Traditions With A Twist

 Imagine turning Thanksgiving on its'head. It would be an exciting meal, full of surprieses yet  still have the same flavors. It would certainly stun family and friends.

Regular contributor and chef Sohla El Waylly gave an interesting spin of these recipes in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.Instead of turkey she offers up friend chicken(!!!!!) instead of turkey. This is perfect for those who fight over wings and legs for crunch.It has an herb rub redolent with Thanksgiving flavors such as sage and parsley. The chicken is first brined in a mix of salt sugar and MSG.Each piece is thinly coated in flour for optimum crispiness.Are there mashed potatoes and gravy? Yes! The mashed potatoes have more of a potato chip flavor with the addition of sour cream and onion.A container of sour cream and onion powder are added to Yukon Gold mashed . Scallions are whipped in to it in the end, givcing a kind of colcannon flavor and look.As for the gravy it;s not the bland turkey kind but one that has the zingy kick of Colman;s hot mustard. Blackened shallots are added to it for an onion-y taste. The base is chicken broth to match the fried chicken and turmeric is added for color. There is also a quick dill pickl recipe that would be not only perfect for Thanksgiving but the summer holidays too.It's redolent with coriander, garlic and dill. For more Thanksgiving flavors try the crushed green bean salad with dried  cranberries

Sweet potatoess are also featured here but not in the usual form.Theseare smothered in cheddar fora sweet and savory twist. They first sauteed in butter ans then roasted in the oven with a layer of flour and cheddar.Of course there is traditional Thanksgiving baking.Chef El Waylly includes everyone's favorite pull apart dinner rolls.This is an enriched bread made with four whole eggs and whole milk and cream.They kneaded dough is generously brushed with butter and then cut with a knife .This makes them easy to break into two. After an egg wash for shine , they're left to rise. They're baked for only eighteen to twenty minutes in a 350 degree Farenheit oven. As with any Thanksgiving dinner the dessert is the real show stopper. Again Chef El Waylly doesn't  disappoint. There's her pumpkin pecan sheet cake.It has the same spicy pumpkin pie taste as the really thing but not that goopy feel of filling. The topping is a crunchy almost butterscotch coated pecan. Butter brown sugar and corns yrup are cooked into a syrup and then let to cool. It's poured over the cake and then chopped pecans are sprinkled on top.It would be great with a side dollop of creme fraiche .

Thanksgiving doesn't have to be traditional.It can  be fun and exciting with flavors redone. Try it for an entirely  different holiday. 

Smashing Potatoes

 Smashed potatoes are a popular dish right now. They're a relatively easy recipe that has a few ingredients.It can be used for a side but also fro a main course.

I wanted to try them after writing about them so much. I bought small potatoes from Lidl

It was then boiling them  for fifteen minutes in water.

Afterwards it was smashing them with a cup's bottom

They kind of look like potato pancakes. It was then time for the air fryer.

It was first a bath in olive oil along with salt and pepper.The basket was sprayed to prevent the potatoes from sticking

It was then first ten minutes in the air fryer at 400 degrees Farenheit . They were then shaken and fried for another ten minutes

This was the first  batch.They were burnt a little and crispy. The second bath was much better. with a meaty inside crispy edges.

These are the perfect sides but with a side of sour cream and a salad would make a perfect meal. Try them and taste their deliciousness.

A Side of Exciting

 Many home chefs dread Thanksgiving because they wind up making the same recipes year after year. It's the same with Sunday dinners. However there are sides that can liven up any dish. They're tasty and fun,

Potatoes are always a big thing in any holiday menu.TRy air fryer smashed. ones This is an easy make..It;s first boiling either the smaller red and yellow potatoes for fifteen to twnety minutes. Let them cool and then smash with a glass's bottom. These are then tossed in oil and various seasonings and out into the air fryer until they're crispy as French fries, Air fried smashed are a crunchy alternatives to mashed and they're not only perfect with turkey but also with London Broil and chicken. A more elegant side arescalloped potatoes , especially if they're made with creme fraiche.It added a richness and a tang. Sweet potatoes are another Thanksgiving side. Yet imagine turning them into fries or chips to be fried to a tasty crisp in the air fryer.It;s a nice change up from having them covered on brown sugar and marashmallow.Any  roto vegetable, including parsnips and carrots can also be sheet pan cook. Roasting brings out the sweetness and earthiness in all of them. Just sprinkle them with olive oil and then sea salt and freshly ground pepper for taste.

