The Bitten Word

We're Back! Plus, Your Thanksgiving Photos

¡Hola, chicos!

We have returned from Argentina! The steak was amazing; the wine was fantastic. It really was an awesome trip and we'll write a post about it very soon to share what we did (and especially what we ate).

As you can see in the photo above, our Thanksgiving dinner wasn't exactly traditional (although that orange dish in the center of the table IS pumpkin, which counts for something). But we were thrilled to get your photos of more classic Thanksgiving Day fare.

And we owe a huge thank-you to Zach's sister Cassidy for manning (womanning?) the blog while we were in South America. We knew we wanted to keep posting right up until Thanksgiving, and we couldn't have done it without her. Thanks, Cassidy!

Anyway, we're home now. And one of the best things about coming back home was reading through all the great comments and emails you guys sent! We loved hearing about your favorite Thanksgiving dishes, all the hits (and misses) from your holiday table.

And we really loved getting photos!  Looking at them now, our stomachs are rumbling -- is it too soon to serve Thanksgiving dinner again?

So check out the pics -- along with some reader comments -- after the jump!

Thanksgiving 2010: Send Us Your Photos!

We're all done with our Thanksgiving posts! We really enjoyed trying all these recipes, and we've loved hearing from you about what you're planning to cook!

Now comes the fun part: Are you making a dish from a food magazine this year?  We'd love to feature your dish in a round-up of reader experiences after the big day. Whether you tried something new this year or you cooked some family favorites, we'd love to see your pics! Email them to us along with your thoughts on the dish and we'll post a round-up sometime after Thursday.

Below, you'll find every dish we made this year for Thanksgiving -- click on an image to read the recipe. And remember, don't lose your head on the big day.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving! We hope it's full of love, family and really, really good food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>> More Thanksgiving recommendations from the Bitten Word

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Thanksgiving 2010: Pumpkin Layer Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting and Quince-Ginger Compote

Martha Stewart Living (November 2010)

Martha, you had us at goat cheese.

Of all the Thanksgiving recipes in all the magazines we looked at this year, we were most excited to try this Pumpkin Layer Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting and Quince-Ginger Compote.

The thought of a goat cheese frosting had us salivating. A tangy, sharp frosting sweetened with sugar, paired with layers of pumpkin cake? Count us in!

We almost made one crucial error, though. We nearly skipped the quince compote.

Thanksgiving 2010: Cranberry-Port Sorbet

Martha Stewart Living (November 2010)

Let's make a list of the first 10 things that come to mind when we say "Thanksgiving desserts":

-- pie
-- cake
-- bread pudding
-- cobbler
-- crumble
-- tart
-- mousse
-- pudding
-- streussel
-- galette

Did anybody say sorbet?  Nah, we didn't think so. Sorbet just isn't something you really associate with the Thanksgiving table.

Well, we're here to tell you: It's high time you started.

Thanksgiving 2010: Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate, Orange, and Parsley Gremolata

Bon Appétit (November 2010)

Okay, we don't like to brag.

But have you ever in your life seen a more festive, more stunningly gorgeous holiday dish? 

These Roasted Red Onions with Pomegranate, Orange and Parsley Gremolata are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The purple, pearlescent wisps of onion studded with pomegranate seeds like jewels and anointed with emerald parsely and bright orange zest -- it's like a work of art on a plate.

It's not really bragging, though:  All we did was follow the reicipe from Bon Appétit.

And here's some more not-bragging: We actually kind of screwed things up.

Thanksgiving 2010: Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Five-Spice Marshmallows

Food & Wine (November 2010)

 

We've been moaning about how so many of this year's Thanksgiving options seemed safe and kind of middle-of-the-road. Which is why we were especially happy to see Food & Wine's East by Northeast feature, which incorporates Asian influences into traditional Thanksgiving dishes. (It's the same feature that gave us that Edamame, Celery and Fennel Salad with Candied Lemon.)

One of our favorite ways to update a recipe is to take a familiar dish and twist it by adding one unusual element or unexpected ingredient. And that's just what Food & Wine does with these Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Five-Spice Marshmallows.

It's a pretty straightforward sweet potato mash, but adding Chinese five-spice powder gives it a completely new spin, and makes for a very exciting addition to a Thanksgiving table.

Thanksgiving 2010: Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette

Bon Appétit (November 2010)

Of all the Thanksgiving dishes we tried out this year, there were a handful that we were really apprehensive about, including these Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette.

We weren't worried because it's tricky or time-consuming (it's a cinch, really), but because we couldn't really wrap our heads around cherries and green beans together.

Was there a way for those two flavors to mesh well?

We were intrigued.

Buenos Aires

Just a quick programming note: We're taking off this weekend for a belated honeymoon to Argentina. We can't wait to eat steak in Buenos Aires, drink Malbec in Mendoza and do absolutely nothing on the beach in Uruguay.

The nation of Argentina. (Artists' rendering)

Don't fret! We've still got tons of great Thanksgiving recipes to share with you! 

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, we'll still be posting Thanksgiving dishes right up until the big day.

But if you email us and it takes a while for us to respond, well, blame it on B.A.

 

Thanksgiving 2010: Red Cabbage Gratin

Saveur (November 2010)

 

We won't belabor the point here.

This Red Cabbage Gratin was unanimously the least favorite dish among our Thanksgiving guests.  

We initially selected it out of Saveur because it was so unique sounding. 

We'd made other gratins -- why not one featuring red cabbage?  

Well, here's why. 

Thanksgiving 2010: Cauliflower Sformato

Fine Cooking (October/November 2010)

"Sformato" is this year's "spatchcock." It's the Thanksgiving word we've become obsessed with. 

We love saying it. Just try it.  Sfor-mato! SFOR-mato! Sfor-MATO! Super fun, right?

Well guess what?  It's not only fun to say, it's also delicious. 

Because Cauliflower Sformato was far and away the favorite dish of all 16-plus recipes we made for our Fakesgiving meal.