That beautiful packet of nougat pictured above is my inspiration for today’s post. The nougat is a gift from a neighbor, left on her kitchen table as a thank you for stopping in to feed her cat this coming week.

I really love nougat. I love how its smooth chewy texture is studded with the crunch of nuts. I love the slight whiff of rosewater and the way it melts in my mouth. I love the pretty stripes of pale pastel colors and the French label on the package. I seldom have nougat because the good stuff is expensive and it’s also quite sweet, so this little gift is a true treat.

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Open Hot Posts

Happy Saturday, everyone! Popular posts this week on The Kitchn include a spirited discussion on what to do when a friend asks you to pay for Thanksgiving, a look at Faith’s small and swanky Thanksgiving dinner, the difference between corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, and Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s five essentials for wildly delicious weeknight meals. Enjoy!

15. How to Make a Thanksgiving Centerpiece (And Eat It Afterwards)
14. Corn Syrup vs. High-Fructose Corn Syrup: There Is a Difference
13. Side Dish Recipe: Smoky, Lemony Shredded Brussels Sprouts
12. How To Make Whipped Cream
11. Kitchen Before & After: A Battered Old Kitchen Gets a Lovely Traditional Update
10. Recipe: Cocoa & Toast Bread Pudding

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Happy weekend everyone! What’s cooking? I hope you enjoyed our big Thanksgiving feature this past week — it’s so much fun to start thinking about the holidays. I hope you have good plans for your kitchen this weekend; is there a Sunday roast in your near future? Or a pot of butternut squash pasta? We’d love to hear what’s on your menu this weekend.

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Happy weekend, fellow cooks! We have some delicious new recipes for you to try out this weekend, including our favorite Thanksgiving bread dressing, and golden mashed potatoes. There’s a cocoa bread pudding topped with marshmallows, and an aged tequila cocktail to keep your evenings warm.

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We’ve said it before: keeping kitchen linens in a basket is a nice, neat storage solution. But this idea takes it one step forward: make that basket a vintage bicycle basket, and hang it from a rod (like IKEA’s Grundtal rail) on your backsplash!

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• In not-so-surprising news: out of 5,427 fast-food kids’ meals, only 33 meet recommended nutrition guidelines. – Anjali
• Hey, this granola master profiled by Food & Wine looks a lot like our very own Megan Gordon! – Emma
• Why you shouldn’t say goodbye when leaving a big party. – Faith
• The mash-ups continue! NYC introduces the “Thanksgivukkah Donut” and it is scary and beautiful at the same time. – Ariel
• The anatomy of a compliment. – Cambria

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Love the idea of hosting brunch, but begin to regret it the moment your friends are recalling their hilarious evening while you toil over a pan of bacon grease? Join the club. While I don’t host brunch often, when I do, I frame my entire menu around the fact that I don’t want to spend the whole morning in the kitchen. Sure, that chorizo and leek omelet is fantastic at your local eatery, but are you a short order cook? No. Skip the omelets and spend time with your friends.

Here are seven tips to host a brunch without stress, and without getting up at 5 am to prep.

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From ancient times until the early twentieth century, cocktails were the domain of healers, pharmacists, and apothecaries. Tinctures, bitters, elixirs, and tonics were created from herbs, flowers, fruit, vegetables, and alcohol to cure stomach ailments, respiratory troubles, and more. Warren Bobrow’s Apothecary Cocktails draws on this rich and delicious tradition so you can make your own restorative drinks at home.

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Quince is the most luscious fall fruit, but not as widely known or easily found as it should be. It holds its secrets tightly inside; quince is very astringent and not pleasant to eat when raw, but when cooked with sugar it turns coral-pink and delicious. It’s also very high in pectin, which means that it is practically perfect for sorbet. This fragrant sorbet, spiced with star anise and vanilla, is thick and smooth — more like a sherbet than an icy sorbet — and it makes a wonderful accompaniment to autumn gingerbread and apple cake.

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Open Maker Tour

Who: Brandi Shelton of Just Add Honey Tea Company
What: Custom-blended loose-leaf teas, cold-brewed teas, and accessories
Where: Atlanta, Georgia

While studying fashion design and marketing in London, Brandi Shelton fell in love with the daily ritual of a cup of tea, but was less enamored of the traditional flavors. “I thought I could add a spice here or a fruit there to make a more flavorful cup,” she tells us. And that’s how Just Add Honey, her custom tea line, began. Now back in Atlanta, Brandi remains fascinated by tea. Read on for a look at her business and her advice on buying and tasting tea — great for tea newbies and enthusiasts alike!

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