Leah A. Zeldes: There are 5,769 ways to cook a turkey. OK, so I'm exaggerating. But the variables seem endless: Frozen or fresh? Brined or not? Oven-roasted, microwaved, smoked or charcoal-grilled? Slow-roasted or fast? Covered or uncovered? And that's without getting into all the things you can rub on it, wrap around it or stuff into it.
• Citrus, mustard and herb-infused turkey
• Give gravy your all
• Safety tips for cooking turkey
I love making, and remaking, tortilla de Espana until it resembles the melt-in-your-mouth egg-potato pie my husband has enjoyed since he was a college exchange student in Madrid.
For too many of us, Thanksgiving signals the beginning of a six-week eating frenzy.
Tradition dictates that turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving table. But for many of us, it is the gravy -- velvety, savory, dripping gravy -- that makes the meal worth waiting for all year.
Jonathan Miller's wife, Jennifer, really hates raisins in her protein bars.
Sunday afternoons at my grandmother Rose's house were devoted to her "family famous" lasagna.
Sometimes a cream puff isn't just a cream puff. Sometimes it's proof that with enough recipes, plenty of trial and error, and a little perseverance, the ultimate in a food experience can actually become a possibility in your very own kitchen.
The perfect holiday cocktail is easy to assemble in crowd-pleasing quantities, attractive and goes down smooth. This Poinsettia cocktail from Valerie Peterson's entertainingly irreverent Peterson's Holiday Helper (Clarkson Potter, $16.95) is the perfect fit.
When W.A. of South Bend requested Chocolate Zucchini Cake, readers Betty Bucs of Lake Zurich, Eleanore Slavicek of Berwyn, Vi Galis of Aurora, Eleanor Bermes of Romeoville, Diane Murphy of Woodridge, Margaret Mierkiewicz of Evanston, Josephine Palunas of LaGrange Park, Jo Valentino of Westmont and Barb Meurer of Mokena responded with various versions of the moist cake, perfect to serve company.
• • Thaw the turkey in the fridge or cold water, never at room temperature. Keep it cold (40 degrees) till you're ready to cook. Once thawed, raw turkey may be refrigerated up to four days.
Q. Do decaffeinated teas and coffee help your brain as much as caffeinated ones do? I avoid caffeine, as it triggers migraines in me, but I am hoping I get some benefits from decaf. -- Violet
• Audio: The You Docs offer a tip
MINNEAPOLIS — A long struggle over what kind of milk counts as organic is coming to a head.
The owner of Des Plaines' famous Choo-Choo restaurant is afraid that her building may get knocked down to make way for a new police headquarters. "The city wants to take this away from this town," said Jean Paxton, who owns the 57-year-old suburban landmark and has started an online petition to save it. "People come from everywhere for the Choo-Choo." But Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia wants Paxton to relax -- there are no current plans to knock anything down because there's no money to build.
The Lavazza coffee shops made a splash -- or didn't -- here with mousse-like espresso, called Espesso. Time magazine named that product one of the best inventions of 2006. Now, the brand wants to introduce Chicagoans to more unusual coffee presentations, with another cafe concept to make its North American debut in Chicago.
Former President George H.W. Bush famously disliked broccoli. His son, the outgoing president, is a Texas meat-eater. President-elect Barack Obama loves chili and shuns beets.
Former President George H.W. Bush famously disliked broccoli. His son, the outgoing president, is a Texas meat-eater. President-elect Barack Obama loves chili and shuns beets.
Embrace simplicity, the warmth of being surrounded by family and friends and the season's bountiful harvest when planning a vegetarian-inspired Thanksgiving feast. Even the turkey will be thankful. Hold on! A turkey-less Thanksgiving dinner? Indeed. Simply substitute a hearty entree, like the mushroom-chestnut cobbler created by Molly Harrison, chef de cuisine at Green Zebra. • Beet salad with cranberry and orange
• Apple crumb pie
• Fall mushroom-chestnut cobbler
• Glazed sweet potatoes
• More: Centerstage Chicago's Thanksgiving guide
The 300 people who travel with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus say they live in a city without a ZIP code. Michael Vaughn makes sure the goods are signed, sealed and delivered. He runs the local diner for the circus Blue Unit (there is another traveling Red Unit).
