Live Q&As

We can do that. Here's a list of recipes we gathered from "Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions" for Thanksgiving the other year.

You can try substitutes such as fat-free "Half & Half" or even Half & Half itself.  The Food Substitution Bible also says you can substitute 1 cup of heavy cream with 1 cup 2 percent (or 1 percent) milk with a tablespoon of cornstarch to help with thickening. Finally you can use fat-free evaporated milk.

The book also suggests yogurt, but I would discourage that option. It would likely add an unwanted tang.

Wine columnist Dave McIntyre says:

Boxed wines are getting better, though they still aren't very exciting. The Black Box brand is reliably good. A company called Cultivate Wines has two in boxes, including a chardonnay called Wonderlust and 

a cabernet sauvignon called Copa Cabana, both from Chile for about $35 for the 3L. The Maipe malbec from Argentina, which I recommended in today's column, is also available in the 3L box format. And Michael Shaps offers some affordable and tasty Virginia wines in boxes under the Virginia Wineworks label.

Meringue pie's a bit tricky to refrigerate. Unless you have done a meticulous job of covering all the filling with the meringue, weeping can occur (both from your eyes and beneath the meringue itself). Even then, sometimes the meringue can shrink a bit. You could make the pie filling and bake a pie shell, keeping those two elements separate. Assemble the pie and finish the meringue/baking at your sister's house.  Wonder what Tanya thinks?

Two ideas that jump out at me from the database:

Balsamic Pearl Onions

Pear and Red Onion Gratin

The problem with adding vegetables to a Thanksgiving table is finding seasonal vegetables that taste good. I'm a big fan of Brussels sprouts (a late bloomer to that vegetable; I used to despise them as a kid).  I think this Brussels Sprouts California Style recipe is exactly the kind of thing you're looking for: a seasonal vegetable prepared in an original and tasty way.

You might also consider these two:

* Broccolini With Buttered Pecans, Orange and Garlic

* Carrots With Ginger and Honey

Lucky you! Isn't it great? I have a bottle of fig vinegar from there that I love -- so thick and syrupy. I could eat spoonfuls of it by itself, but I won't recommend you do that. I think it would be best treated as a dessert condiment, on yogurt or ice cream, maybe a simple cake. Other suggestions?

It WAS really good. And the recipe does make a lot. I  found veal demi-glace at Williams-Sonoma. As I recall, it was about $29 for 9 ounces. You can buy a combination of veal and beef demi-glace at Sur la Table for $4.95 per 1 1/2 ounces, which works out to be a little more expensive. I've also heard, but can't confirm, that you can buy it at Whole Foods and sometimes Trader Joe's. And Dean & DeLuca would be a good bet.

Sorry we missed you, too! We had a small (but attentive) audience for our Breakfast Pupusas Americanas demo, including surprise attendee, chef Scott Drewno from The Source (who saved my bacon by loaning me a spoon to stir the heated milk!).

As for Giada and her slender frame, I suspect she has a personal trainer on her payroll.

When I interviewed her at Sixth and I, she said she eats many small meals.  Tim and I managed to draw something of a crowd -- perhaps in the way that a fender bender does :). But we had fun. He keeps referring to it as "a learning experience."

You bet. Not sure how your recipe goes, but I might toast the bread cubes/crumbs; saute and cool the vegetables (are there herbs/seasonings?); and toss all of it together for freezing.

Have you ever tried Molly Wizenberg's Brother Timothy's Stuffing? Mmm. Mmm. Good.

Nancy Baggett put together a nice mix of DIY holiday gifts a few years ago. Have a look at that -- even has recipe cards you can provide to the gift receivers.

She also gave us a great recipe for peppermint marshmallows. Pack those beauties up with cocoa blocks for hot chocolate. Yum.

We retired our takeout Thanksgiving list for this year, but have a look at last year's roundup. I bet almost all the places there are doing it again. Anyone have a favorite?

