Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian and Beyond!)

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES (ITALIAN AND BEYOND!)

It’s only a few days to Christmas and time to commit to a decision on what to make for your holiday dinner (if you haven't already!). The thought of turkey makes you cringe, with good reason….so what else is there to make? In my house, the go-to for Christmas dinner is always a plump, juicy roast (think standing rib roast or rack of lamb), but this year I am inspired by the ‘Feast of the Seven Fishes’, which is a traditional Italian celebration on Christmas Eve. This meal typically consists of 7 seafood and fish dishes but I've seen some families have upwards of 10! I'm sticking to 3 or 4, thank you. After enduring a 3 day food coma from Thanksgiving, the thought of an array of light seafood dishes for Christmas sounds delicious and not overly filling (not to mention getting a kick start on that New Year's resolution of eating healthy!).

FIRST COURSE: EASY APPETIZER

I like to have a couple simple snacks ready for when guests arrive. Everyone always arrives hungry and ready to eat, and this means they can snack and stay out of the kitchen! ;) Small bites or spreads are best for this feast since there are many more courses to come, so try to keep it simple and easy to make ahead! I love this Peruvian Clams à la Parmesana recipe that's in my cookbook. I learned about these in Lima, clams with a little chili paste, garlic and pisco and then topped with buttery-parmesan breadcrumbs. You can assemble them ahead of time and pop them in when guests arrive - they only take 3 minutes under the broiler! These Quinoa-Crusted Shrimp are another great, healthy option.

SECOND COURSE: RAW BAR OR SEAFOOD SALAD

For me, nothing beats a great raw bar to truly showcase the flavors of the sea. Stone crabs, cooked lobster, or gorgeous jumbo shrimp served with a flavorful cocktail or tarator sauce are showstoppers. Pair with a seasonal salad (think: fennel, mache, oranges and pomegranate) with a bit of balsamic and oil.

THIRD COURSE: HEARTY, WHOLE FISH

This course and the next should be the big dishes, the ones that showcase the entire meal. A whole fish, such as red snapper or striped bass would be perfect here with a couple side dishes to go along. A whole fish doesn't have to be daunting, and salt-crusting is the perfect technique! Take 4 cups kosher salt plus 8 egg whites and thoroughly mix together. Make a bed on the baking pan with the salt mixture, lay the fish on top and add a thick coating on top, patting down to seal it all around. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes at 400° F. Crack open the salt layer with a spoon and peel back the skin for the most tender, flavorful (not salty I swear!) fish you've had. Serve with your favorite chili-garlic sauce, chermoula or a lemon-basil vinaigrette.

FOURTH COURSE: PASTA OR, IN MY CASE, PAELLA!

If we were creating a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes, this course would showcase a pasta dish. But, since the feast is just a guideline to this epic meal, I am choosing to replace the pasta with a delicious seafood paella recipe. The key to a great paella is the rice! You can use short grain rice but if you can find it, bomba rice is what most fine-dining restaurants use and is the traditional rice for this dish. And remember, you want that crunchy rice on the bottom of the pan….that’s the best part!

FIFTH COURSE: SOUP OR SEAFOOD STEW

Yes, can you believe it? We are still eating! If you have room after consuming the previous courses, take it down a notch with a warm brothy seafood or fish soup. This recipe for Ginger Crab is nothing short of amazing and is the type of food I grew up eating - food particular to the East Coast of Africa that blends all that's amazing about African, Indian and Arab foods.

FINALLY: PALATE CLEANSER + DESSERT!

Ok, so I’m combining the last two courses because I just don’t think I can eat anymore at this point! A great palate cleanser could be a simple citrus sorbet or semifreddo. The traditional dessert with this feast is an array of Italian cookies, but since we are skipping the sixth course, I’ve decided to do a decadent South African Cape Malva pudding, a moist, butter-y cake with caramelized edges steeped in a warm brandy sauce. Done!

Enjoy!

