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Those terms can be hard to define without asking the farmer (or the person selling the turkey) a lot of annoying questions.

If a turkey is labeled USDA certified organic, you can be certain it's a bird that was given no antibiotics or grains grown with chemicals, among other practices. If the bird is labeled organic, but not certified, you'll have to press the farmer or seller for more details on what that means exactly. 

The free range description can be just as elusive to pin down. The bird may have access to the open field. It may also be kept in a barn. The feed could be organic, it could not be. Again, you have to ask questions.

You asked about the safety of these birds. I don't think either bird will affect your family's health much one way or another (assuming the turkeys have been handled correctly, of course); it's just a single meal after all. This seems more a question of which farming practices you want to support -- and how much you're willing to support them. That's a personal question.

If you're still looking for a turkey, by the way, Becky Krystal has pulled together a comprehensive list on where to buy them.

I say nay; spend the $$ on good-quality olive oil instead. A small ladle or big metal spoon works just fine. But if I may ask, why are you basting?

Aw, shucks. Thanks so very much for reading us!

Gosh, this seems like just the ticket: Pineapple-Cranberry Upside-Down Cake Redux.  So little fat per serving! 

If your group has no nut allergies, you might want to try this Lemon Thyme Spice Cake. Heaven. 

And, yes, fresh pineapple for that redux!

How about a carrot pudding?  Amelia Simmons's 1796 cookbook suggested boiling carrots, mixing them with eggs, a little sugar, butter, and some spices. Then you bake the pudding.  It would be great at room temp.

You can serve at room temperature, or better yet, pop back in the oven just to rewarm a bit right before serving.

Hmm. Especially when they're in season I think it'd be a shame to use frozen sprouts for this recipe! Don't think you'd get the same caramelized magic.

Very nice of you!  In her 1796 cookbook, Amelia Simmons complains about boys stealing apples from orchards.  She would approve of you!

You can roll it out a bit more than just a disk - sort of a thin disk - before putting it in the fridge or freezer to rest.  You're right about not overhandling dough. Cookbook authors throughout the 1800s made the same point about not overworking dough.

Blech. That's terribly inconvenient. It definitely reminds you of how often you use tap water while cooking/cleaning. Have you resorted to jugs of water? Or are you boiling everything first?

And where do you live, by the way?

That sounds fun -- I always like drinking dessert and The Dude would approve (sorry if you're not a "Big Lebowski" fan; I may be assuming too much about the source of wanting to do a White Russian bar! :) Here are some things I'd consider:

- Other spirits that might add notes of interest to the standard White Russian. I can see a good reposado tequila or a whiskey with some smoky notes mixing really well with the traditional flavors. (I personally find White Russians a little on the sweet side, and some of these spirits -- while not reducing the sweetness -- will add a level of interest that vodka might not). There's also a coffee-flavored tequila from Patron, Patron XO Cafe, that would likely be a nice addition if you feel like a little splurge. We break it out after dinner parties and people tend to love it.

- Coffee as a potential mixer, either cold or hot. Especially in this weather, a warmer version might be welcomed. Could also warm the milk.

- Along with the cinnamon stick, how about whole nutmeg to grate over the  top, an orange (same purpose), or maybe some bitter chocolate?

- Any vegans/lactose intolerant in the bunch? May want to give them a different mixer like an almond milk. 

There's nothing more classic than dishes made with maize on the Thanksgiving table.  Depending on ethnic or regional heritage or your favorite tastes, your dish might be cornbread or Indian pudding -- or tamales. 

I've made something like these before, and you're right: decadent and delicious. I think you're onto the culprit and the solution. Stir the lemon juice in right before serving. (I would think that even just taking them off the heat and letting them cool a bit before adding the lemon juice would work, too...)

Awesome. Glad we could help!

I haven't seen Freshy before, but it's the latest in an increasing line of products designed to keep the food in our fridges fresher, longer. Last year, Jane Black wrote about a product called Fresh Paper, which actually seemed to prolong the life of fruits and veggies.

Freshy, according its Web site, is an eggy-looking contraption that's supposed to reduce moisture in the fridge, which theoretically would inhibit bacterial growth in foods. It also reduces "oxidation," it says.

I'd be curious if anyone out there has tried one. With products like this, I fall back on a variation of the old Russian proverb: "Don't trust; verify."

