Articles about Thanksgiving

What To Do With Thanksgiving Leftovers

posted by Carol Shih | November 26th, 2012 12:27pm | filed under Holidays, Thanksgiving | 2 Comments »

Cranberry sauce and multigrain pancakes (photo by Carol Shih)

For some reason, Thanksgiving food always tastes better after Thanksgiving Day. It just does. Every year, I look forward to the turkey rice noodle soup we make after my family completely shreds the poor bird. My mom makes turkey stock from the bones in a ginormous pot, and after it cooks long enough, we add rice noodles and zha cai (Chinese pickled vegetables) to the floating pieces of shredded turkey. I swear on my dog’s grave that this easy-to-make soup is the best dish in the world. (Plus, it requires few ingredients and little muscle work.) Christmas season just isn’t the same unless it starts off with a bowl of honest turkey noodle soup.

If you’re looking for ways to get rid of your extra homemade cranberry sauce, I’ve recently discovered that it pairs amazingly well with multigrain pancakes. Try it. There’s no need for maple syrup, either.

For more quick ways to get rid of leftovers, visit this New York Times article. They call it a “radical rethinking.” I call it a way of life. For those of you with creative Thanksgiving leftover recipes, post them down below. Sharing is caring, right?

2 Comments »

Happy Thanksgiving, Y’all

posted by Carol Shih | November 22nd, 2012 9:30am | filed under Holidays, Thanksgiving |

via sahajcartoons.com

Thank you, loyal SideDish readers, for reading, commenting, and always keeping us on our toes. Nobody else knows how to point out every missing period and every misplaced comma in our sentences like you do. Kidding aside, we love y’all and we are, of course, thankful for your support.

P.S. Nancy and I will be drifting off into post-turkey comas, so posting on SideDish will be light as a feather today and tomorrow.

 

Still Looking for Thanksgiving Recipes? D Home’s Got Your Back.

posted by Carol Shih | November 21st, 2012 10:25am | filed under Recipes, Thanksgiving |

Ryan Conner over on D Home has consulted with Liza Garza, owner of Sissy’s Southern Kitchen & Bar, on her favorite tools and recipes for Thanksgiving. Check out Garza’s five spice brined turkey and easy peasy squash casserole.

For a Swifter Thanksgiving Meal, Spatchcock Your Turkey

posted by Carol Shih | November 20th, 2012 10:50am | filed under Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving | 5 Comments »

Food52 has an awesome shot-by-shot blog post on how to spatchcock a turkey, which looks like a better Thanksgiving alternative to making a gross turducken.

“Spatchcocking” is just the fun way to tell people you’re butterflying a bird, by taking out its backbone. Why would you do such a thing? Well, it’s much easier than it may sound, and your chickens and turkeys will cook quickly and evenly — cutting the time almost in half.

 

5 Comments »

What To Drink Now: Thanksgiving Zin, Syrah, Grenache and More

posted by Hayley Hamilton | November 20th, 2012 9:28am | filed under Texas Wine, Thanksgiving, Wine & Spirits |

Last week I gave some ideas for pairing the Thanksgiving meal with Pinot Noir, one of my favorite varieties to enjoy all the time, but particularly with this holiday meal.  It is not the only option though, as across the country families have their traditional favorites that pair just perfectly with turkey and side dishes they have been making for generations.  If you are still looking for that great bottle to open and to share, here are a few more suggestions beyond the much loved Pinot.  A few selections were sent for editorial consideration.

Syrah, Rhone wines and Rhone style blends are ideal with the Thanksgiving meal.  Whether from Southern France, California, Eastern Washington or West Texas the bold flavors layered with spice and fruit are sure to pair with everything from the sweet potatoes to brussel sprouts with bacon to classic cornbread and sausage dressing.

Chemin de Fer from Lasseter Family Winery blends 49% Grenache, 38% Syrah, 13% Mourvèdre from their Sonoma Valley estate vineyards to mimic the Rhone wines they enjoyed traveling by train throughout France.  Filled with raspberry, cherry and spice with balance, structure and elegance.  Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Thanksgiving Zin, Syrah, Grenache and More"

The Clock is Ticking. Here’s Where You Can Dine in Dallas for Thanksgiving.

posted by Carol Shih | November 20th, 2012 9:00am | filed under Holidays, Lists, Long table dinners, Thanksgiving |

illustration by Larry Oliver

It’s probably too late to pre-order your turkey and sides right now, but you can still simplify your life by dining at a restaurant on Thanksgiving day. Check out this list of 22 restaurants. I’m sure all of them would be more than happy to take your money. (New to the list: Sēr and Cook Hall.)

