That is the question. It’s also the subject of this poll, so please click.

Do you baste the Thanksgiving turkey? I used to but stopped years ago. Now I only oil or butter the skin very well and season it and get a gorgeous bird. Basting does help to crisp the skin, but if nobody eats skin it’s needless work and extra cooking time from the opening and closing of the oven. But the last few years that I basted I used an angled brush instead of a baster and found it made the job a lot faster and easier.

The poll closes December 1 and I’ll post the results. Thanks!


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libbysIf you’re a fan of Libby’s canned pumpkin and don’t want to use another or make your own puree, stock up now. The harvest has been stopped. Parent company Nestle says heavy rains have hurt the harvest, prohibiting picking and causing those that sit in the fields to rot. It tells consumers it might be hard to find Libby’s pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling until next year’s harvest. California’s already reporting shortages.

Nearly all the canned pumpkin sold in America — up to 90% — is Libby’s. The company controls 85% of this country’s pumpkin harvest. There are store brands (some of which might come from Libby’s) and other brands, but one fine alternative that I sometimes used in New York and New England called One Pie is nowhere to be found in Maryland so far.

Nestle says pumpkin’s become more popular in recent years as people become aware of its health benefits, but Thanksgiving remains pumpkin’s prime time.

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Buttermilk walnut bread

November 19, 2009
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In my perpetual but futile quest to duplicate my mother’s acclaimed stuffing, where forks went first after saying Grace, I created this bread recipe for stuffings and dressings but it’s wonderful any time. It’s especially tasty for sandwiches. The crumb is sturdy but tender, thanks to the buttermilk, so it’s easy to slice. It uses [...]


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Reading labels: stuffing mixes

November 17, 2009
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Let me emphasize at the start that I’m NOT in any way suggesting people not use these products, nor do I look askance at anyone who does. I totally get their appeal and convenience, which led me to discover some eye-openers on the packages a few years ago. I like knowing what’s in packages; nobody [...]


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Carrot and dried cranberry salad

November 16, 2009
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The full name of this recipe is Carrot and Cranberry Salad with Fresh Ginger Dressing and wow, is it tasty. What’s more, the dressing has no oil and the whole recipe needs only five ingredients.
Bon Appétit printed the recipe in November’s roundup of Thanksgiving side dishes, calliing it a good counterpoint to the day’s rich [...]


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Cartoon of the week – 11/15

November 15, 2009
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The other night I watched a riveting HBO documentary called Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags about the evisceration of the once-thriving US garment industry. The word schmatta is Yiddish for rag and slang for the garments that come from a few-block area of Manhattan, giving us the garment industry nickname, the rag trade.
One takeaway [...]


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Cream cheese cut out cookies

November 13, 2009
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I’m not sure why I think of cream cheese cutout cookies as an old-fashioned cookie, in the best sense. Perhaps it’s their old-fashioned, butter-rich taste that brings to mind a delicate shortbread. My mom used to make them from time to time; I don’t have her recipe, unfortunately, but found one I like (with two [...]


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Chocolate pumpkin cake

November 11, 2009
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No mixer? No problem. This simple, homey chocolate pumpkin cake is a recipe anyone can make with two bowls and a whisk, even a wooden spoon.
I had almost a full can of pumpkin left from the pumpkin lattes I made and rather than freeze it for another time — pumpkin freezes well — I wanted [...]


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Penzey’s salt free Mural of Flavor

November 10, 2009
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After Margaret Thatcher met the then-USSR’s rising star, Mikhail Gorbachev, in 1984 she famously declared, “He’s a man we can do business with.” When it comes to salt-free seasonings, Mural of Flavor is my Gorbachev.
I’ve tried so many others over the years. Either they were bitter or too bland or just tasted like what they [...]


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Roasted seasoned mini potatoes

November 9, 2009
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Aren’t they adorable? I know it’s not an adjective we usually use for potatoes, but when 26 of them fit comfortably in a standard coffee mug, there’s no other word.
These teeny taters are about the size of pearl onions or grape tomatoes. A few might be larger or smaller and you might even have a [...]


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