Calls for low-grade sleuthing on your part. Is the recipe more than 30-40 years old? If so, salted butter might have been a  given. The "sweet" label is confusing...these days it probably means the butter is salted, as in "sweet cream butter." If the recipe's more recent, it might have come from a cookbook whose frontise material might have explained that all uses of the word "butter" means "unsalted butter." (I think that's sometimes done to save words/space in recipes.) Because salt's a preservative, salted butter might have a longer cold/storage shelf life than unsalted. We tend to use unsalted in all TWP recipes to be as exacting as we can about sodium in the nutritional analysis. But the butter spread on our Sweet Potato Rolls at Thanksgiving? Avec sel, all the way. 

Be glad the recipe isn't from the 1800s!  Unless your butter was very fresh, you'd be washing the salt off it and squeezing the water out.

I'd go with the roasted carrots that our earlier chatter is making. Carrots are kid friendly and roasting brings out their natural sweetness. Just cut into chunks (3/4-inch or so), toss with salt, pepper and olive oil. Spread out on an aluminum foil lined rimmed baking sheet and roast at 375 for about 25 minutes.  The clean-up's a breeze, just toss the foil and you're done, which I'm sure your husband will appreciate.

Are Happy Hanukkah greetings in order? Consider them delivered. If it's just a few hours, hold them at room temperature. They'll be fine.  Once they've cooled/drained, take them off the paper towels or cooling rack and cover loosely. 

How about spreading it into a gratin/casserole dish, sprinkling with some feta and pecans, and running it under the broiler just until the cheese and nuts brown?

Sounds good! I'd use the ricer if you want them to have a really fluffy, smooth texture, but with sweet potatoes, the texture is usually denser than with the best mashed white potatoes, don't you think? And that's not a bad thing. It depends on what you want to achieve, but I think you'd be fine to just mash them by hand.

You shouldn't need a ricer with sweet potatoes, just let them roast until good and soft in the oven (on aluminum foil)  and they should be easily mashed with a fork . That will also save you some clean-up.

How about herbs or fennel steeped in some melted butter?  You can thicken it with a little flour.  Suggestion courtesy of William Kitchener, M.D. He was an English cookbook writer of the 1800s but his published in the U.S. and adapted for the American market so I say we can turn to him for some Thanksgiving ideas.

Umami is that depth of flavor (sometimes referred to as a savory taste) that comes from such things as mushrooms, tomatoes, wine, Parm. Miso and soy sauce have it in spades because of the fermenting process. Check out this Mushroom-Miso-Mustard Gravy. It's a good one.

Yes, you can! Half and half is just that: half cream and half milk, so yes.

Two answers (at least!): For regular roasting, I think the step does keep the breast meat juicier.  Goes easier with a 12-14lb'er than a really big bird.

Re the pie: Might work best if you bake in a disposable aluminum pan. They're flexible and you'll have a good shot at extracting the whole pie. Generally it's the sides and edges that cause the problem -- not the bottom of the crust itself. Chatters, got another way to Houdini your pie out of the pan? Do tell! 

How about hard cider?  Sarah Hale's 1857 cookbook has a recipe for cider cake.  She's a the person behind our national Thanksgiving holiday so a good person to be inspired by!

Ah, Kellogg's.  A cereal company that owes its start to a 19th c. health reform movement.  I'd suggest Graham crackers for history's sake since they also have origins in the same 19th c. health reform movement, but that sounds pretty awful.

Yes, they will! Just be sure to roast them in a big enough pan so they don't overlap, to get that good crispness and browning, and do the same when you reheat.

The most important things: start with everything cold, don't add too much water, don't overblend, don't overwork, chill it to rest. I roll out dough on the thick side, but also try to make sure I roll it out big enough that I have plenty to work with so when I lay it in the pie pan I don't have to pull or stretch it AT ALL. You want to lay it in from the center (you can fold it in half or quarters, and then put the point in the middle of the pie plate and gently unfold, or there are many other techniques) and gently push it into place without tugging AT ALL. Did I mention to NOT STRETCH IT?

Also, freeze it again after you've formed the dough into the pan, before you bake it. Docking/weights are to prevent the bottom crust from puffing up too much during the baking. An egg wash can seal up the bottom to keep it from getting soggy once you add the filling, but none of those things address shrinking.