The (Non) Eggnog I'm Making For The Holidays

THE (NON) EGGNOG I'M MAKING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

In a few days, I'm having a (very) small group of friends over for a holiday get together. This year, after Thanksgiving fatigue, I'm taking it easy and going to enjoy my friend time. I'm doing some fun holiday drinks; there's going to be serious spades playing, and we are all going to eat my favorite delivery pizza (which in Brooklyn is nothing short of amazing)! Christmas eve will be my blowout cooking event with my family, so I'll get my cooking fix then.

One of my favorite things to do for holiday parties is serve little, sweet, liqueured up shots for dessert! And this year, I'm making this (non) eggnog for the occasion. I love how the Caribbean does eggnog and have put up the recipe for West Indian Ponche de Crème in the past - a sweet, creamy spiced eggnog with a touch of bitters. For this recipe, the inspiration is coquito, the Puerto Rican version which I like to think of as coconut eggnog!

I made some key changes to a traditional coquito here. Instead of canned evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk, which are traditional, I infused heavy cream with sugar and the signature spices of the drink - cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise and cloves - making my own sweetened and spiced condensed cream! Because I use heavy cream, I omit the eggs which is great because it's creamy enough. Also, I have some friends that aren't so into the "egg-y" flavor and are a bit skeeved out about the whole raw eggs thing, so it works all around.

This drink is so rich and delicious - it's creamy and scented with coconut. I love that it has the traditional cinnamon and nutmeg, but the star anise, if you have it, is such an unusual touch. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields a little over 8 cups

4 cups heavy cream

3/4 - 1 cup coconut or white sugar

5 cinnamon sticks

6 star anise pods (optional)

6 whole cloves

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

zest of 1 lime

3 ½ cups fresh coconut milk or 2 cans coconut milk

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup light rum

½-1 cup gold rum

Optional: Amaretto or Coffee Liqueur

Garnish: Ground or whole cinnamon, more star anise pods

Procedure

In a medium saucepan, add the heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, nutmeg, salt and lime zest. I give a range on the sugar because I like mine a bit less sweet (3/4 cup), but a traditional one would be more sweet (1 cup) - do to your tastes and remember you can always taste and add more! Bring up to a boil and then remove from the heat.

To a blender, add the coconut milk, vanilla extract and rums (again, to your booziness level). Blend until it's uniform. In a pitcher, pot of whatever you are going to store this in, stir together the blended coconut mixture with the spiced heavy cream. Chill completely before serving. I prefer letting it sit in the fridge a day or two before serving so all the flavors come through, but it's pretty amazing after a few hours too.

If you want to put a twist on this, substitute 1/2 cup amaretto or coffee liqueur in lieu of the same amount of the gold rum. Just drop down the sugar to 1/2-3/4 cup to balance out the sweetness.

Strain out the whole spices and serve over ice with some ground cinnamon, a cinnamon stick or some star anise pods.

Enjoy!

Holiday Gifts for 2015!

HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR 2015!

It’s that time of year again: Gift-giving season! I.e time to stress out about what to buy that family member that has everything or is extremely picky! (Literally, I've been putting off finishing this post because I am in a panic to pre-order some personalized gifts - ah!) Like last year (and will be making this an annual tradition) below are some gift ideas for this holiday season. Enjoy!

WILD OLIVE WOOD TRIPLE SPICE BOWL & SERVING SET | CONNECTED GOODS

This set of bowls and serving utensils are so cute for hosting guests. I usually fill the bowls with different types of salts (Himalayan pink, black or Maldon) or finishing spices for guests (think Aleppo chili flakes) to season their meal as they like. Love this store in general for all of their goods being artisan-made and the fact that they adhere to Fair Trade practices.

BARREL-AGED SRIRACHA | UNCRATE

Sriracha aged for a year with brown sugar, garlic and salt in whiskey barrels...need I say more ?!?

