The Bitten Word

Thanksgiving Guide 2009: What the Food Magazines Are Recommending

172 Recipes From 9 Leading Food Magazines

 

Thanksgiving is food magazines' time to shine. In years past, many of the food mags we read have used their November issues to really push the limits with innovative spins on Thanksgiving faves.

Sure, there are usually plenty of approachable standbys. But the classics usually sit alongside some really envelope-pushing ideas: Throw a Thanksgiving clambake! How about a Pacific Rim-fusion dinner? Truffle-laden turkey! Indian-spiced sweet potato gnocchi!! Vegan French-Vietnamese gluten-free stuffing!!!

Not so this year. From the looks of this year's crop of Thanksgiving food mags, 2009 is all about simplicity and basic, standard dishes. It's the Great Recession, and everybody just wants a big ol' piece of pumpkin pie.

Just look at what the magazines call out from the newsstands:

Martha Stewart Living: "Thanksgiving, simple and sensational"

Fine Cooking: "All the classics made easy"

Food Network: "Easy Thanksgiving"

Bon Appétit: "Thanksgiving made easy"

Everyday Food: "A Thanksgiving menu that's easy to make"

We have nine November issues in front of us, and nearly all of them are focused on "traditional" menus that are very straightforward.

The food magazines may have stuck to the classics this year, but that doesn't mean the options are limited. In the nine magazines we have, there are, in fact, 172 Thanksgiving recipes.

All those options can leave you more than a little stressed out. It's all too easy to get wrapped up in the idea that Thanksgiving has to be perfect and if you don't select the right stuffing recipe, your mother-in-law will break into tears at the table.

But fear not!  We've cataloged all 172 options below so that you, dear reader, can browse this year's recipes and make some selections for yourself. Over the next three weeks, we're going to be cooking and writing as many recipes as we can fit in. We'll post our photos and let you know how they turn out.

And as you're gearing up for the holiday, if you have questions, post them here and we'll do our best to answer them.

Okay, ready for the recipes?

Bacon with Citrus Glaze

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living (September 2009)

Orange-and-honey-glazed bacon.  Just think about that for a minute. Orange.  Honey.  Bacon.  A salty slab of bacon coated with a caramelized, sweet glaze of honey, brightened with the citrusy, sunshiney bolt of fresh-squeezed oranges.

We were salivating at the mere thought of this three-ingredient dish.

But when we made it, our salivation gave way to frustration.

The first batch of bacon ended up charred, smoky and burnt to a crisp. So -- believing in the healing power of cured pork -- we changed the recipe and tried again.

This is a tale of two bacons.

Tequila-Soaked Watermelon Wedges

Martha Stewart Living (July 2009)

Nothing says "Martha Stewart goes to a frat party" quite like this recipe for Tequila-Soaked Watermelon Wedges. 

When we took a tray of these babies to a party last week, the guests were a bit skeptical, not wanting to devour them and find themselves on the floor an hour later. 

The name of this dish might conjure visions of happy hour at a Cancun taqueria. But it turns out, these Tequila-Soaked Watermelon Wedges are delicious -- and surprisingly sophisticated.

Chilled Fresh Pea and Buttermilk Soup

Martha Stewart Living (June 2009)

Clay celebrated a birthday this past Wednesday.

In the run-up to the big day, we had lots of conversations about what we should do to celebrate. 

Make a reservation?  We were lucky enough to be in New York City all last week, and ate at some phenomenal restaurants, which you may already know if you're following us on Twitter. So we were a bit restauranted out. And because we we had missed our CSA share while we were gone, we were able to take a double share this week. And though we often act as if we expect them to, those vegetables aren't going to eat themselves.   

If we don't go to a restaurant, should we throw a party? It wasn't a birthday ending in "0," so there didn't seem to be a need to throw a big party, like the amazing surprise party Zach had thrown last year. So a big party was out. 

Go see Transformers 2?  No. Thank. You.

Instead, we opted for dinner in our backyard with our friends Drew and Ralph.  And we decided to kick off the meal with this Chilled Fresh Pea and Buttermilk Soup.

Grilled Potato Slices with Salt and Vinegar

Martha Stewart Living (May 2009)

We're in full-on grilling mode, making as many dishes on the grill each night as the weather allows. 