Nothing is more mainstream and universally appreciated than meatloaf! (Except maybe mac and cheese.) Even though this one is called Election Night Meatloaf, you don't have to wait another four years to make. It serves 20 to 24, so you can send the family home with meatloaf sandwiches and still have leftovers for yourself.

Looks like you can access that "Pioneer Woman"  recipe here. She bakes the thing on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat a place to drip. Since I pitched that particular piece of kitchen equipment, I'd place the bacon-wrapped meatloaf on a wire rack that fits inside a rimmed baking sheet (maybe for easy cleanup, line that sheet with aluminum foil first). That ought to do the trick.

It's sort of from that same area of the world and not a casserole per se, but maybe this Guatemalan Potato and Fresh Green Bean Salad will work? 

Bring them in, keep them whole and at a cool room temperature. You can hollow them out and use them for serving vessels. We'll have a story next week with recipes!

I endorse that candidacy! I'm assuming by "fine meats," you're willing to pay for quality? Try Wagshal's in Spring Valley (on the N2 line) and Stachowski's in Georgetown (D6 bus; Georgetown Circulator) or several meat purveyors in at the Eastern Market.

Kirsch (or kirschwasser) is a wonderful dry cherry brandy, and I think a lot of people have a bottle laying around from fondues of yore. I like kirsch by itself as a digestif after a meal (more on that in the next column). I've found myself using it in cocktails more and more too. The Acacia Cocktail (gin, Benedictine, and kirsch) is a nice winter alternative to a martini. In the Rose or Rosato, it mingles with rose vermouth (look for Martini brand) and raspberry syrup for a nice light aperitif. And I use it in my favorite version of the Singapore Sling (much drier than you'll usually find).

As with every spirit, use good quality kirsch -- the best comes from Germany or Alsace (or the Alps) though there are good domestic ones from Clear Creek in Oregon and St. George Spirits in California.

My first thought would be that something important will be lost in baking the chicken. You'll lose some crispiness, for sure.  And crispiness is part of the joy of orange chicken. I'm not a fan of the gloppy, soggy versions.

This sounds like a promising substitute, although you're adding more flavors. That may not work in all cases, depending on the recipe.

Hmmmm. I don't know that the crockpot is such a hot (no pun intended) idea. Most hot cocktails, like a toddy, rely on just-boiled water. You could maybe try a variation of this apple toddy recipe, and adapt it for your purposes?

How about Baked Apples With Ginger and Cranberries? Or my fave: Broiled Citrus. You also could think about serving mini glasses of a nice fruit smoothie.

You want to challenge your mother-in-law's Thanksgiving prep? I think that would be riskier than eating her stuffing.

I stuff my bird every year and haven't killed anyone. No guarantees, of course, but if she uses her head -- for example, you don't want to stuff a turkey, roast it and then drive it four hours to Grandma's house with the stuffing still in it  --  all should be fine. The stuffing temp needs to come up to 165 degrees, so if you're nervous you can helpfully offer to check the temp of the bird. Make sure the turkey has come to, or close to, room temperature before she stuffs it, which will help the stuffing cook at a safer rate.

Well, here's one cook who has been stuffing it since 1987. I know it's a real matter of concern for people, but I think it depends in part on what kind of stuffing you're using (does it contain eggs?) and how long you're cooking/holding the turkey.  You might, in your best Carolyn Hax-coached manner, ask her for her recipe (and then you can look it up to see the method).

My bad! Here's the recipe.

Several area farms sell at local markets. Some to consider: North Mountain Pastures, Garden Path Farm and Coutry Vittles from Critter Hill Farm. Our columnist David Hagedorn did a piece on Randall Lineback beef.

    Enough gushing? You can never gush enough. Thanks for the props!

     New stuff for Thanksgiving. Yes.

    One, smoke your turkey. We wrote a story - and did a video - a couple of years ago that shows you how.