LADY M GREEN TEA MILLE CREPE CAKE | LADY M BAKERY

Honestly, there are a lot of perks to living in NYC and access to some of the greatest food is pretty much top of my list. All of Lady M's handmade cakes are amazing, but this green tea mille crèpe cake, a delicate cake made up of layers and layers of crèpes separated by fresh cream scented with green tea, has to be my favorite! Thankfully, they ship.

TOM DIXON SCENT DIFFUSERS | TOM DIXON

I usually have the diffusers around my house with the tall skinny sticks, but I am in love with the look of these ones! Nothing is better than walking in to a room with a warming, amber scent (the Fire one).

THE FOOD LAB, PERU THE COOKBOOK & NOPI | AMAZON

You can never have too many cookbooks in the house to reference for inspiration and these are just a few of my “must-haves” this year!

PORCELAIN SPICE FUNNEL | FOOD52

Last week, I was at the opening of Food52's amazing pop-up holiday market in Union Square (seriously, check it out if you are in NYC!) and saw this genius invention. I just assumed wrestling with peppercorns and spices and settling for spilling them EVERYWHERE was the nature of things. This has changed my life.

MAILLE BLACK TRUFFLE AND CHABLIS MUSTARD & AGED MODENA BALSAMIC VINEGAR | MAILLE

Which cook wouldn’t enjoy a gift like this! Black truffle and chablis mustard with an aged balsamic vinegar just opens the door for amazing salad dressings, marinades, and a yet-unheard-of popcorn flavor. And these are just a sample of the different varieties of mustards and vinegars that Maille has to offer. I could spend all day in that store!

LEATHER SAGITTA JOURNAL | ANTHROPOLOGIE

Journal's make such sweet gifts - they open up endless possibilities and inspirations - note-taking, recipe documenting, recording the best moments of the day. I love this leather one with a place holder - it's durable and stunning.

KIT: THE PERFECT POUR OVER COFFEE SET | GEAR PATROL

For a coffee lover, having everything at your fingertips to make good, artful coffee is as good as it gets. And this kit gives you everything you need.

FEED PAINTER BAG | FEED

This is the only bag I don’t feel guilty splurging on! A great bag for a great cause. The large tote makes the perfect beach bag; the smaller ones work for farmers' market shopping. If you aren't familiar with Feed, please check out their website. Everyone of their bags has a number stamped on it (25, 80, 100, etc…) that signifies the amount of meals or micronutrient packets provided to children in less wealthy countries with its purchase (and, at the same time, uses environmentally friendly materials).

Happy holidays to you all!

Global Holiday Cookies

GLOBAL HOLIDAY COOKIES

Holidays = cookies, and we are fast approaching that time of year where you are either getting your baking skills ready for holiday parties and family get togethers or you’re thinking about yummy gifts for your friends and co-workers. Because, honestly, it’s impossible to buy everyone presents this time of year, but it's sooo easy to bake delicious cookies for them! To keep it interesting, I like to make different types of cookies for the holidays and incorporate some from around the world. The following are just a few to get started on your lists - click through for the recipes. There are so many to choose from - happy baking!

KOURABIEDES-INSPIRED MADELEINES

Nothing is more impressive than nailing a great madeleine. This traditional French small cake is unmistakeable with its distinctive shell-like shape and delicate, cake-y textures. Kourabiedes are a Greek shortbread that's usually had around the holiday - almond-scented and perfumed with rosewater, and that was the inspiration for this combo cookie. They are best served right away and warm, so I would use these for a holiday party rather than as a gift.

SOUTH AMERICAN ALFAJORES

Although alfajores originated in Spain, the South American version is twice as good, namely because the cookies sandwich dulce de leche. These can be chocolate-coated, dusted with coconut, or holiday-decorated and are the perfect gift!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

These are the ultimate double chocolate mint cookies - brownie-rich, chocolate chip cookies scented with peppermint. The dough freezes really well too.

