punch, or save it for a morning-after mimosa to have with a leftovers breakfast feast. Click to the orignial post for a full how-to with great process shots.
Incidentally, this project reminded me of my favorite item from Pratt’s “Design For A Dollar” booth at the ICFF this year: David Steinvurzel’s Orange Votive Candles (coolest thing about them: the wick is actually a piece of the orange pith). At the show, Steinvurzel told me he got the oranges to assume their particular round shape by drying them on light bulbs.
Sometimes what’s old-fashioned is also paradoxically forward-looking (in this case, eco-friendly). What goes arond comes around, people. That’s a Thanksgiving Deep Thought you can take home with you.
[From Beekman 1802---and thanks, Lifehacker]
A nice little package arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon, a tube of ReadyMade’s own special mix of granola from the aptly named MixMyGranola. Raoul, Andreas, and Matt were nice enough to send a delicious combination of gogi berries, cranberries, hazlenuts, and blueberries right to my desk. The trio uses all organic products, soy-based inks and recyclable materials for the packaging, and finishes every tube of granola off with a hefty dose of love. Cheesy? Well, I could tell when I sprinkled it in my yogurt this morning, so I believe ‘em.
I’ve been craving apple cake lately and when I stumbled across the one up at The Kitchen Sink, I knew that was the one for me. I’m thinking of making it this weekend for a potluck, so I’ll report back if I do. I spent some time on the blog and it’s a fantastic resource for recipes (both original and remade from other sites). Here’s a bit from Kristin about her site:
After spending most of my life at The Kitchen Sink as the dishwasher (growing up, my parents and grandparents were all excellent cooks and I did more watching and washing than stirring and seasoning), I have evolved into a cook myself. I’m also a newly-married, third year law student recent law school graduate lawyer living in Chicago. While you’ll read a little about those things here, you’ll read mostly about my endeavors to cook everything but The Kitchen Sink.
Very intrigued by the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, the Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette, and the Whole Wheat Oatmeal Cranberry Muffins that sound perfect for Thanksgiving weekend.
This is the ReadyMade editors' blog. ReadyMade is named after the term that Marcel Duchamp coined in 1915 for a series of sculptures that playfully rethought the relationship between people and mass-produced objects, everyday items and art. ReadyMade is about people who make things and the culture of making.