This is a story about how equal portions of parental advice and patience can be a delicious thing.
The new season of "Top Chef" begins tonight, and last season's winner, Chicago's own Stephanie Izard, is busy putting the final touches on her new restaurant. The 32 year-old culinary wizard will momentarily step out of the kitchen and away from menu planning for her new space to blog about it on Bravo's Web site.
David Roeder: Raise a toast to the lousy economy. The all-but-official recession means Goose Island Beer Co. won't have to close its original brew pub at 1800 N. Clybourn. The Chicago-based brewer's landlord on Clybourn, Deerfield-based investor Charles Malk, had refused to renew the Goose Island lease that expires at year-end.
Charlie Trotter, Rick Bayless, Art Smith, Grant Achatz -- the names of Chicago's most lauded chefs are instantly recognizable, and also noticeably masculine. But as Stephanie Izard's win on last season's "Top Chef" showed, our kitchens are full of talented women, too.
Thanksgiving usually means leftovers -- particularly turkey and mashed potatoes -- and the need for luscious desserts.
The hectic pace of the holiday season makes it tempting to resort to ready-made appetizers as a last-minute entertaining solution.
Despite optimism from Starbucks Corp. that it has felt the worst of the tough economy, analysts were divided Tuesday on whether there was more trouble brewing after the chain disappointed Wall Street with a steep drop in fourth-quarter profit and sales. Chairman and Chief Executive Howard Schultz tried to strike a cup half-full mentality with investors Monday night, saying he had ''a renewed sense of optimism'' and added that the fourth quarter ''may have represented a bottoming-out milestone for our company.''
Popular eastern U.S. chain Five Guys Burgers and Fries moves to the Chicago area starting today. The Oak Park eatery opening today at 1115 Lake St. is the first of four local restaurants planned. A Lincoln Park outlet at 2140 N. Clybourn opens next month. Stores in Schaumburg and Orland Park are slated for early 2009 launches.
They don't call it comfort food for nothing. Many Americans still have an appetite for eating out, despite the shaky economy and rising costs, a new Zagat survey of the nation's top restaurants found. In fact, 83 percent of diners surveyed said they're eating out as often -- if not more -- than they were two years ago.
When it comes to creating buzz, Chicago's restaurant scene is a perennial beehive with one goal: Stick to the honey for as long as possible. Few restaurants can survive, much less flourish, without some amount of positive energy, anticipation or hype being generated. After all, what's new, noteworthy and unique is what attracts the bees -- foodies, fashionistas, tourists and conventioneers.
First there was Wendy's "Baconator," two quarter-pound burgers topped off with six strips of bacon. Hot 'n' juicy indeed.
It's mid-October, and Alinea's Grant Achatz is far from home. The molecular chef is in New York City for the Gourmet Institute, a weekend focused on food.
It's the bane of many a fast-food lover's existence: the drive-through clerk who doesn't get the right food in the right bag. The good news is that the bad economy is actually allowing fast-food restaurants to be more selective in hiring, and that means they're getting your drive-through order right more often, experts say.
On a Saturday night at 2 a.m., most 24-year-olds are probably slurping down one last drink in some neighborhood bar.
Fall is my favorite season of the year. I enjoy putting away my summer clothes and pulling out my favorite jeans and soft sweatshirt to watch football for the day.
With Thanksgiving and the holiday entertaining season rapidly approaching, Swap Shop readers H.F. and D.S., both of Chicago, asked for simple appetizer recipes perfect to pair with wine.
