Open the Tutorial

For the Thanksgiving dinner I’m sharing with you this week, I wanted a really lush centerpiece, one that celebrated the beauty of the fall harvest but didn’t cost me hundreds of dollars. So I turned to my favorite eco-friendly florist to help me create a beautiful, all-natural vegetable centerpiece that a real human (you know, homo sapiens, as opposed to marta stewartensis) could make with some seasonal vegetables, basic tools, and a little imagination.

But I didn’t want to let all that beauty go to waste, after the meal. Since nothing is glued down or otherwise rendered inedible, you can eat nearly every piece of this arrangement — and I give you recipes to help you do just that.

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Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods, and it’s not hard to make them taste amazing. The easy way, my friends, is fat. A lot of it. I used to work at a restaurant where the cooks dropped a brick of cream cheese, a long swig of cream, and unmentionable amounts of butter into the joint’s famous smashed potatoes. So there’s that approach.

But I like to taste the potatoes themselves, and to pump them up in fresh ways, so this year on Thanksgiving I am turning to this recipe — golden mashed potatoes with a secret ingredient to give them flavor and unexpected color.

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When we were kids, a day of winter romping was always — always! — followed by mugs of cocoa and a plate of buttered toast. This was a given. It was inconceivable that one would not be followed by the other.

In the spirit of all things cozy and warm, I give to you this bread pudding. It takes the best of cocoa and the best of toast, and puts it in a single, custardy, marshmallow-topped dish. You can make it ahead in anticipation of a special winter breakfast or serve it for an post-dinner (and post-romping) treat. Just like a mug of cocoa, it’s a pudding works equally well for either occasion.

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Open Slideshow

We’re getting into the Thanksgiving mood this week, bringing you a small, swanky Thanksgiving party that I hosted in my home. So far I’ve shown you the make-ahead menu, a schedule for getting it all done, and 10 things you can be doing now to make Thanksgiving a little smoother.

Now that we have all the prep out of the way, let’s party! Come into my home and see how we cooked Thanksgiving dinner, doing most of it ahead to keep it low-stress, and enjoyed a swanky afternoon of good food, good wine, and Thanksgiving cheer with friends. Are you ready for some turkey action?

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I adore Brussels sprouts but they can be tricky to cook just right, especially if one’s attention is on lots of other dishes, as in the case of a holiday dinner. This Thanksgiving I’ve found the solution: smoky, lemony shredded and sautéed brussels sprouts! The sprouts can be shredded a day ahead and then get quickly cooked just before serving, eliminating any worry about soggy, under-cooked, over-charred, or otherwise less than yummy Brussels sprouts.

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Yesterday I shared our small, swanky, make-ahead Thanksgiving menu, and today we’re going to talk about how to get it all done. To those of you who love lists and calendars and whiteboards, welcome. To the folks who get a little overwhelmed by planning out a dinner in such detail, stick with me.

Thanksgiving, in its silly pressure and sheer scale, is nevertheless a very good opportunity to break a dinner down from beginning to end, planning what is made when and what can be done ahead. The point, ultimately, is not just to do Thanksgiving like a pro, but to carry these skills into everyday cooking.

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Open Kitchen Tour

Who cooks and eats here: Generations of the Pepin family
Where: Lake of Bays, Ontario, Canada
Rent or Own? Own

This kitchen is not at all glamorous. To call it rustic would even be too kind. It’s old, it’s small, it has a lot of quirks, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

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On Thanksgiving, I don’t think any dish inspires quite as much love and jealousy as stuffing. Or, for that matter, technical debate over stuffing vs. dressing. Sure, if it’s baked inside the turkey it’s stuffing, and if it’s not, it’s dressing. But to me, it will always be stuffing — it sounds so much more satisfying than dressing, which brings to mind vinaigrette.

And on my table, the stuffing is always some version of this classic sage and onion mix. No cornbread, oysters, or dried fruit for me. This is Pepperidge-esque, Stovetop-style stuffing — but all homemade and full of toasty flavor from good bread, and savor from turkey stock. This recipe is surprisingly simple; in fact, why not make some tonight? It never hurts to practice your stuffing, whatever you call it.

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The humble potato, knobby and still smelling of earth, can do so very much. We can smash it and stuff it inside pierogis or its own skin. We can simmer it with shreds of chicken and corn. We can spice it with cumin and coriander to make a curry or slice it paper-thin for a casserole. No matter what form the potato might take, we are sure to love it equally. And it’s not so shabby on the nutritional side either; surprisingly high in Vitamins C and B6, potatoes make a sturdy centerpiece to supper, especially when joined by a pile of greens or slice of high-quality fish.

So we think you shouldn’t need an excuse to eat a potato for dinner tonight, but just in case here are ten.

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Thanksgiving is the most iconic of American gatherings, and when we were planning our year of Gatherings from The Kitchn, we were already thinking about this holiday and what we wanted to say. The classic image is so memorable: A sprawling family around the table, sideboards creaking under five kinds of pie and an 18-pound turkey burnished to perfection. It’s a feast to make even experienced cooks quake under the weight of expectation, tradition, and sheer logistics.

But this image no longer reflects all of our experiences. You may be hosting a smaller gathering or “Friendsgiving,” one closer to home and without the extended family around the table. If so, and especially if it’s your first time doing it all yourself, then this week’s feature is for you. I’m inviting you to share the Thanksgiving dinner I threw a little earlier this year. A simple meal, a swanky table, and a make-ahead menu will help you embrace this holiday for what it is — a moment to share good food with friends and family.

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