    Two, smoke your vegetables. Try, say, Brussels sprouts.  Clean them, trim them, then put them in a vegetable basket on put them directly over the fire for some nice char or on the cool side of an indirect fire for a light smoke flavor. You can either cook them entirely on the grill (though be careful that you don't over-smoke) or finish on the stovetop or in the oven. You can do the same with pretty much any vegetable. Take green beans. Grill briefly. Bathe in an orange or lemon and olive oil vinagrette and garnish with some toasted (or grilled) slivered almonds.

      Hope that gets the idea factory going.

Two different creameries address the "natural flavorings" question on their Web sites:

From Keller's Creamery.

From Challenge Diary.

Yes and yes. We're in production now! Very excited about all we have to offer. WED Nov. 14 and SUN Nov 18 are the issue dates. We will NOT publish a Food section on the Wednesday/day before Thanksgiving.

I don't think cornstarch would work well as a crumble topping. If a gluten-free crisp is your goal, there are many gluten-free flours you could try, or maybe just use a combination of oatmeal, chopped nuts, butter and brown sugar for the topping. If the apple filling is cooked first, say by simmering it in a saucepan with a little liquid, then you could use cornstarch in place of flour as a thickener.

Thanks for that. A bag seems like extra fuss and not have much to do with potential cooties. Not stuffing the cavity to SRO capacity is certainly indicated.

Here's a nice little primer on lentil varieties from the Kitchn.

Maybe it's just because I cook a ton of Indian food, but that's what think of when I consider yellow lentils.

Here are some of our recipes:

Hara Kebab (Lentil and Spinach Cakes)

Lamb Chili

Lemon Lentil Soup

Another opinion on the baking orange chicken.

Thanks for the report!

Are you absolutely tied to preparing the tenderloin in the slow cooker? Because, if not, here's a very good recipe for a 1 1/4 lb tenderloin, which should work with yours.

The recipe, by the way, is from Judith Jones's "The Pleasures of Cooking for One" cookbook.  I can only assume that the recipe will yield some leftovers.

Sounds good. I really am a sucker for balsamic anything. You should have seen me chugging back vinegar at Ah Love in Shirlington the other month.

This is supposed to be a subtle, sweet soup, so "a bunch of garlic" wouldn't be my choice for an addition. The cream gives  flavor and body, and I think the soup would suffer  without it, but you could try light cream or half-and-half as a substitute. Remember, this is a dish served at the Inn at Little Washington. It's going to be indulgent.

Roast it: Lop off the top third to expose the cloves. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Wrap in foil and roast at 375 for about 45 minutes (wait till the next time you have something in the oven, or you can do this in a toaster oven, just to be energy-efficient). Squeeze out the cloves.  I also like gently frying very thin slices till lightly browned and crisp. Season with a coarse kosher salt.

I'm sure you're discriminating enough. You're a Free Range chatter, aren't you?

     Seasoning hardwood is often done through various seasons. Remember, we're talking wood here. It is used to the elements. That said, if you can keep it in a dry place for about a year, it will provide nice smoking wood come next fall. If you don't have a place to put it, then put a tarp over it., 

      And what a nice way to have an online chat. Thanks!

Well, if we're talking about the same recipe, it calls for brown or French green lentils. So I would go with that! They'll hold up the best without going mushy.

That's an understatement. I'd say they didn't advertise us at all. Bonnie and I weren't even listed on the demonstration schedule in the hall. (To be fair, I should note that I agreed late in the process to do the demo.)

Bonnie, however, took matters into her own hands. She wrote in our names on the schedule. I snapped a photo of it here.

We'll ask!

This is the one I have made for 25 years! It has lamb sausage and hazelnuts (hear the angels sing; my favorite nut) and you only saute the onion and celery until it's crisp-tender.  It's from Gourmet mag -- I think the original recipe included cutup bits of ham as well -- and my husband demands its appearance no matter what else is on the menu. It never gets mushy; I cook some of it in a casserole and some in the bird. The casserole version gets crisped on top. You could make it with pumpernickel or rye bread. How great would that be!