ITALIAN RAINBOW COOKIES

Rainbow cookies are a childhood favorite and one I love to make around the holidays. They do take a couple days (just to set the layers and cool) but the end result is equally impressive as it is yummy! Originally colored to represent the Italian flag by Italian - American immigrants, you can play around with the (all natural...) food coloring to the occasion. A little more red and green for the holidays please!

TURKISH BAKLAVA

Okay, so baklava isn't technically a cookie, but it really doesn't matter. My recipe for these is the easiest out there!

WEST INDIAN CASSAVA PONE

Okay, okay! This isn't a typical cookie either! But this is a beautiful cake that I make into squares. Pone is a super dense, slightly gummy cake, and in different West Indian countries, I’ve seen pone made with root vegetables – cassava here but also carrots and sweet potato. It always has coconut, and some even have pumpkin and raisins. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and a touch of black pepper makes this complete holiday fare.

AUSTRIAN LINZER COOKIES

An Austrian favorite that is seen around the holidays is the linzer cookie. These are sandwich cookies with jam in the middle and cutouts in the center to peek at the filling, usually hearts but I like to do Christmas trees, stars or candy canes for the holidays. Also, a good time to use the preserves you made earlier this year!

PUERTO RICAN MANTECADITOS CON GUAYABA (ALMOND SHORTBREAD WITH GUAVA)

Jam-filled and thumbrint cookies are one of my favorites, and I love that these use guava paste in lieu of other preserves. It's a totally unique flavor - tart and sweet - and an unexpected twist, and yet they have such a traditional look about them.

SOUTH AFRICAN CRUNCHIES

These are classic, South African cookies - crunchy (of course), buttery and coconut-ty. These are a one bowl, easy cookie to make, so great if you need to feed a crowd.

SWEDISH GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Really, not much needs to be said about these. Gingerbread (wo)men, different holiday shapes - these are a must!

Enjoy!!

Black Friday Brunch

BLACK FRIDAY BRUNCH

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and your fridge is filled with leftovers! You can't think about cooking another thing for the rest of the week. This is my favorite time to be creative and come up with new ways to re-purpose the delicious meal from the night before (instead of just reheating the same old plate). And why not turn the dreaded Black Friday into a yummy brunch day with friends and family while having them help you clear out your fridge!

THE TURKEY

Everyone’s go-to the day after will most likely be a quick turkey sandwich or a one pot hash mix up, but there are so many other options out there to choose from! The word brunch and "benedict" go hand-in-hand so why not a Turkey Benedict? A traditional eggs benedict is your basic starting point and can be played up with whatever your leftover situation looks like.

- Let's start with the base: instead of using English muffins on the bottom, use any leftover parker house rolls or biscuits. If you’re feeling really adventurous with your Benedict, you can even use the stuffing as the base and just mold in to a patty and sear in a pan on the stove to give it a nice crust. You could even crumb coat leftover mashed potatoes to make a patty.

- Next comes the bacon. Substitute here with your turkey or ham (or short ribs in my case!), if that’s what you cooked…or both if you’re like my family and completely over do Thanksgiving! I like to warm them up in a sauce pan real quick.

- Get some eggs poaching: bring a pot of water to boil, and once it comes to a rolling boil, add a couple tablespoons of white vinegar - this will help the eggs stay together once in the water. Stir the water a bit and drop the egg in slowly, as close to the surface of the water as you can without poaching your fingers!

- The finishing touch: sauce. Hollandaise with the runny yolk is what makes this dish, but I’ve come across some recipes that use the gravy instead (equally delicious). Warm up some of the leftover gravy in the pot and pour away once the benedict is assembled!

- For the vegetarian option, omit the turkey and add any leftover vegetable side you might have (think creamed spinach or roasted brussels sprouts). The possibilities are endless with this dish, you can’t go wrong!

