The holiday season, kicked off this past week with Thanksgiving, is as good a time as any to discuss family dinners—the ubiquitous, but often unrecognized tradition that doesn’t exactly necessitate that a big old turkey be placed in the center of the table in order for people to gather around it.

Laurie David’s new cookbook, The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time, sheds new light on the importance of family meals—of turning off cell phones, computers, and televisions, slowing down, and feasting on good…

Though we both spent the holidays with our extended families, we were curious about what any quarter-lifers stuck in New York would up to this Thanksgiving. We thought the answer would be cooking with friends, in their small kitchens, perhaps with a budget-friendly bird like Cara’s boyfriend Alex’s Roast Chicken in the oven. But an overwhelming number of people we talked to were choosing to volunteer instead, and we think that’s pretty great.

Last year around Thanksgiving, we featured a post on Phoebe’s experience cooking at a shelter on the Upper West Side. Though the occasion…

Happy Thanksgiving, readers, one day early!

In the last week or two, we’ve written about Thanksgiving pretty intensely. We shared Cara’s Mom’s Apple Pie, Alex’s Roasted Chicken (which, we pointed out, would make a fine substitute for a turkey if you’re only hosting a few people), Portobello Mushrooms with Parmesan-Herb Stuffing, and Garlic-Rosemary Mashed Potatoes.

FAVORITE THANKSGIVING DESSERTS: Chocolate Mousse with Gingerbread Cream; Pound Cake; Apple Walnut Cake; Praline Pumpkin Pie; Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Bread; Pear Almond Tart

The desserts on our Thanksgiving table are assorted and not always that traditional. We make them in abundance. Though Thanksgiving attendance has ranged from twelve to thirty over the years, we like to make sure that there’s at least one dessert for every two to three people-way, way too many.

There’s the Frozen Chocolate Marquise with Mocha Cream,…

EVENT: Sunday Night Dinner
VENUE: Cara’s Apartment, Prospect Heights
PARTY SIZE: 2
OCCASION: Homey Supper
MENU: Greek-Style Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

During our interview with Ina Garten about her new book, How Easy Is That?, I mentioned how Alex and I rarely had leftovers when he roasted me a chicken (we were talking about how to cook for two most simply, and Ina had suggested roasting a whole chicken early in the week and then repurposing the leftovers). All talk of practicality and leftovers ceased immediately. Ina laughed and said, “I’d say you have a good boyfriend if he makes you roasted chicken.”

OTHER THANKSGIVING-Y SIDES: Pumpkin-Leek Stuffing with Turkey Sausage; Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes; Farro and Cauliflower Salad with Currants; Portobello Mushrooms with Parmesan-Herb Stuffing; Green Beans with Spiced Nuts and Apple Cider Vinaigrette; Brussels Sprouts with Apples, Pistachios, and Creme Fraiche

At my Thanksgiving table,which is really my mom’s, we don’t serve mashed potatoes ordinarily, though they snuck onto the menu one year. We have baked sweet potatoes, and then we have cauliflower puree, which, though it may look like mashed potatoes, tastes like sweet, buttery…

DISH: Portobello Mushrooms with Parmesan-Herb Stuffing
TYPE: Vegetarian Thanksgiving (Meatless Monday)
MAIN INGREDIENT: Mushroom, Bread, Cheese, Herbs

For obvious reasons, Thanksgiving can easily be thought of as a problematic holiday for vegetarians. In the center of most families’ tables, inevitably, sits a large dead bird. In it, the second mainstay of the meal: stuffing. Beside it, pan drippings reduced into velvety gravy that’s meant to drown all other meatless options on the table.

I’ve never dabbled in vegetarianism, but when I think of my dad’s Thanksgiving plate, and of Cara’s before she came back over…

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Giveaway to win Ina Garten’s How Easy Is That? We asked you about the tip, trick, or tool that makes your life in the kitchen that much easier, and chose a winner randomly from the list of commenters.

Congrats to reader hisjealoussky!

Here’s what hisjealoussky had to say:

My KitchenAid mixer! I have bad carpal tunnel syndrome, but I bake a lot, so my KitchenAid is a life saver.

Though perhaps with Ina Garten’s impeccable wisdom

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MEXICAN-THEMED POTLUCK: Black Bean Cakes; Corn and Leek Flautas; Mexican Dip; Ancho-Rubbed Chicken & Chorizo Tacos

A few weeks ago I received a call from Evan and Sarah, on speaker phone, to discuss ideas for what to do for Evan’s birthday. I was honored that they enlisted my help, though they ended up at my cell phone via Cara, who reminded them that no one likes theme parties more than this girl.

The general idea was to have a potluck at their apartment, but Sarah and Evan couldn’t settle

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EVENT: Phoebe’s 25th!
PARTY SIZE: 2
TYPE: Blogmate Dessert
MENU: Tiger Cake

It’s been almost two years since Phoebe and I first started the blog.

It’s been far longer—thirteen years—since we’ve been eating together. When you’re close friends with anyone, you start to get to know her tastes in breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner, but when you’re co-bloggers, you know those tastes in slightly more minute detail. Though I still have a hard time remembering the hierarchy of Phoebe’s fruit hatred (are oranges worse than pineapple? which is more abhorrent, kiwis or cantaloupe?), I currently have a fairly good idea of what will float Phoebe’s culinary boat. Whether it’s sharing a Thai lunch (one green curry, one pad Thai, two pairs of chopsticks), tossing dandelion greens into pasta carbonara, or picking up two iced coffees, mine with milk, hers with Equal on the way to a long catering gig, we do pretty well eating and drinking as a pair.