French Onion Soup with a Twist

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

When it’s blisteringly cold outside and I’m running low on funds, a hearty soup is always the dish I go to first. And my favorite soup of all is French onion. The way the onions reduce to an almost meaty caramel and then get topped with cheesy bread –there’s nothing better.

I found myself without the usual dry sherry I use in making onion soup and in the spirit of changing up my routine, I grabbed the bottle of bourbon from my cupboard instead.

Click to read more ...

Thanksgiving Greens

By Marilyn Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Thanksgiving in our house means both the North and South are represented. Applewood-Smoked Bacon & Greens is one dish that often replaces green beans or Brussels sprouts on our table because it pleases both sides.

We love applewood-smoked bacon because the pork is cured over glowing embers of applewood to produce a slightly sweeter flavor. It’s not as strong as oak or hickory. The bacon, sautéed onions and garlic in this side dish also lend a depth of flavor to the Swiss chard. And it’s a very easy dish to make while the turkey is resting.

Click to read more ...

Bacon, Onion and Kale Stuffing

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I agree with the many millions who think the stuffing or dressing is the star and the turkey an accompaniment, with the gravy as the saucy bit (gilding the lily) that makes it all a very happy and tasty marriage.

Stuffing, although a humble dish, is not as easy to make as it looks. It’s a fine line between being too rich or too dry or too wet.

Not all stuffing recipes call for eggs. But eggs not only enrich the flavor, but they keep the stuffing moist and help the ingredients bind together.

Click to read more ...

Cranberry Sauce, Inspired by Quince

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Every year at Thanksgiving, I’m an unashamed traditionalist. I love the turkey, the giblet gravy and the green bean casserole. And although I love cranberry sauce directly from the can, it’s the one aspect of the Thanksgiving table that I don’t mind breaking from tradition with.

This year, inspired by the plentiful quince trees in my neighborhood, I’m making a spiced cranberry sauce perfumed with the fragrant orchard fruit. Related to apples and pears, quince is my favorite fall and winter fruit, smelling of an intoxicating blend of rose, citrus and sour apple. Unlike apples and pears, however, they cannot be eaten raw; their concrete-like flesh needing heat to yield it soft and tender.

Click to read more ...

Nutella Fondue

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Fondue was one of the special dinners I had growing up. I don’t remember what kind of an occasion prompted my folks to pull out the fondue pot, but it was fairly often. The first pot I remember actually used little cans of Sterno to heat the broth.

But then a new avocado green electric version showed up, evidently meaning the Hunter family had “made it!” My mom would heat broth, and sometimes oil, in the pot and surround it with meat and vegetables for cooking. But for truly special occasions, she would make rarebit (melted beer cheese with toasted bread) from her well-loved James Beard cookbook.

Click to read more ...