With all the pre-Thanksgiving preparations going on — the list-checking and turkey brining, the stock-simmering and pie-crust rolling — making actual dinners this week can feel like too much. A legit move is to order in, of course. But here’s another thought: Why wait for takeout when we at New York Times Cooking have a…
In a spacious Houston cafeteria awash in primary colors, diners crowded around big tables and dug into mashed potatoes splashed with a slick gravy, glossy green beans and sticky slabs of pecan pie. The calendar said Oct. 12. But this was Luby’s, where every day is Thanksgiving. “I am a Texan,” said Wunzel Lewis, 71,…
Christina Iverson and Tracy Bennett, who make puzzles for The New York Times, are offering a tidy potluck of seasonal games for NYT Cooking readers. Gather for some friendly competition, find out interesting trivia about the holiday or team up to see if you can outsmart others in your group. All you need are pencils,…
Good morning. For those of us who take Thanksgiving seriously, who plan and plan and cook and cook, this last Sunday before the feast marks the real start of the holiday. I’m cleaning out my fridge and freezer to make room for an epic trip to the supermarket, cataloging serving platters and cooking vessels, making…
The weight-loss drugs that have swept into the cultural conversation crash into a holiday that’s all about food.
Butter, chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cocoa, salt. Those ingredients make up Vaughn Vreeland’s new chocolate chess pie (above), a veritable litany of all the baking stuffs we want when the weather turns cold and the yule log turns warm. Made with a store-bought pie crust (or a half-recipe of this foolproof pie dough), it’s the…
First, an announcement: In a few weeks, I’ll devote Where to Eat to answering questions from readers, especially those of you who will be visiting New York City in December. Want a good spot to refuel along Fifth Avenue in Midtown, which will be off-limits to cars the first three Sundays in December? How about…
Good morning. I figure you’ve got your turkey recipe sorted by now. (You oughta. Thanksgiving is in less than a week!) Kim Severson’s recipe for dry-brined turkey is the choice for nine out of 10 sharpies I’ve spoken with, though if you’d like something new, I’d still love to make the argument for this marvelous…
We’re one week out from Thanksgiving, and you need showstopping sides (read to the very end for rapid-fire recipes) and meatless mains and dairy-free desserts, and you need them stat. So let’s not waste a moment of time. This … is Recipe Matchmaker. Replacing the Turkey “I am looking for a stand-in main dish to…
By now, your Thanksgiving preparations may nearly be set. You are on top of the menu, who’s cooking what, seating, tasks for the children. But what about the wine? This is the easy part of holiday planning, with just a few guiding principles to keep in mind. If you’re having a big party, don’t worry…