The spectacle of Halloween doesn't escape you, yet costumes aren't your thing. What's a people-watcher to do? Wine, dine, slurp and snack -- while gleaning other costumed goofballs -- of course. This year, it's easy to indulge your inner wallflower (embarrassment-free) with celebratory-colored eats and drinks.
• You can't beat the olfactory on Halloween
• Keep away from leftover candy
• Ten worst Halloween treats
It never fails. You bring your leftover Halloween candy to work to get it the heck out of your house -- only to spend the next week eating other people's leftover candy at work.
HOPLAND, Calif.---- Thin is in at Fetzer Vineyards, at least when it comes to wine bottles: The Northern California winery is switching to a lighter weight glass to cut shipping costs and give the environment a break.
You've decided to host an at-home Election Night party over Tuesday's stressful shindig at your favorite political party's headquarters so you can sweat, cheer, curse or cry while watching election returns with intimate friends of similar political persuasion.
• Start night cleverly
• McCain's ribs with a rub
• Obama family chili
• Pot pie a la Biden
• Moose stew a la Palin
RIO OSO, CALIF. -- You think the competition is tough to get into Harvard or win the Miss America crown?
Chunky Caramel Popcorn drizzled with white and dark chocolate and frosted Pumpkin Walnut Cookies are two solutions from the kitchen pros at Land O'Lakes for T.A., a Chicago mother, and R.B., a Rosemont grandmother, who are seeking fun homemade snacks for Halloween family get-togethers.
Madonna performed in Chicago this week, part of her "Sticky and Sweet" world tour.
After being orphaned at age 3, Ethiopian-born Marcus Samuelsson was adopted and raised by a Swedish couple. Growing up, he developed a passion for cooking, partly due to his adoptive grandmother, a professional cook.
BERKELEY, Calif. -- From handcrafted cheeses at $20-plus a pound to free-range turkeys commanding $100 each, the cost of eating "slow food" can add up fast.
Paul Salida, beverage manager at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, intentionally paired sweet and sour flavors in his election season cocktails, saying, "One day we're happy with our politicians, the next day, we're unhappy with them."
The health benefits of walnuts have a lot to do with their -- no pun intended -- growing popularity.
Where you can find it: Uncommon Ground, 3800 N. Clark.
USA TODAY asked dietitians who blog at Dietchallenge.usatoday.com to come up with creative ways to feed a family of four for under $10 -- as healthful alternatives to the meal advertised on a new KFC commercial. KFC is selling seven pieces of fried chicken, four biscuits and a large side, such as mashed potatoes, for $9.99 and is challenging people to make this meal without going over that amount.
The Dollar Menu stays. But its makeup likely will be different because of the high cost of ingredients, McDonald's Corp. management said Wednesday. A decision is imminent.
To most Chicagoans, a Polish sausage is something you eat on a bun, smothered in grilled onions. However, that Chicago-born sandwich, invented by a Macedonian immigrant on Maxwell Street in the 1940s, has little to do with real Polska kielbasa. Nor does "kielbasa" mean a specific sausage.
• Help for the Kielbasa conundrum
• Barszcz baily (Polish white borscht with sausage)
• Pasta Z Kielbasy (Polish sausage salad spread)
Yes, those are micro-watermelons sitting in the produce sections at local Dominick's grocery stores.
My cooking reflects my Hawaiian roots. I grew up in Japan, but as a boy spent summers on the island of Maui, where my grandfather ran a grocery store and family-style restaurant that served popular local foods.
When the witches of Shakespeare's ''Macbeth'' concocted a brew, it was quite a to-do: ''Eye of newt, and toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog, adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, lizard's leg, and howlet's wing for a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble.''
Try an onion different from the one that's usually on your cutting board. Among the types you might find at a well-stocked store:
Busy clerks rarely have time to talk you through all the varieties, and even the Polish-born sometimes have trouble telling the difference, so here's a cheat sheet for some of the sausages you're likely to find at Chicago Polish markets.