The problem with peeling potatoes before boiling them is the skins protect the starch cells from rupturing, which prevents your mashed taters from turning into glue. But, as always, Cook's Illustrated has tips to help. They suggest steaming potatoes, which has the benefit of fluffier mashed potatoes. With the steamed technique, you can peel and dice your potatoes beforehand, then cover them with cold water and refrigerate (so they don't turn brown). When you're ready to steam them, just follow these directions from Cook's Illustrated.

You can just make the potatoes right before you leave, put them in an ovenproof container covered with foil to keep warm, and then if needed warm them in a low oven on site.

My favorite technique, btw, comes from Rick Rodgers. Do this:

· Place whole, peeled potatoes in a large pot filled with cold salted water. (Leaving them whole allows more of their starch to be retained, which leads to better body when mashed.)

· Bring to a boil over high heat and then cook for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.

· Drain and return the potatoes to the (empty) pot they were cooked in.

· Dry them out over low heat for about 10 minutes, tossing gently and occasionally, until excess moisture is forced out and evaporates.

· Proceed with your favorite preparation. (We like to send the potatoes through a ricer, then add butter, heavy cream, salt and pepper.)

It may be, better quality butters usually have a lower moisture content, but pie crust is fickle to begin with. Think of the recipe as a starting point and add water as needed to get the dough to hold together. The humidity changes how much water you need, more in the the drier winter months, less in the moister summer months.

I prefer the food processor, cause it keeps things so quick. The vodka thing works, but I have to confess, I never do it -- my pie crusts turn out great without it. Sometimes, I do think you just have to develop a touch/feel over the years. Btw, I laughed the other day at the store when I saw that one of the brands, I think it was Kerry Gold, has a reduced-fat butter! The whole beauty of the European butters is the higher fat content, of course.

It would be about the same as when the bird is butterflied/spatchcocked. Seems like a good candidate for placing a mound of stuffing underneath so it can soak up the delicious turkey juices. 

They don't usually AUDIBLY pop, do they? Mine never have, anyway. You do want them to break down a bit, though, and it helps if they do burst (however gently and silently). How is the texture, generally? Looks good, but does it taste good?  If they're not broken up, heat it up again and use a potato masher or a big spoon to urge them along.

Oh gosh.  I have never actually used marshmallow root and I'm afraid I don't even know where to find it. 

Thanks!

That's a good question.  In the world of stuffing, I guess the crust is a variable. Depending on the bread you use, it can get too tough/hard, or it can get splintery, or it can separate/disintegrate to mush once the liquid's mixed in. But if you like it, don't cut it off! It's the "home" part of homemade. 

Word.

I'm surprised it's taken this long for there to be any men on the Butterball line! (But be careful what you wish for, re that calendar, right? You haven't seen these responders, after all.)

Eh, why add an extra 40 grams of sugar to the Thanksgiving table? That's about the gist of what's in a can of regular Coke, called for in those kinds of recipes -- and of course that's not counting the usual brown sugar added in. I think there are better ways of getting the skin crisp and browned. I have tasted root-beer glazed meat but not a Cokealicious bird, so I can't speak to the taste. I suspect you might get something along the lines of crunchy sweet, turkey-flavored cracklings. 

AND -- what would happen when you had to make gravy? Oh, the horror. 

I've grown fond of blinis with smoked salmon, an appetizer that my wife (you may know her as Spirits Columnist M. Carrie Allan!) makes with sweet potato batter. Here's a recipe that features a more traditional batter.

For a contrasting flavor, how about something like this Mushroom-Lentil Pate? You can make it a couple of days ahead of time.

Given that this is a dessert-ish stand-in, this sounds like a fun option. I'm curious -- how much flavor and sweetness does the vodka take on after such a long exposure to the candy? Does the vodka end up more peanut-buttery, or more sweet? (I've done a bunch of infusions but haven't yet tried doing candy!)

Thanks for letting us know and best of luck with your Thanksgiving dinner!

Macs will get too mushy.  The 19th c. cookbook authors often recommend tart green apples. 

Here's a little history . . .  from my family.  We always had a Jello mold made with cranberry when I was a kid.  I miss it.

Jane Touzalin, half  of our ace Jell-O tag team this year, says it's so interesting to see the how mold has worked its way into our national table of thanks.  (I've included a shot of her family recipe here, for the sake of fairness. 