Interesting. I had not seen that. It's good news, though, for bars and party hosts, though, since it seems totally fine to juice the fruit in advance. When I say "fresh squeezed" in recipes, I also mean don't use "sour mix" or a pre-bottled juice.

You can't find it in Recipe Finder, but it does exist in our archives, and here it is, with the accompanying recipe for gravy:

Turkey Meatloaf
4 servings plus additional for leftovers
This moist loaf has a much milder flavor than traditional meatloaf. It still takes well to gravy or ketchup.

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
3 large eggs
21/2 pounds ground turkey
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 6 ounces turkey bacon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Have ready a 1-quart baking dish or a loaf pan.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook until its "nose develops" -- until you can smell the garlic -- or for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the ground turkey, sauteed garlic and onion, cream, salt and pepper to taste. Using a spoon, stir the mixture until it is combined and clings together nicely. To test for seasoning, cook a little of the mixture in the saute pan until there is no trace of pink within and taste it.

Spoon the meat mixture into the loaf pan, mounding the meat slightly in the center. Layer the strips of turkey bacon on top of the meat, arranging them in a pattern.

Place the baking dish or loaf pan inside a larger roasting pan to catch any juices, and bake for 1 hour. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees and cook until the bacon is browned and the internal temperature registers 160 degrees, about 15 more minutes. The meatloaf will shrink slightly from the sides of the pan and some liquid may accumulate around the edges. Set aside to cool slightly.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Slice the meatloaf in the pan or use two spatulas to remove the meatloaf from the pan before slicing.



Mushroom Gravy
Makes about 1 cup gravy
This quick gravy is thick with diced onion, bacon and mushrooms.

6 medium button mushrooms, stems removed
11/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 strips turkey bacon, finely diced
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Slice the mushroom caps into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic and bacon and cook until the onion is translucent and the bacon releases its fat, about 5 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, stir to combine and cook, stirring only once or twice, until the mushrooms soften, brown slightly and give off their juices, about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, sprinkle the flour over the top and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water or broth and stir until incorporated. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, adding additional water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Have a look at our cooking class list. Some classes through local governments may be less than $50. Righteous Cheese offers classes for $49. Cheesetique classes can also be less than $50.

I'm on your side in this argument. I'd rather have a little real heavy cream than a fat-free Half & Half substitute. But human desires are hard to decipher and even harder to chage. I mostly advise an Live and Let Eat philosophy -- although I do judge those who drink Miller Lite at Birch & Barley.

Dave McIntyre:

Virginia has the advantage of producing medium weight wines that tend to be food friendly. Try the Cabernet franc from Paradise Springs or the stylish 2010 Bordeaux blends of Boxwood winery. If you're adventurous, try the Chrysalis Barrel Select Norton.

Not very long. The government says to discard "fresh eggs, hard-cooked in shell, egg dishes, egg products" held at above 40 degrees for more than 2 hours.

They're not the same. You might be able to substitute, although the taste is different and split peas may take longer to cook.

There's nothing in the recipe that would pose a risk if undercooked -- the main ingredients are cornbread, onions, butter and broth -- so cover your baking dish with foil and bake it at maybe 350 or along with the turkey, until it's good and hot. That's all you need to worry about. If you want a crisp top, remove the foil and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or so.

     Me, I brine. But you can simply dry rub if you don't feel like brining. The thing is, you can do both. I brine, rinse the bird, then season with a dry rub. 

     I don't stuff it. The main reason is that you risk over-smoking the stuffing. The second reason is that it changes the time the turkey cooks, making things more unpredictable. There are enough things to worry on Thanksgiving. Don't add another. 

      There are diferent opinions about whether to bring to temp, but I do.