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?

Leftovers | Interesting Stuff from July Food Mags

We're far from finished posting about what we've cooked from July food magazines.  But in between dishes here's a look at some non-recipe items featured in the last month's food mags.

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Gourmet

Attention, Bloody Mary fans:  You're going to want to pay attention.

Last summer, our friends Drew and Ralph introduced us to their favorite Bloody Mary mix, with the adorable name Zing Zang.  And it was love at first sip.

Zing Zang isn't your ordinary, mild mix that needs to be spiced up. It's fantastic as is, though we still spice ours up a bit. When it comes to bloodies, we love to tinker, adding a dash of this, a smidge of that. We were thrilled to see the mix featured in Gourmet. If you want to try it but can't find it in your area, you can order some from the company's website.

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Martha Stewart Living

Interested in u-pick fruits and vegetables but uncertain where to go in your area? Martha features PickYourOwn.org, where you can find nationwide listings of farms that offer u-pick options.  The site is also stocked with canning and preserving tips if you want to try your hand at food preservation this year.

Sometimes we're suckers for packaging. That's one reason that Maldon sea salt jumped off the pages. Its classic looking packaging is a adorable, like something you might find in your great-grandmother's pantry. Which might be possible, since the company, based is England, has been making sea salt for more than 200 years. If you can't find it in your local supermarket, you can always order it online. We're eager to try it!

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Cook's Illustrated

Cook's has an "Essential Kitchen Equipment" feature with "The 39 must haves in our kitchen that we recommend for yours." Though we're not 100% on board for everything on the list, we loved reading their recommendations.  Portions of the list are available on their website.

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And Just Because We Love It . . .

For Christmas last year, our friend Katie sent us an awesome package from Nashville's famed Loveless Cafe.  The package included some of the smokiest bacon we've ever tasted and some amazing grits. But our standout favorite was the Loveless Maple Syrup which is beyond delicious. We loved this syrup so much that we've been rationing it for the past seven months, only using it for very special meals.  Well, we're sad to report that this weekend we finished off the syrup. We're definitely going to have to order some more or pick some up the next time we're in Nashville. 

Find The Leftovers from previous months here.

Best Blueberry Muffins

Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2009)

Last year, we went on a blueberry binge, making pies and muffins and throwing blueberries into just about anything we could.  We’ve been a bit obsessed with strawberries lately, but when we recently found blueberries on sale, we eagerly bought four pints and brought them home.

The majority of the blueberries went into cereal, or were just eaten as a snack.  But we were most excited that the presence of blueberries in our fridge gave us an excuse to make Cook’s Illustrated’s “Best Blueberry Muffins.”

With a title like that, Cook’s makes quite a claim. Are these blueberry muffins really the best? 

Leftovers | Interesting Stuff from May Food Mags

Just as we do at the end of each month, here's a round-up of items from this month's food magazines that we found of interest but weren't necessarily recipe related.

Martha Stewart Living

You've likely heard of Mark Kurlansky's other books, such as Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World and Salt: A World History.  When we read in MSL about his new book, we were instantly intrigued by the title alone: "The Food of a Younger Land: A Portrait of American Food--Before the National Highway System, Before Chain Restaurants, and Before Frozen Food, When the Nation's Food Was Seasonal."  Based on research completed but never published by the WPA prior to World World II, Food of a Younger Land explores regional food cultures in America. Mississippi chitlins and Montana Fried Beaver Tail?  We're excited to read this book! 

Everyday Food

The magazine's "How to Cut Up a Chicken" feature is among the best and simplest diagrams we've ever seen for a simple step-by-step guide into this process.  It's especially good for the novice cook, who may need more instructions and visuals that the typical recipe or cookbook provides.  Luckily, Everyday Food has made the feature available online.

Gourmet

Gourmet's "Obsessions" column -- which outlines 5 or 6 products each month that the staff likes -- features one of our favorite products: Dale's Steak Seasoning.  Zach's mom uses it religiously back in Tennessee; Clay had never heard of it until Zach brought home a bottle and now we use it occasionally when making steaks.  Dale's is an intensively flavored marinade that is popular in the South and sold in supermarkets throughout the Southeast. The flavors are intense (chiefly soy sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, ginger and paprika) and the label says it can be used on almost anything ("Delicious on all meats, fish, fowl and vegetables"). If it's not available in your area, you can also order it through Amazon.

Cook's Illustrated

We love the rating features in Cook's, where they test out a bunch of brands of the same product and then give you their recommended brands.  There are two of these excellent features in the May issue: Testing Cookware Sets and Tasting Chocolate Chips.  The intros to both features are available on their website, but the results are only available to subscribers. Pick up a copy or try their two week site trial and check it out!

And Now For Some Funny Videos

And finally, we leave with you with Posh Nosh -- a parody online cooking series that our friend Todd recommended.  Watch and enjoy!