The Great Turducken Question

posted by Carol Shih | November 19th, 2012 10:39am | filed under Holidays, Long table dinners, Overprivileged chimps, Politics of Food, Thanksgiving | 4 Comments »

Sickness. (Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, homecooking.about.com)

This weekend, while I was visiting Austin, my Nigerian friend asked, “What’s a turducken?”

This, of course, prompted a lively conversation inside a Korean restaurant about the pros and cons of stuffing a chicken inside of a duck inside of a turkey. Though I’m a happy carnivore, the thought of eating three different kinds of meat in one bite makes me want to gag. It’s foul. It’s animal overkill. Plus, this HuffPost article about an Aussie ‘Turducken Ridiculous’ (20 animals stuffed into one) is evil and gross. Think about it: if you were a turkey, would you enjoy being stuffed? Wouldn’t you prefer being savored at a Thanksgiving table alone?

According to my friend Sulamita, a turducken is not about the turkey. “No offense to the turkey,” she said, “but the chicken and duck make you better.”

A few weeks ago, when I sent out a bird call across the Twitterverse, seeking a turducken expert, one or two people answered. This guy named Freddie Mac (yes, that’s his real name) even sent me pictures of his family making a turducken. He told me to “imagine slow cooking a turkey in duck fat for 12-14 hours. You’ll never have dry turkey meat again.”

Wait, but can’t you have juicy turkey meat without stuffing other birds inside of it? Somebody help me out. I still don’t understand this repulsive turducken business.

4 Comments »

Not To Be Annoying, But Have You Planned For Thanksgiving Yet?

posted by Carol Shih | November 16th, 2012 11:02am | filed under Holidays, Lists, menus, Thanksgiving | 2 Comments »

illustration by Larry Oliver

If you’re cooking, check out these recipes:

  • Happy Hostess’ Thanksgiving menu has recipes included in a downloadable pdf. (I’m planning to make her sweet potato gratin with garlic and rosemary myself.)
  • Also, check out Travis’ amazing green beans with bacon crumbles and fresh mushrooms. He makes it look so easy.



If you’re not cooking, take a good look at our ultimate Thanksgiving guide:

  • We have all the information you need to pre-order everything.
  • We also have a list of places you can dine on Thanksgiving Day.



Today is the last day to pre-order from Bonnell’s, and tomorrow is the last day to pre-order from The Grape, Urbano Cafe, and Kent Rathbun Concepts. You better get a move on.

2 Comments »

What To Drink Now: Thanksgiving Pinot Noir

posted by Hayley Hamilton | November 15th, 2012 9:47am | filed under Thanksgiving, Wine & Spirits | 2 Comments »

There are many options to go to when planning your Thanksgiving wine  to pair with your Thanksgiving meal, but for me Pinot Noir is always a solid go to which will suit both the meal and your dinner guests.  Somewhat like a Labrador Retriever, Pinot Noir (especially New World Pinot) is a super likable, friendly wine that has the ability to please just about any palate and pairs well with everything from roasted turkey, to cranberries, to sweet potatoes, to pumpkin pie.  Here are a few suggestions that will make you thankful for Pinot.  If you just insist on serving a spicy Zin, Syrah, Beaujolais or Grenache on this special day I will have a list of others up soon, but for now it is all about Pinot.  A few selections were sent for editorial consideration.

Etude Winery, may be best known perhaps for their Heirloom wines, but just the basic Etude Estate Pinot Noir from fruit grown in their Carneros, Napa Valley vineyards enahnces any dinner table any time of year, but particularly with the Thanksgiving meal.  From cool, maritime influenced fruit, and created with the belief that the winemaking happens in the vineyard and not in the winery, the Etude Pinot Noir is filled with concentrated cherry, blackberry and red berry jam flavors enhanced with touches of soy, star anise, clove and slight minerality from the clay and gravel soils of Carneros. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Thanksgiving Pinot Noir"

2 Comments »

Look What I Made: Thanksgiving Green Beans My Way

posted by Travis Awalt | November 15th, 2012 9:03am | filed under Look What I Made, Recipes, Thanksgiving | 2 Comments »

Green beans (photos by Travis Awalt)

I love Thanksgiving. Food, family, not working on a Thursday, football. Food. Thanksgiving has it all.* Unless you’re planning on doing some banking, mailing of letters or fasting, in which case you’re sadly out of luck. Still, the food.

The thing I don’t particularly like about Thanksgiving is actually… some of the food. Awkward! Look, I dig turkey, mashed potatoes, turducken stuffed with stuffed jalapenos, all of that. But green bean casserole is not something I think of as being terrifically edible. Yeah, I know, that’s un-American. Fine. It’s just that I have a shaky history with green beans. We’re only now getting to a place where there’s trust.