Finding things to grill is hardly ever an issue with meat -- the choices of chicken, steak or pork dishes (or even pizza) are abundant. And now that the "Grilling Issues" of magazines have all arrived, we're stocked with new recipes we want to try. 

But when it comes to making sides on the grill, we're always on the lookout for new recipes, which is why we loved the idea of these Grilled Potato Slices with Salt and Vinegar.

Asiago-Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Smoked Paprika

Bon Appétit (May 2009)

We just love the idea of rumaki, the appetizer of water chestnuts and chicken livers soaked in soy sauce and wrapped in bacon. 

They're wonderfully outdated and faux-exotic and mock-Asian.  There's just something so kicky and 1963-Christmas-party-in-the-suburbs about them.

And we just love the notion of putting a new spin on rumaki! This recipe comes from Bon Appétit's May 2009 feature on "New American Classics," which offers updated versions of iconic dishes.  There are twelve categories of dishes -- everything from the "new beef stew" (Zinfandel-Braised Beef Short Ribs with Rosemary-Parsnip Mashed Potatoes) to the "new mac and cheese" (Double-Dutch Mac and Cheese with Chard).

Anyway, when we decided to throw a small get-together last weekend, we decided these Asiago-Stuffed Dates with Bacon and Smoked Paprika would be a delicious accompaniment to our Arugula and Fava Bean Crostini.

Come on: Delicious dates, stuffed with cheese AND wrapped with bacon?  Yes, please!

Arugula and Fava-Bean Crostini

Gourmet (May 2009)

Before we get to these crostini, a little digression: So Zach sings in a choir. Well, he sang in a choir. The Master Chorale of Washington, a 42-year-old choral group, ceased operations at the end of this season, after the faltering economy decimated the choir's finances. (If you're interested, you can read more about the choir's dissolution and the group's final concert this past Sunday.) Zach sang in the choir for six seasons, so the final concert was a poignant and emotional event.

It was a bittersweet day. Bitter, for the obvious reasons. But sweet, too, because so many of Zach's family members and our friends gathered at the Kennedy Center for the final concert.

In fact, so many of our friends ended up coming that we had decided to invite everyone back to our apartment after the concert for a glass of wine and some snacks.

It was a semi-last minute decision, and with family in town and not a lot of time to cook, we wanted some simple party food that could come together in advance but still impress guests.

What to make?

Tuscan Kale Chips

Bon Appétit (February 2009)

Don't let their resemblance to something Sigourney Weaver might fight aboard a spaceship deter you. Tuscan Kale Chips are well worth your time.

A recent dinner with friends finally provided an occasion to try this recipe we had flagged in February's Bon Appétit. Their image of the dish was striking -- beautiful, almost sculptural kale protruding from a beaker.  On aesthetics alone, we knew that we had to try it. 

Ultimate Super Bowl Meatfest Menu: Buffalo Chicken Dip, Simple Ribs & Cheater BBQ Pork

This may not come as a total surprise, but we're not exactly sporty.  But just because we can't tell you who's in this year's Super Bowl, doesn't mean we don't have some great ideas for food this Super Bowl Sunday.

KICK OFF: BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

In case you haven't heard, there's a chicken wing shortage right now. 

Even if you can get your hands on some wings, we suggest you skip them and kick off your Super Bowl festivities with some Buffalo Chicken Dip.  We've raved about this dip before.  It's different, easy to make, and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. 

Just check out our friend the last time we served this dip. By the end of the party, she was eating the stuff by the forkful:

Get the recipe for Buffalo Chicken Dip here.

More recipes after the jump!

Golden Fried Cardoon

Food & Wine (March 1998)

Last weekend, while wandering through our Sunday morning farmers market, we happened upon a vendor selling an unusual, prickly stalk.

A sign, labeled "Cardoons," described the vegetable as a cross between celery and an artichoke.  The farmer told us they were "the ultimate slow food," requiring lengthy cooking times.

Up for a challenge, we gladly purchased a few stalks.

Back home and unsure of what to do with the cardoons, we went to our favorite magazine websites for recipe ideas.  We only turned up two that looked appealing -- one from Gourmet and another from Food & WIne.  Both were recipes for frying cardoons.

Being Southerners, we know that just about anything can be fried (although we don't cook that way too often).

So what's a fried cardoon taste like?