This is hilarious. Love it! I hope you saw Jane Black's recent piece on the confusing world of these dates, how they lead to unneeded waste, and efforts to improve them? If not, here it is.

We're thankful for you, too!

Go for it. Asian pears might be too watery, though. 

I included tamales because they are on some Americans' Thanksgiving tables.  Maize in other forms is on other Americans' tables.  All of our Thanksgiving dinners are different and reflect our backgrounds and preferences.  My New England family is having maize in the form of Indian pudding.  Some folks - in the Southwest, for instance, or with Mexican or Central American roots or who just like tamales - may be eating those tomorrow. 

I find the idea upsetting, btw, that because it's not YOUR tradition it couldn't possibly be anybody else's.

Moroccan-Style Carrot and Beet Salad! Everything's raw, super easy to do, and I guarantee you it'll be nothing like the other dishes on the table, right?

Maybe I will! Next year. Or not.  I'm holding virtual hands with you, Basting. And smiling. We good? 

For authenticity's sake, a side dish or even the first course, which is when John and Abigail Adams ate it. 

Herbs -- thyme, sage, rosemary. 

Seasoning -- salt and pepper.

You can assemble it a day in advance and refrigerate.

I wouldn't go there. Tell your husband to drown his turkey in gravy!

I like Grandpa.

Speaking of Serious Eats, the site also has this forum where a restaurant chef claims he used to make mashed potatoes three or four days ahead. Then reheated them in a sauce pan on the stove with more cream and butter. 

It depends. If your crust is undercooked you're doomed. My rule of thumb is fruit pies are best the day they're made. Pecan pies are fine the next day. Pumpkin pie is good for days.

Sarah Hale's 1857 cookbook suggests an apple pie with just a top crust.  Now that seems like a smart idea to me.

I always make pie -- including fruit -- the day before if I can help it. Stephanie's right, the crust needs to not be undercooked, but mine never is! Pie gets better when it has time to sit and cool.

Me, too!

So glad to hear it!

You're welcome. I <3 Vedge. And like you, I'm excited about the new place! Can't come soon enough. BTW, I'm also excited about cooking with Rich and Kate at one of the Sips & Suppers dinners in January!

I'd assume soft white bread means sandwich bread. What's the dish? Sometimes it doesn't make much of difference which kind of bread you use. It's more a question of  personal preference.

Eliza Leslie's Seventy-five receipts for pastry, cakes, and sweet-meats, first published in 1827, recommends using cold turkey in salad.  She adds egg yolks, oil, vinegar, mustard, cayenne, and celery.  Sounds pretty good to me.

Many moons ago the Food section did a big butter tasting. We found the type of butter used mattered more where the taste of butter was very strong, for example buttered aspargus spears, but less so where it was only one component like in a chocolate cake or in gingerbread cookies.

You could edge the pie with rosettes of whipped cream. It's easy to do even with canned whipped cream, which I'm totally addicted to.

I've pretty much stopped doing so -- mostly because it slows down the cooking with all that oven opening and closing. I never found a noticeable difference in the juiciness of the meat, and some people now think basting keeps the skin from becoming as crisp as it might be.

 I think you're giving your bird a leg up with the butter under the skin already. Where's your bird from, btw? (Doesn't have a little pop-up timer in it, does it?) You should cover with foil only after you've achieved the good-looking turkey exterior you're after....best of luck!  Just a big chicken. Just a big chicken (same mantra from last week's chat). 

My favorite trick. You can also use layer cake pans with removable bottoms. It's especially nice with a pecan pie.

My thoughts exactly.

Well, it could be part of the funeral for the turkey! (Sorry.)

Hmm. Some quick searching through the drinks databases aren't turning up names for this one, beyond not-so-inventive options like "apple-ginger-bourbon cocktail" :) It sounds vaguely like an apple buck, but the ingredients aren't quite right. I'm surprised not to find some variation, as this sounds like a classic ingredient combination, but of course, this may free you up to name it yourself. I'd look to the type of bourbon/cider for ideas. Kentucky Orchard? Tippler's Pie? Fuji Fizz? Eve's Spice? :) 

For an early American flavor, add a little rosewater.