Continue reading "Look What I Made: Thanksgiving Green Beans My Way"

2 Comments »

Be Thankful: The Happy Hostess Has Your Thanksgiving Plan

posted by Lesley Mann Lynch | November 13th, 2012 10:32am | filed under Happy Hostess, Holidays, Long table dinners, menus, Thanksgiving | 3 Comments »

Whenever my mom and I host Thanksgiving, Mom will call me at the beginning of November to establish a game plan. The conversation is always the same:

Mom: I cannot believe Thanksgiving is three weeks away.

Me: I know. I haven’t even started thinking about Christmas gifts yet.

Mom: Let’s not think about Christmas. What should we serve for Thanksgiving this year?

Me: How about trying something new? I was thinking about [insert something nontraditional].

Mom: That sounds great, but you know everyone will want a turkey. Should we do both?

Me: No, that would be so much food, and they wouldn’t really go together. You’re right. Let’s stick to the usual. We can experiment at Christmas.

Jump with me for a fool-proof Thanksgiving dinner plan.

Continue reading "Be Thankful: The Happy Hostess Has Your Thanksgiving Plan"

3 Comments »

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide: Where to Pre-Order a Turkey and Where to Dine in Dallas

posted by Carol Shih | November 12th, 2012 11:51am | filed under Holidays, Thanksgiving | 1 Comment »

Illustration by Larry Oliver

I hate to break it to ya, but there are only 10 days left until Thanksgiving. Ten. This holiday is about to creep up on us, fast. Make your life a lot easier and visit our growing list of places to pre-order turkey and sides, as well as places to dine on Thursday, November 22.

1 Comment »

A Thanksgiving Dinner with Jing Wang, Teiichi, and Bruno Davaillon From The Rosewood Mansion

posted by Carol Shih | November 12th, 2012 10:44am | filed under Events, Holidays, Thanksgiving |

Seats are almost sold out for Tei An‘s Thanksgiving dinner. If I were you, I’d pick up my phone right now (assuming, of course, you can afford the $150 per person ticket) and call to reserve a spot. Chefs Teiichi Sakurai and  Bruno Davaillon are both preparing a four course, Japanese and French-influenced Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday, November 25 at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the talented Jing Wang, concertmaster of the Dallas Opera, will serenade with pretty violin music.

Continue reading "A Thanksgiving Dinner with Jing Wang, Teiichi, and Bruno Davaillon From The Rosewood Mansion"

2012 Thanksgiving Central: Where to Pre-Order a Turkey and Where to Dine in Dallas

posted by Carol Shih | November 6th, 2012 9:30am | filed under Holidays, Long table dinners, menus, Thanksgiving | 23 Comments »

Illustration by Larry Oliver

Thanksgiving is a high blood pressure holiday. Not only do people expect a pretty good meal on the table, but there’s that uncle who – every year, without fail – asks why you’re not making enough money. You don’t have time to make a Martha Stewart-perfect Thanksgiving dinner. You work. You have three kids and a gargantuan load of laundry to do. So you do what you gotta do: pre-order or eat out. Hey, this is America, Land of Convenience. Take advantage of it. No judging here. We’re just trying to make your life easier.

I’ll keep updating this list, so check back regularly. And PR folks, feel free to send me more menus.

Where to Pre-Order Your Turkey and Fixin’s

Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine
Bread Winners
Cafe Lago
Cowboy Chicken
Del Frisco’s Grille
Fire Oak Grill
The Grape
Highland Park Cafeteria
Kent Rathbun Concepts
Jack’s Southern Comfort Food
La Madeleine
Lanny’s Alta Cocina Mexicana
Lockhart Smokehouse
Mimi’s Cafe
Natural Grocers
TJ’s Seafood Market

Where to Pre-Order Your Pie and Desserts

Empire Baking Co.
Emporium Pies
Salerno’s
Tu-Lu’s Gluten Free Bakery
Urbano Cafe

Where to Eat on Thanksgiving Day: For the Non-Cooks

Asador
Bonnie Ruth’s
Canary by Gorji
Central 214
Cook Hall
CRU
Decanter Restaurant
Eden Cafe
Fearing’s
Grotto
Highland Park Cafeteria*
Hilton Dallas/Rockwall
Holy Grail Pub
Landmark Restaurant
Maggiano’s
Mimi’s Cafe*
Q de Cheval
Salerno’s*
Second Floor Bistro
Ser
T/X at Luxe Stoneleigh
Village Marquee Grill

See ya after the jump. Continue reading "2012 Thanksgiving Central: Where to Pre-Order a Turkey and Where to Dine in Dallas"

23 Comments »

Somebody Help This Poor Girl: Best Take-Out Thanksgiving Dinner in Dallas

posted by Nancy Nichols | October 2nd, 2012 11:32am | filed under Thanksgiving | 15 Comments »

Or in her case, “take-away.” She types with a heavy British accent:

Nancy, I need your help. I moved here from London in the spring where my husband and I have been living for two years. He has been transferred here which is good for him because his family is close by. Horrors!!! He wants us to host Thanksgiving at our home. I’ve not a clue. I’d like to order take-away and pretend I did it all. Who should I call?