THE VEGETABLE SIDES

Another no-brainer when it comes to brunch is quiche. I love quiche because you can pretty much fill them with whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand…hopefully you over-shopped and have an extra pie crust in your freezer or some puff pastry lying around to make your life easier! If not, use my crab and callaloo quiche recipe as a starting point for your crust and quiche procedure (think roasted brussels sprouts and bacon quiche, green bean casserole, stuffing and turkey quiche etc…) so easy! Don’t have a ready made pie crust and don’t feel like dealing with homemade dough? Try this frittata recipe and replace the butternut squash with your chosen Thanksgiving leftover (even better if you do have leftover squash!).

MASHED POTATOES & STUFFING

Honestly, I can just eat the stuffing the next day right out of the fridge (and may even be too lazy to heat it up...) - it is so delicious and something I really only cook once a year…so why not!? But if you want quick bites to initially satisfy your hungry brunch guests these recipes for croquettes, samosas and steam buns are the most genius way to combine stuffing, mashed potatoes and your turkey leftovers…who knew!?

CRANBERRY SAUCE

What to do with the massive amount of leftover cranberry sauce? Make some pancakes, waffles, or use my recipe for these breakfast clafoutis and substitute the cranberry sauce for the mixed berries, so delicious and compliments the season so well! For a more savory recipe, try this cranberry and brie puffed pastry bite. Also, how good would leftover cranberry sauce be, as is, on top of spiced potato samosas?!?

Enjoy the holiday everyone!

Spiced Up Thanksgiving Sides

SPICED UP THANKSGIVING SIDES

With Thanksgiving a week away, I'm getting my menu in order and always find myself a bit stumped on the sides, not only what to do but also the big jostle for oven room! I'm a big believer in keeping the turkey classic and mashed potatoes luscious, buttery and minimal as a canvas, but beyond that, it's open season. Experimenting with sides gives Thanksgiving that signature, that little mark that makes it particularly yours.

The Standard: Stuffing

How to Change it Up: This has to be one of the best places to start experimenting! There are so many variations on stuffing that there literally isn't enough room to write about them. I make a version with challah, bacon and Aleppo chilies, but, really, it comes down to a great bread (brioche, sourdough, cornbread), aromatics (garlic, onion, shallot, celery), liquid (chicken broth, eggs, cream), and herbs (parsley, sage, chives). From there, you can play with meats (pancetta, bacon, spicy chicken or pork sausage), fruits (apples, quince, apricots, currants), nuts and spices. I loved the fruitiness of Aleppo chilies, but a bit of allspice or fennel seeds would also be great.

The Standard: Mac 'n Cheese

How to Change it Up: I love a good mac 'n cheese, but I love macaroni pie even more: a baked mac 'n cheese with onions, garlic, and chilies that comes from my husband's side of the family. The one above is a version with porcini mushrooms (to die for!). This is a great do-ahead dish that needs a bit of reheating in the oven, but if it's stovetop for you, throw in some chipotles in adobo and top with garlic breadcrumbs, lobster and brandy if you're being fancy, or go Greek with feta, Kalamata olives and spinach. Even a basic mac 'n cheese recipe can be taken to the next level with different cheeses (Gruyere, smoked cheddar, mascarpone) and a great topping (panko, fried onions, or an extra layer of cheese broiled to perfection).

The Standard: Sweet Potatoes

How to Change it Up: I never really grew up with sweet potato casserole, canned or fresh sweet potatoes kicked up with brown sugar and topped with marshmallows. I happen to love them simply roasted or mashed and lightly sweetened like in this bake, but there are tons of ways to prepare them. This version uses pecans and cornflakes in lieu of marshmallows to top the casserole. If you're going the pie route, a few key spices can bring out that beautiful sweet potato flavor. I personally add a bit of chai spice to make mine special.

The Standard: Green Bean Casserole

How to Change it Up: Green beans are deliciously versatile and take on flavor easily! I love the idea of simply cooking them a day in advance. Then, you can sauté them right before serving using different sauces (homemade or store bought) to take them to the next level. Think harissa and marcona almonds, basil pesto and cherry tomatoes, thai curry and butternut squash. Want to go a totally different route? This recipe calls for tempura-battering them and serving them with a shallot dip - I'm so tempted for this year!