It would be way better not to bake the stuffing in a muffin tin. The smaller portions are cute but already well on their way to dry. If you make a casserole, you can baste with a little vegetable stock when you reheat, and it should be fine. Same trick doesn't work as well with the mini-portions.

Good for you! I wouldn't be surprised if kimchi showed up at my table tomorrow, too -- but I'm a well-documented kimchi obsessive, so there you go.

Exactamundo.

You've moved right past Thanksgiving to our Dec. 4 Cookies issue, have you? One thought about a magic touch. Small tweaks like roasting/toasting nuts (even drizzling butter on them before you r/t), fresh spices, really good chocolate, proper baking sheets, a well calibrated oven, following the recipe or adjusting it to suit your taste all can shove goodness to greatness, I think. Chatters, what about you? 

Thanks! I'll have to try this at some point -- have a friend who's a Reese's junkie, so this may end up being his Christmas present.

Beautifully put!

Nice!

I don't know their relationship, but the first time I made holiday dinner at my mom's, she said, "You must have really hated all the Christmas dinners I made over the years." It broke my heart that she assumed such judgment! Thankfully, we had a great talk about it.

Absolutely use the bottom rack in your oven. Good luck!

You can bake cake batter in whatever pan you'd like. You just need to adjust the baking time based on common sense. Tube pans bake the cake more evenly. Square pans are shallower, etc...

You go! We applaud your efforts. We love pie. And we are getting so hungry right now we're not even smiling. The pecan pie, as Stephanie mentioned earlier, will be fine on the counter overnight. You don't even need to cover it. I made mine a few days ago -- storing it in the microwave, actually. 

Demerara crystals are a little bigger.  The name refers, by the way, back to the history of sugar production in the Caribbean region.  Demerara is now known as Guyana.  Yes, you can substitute.

I remember that piece from Elinor Klivans so well. She had a treasure trove of cheesecake recipes from her days of making desserts for a restaurant. Glad you enjoyed them. I'll try to pass on your compliment to her.

I made squash pie from Sarah Hale's 1857 cookbook recently.  It was made just like pumpkin pie but flavored with rosewater, cinnamon and a little nutmeg.  It was delicious and a hit with kids to boot.

I really love this French pumpkin tart I've made many times: It uses pumpkin (or squash) and apples, in a puff pastry crust. Not too sweet: Amazing for the holidays.

I called Peter Pastan, the chef behind 2 Amys and Obelisk. If anyone knows wood fired ovens, it's Peter.

He first issued a warning: A goose has a lot of fat, which runs the risk of creating a grease fire in your wood oven. He suggests getting your oven up to temperature and then removing the coals before cooking your goose (so to speak). The last thing you want on Thanksgiving is to open the door of your wood-fired oven, introduce oxgen and start a grease fire of Biblical proportions.

Peter says you should salt your bird inside and out, then place it on a rack in a large roasting pan with some water at the bottom. The pan will capture the fat that renders out and prevent splattering. You'll want to empty the pan once or twice during the cooking process.

He suggests cooking the bird to medium, which should take about three to four hours, depending on how large your bird is. Finally, he suggests one more thing:

"Keep a fire extingusher nearby."

Relax, the most importatnt thing is not to overcook the bird! I'm sure the Colicchio recipe is delicious. After that, it's all gravy, really.

Personally, I'd go with this recipe: It flash fries the Brussels sprouts (which makes them less greasy, always a good thing) and then toss in a garlic, lime and cayenne mixture.

It should be at room temperature. Soft to a firm poke but not mushy.

Herbed Popcorn

David Hagedorn's addictive Party Mix (okay, not so low-cal but you could eat such small portions!)

Chickpea Pancake

Oysters With Yuzu Mignonette

Eggplant Chips

How much time do you have? :) Given that Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I'm going to assume you don't have time to make a long infusion type of deal, and that you're looking for quick one. 

If you have some (good, non-jellied-in-a-can) cranberry sauce/chutney around, you can make a nice syrup with it, adding a little ginger and sugar, for a holiday take on a classic Kir Royale (the cranberry syrup stands in for the creme de cassis, and it's very festive and fancy what with the sparkling wine). I made this last year and it turned out really nicely, and it's not too much of a booze bomb, either. 

Here's another: 

1 1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz. Cointreau or Gran Marnier, 1 oz cranberry juice, shake with ice, serve with a sprig of rosemary or thyme. (You may want to have some simple syrup on hand to adjust the sweetness if you use unsweetened cranberry juice.)