Cod Baked in Foil with Leeks and Carrots

Cook's Illustrated (March/April 2009)

A few weeks ago we chided Cook's Illustrated over their complicated but delicious Perfect French Omelets.  "Perfect," maybe, but so much trouble!

Their new take on Fish en Papillote (fish cooked in parchment) -- a classic recipe that predictably shows up in food magazines every few months -- is at the other end of the spectrum. It's incredibly tasty, but it's also one of the simplest dishes we've cooked in a while. And it comes together so easily and quickly that it's an ideal midweek meal.

Cooking with foil actually took us back (well, the one of us who used to go camping) to Cub Scout days of "hobo dinners" around a campfire. Just wrap some cube steak, carrots and potatoes in a foil packet, and throw the whole thing on the fire to cook.

Fish en Papillote is simply a refined version of hobo dinners -- minus the cube steak. And you don't have to build a bonfire in your kitchen.

Leftovers | Interesting Stuff from February Food Mags

While we chiefly subscribe to food magazines for the recipes, they're also chock-full of tips, recipes and recommendations for all manner of things. 

This is the first of a new monthly post where we'll round up the non-food items that pique our interest, starting with the February magazines.

Bon Appétit

• Book Recommendation: Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman.  We loved Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and highly recommend it.  We've been meaning to read his follow-up In Defense of Food but haven't yet gotten to it.  Bittman -- tackling similar issues in "Food Matters" -- is one of our favorite food writers, so this rockets toward the top of our "to read list."

• Book Recommendation: Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between by Jenn Garbee.  We love the idea of secret/underground dining experiences. 

Everyday Food

• Useful info: If you have February's Everyday Food, check out the feature on Safflower Oil.  Very interesting information about an oil we knew nothing about. The article is not available online, but you can learn about Safflower Oil here.

Cook's Illustrated

• Tips:  "Keeping Kitchen Staples Fresher Longer." Practical advice for how to keep more than a dozen pantry staples.  You have to be a member for access to the article on the Cook's website, but you can register for a 14-day free trial. 

And now, on to March!

Braised Hearty Winter Greens

Cook's Illustrated (January/February 2009)

Even in the winter, we still love going to the Sunday Farmer's Market.

Sure, the crowds are smaller, and the selection is on the slim side compared to other seasons.  But we love to go and buy eggs, maybe pick up some meat, and see what winter vegetables are available.

Lately, we've been buying a lot of sweet potatoes.  They're in abundance, as are beautiful carrots and turnips.

But the real standouts at the market during winter are the greens.

Some of the lushest, most beautiful winter greens are available, from several kinds of kale to big leafy collards. 

We typically use the greens as a side dish at dinner, either roasting them a bit or giving them a quick braise on the stove top.  We've been wanting to try making crispy kale (by essentially frying it), but haven't gotten to it.

Our roasted or braised greens have produced mixed results.  Sometimes the greens aren't quite as cooked as they should be, because we get impatient or the entree is finished and it's time to eat. After all, winter greens do require a substantial amount of cooking. 

This recipe, from Cook's Illustrated, takes the guesswork out of winter greens -- and you won't be sorry you tried it.

Perfect French Omelets

Cook's Illustrated (January/February 2009)

Last Sunday, we awoke to a gorgeous, sunny, unseasonably warm day in our nation's capital. We had nothing in our plans but a morning of coffee, reading the paper and relaxing.

What a great time, we thought, to whip up these lovely looking French omelets! We'll just waltz in to the sun-filled kitchen, crack some farm-fresh eggs, toss some gorgeous ingredients in a pan and -- voilà -- a perfect French omelet while we enjoy our café au lait.

Maybe we'd even be helped out by some chirpy cartoon bluebirds.

When we started getting into this recipe, though, our Cinderella vision of an effortless omelet quickly fell apart.

This recipe is so intricate -- so complex -- that we quickly felt more like we were doing a science experiment than spending a delightful morning in the kitchen.

Assembling this omelet is about as relaxing as putting together an IKEA bookcase.

Tandoori Chicken

Cook's Illustrated (January & February 2009)

One of our New Year's culinary resolutions was to cook Indian food. (Thanks for all the great suggestions of Indian cook books, everyone!)

So when we saw this tandoori chicken in Cook's Illustrated, we couldn't wait to try it.

How did our first foray into Indian cooking turn out?

Reader Question: What's Our Favorite Food Magazine?

We love hearing from readers, whether it's a comment on something we've made or a question.  Recently, David wrote in a with a question:

Clay and Zach --

I have followed your blog and I have to say that I really enjoy it.  Thank you for  taking the time to put up such great images and recommendations.  I was curious to know, of all the magazines you get and read, which magazine do you use most often and would you recommend for someone looking to start a subscription???   

Cheers,
David

This is such a great question, and it's a hard one for us to answer. Before we do, here are a few thoughts on all the magazines to which we subscribe: