As button-wearing, card-carrying members of the “In Ina We Trust” club, we’ve long used her books, television show, and tips to plan the biggest meal of the year, Thanksgiving. This year, she’s helping us out by bringing together some of her favorite recipes (and friends!) in a Thanksgiving-themed holiday special, airing this Saturday, November 17, on the Food Network, at 8 p.m. ET.
Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.
OK, as epic and darkly romantic as Guns N’ Roses made late fall precipitation sound, after a week of cold, damp days, I’ve about had it with November rain. (The actual November rain. I’m still cool with the song.) My socks were wet before 9 a.m. today. Then I dropped my to-go mug into the world’s deepest puddle. And it’s going to be dark in, like, 15 minutes.
For those of you looking for a one-stop shop for all the recipes to include on your Thanksgiving table, look no further than this roundup of Ina Garten’s 10 most popular Turkey Day recipes. Our food team even gave a few of them a test drive, and SPOILER ALERT: Not a single recipe disappoints. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Ina, but a reminder every now and then can’t hurt.
So without any further ado, here’s a list of the best Ina Thanksgiving recipes — and why you should make them.
Can you imagine rolling up to your friends’ annual Friendsgiving celebration, armed with paper plates and red Solo cups, only to find Martha Stewart inside, lighting a candelabra and smoothing out a freshly ironed table runner, upon which to display her contribution?
Seriously, try to name a more intimidating co-potluck attendee than Martha Stewart. I’ll wait …
The idea that anything is “easy as pie” is kind of laughable, because in my opinion pie crust is arguably the most intimidating holiday baking task. That’s surely why you can find so many types of pre-made pie shells at the grocery store.
But still, pies are an absolute staple at Thanksgiving. So this month, we decided to pit pie dough from four of our favorite celebrity cooks against each other to see whose recipe yielded the most fail-proof crust. I tested all four of these crust recipes side by side, following each exactly as written, and baked each one with filling. It is worth nothing upfront that both Ina and Martha’s recipes make two (9-inch) pie crusts, while Ree’s makes enough for three (9-inch pies) and Alton’s makes a single 9-inch crust. Here are the results!
There is no easier way to feed a crowd first thing in the morning than by serving a breakfast casserole. And now that the holiday season is rolling in and I’ll have a steady stream of house guests, these family-friendly dishes are especially top of mind.
This lineup loads up on the veggies (and sometimes fruit!), and shies away from extra-indulgent ingredients to help start the day on a lighter note.
Ever since my sister-in-law decided to start baking Parker House rolls for Thanksgiving a few years ago, our holiday has been better for it. After they were polished off in record time, we knew it would be a new holiday tradition, and now it’s one every single one of us looks forward to.
Parker House rolls are just about the most buttery, indulgent dinner rolls around. And while I love my sister-in-law’s recipe, I was curious to see how others fared in comparison, so I baked up a batch of two of the most popular ones on the internet — Martha Stewart’s and Ree Drummond’s — to compare. Here’s how things went and what I thought.
Recipe: Pioneer Woman’s Parker House Rolls
Recipe: Khalil Hymore’s Parker House Rolls, via Martha Stewart
Many consider Martha Stewart the queen of modern hosting. Fans are devoted to her recipes — whether it’s mac and cheese or holiday turkeys — partially because they’re tasty, of course, but also because she makes them all look so easy to master at home. Her pie crust recipe is no exception. Ask a half-dozen friends for pie crust recommendations, and I guarantee at least two of them will mention Martha.
This month, as Kitchn editors are trying out some of the most popular holiday recipes in our own kitchens, it was a no-brainer to include Martha Stewart’s pie crust recipe. I test-drove the crust alongside some other heavy hitters, including Alton Brown, Ina Garten, and Ree Drummond. Mixing, rolling, and baking these pie doughs side by side quickly showed each of their successes and highlighted their flaws. Of all of them, Martha’s instructions were the shortest — almost to the point of being too short. Here’s what happened when I followed them exactly.
Fall is all about hearty soups and stews, meaty roasts, warm drinks, and all the apple desserts. And there’s no easier way to make these seasonal favorites happen than by using your slow cooker. While it has a place in the kitchen all year long, the slow cooker does some of its best work throughout the fall. Don’t let the season pass you by without making these 10 favorites.
You know how the saying goes: If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. And that seems to be the philosophy that Costco has stuck to when it comes to its pumpkin pie. The recipe for the pie has remained unchanged since 1987. Costco’s pumpkin pie is so beloved, the big-box grocery chain sells millions of them every year.
This obsession makes a ton of sense. Why bake for the holidays when you can buy a pie for every holiday party you’re attending in one shopping trip? According to Market Insider, in 2015 Costco sold 5 million pumpkin pies, which is all the more impressive given that the pies are only available for four months, from September to December.