And here's one that I haven't made, but that sounds fantastic to me.

I'll put my former pastry chef toque on to answer this one.  Use the paddle (the flat beater.)  The whisk for whipping up eggs or cream.

The point is that what is classic to one person isn't necessarily classic to another, depending on his/her background. So this person who wouldn't picture tamales on the Thanksgiving table is certainly not of Latino descent.

These are eight representative dishes.  I bet a lot of people don't picture mince meat pie or plum pudding on the Thanksgiving table anymore, but our forebears sure did.  One of the delights of the Thanksgiving table, for me, is that it evolves and varies. 

Looks good! Clearly, you are sharing in the spirit of the holiday. Already. 

Yay!!!

Good one. Slow cooker works for keeping mashed spuds warm as well (someone might have mentioned that already). As long as  you have the counter space....

I hope it's not too late! Deep breath in, deep breath out. Namaste. ;-)

Good! Hope you like it! Exact title: Turkey Tetrazzini With Butternut Squash Sauce.

I'm with you. We remember Josh Short's High Apple Pie quite fondly!

I think the original calls for cream, but I've made White Russians with lighter milks before. And yeah, with the tequila, I'd want to play around a bit before suggesting a straight tequila/milk blend, but tequila + kahlua + milk sounds promising, and the Patron XO Cafe with milk would do fine. But if you're doing a White Russian bar, some people may well end up making something disgusting -- but that's par for the course and half the fun with a party activity like this! Isn't it humane nature to go, "OMG, this is foul. You have to taste it"? :)

I think any of those options would work: Part of it depends on your host and whether/how much you'll have access to the stove, right? I'd be tempted to assemble tonight and bake on site, if possible, since it only needs a half hour in the oven.

Oh yes. Toast those pecans first, for extra fabulousness. 

Against the grain means to cut perpendicularly to the direction of the muscle fibers in the meat. It's easier to see on some meats than others. Think about brisket: When you have a properly sliced piece, you can pull it apart with your fingers because each one of the slices has cut across the muscle fibers. Does that help?

For vegetable side dish, I'll vote again for the Moroccan-Style Carrot and Beet Salad!

I just bake mine until it looks firm (doesn't jiggle when lightly shaken). If your pie looks firm you should be fine. If it's soupy, don't serve it. The pie contains raw eggs and you need them to be cooked, but it sounds like you're in good shape. You'd know if the filling was runny.

I like the way you think! Thanks so much for the great feedback!

You're right that a lot of the dishes were classics and some classics like green beans with mushroom soup and mashed potatoes weren't included. And we included tamales as a relative newcomer to the Thanksgiving table - but one made with the most classic American food, maize - to emphasize that Thanksgiving changes.  The changing nature of the Thanksgiving meal is part of the tradition. 

Oysters are a New England classic at Thanksgiving (in stuffing) so why not scrod?!

Genrally you can double, though I wouldn't fill a pan more than 2/3rds with the batter (to allow for rising). You'll have to experiment and keep a close on the cake. If it starts to brown toonquickly, reduce the oven temperature.

This story reminds me of Sam Sifton's advice. (If you'll recall, he wrote the compact guide to the Thanksgiving meal, titled, simply enough, "Thanksgiving."). His belief? Appetizers have no place on the T-Day table. They take up valuable stomach space.

Hard cider, which was the standard cider in early America, was the American drink well into the 1800s.  Your drink says Americana to me.

I also love David Lebovitz's!

Personally, I think one of the best ways to understand cooking is to learn a little of the science behind it. That way, you'll learn not just how to make a good pie, but the principals behind what makes a good pie and why some steps are necessary.  With that in mind, I'd suggest a book like "The Science of Good Cooking," by the folks at Cook's Illustrated.

You can line your stockpot with a brining bag or even a big oven roasting bag. 

How about cranberry sauce, at least for your Thanksgiving Day breakfast?  Northeastern North American fruit meets Central American food (chocolate).

Hmm. I think the chocolate chip ones would be more healthful, actually. Antioxidants!

I know something about the history of tamales but I'm sorry to say I don't have a recipe for Cajun Tamales!  Maybe someone else can help?