15 Comments »

What to Drink Now: A Non-traditional Thanksgiving

posted by Hayley Hamilton | November 23rd, 2011 9:45am | filed under cocktails, Thanksgiving, Wine & Spirits |

If cocktails are your thing and you prefer to celebrate the holiday with a spirited toast celebrating all the flavors of the holidays, withonly a portion of the calories, try mixing up one of the tasty treats.  They are guaranteed to put you in the festive spirit, just don’t have too many…just like turkey and dressing, everything in moderation.

Pumpkin Pie Martini

 Directions:

  • Add vodka and pumpkin pie syrup to a cocktail shaker
  • Shake well and strain into a martini glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar
  • Garnish with an orange slice

Continue reading "What to Drink Now: A Non-traditional Thanksgiving"

If You’re Not Cooking, You’d Better Get Booking

posted by Sarah Reiss | November 21st, 2011 11:17am | filed under Holidays, menus, Neighborhood restaurants, Thanksgiving |

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: procrastination (while cool and an incredibly effective use of time) is a runinator of the third magnitude (magnitudes one and two are things like interruptions in cable service and untimely name mix-ups, respectively, which, while sucky, don’t suck nearly as much as putting on your Big Mama pants in preparation for a turkey smorgasbord, only to find that your moon-and-stars never made the call).

In order to avoid any more of these analogies from me, or an interruption in service of a different kind from your sun-and-stars, (yes, I am deep into the Song of Ice and Fire heptalogy) just reserve already.

jump for the latest menus… Continue reading "If You’re Not Cooking, You’d Better Get Booking"

What to Drink Now: Syrah, Zinfandel and Beaujolais for Thanksgiving

posted by Hayley Hamilton | November 20th, 2011 12:03pm | filed under Thanksgiving, Wine & Spirits |

Perhaps the most common wine varietals for the Thanksgiving meal, outside of Pinot Noir, would be a Zinfandel, a Syrah/Shiraz and the ever popular Beaujolais Nouveau.  Zinfandel is such a fruit forward and spicy wine that it will pair well with big Thanksgiving flavors, without overwhelming them.  Whether you prefer a Syrah from the Rhone region or from Argentina or from the states, or a Shiraz from Australia, both have great smoke and spice notes which enhance the flavors of the holiday and can still stand on their own for sipping after dinner.  Some wine selections were sent for editorial consideration.

Amavi Cellars Syrah - When most people think of wine from Washington State they immediately go to their Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, and the various regions throughout the state do an amazing job with those varietals.  But don’t forget the powerful Syrah coming out of Washington, Walla Walla in particular.  Amavi Cellars 2009 Syrah combines both dark fruit, like black cherry, blackberry and figs with mineral notes and earthy undertones.  A well balanced wine that will compliment any dish on a Thanksgiving table. Continue reading "What to Drink Now: Syrah, Zinfandel and Beaujolais for Thanksgiving"

Thanksgiving Countdown Clock—5.5 days and Counting

posted by Sarah Reiss | November 18th, 2011 12:48pm | filed under Holidays, Thanksgiving |

We journalists thrive in the face of a deadline. It’s an occupational hazard that we don’t share with many people, but there’s no denying that a looming event horizon gets our blood pumping every time. Not you? Too bad, because it’s crunch time for Thanksgiving reservations and that’s about as hard a deadline as they come. No excuses. Make the call and get on with your weekend already.

jump for the latest menus… Continue reading "Thanksgiving Countdown Clock—5.5 days and Counting"

Stuff it!

posted by Sarah Reiss | November 17th, 2011 1:20pm | filed under Cooking, Holidays, Thanksgiving | 9 Comments »

Jon over at TJ’s Fresh Seafood just let us know about two stuffings that have me counting the days until next Thursday. First he’s making an oyster stuffing, which is a simple affair with white & corn bread mixed with plump oysters and herbs and which he says he grew up eating back home in Virginia. Second is his crawfish & andouille cornbread stuffing, which he’s been making on the sly for a few customers every year and is finally making available to everyone.

Sounds great! But in all fairness, I’ll probably still make my own. It’s simple, it involves stale bread and chicken broth, and makes me feel like I’m eight years old and hanging out in my grandmother’s kitchen. 

How about you? Will you be trying something fancy? ordering out? or making a family specialty?

9 Comments »

Past Entries »