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bethsdish 11/20/2009 11:07:00 PM
SPOONS UP! Time to strut your stuff! The Celebrate the Seasons Recipe Contest -- http://q.platefull.com/recipecontests/ . . .1st Prize wins $1,000, 2nd Prize $500. and 3rd Prize $250 -- fifteen winners in all. enter the followin Categories -- Falling Favorites; Best Thanksgiving; and Holiday Baking!
When a variety of different diners with their varying preferences and requirements are coming for Thanksgiving, it's a good time to get serious about sides. Carrots, parsnips, winter squash and potatoes are traditional and delicious and when served together can ...
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bethsdish 11/19/2009 6:11:00 PM
Trying to put together a meal that satisfies everyone is a lot like arranging a big bucket of flowers -- each is delicious in its own way -- but composing different flavors to satisfy different tastes and dietary requirements on the and feel as though the meal feels thought out and complete, is either an overwhelming hassle or a creative challenge. I choose the challenge. My sister-in-law (a vegetarian) married my steak loving little brother (go figure); one of their daughters is a vegan and her sister seems to exist on plain noodles and sweets. A dear friend is glut...
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bethsdish 11/19/2009 5:51:00 PM
Spoons up everybody! "Celebrate the Seasons" Recipe Contest is on strong. There will be 15 winners selected from the winning favorites. These are the categories:
FALLING FAVORITES
BEST THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAY BAKING
1st Place - $1,000
2nd Place - $500
3rd Place - $250
THAT'S GOOD DOUGH for sharing good stuff.
GO to http://q.platefull.com/recipecontests/.
Runners up will be awarded the following cookbooks:
Fall Baking: Betty Crocker's Baking Basics
Thanksgiving: Pillsbury's C'mon Over
Holiday Baking: Betty Crocker's Crhis...
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bethsdish 11/17/2009 2:00:00 PM
Celebrate the Seasons recipe contest is LIVE today! Enter your favorite holiday recipe in one of three categories and you might win BIG. Here's a chance to share your cooking skill and knowledge and add a bit to your holiday budget. You have three categories to choose from (so three ways to win). Enter your recipe(s) for:
Falling Favorites
Best Thanksgiving
Holiday Baking
First place recieves $1,000
Second place receives $500.00
Third place receives $250.00
There will be 15 winners in each category. Each category will also award 12...
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bethsdish 11/17/2009 10:11:00 AM
It isn't thanksgiving without mashed potatoes (in fact, my oldest son contends that turkey is just an excuse to eat mashed potatoes with lots of gravy). The choices are many and all are pretty darn good. But among the glorious different spuds, it's helpful to know which ones, when mashed, will taste best. Potatoes with a high
starch content (such as russets) are drier,
mealier and more floury when cooked. They tend to fall apart so are better for
baking, mashing, and frying. These are your classic russet or baking potatoes, but they mash up flu...
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bethsdish 11/16/2009 11:32:00 AM
The farmer's markets every provide a living calendar as weekend markers of our steady march to Thanksgiving and the holidays. Just this last Saturday, I realized that the harvest is now truly over and so was drawn to the apples on brilliant display. If I wanted applesauce (and cranberry applesauce) it was a good time to stock up. Apples (and sauce) figure big on our table, where condiments are king. It's about the easiest thing to make in a crock pot, and if you nix the sugar and use a mix of tart and sweet apples, it's also one of the healthiest snacks around. Sometimes I toss in a few crabapples for snap or a handful of cranberries to tart things up. Just core and slice into chunks (lea...
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bethsdish 11/12/2009 11:26:00 AM
Time to get the word out to your flock! Set the time for dinner. Decide who is going to bring what. If your family (and friends) are like mine, then you know there are some who think only of turkey and others who don't care one bit. Turkey geeks will mull different options -- to brine or not; to roast high heat or low; to roast stuffed or unstuffed; how often to baste; whether to bard -- these considerations keep my dear sister in law up at night. I let her go to it. She is in charge of cooking the bird. I know, I know, sounds crazy to host Thanksgiving but not cook the turkey myself. The thing is she's really good at this. And. She cares. I do not. Something as simple...
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planning the feast
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bethsdish 11/12/2009 8:29:00 AM
I
Garlic is garlic, right? Not if you're the Garlic Guy at the St. Paul Farmer's Market. Here find as many as 10 different varieties, each with their own personalities, some strong characters, some mild and accommodating. Talking to him is like being introduced to new and interesting, friends. Here is red rose garlic that is fragrant, mild, and the cloves are really big. It's terrific chopped and used in a fresh salad dressing or fresh salsa (think cranberry salsa). It figures mightily in sauces, soups and stews.
This is one I plan to use to seas...
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bethsdish 11/9/2009 11:37:00 AM
SWEET!
Little bitty pie pumpkins are packed with pure, sweet pumpkin flavor. Not at all stringy or tough, these roast up dense, tender and creamy for soup, or as a side dish, and for their highest and best use -- Pumpkin Pie! You can find pie pumpkins for a great price at farmers markets through Thanksgiving. I use them as decorations until I'm ready to cook (stacked outside the front door; piled on a side table). The colors speak Fall. Fresh pumpkin puree makes a huge difference in the flavor of a pumpkin pie and it's worth the very little effort it takes to make. (It's ...
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Pie
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bethsdish 11/6/2009 10:59:00 AM
It's worth mentioning that given the sales and great prices on wine right now, it's not just a good time to stock up, it's a great time to buy a bottle of those wines you'd like to try before you commit to those you want to serve on on Thanksgiving. Along with the white (Riesling) ad red (Pinot Noir), think about sampling a Rose. If nothing else, open a bottle to serve with the appetizer or starter. It's so festive and pink (matches the cranberries) and is light snappy and dry, a way to please red and white palates alike.
When you're thinking about table se...
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