Here are links to some New Orleans-style tamales from our friends at the Times Picayune. Take a look and see if any seem like what you remember.

Cut the turkey tenders into chicken finger size strips. Season with salt and pepper. Dust with flour, dip in egg wash (eggs betaen with a few tablespoons of water), the coat with panko. Shallow fry until nicely browned. This should do the trick.

So nice! Thanks so much.

Hats off to you, tipster. 

I think dark rum would be delicious.

Here's the recipe. One of my go-tos for Thanksgiving apps -- people love them. 

I can validate that people love them. I love them!

Yeah, definitely. Cool and store both in the fridge: The soup in a jar or other airtight container, and the corn pudding in the casserole/souffle dish you made it in, covered in plastic wrap (pressed against the top so it doesn't form a skin) and then foil. The soup you can reheat on the stovetop, and the pudding in a low oven.

Two snaps up from this camp! 

Yep.

Looks great!

I don't think it's that huge of a difference, no. I tend to save it for spreading on bread/etc., someplace where you can REALLY taste it.

Yes! The Blue Cheese Straws you mention are from John Martin Taylor, and Tom swears by them. Glad to hear you like them, too!

That sounds great.  A relative's family always has a traditional Jewish noodle casserole called kugle (or coogle, as Esther Levy, author of the first American cookook spelled it.)

Do you happen to have any wheat germ on hand? For every cup of unsifted whole-wheat flour, you can use 13 tablespoons of all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons of wheat germ. 

Don't think so, no. 

Looks good to me! Although, really, it should be called dressing... (Unless stuffing it into the slow cooker counts!)

I think you'd be fine assembling and refrigerating the night before, sure.

You have probably found this site already, but it offers 80 different things to do with kefir. Out of curiosity, have you ever tried to make coconut milk kefir? That sounds delicious to me.

Yes you can. Thing to do is to freeze them first as separate pods, then you can group them together in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Remember to factor in extra time for baking. 

If I were hosting Thanksgiving, and you came with that side dish, I would kiss you. On the cheek. (Of course, I'd also want to know about it advance in case it affected my meal plan.)

A 1903 cookbook also suggests mushroom gravy for a vegetarian Thanksgiving!

Lots of love today! Thanks so much!!

Agreed. And can't resist the chance to plug the poblano tapenade from my new cookbook! It's killer.

The internet is rife with exploding Pyrex stories so best not to become another one. I've had great success with disposable aluminum foil pie pans and you don't have to throw them away after using. Wash them and they're good for another go.

Sorry about that. Let's say 375 degrees F. We'll correct that omission. 

From a quick review of various brine recipes, I'd say that your ratio -- 1.5 cup salt to 1 gallon water -- is on the high side. I would brine that same amount of time.

How much salt did you use? Dry brine recipes vary on this matter. If you're worried about the saltiness of the gravy, rinse away.  Hope you have time to let the bird air-dry overnight in the fridge (for crisper skin). 

Benjamin Rush, one of the leaders of the early temperance movement in the 1780s, would have said buttermilk!

How about a fresh ginger-lime soda? Or a hibiscus punch? For the former, you can boil ginger slices in water to cover to make a syrup, then add lime juice and sugar to taste and cut with soda. For the latter, steep dried hibiscus flowers in hot water, and add sugar to taste, and cut with soda.

Other ideas? You might look into "Preggatinis," a fun book by Natalie Bovis-Nelsen that's aimed at moms to be but that has lots of great mocktail ideas I think your hubby would like, too.

It sounds great.  I don't think you'll have any problems at all. 

DINGDINGDING! My favorite. The perfect two-bite holiday dessert. No need to refrigerate. Happy Thanksgiving to you! 

If she likes it when you cook, then ... why don't you just offer to make the turkey?

I've found that even the most unadventurous eaters can be swayed to try new foods, if you introduce them without pressure or condescension. You know, "I thought I'd throw this dish on the table to add a more creative element to the Thanksgiving dinner!"

You might try putting something out on the table you really like, without any fanfare or comment, and see what happens. At the very least, you'll have something to enjoy at meal time. 

Wildfowl was eaten at that 1621 meal we've romanticized as the first Thanksgiving. Maybe the wildfowl was goose or duck.

Argh, I've got to scoot. Send me an e-mail: bonnie.benwick@washpost.com and I'll answer by the end of the day, promise!