So how’d it go?

It’s safe to say that I’m still stuffed…

But all the food turned out great!

Hope your holiday was fun and delicious. 🙂

Happy Thanksgiving, DC readers! We hope you have much to be thankful for this year, and we want to thank you for all your thoughtful comments and ideas! We always enjoy hearing from you.

Biscuit says, “thanks!” too. And don’t forget to watch the National Dog Show today on NBC 🙂

Apple Pie is cooling! Looks pretty good except for a small crack that developed while baking. It happens!

Pumpkin pie is now in the oven!

Bosc & Bartlett Pear and Cherry Crisp is currently in the works! You may remember, I couldn’t get plums. Thanks for your help in deciding!

So far no casualties!

Hooray! It’s 0900 on the east coast and I already have 4 little pie crusts chilling patiently in the fridge.

They kind of look like little turkey burgers, don’t they?

This year I used a recipe from my giant Martha’s Cooking School book. If you’re tackling pie crusts today, remember to have a gentle hand when adding water. Martha recommended 7 tablespoons of water, followed by 2 additional tablespoons if needed, but added a full tablespoon at a time. After 7 tablespoons of ice water I would just start sprinkling to get the right consistency – adding more water by tablespoons seems a little dangerous to me!

Good luck, bakers and cooks! Hope you make beautiful progress today.

Click here for a timely Slate article with pumpkin tips!

But I actually wanted to share a few different things. The first is to ask a question.
I planned on making a Pear Plum Crisp, only to find that plums are not in season and there’s no way I’ll get them. Should I…

a) Substitute plums for cranberries (I’m worried they’ll be too tart)?
b) Substitute plums for dark pitted cherries (I was thinking they’ll have a similar not-to-sweet flavor to plums)?
c) Substitute plums for apple slices (but maybe we’re getting back to too tart here?

Please let me know what you think! The polls are open (well.. the comment field anway..).

Next I wanted to share a turkey tip. Ever heard of fried turkey? It’s most definitely a southern thing. I remember when we first moved south we heard of a guy that you could pay to fry your turkey on his lawn Thanksgiving morning, in time for dinner. I don’t know how much he made doing that, but it looked like a neat gig.

In any event, we were all about adopting some “southern ways” when we got here. Fried turkey was one of these, and we bought a turkey fryer. Here are photos from our first turkey fry, back in 2003

If you’re frying your turkey this year, please do it safely. This should never be done inside the house – do it in the yard in case the ridiculously hot oil starts to sputter. Wear large, heavy duty gloves and eye protection, and lower your turkey down slowly into the fryer. Never get closer to it then you need to. Do not allow children or dogs to be running around in close proximity. This is a giant pot of raging hot oil… don’t anger it!

Lastly, don’t scoff until you try it (I’m looking at you, Chef Edwin!). A fried turkey is a beautiful and delicious thing.

And now I’ll leave you with some scenes of Thanksgivings past. Don’t forget those little touches that make your table look lovely.

Try a new tablecloth or some gourds, flowers or cranberries as a centerpiece.

And give thanks!