Greens can also shine and be turned into exciting sides. A fun citrus and kale salad is a bright extra to any meal. This is a mix of the good for you green  with tangerine or orange wedges and a honey lemon vinaigrette. You can also sauteed it and liven it up with a squeeze of lemon and hot pepper. It;'s just sauteing the leaves (get rid of the stems because they're too chewy) in olive oil with a bit of butter or plant butter. Add a small clove of minced garlic and then the pepper and lemon. Brussells sprouts are a holiday must have but many don;t like them because of their smell and taste. A good idea is serving them Piedmontese style drenched in melted butter and covered with Parmesan cheese. This is a wonderful way to serve them. Another is slicing them in half and then air frying them  after an olive oil bath. This turns the leaves into crispy edges that are perfect with any kind of poultry. Green beans are good too, Think of them with an Asian twist,Stir fry with soy sauce  and ginger for a true holiday change up. You can easily do this in a frying pan if you don;t have a wok. Cook with olive or sesame oil and then add a good tablespoon or two of the soy sauce and a teaspoon of grated ginger. 

Sides do not have to be boring. They can be exciting and fun. Liven up your holiday table with them. It's a delicious change up from  ordinary sides.

Stuffing Choices

 Even though it's a side stuffing is important to the Thanksgiving dinner. The question is what kind will you make? Will it be a quick stove top one or will it be a family recipe scratch one? If that's the case then what to put into it.

SInce I am a big  -all right - huge Lidl fan I went with their cornbread stuffing. All their products are super tasty so I was excited to buy this. Also it;s an easy stove top one that just requires half a stick of butter or margarine and a half cup of water. I want an easy everything this holiday, I don];t have the time to fret over ingredients.

Everything is premixed and preseasoned exactly.It'll be an easy cook on top of the stove while the Tofurky takes up the the oven.

If I had chosen to make the homemade version, I;'d probably use the family recipes that came from my grandfather's family in Swabia, Southern Germany. This is  really a  savory  bread pudding, redolent with celery and sage. egg and some milk is mixed with white bread (although sometimes we used stale Italiian and French bread) it has a crispy crust from being in the oven and it was perfect for absorbing gravy. Other people put sausage or add rice .  There is also a wild mushroom stuffing in which the mushrooms are mixed into a  traditional bread one.Stuffing can  be baked as one big pudding or into ramekins. Again this is up to you and the amount of people you'll be serving.

Home chefs can go the easy route with a stovetop stuffing or the more laborious one with a scratch  one. It's up to what they can handle. Either one is perfect for Thanksgiving,

Your Favorite November Flavor

 This is a month of tasty food and drink. What is your November flavor of the month. Is it the mild earthiness of a turkey leg? A savory sage dressing.?Or  the quiet spiciness of mulled wine? Is a warm cup of pumpkin spice latte Or the warm spice if pumpkin pie?

I'm partial to all the flavors that make up a good stuffing. What's yours\ Let us know.

Coming Together Sharing Food

 Eating with other people is good for your health. That's what Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy is recommending. e knows that sharing food is the cure for loneliness and isolation. It is the antidote America needs to combat the overwhelming  feelings of being alone.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about the surgeon general in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section. SO many people are alone these days.It;'s hard enough to live , harder still to try to eat when they're feeling desolation. Last year Dr. Murthy released a much heralded study on loneliness that identified loneliness as a growing public health epidemic.It can increase the risk of premature death almost s much as obesity and smoking. The study identified "six pillars" of change which the government  can use to combat the problem. There's all sorts of recommendations, whether it'sa shared scone, a family visit to a taco truck, a neighborhood cookout or a Freindsgiving where friends are welcome to come and cook at a Thanksgiving dinner. He showed up at cookbook author Joan Nathan's house with a pot of ras Malai, a cardomon scented dessert of milk and sugar topped with pistachios. He is used to and enjoy socializing over meals. His parents threw informal dinner parties when he was tiny after they left Karnataka  in Southwest India and settled in Miami.

