Everything And Nothing

Fresh Cranberry Ideas

 

People don't seem to think about cranberries much until November - then they are everywhere, all the time. But Food Network magazine (November 2010) has some fresh recommendations to keep our cranberries from going stale. Here were some of my favorites:

• Serve a World Series-inspired snack: Mix some dried cranberries int a bowl of Cracker Jack.
• Mix autumn trail mix: Toss dried cranberries with mini marshmallows and salted roasted cashews and peanuts.
• Try Cape Codders: Mix 1 cup vodka, 3 cups cranberry juice and the juice of 2 limes in a pitcher. Serve over ice.
• Serve a 5-min. appetizer: Mix dried cranberries into softened goat cheese and spread onto toasted baguette slices.
• Relax before the Thanksgiving frenzy: Sip some sparkling wine with a few frozen cranberries dropped in
• Finish dinner with cranberry floats: Put pistachio ice cream in glasses and top with cranberry ginger ale.
• Beat the crowds and buy fresh cranberries. Sealed in a bag, they'll keep in the fridge for up to 2 months.
• Cosmos! Shake 2 oz. vodka and 1 oz. each of cranberry juice, lime juice and orange liquer with ice and strain.
• Freeze cranberry juice into ice cubes today; use them in a pitcher of water on Thanksgiving.
• Unwrap a brie wheel and top with cranberry jam. Wrap with foil and bake 15 min. at 350 degrees. Serve with crackers.
• Make Cranberry Shandies: Pour equal parts cranberry juice and beer into an ice-filled glass.
• Soak fresh cranberries in vodka in a large jar; cover and let sit 2 weeks. Strain and pour into bottles to give as gifts.
• Cranberries are good for dogs - so let them enjoy the leftovers.

Turkey Trivia

It's Thanksgiving Day so it's time for turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and hummingbird cake (at my house, anyways). But that's not the truly traditional Thanksgiving meal.  The pilgrims and the Indians ate deer, codfish, and boiled pumpkin at the first Thanksgiving. There were no ovens for bread (or hummingbird cake) and there was no sugar or milk when Thanksgiving came around.

The pilgrims ate their meal with their hands, spoons, and knives. They didn't have forks. The original Thanksgiving lasted three days.

Wine with dinner

Turning Leaf Vineyard is hosting a Thanksgiving Tips Hotline. A panel of notable food, wine and entertaining experts will be standing by from 2 to 7 p.m. through Nov. 21 to answer questions on how to transform a traditional Thanksgiving meal into a memorable one for years to come.

Call 1-866-99-TLEAF if you would like help from the experts.

Eat like the pilgrims

Would you like to celebrate Thanksgiving the way the Pilgrims did? Then be ready for a departure from your traditional turkey, dressing, gravy, potatoes, and pie menu! The Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians didn’t have a single meal for Thanksgiving in 1621. The harvest celebration was three days long, and included games, competitions, and storytelling, as well as meals, for around 150 people.

For the full story from Mental Floss magazine, click here.

Thanksgiving Menus

domino magazine has a new Thankgsiving section that has everything from online sources for all-natural turkeys and pies to recipes and decorating ideas. They also have a step-by-step how-to for cooking a complete Thanksgiving dinner in one hour.

Roasting Turkey: A Chef's Advice

Chef Mark Sullivan of San Francisco's Spruce shared his secret for a juicty bird with Food and Wine magazine (Nov. 2007). He wraps it in parchment paper, then foil; roass it at a low temperature until it's nearly cooked; then removes the foil and parchment and browns it in a hot oven until the skin is crisp.

Sugar and spice

Get the smell of pumpkin pie in the air - without having to bake one - with these Pumpkin Pie-scented candles.

$1.95-$21.95

Turkey Time

OK, OK. It's a pheasant, not a turkey. But who's really going to see that underneath all the dressing and gravy anyways? ;)

$48 for a set of four salad plates

All-American Songs for Thanksgiving

• Michael Brecker - Tumbleweed
• Jason Holstrom - On the Waikiki
• Pink Martini - Tea for Two
• The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker - Can You Feel It?
• Porter Wagoner - A Place To Hang My Hat
• Marissa Nadler - Mexican Summer
• The National - Squalor Victoria

[ via Eric Steinman, Bon Appetit magazine, November 2007 ]

Turkey Day SOS Hotlines

Butterball Turkey TalkLine: 1-800-BUTTERBALL. Operates most weekdays in November until 8 p.m. and until 6 p.m. in December. Automated assistance also available. Butterball also offers turkey podcasts at www.butterball.com.

Empire Kosher poultry customer hotline: 1-800-367-4734. Help is offered year-round Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. till 3:30 p.m.; Friday 7 a.m. till 2 p.m. Help is also available online.

Foster Farms Turkey Helpline: 1-800-255-7227. Turkey-cooking questions are answered and information given 24 hours a day through Nov. 27. Help is also available online.

Ocean Spray Consumer Help Line: 1-800-662-3263. Yearround, weekdays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Offers help with cranberries, as well as recipes, cooking tips, nutritional information and menu-planning worksheets. Help is also available on the Web at www.oceanspray.com.

Perdue Consumer Help Line: 1-800-473-7383. Company representatives answer cooking, storage and other questions about poultry products most weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Help is also available on the Web at www.perdue.com.

Reynolds Turkey Tips Hotline: 1-800-745-4000. A year-round 24-hour automated hot line offers advice on turkey defrosting, preparation and cooking through December 31. Free brochure and recipes are also available. Information can also be found online at www.reynoldskitchens.com.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-888-674-6854 or 1-888-MPHOTLINE. Food safety specialists answer questions in English or Spanish about meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions, year-round Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., except Thanksgiving Day, when hours change from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day at the same number. E-mail questions to mphotline.fsis@usda.gov.

[ via The Associated Press ]