Potlucks are the easiest parties to throw. People can come as they are and make  easy to cook dishes that cna be easily reheated.For the party with Dr. Murthy it was a little more complicated.Ms. Nathan had to cooridinate all sorts of dishes because the surgeon general is a vegetarian, Another invited chef wanted to bring a pork shoulder while another famous chef, Alice Waters opted to get her childhood favorite fresh greens from a local market to create a salad. Some dishes were interesting. Chef and activist Matthew Railford who is also a sixth generation farmer in Georgia brought a suitcase of boiled peanuts.Kevin Tien, chef and owner of Washington D.C.'s Moon Rabbit carried in trays of banh ho choi gio chay, sheets of rice noodles to be wrapped around vegetables and hebs. He also did what most potluck guests do, going into the host's kitchens and immediately looking for serving platters.Others brought in simpler dishes. The chef and owner of Centralina Amy Brandwine  brought a kambucha squash soup while  Chef Andres borught his mothers;vegetable stew and various other foods. Tiffany William, the president of Martha's Table.s brought c hicken wings. A potluck can be anything you want it to be. As long as there;s good company and good food.

No one should have to eat alone. Follow. Dr. Murthy's advice and arrange a pot luck with friends and family.It's a good wau to connect, with food and community.

Thanksgiving Pie Fest

 Pie is always a definite on the Thanksgiving menu. It's a dessert that brings back sweet memories and favorite tastes Nothing beats a homemade slice , with a flaky crust and a delicious filling.

New contributor Vaughn Vreeland who is also supervising video producer for NYT Cooking also wrote this piece about pies in today's New York Times Food section.These are not traditional recipes like pumpkin or pecan. The Times asked Mr. Vreeland to come up with some new recipes that are bound to be instant classics.They can still have the flavor of the holiday like Mr. Vreeland's Cranberry Citrus Meringue Pie.This is a yummy blend of citrus curd featuring lemon and orange juices with a homemade cranberry sauce. It;s topped with a meringue.There is a pumpkin pie but the recipe is shaken up with the addition of  toasted sesame oil and tahini. The finished  products has a top of swirled pumpkin and tahini , creating a pretty marbled effect.Many home bakers make the classic banana pudding for the holiday. Now imagine that in a flaky crust. Mr. Vreeland has a buttery vanilla wafer crumb, similar to a cheese cake crust. It';s filled with a homemade banana pudding.The whipped cream topping has been redone with creme fraiche added to give it a refreshing tang.

Everyone love a good "candy" pie.Tha'ts usually pecan but Mr Vreeland offers a coconut caramel tart. The crust is a yummy chocolate cookie kind of crust.The filling is like a coconut pudding with four large eggs to give it body.The coconut is first toasted in a 350 degree Farenheit oven for six to seven minutes. to turn it golden brown.The caramel topping os a homemade one made with either coconut milk or heavy cream.There's also four tablespoons  of melted butter added to give it smoothness and richness.Chess pie is a popular custard pie in the Midwest. A new twist is added with a third of a cup of maple syrup is added. The topping is whipping cream mixed with espresso.Yes there's an apple pie but again this has a twist.A cup of pomengranate juice is added along with three quarters of teaspoon of cardamon. As for the pie dough , its;a laminated dough.It's made with apple sider molded into squares and then it can be frozen until you're ready to use it.There will be floury bits but that's OK.

Happiness is a slice of homemade pie. TRy these recipes and enjoy pure joy. They're different and a twist on the traditional.