The Standard: Parker House Rolls

How to Change it Up: I personally love parker house rolls as they are - fluffy and buttery. But where I always like to play with breads is the butter. Mixing in a few ingredients can totally change the tone of a bread dish, even store-bought ones. I top my rolls with miso-butter, but I also love to add a bit of honey and spice for a chili-honey butter. Sesame oil can add nuttiness, and herbs can add both brightness and elegance to your table butter.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Aliya LeeKong X Jill Lindsey Supper Club + Carrot Tartare

ALIYA LEEKONG X JILL LINDSEY SUPPER CLUB + CARROT TARTARE

A few weeks ago, I hosted a supper club at a gorgeous store in Brooklyn, the namesake of the equally gorgeous Jill Lindsey. It is the perfect venue - beautiful handmade home goods, rugs and furniture from Nicaragua (designed by Jill!), candles, jewelry; they host events and have a café area in the back. Jill is the perfect partner, having worked in restaurants and well-versed in all of the front-of-the-house needs. The one catch? ....no kitchen! So, yes, I served (with the help of the amazing Tamsin Kelly! thank you again!) a 5-course, sit-down dinner with my "easy-bake" countertop oven and an induction burner, both of which I brought with me. Fun! and Terrifying!

Here is the menu and some great photos of all of the people (so many friends surprised me!) who came. Photos are all by the talented MJ Batson of Corac Studios

I wanted to share the recipe with you for the star of the Carrot 3 Ways dish, a carrot tartare. The inspiration for the tartare is an Ethiopian dish called kitfo. I posted the recipe for kitfo yeeeeeaars ago, but it's basically a hand-cut steak tartare warmed in a spiced butter infused with cardamom, black pepper, and cayenne. It is out of this world!! I thought the spices played really nicely with the sweetness of seasonal carrots here in lieu of beef. I served mine with dehydrated carrot chips and a brown butter carrot-sunchoke purée. Enjoy!

CARROT TARTARE

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

3 medium carrots, peeled

5-6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼-½ teaspoon cayenne

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt, to taste

Chives, for garnish

Procedure

Bring a medium pot of water up to a boil and season heavily with salt. While the water is coming up, prepare an ice bath (a bowl of cold water with ice). You want to cook the carrots and then shock them in the ice bath to stop the cooking.

When the water comes up to a boil, add the carrots and cook until a fork slips easily into the thickest part of the carrot. That can vary depending on the width, so I would say anywhere from 6 to 12 minutes. Transfer immediately to the ice water to stop the cooking. Remove and dry thoroughly. At this point, you can move ahead or save them in the refrigerator for use a day or two later.

If you have a stand mixer with a meat grinder attachment, pass the cooled and dry carrots through the larger, coarse grinding plate. If not, you can use a ricer or a food processor to achieve a ground carrot texture. You don't want mush, so try not to take it too far!

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and toast for a minute or so until fragrant and nutty. The butter should brown a bit. Add the shallot and garlic and cook another 30 seconds to a minute. Toss in the ground carrots until they are heated through. They should be warm and touchable.

Serve warm (you can use a ring mold if you like) and top with chopped chives.

10 Picks for a Beautiful Thanksgiving

10 PICKS FOR A BEAUTIFUL (AND SMOOTH...) THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite, favorite holiday! We all know it's all about the food, and, in the past, I have blogged about more recipe ideas than a few to spice it up. But, I thought I would also share a few other picks with you - things to beautify your table and kitchen, (in some cases) streamline your cooking, and remind us that we should all be thankful for our family, friends and food this holiday....

WELL-WRINKLED LINEN TABLECLOTHS | TERRAIN

It all starts with the tablecloth, and I love a great linen tablecloth. If you're like me, you're thinking decorative plates, servers, candles, flowers....why not let them shine? This tablecloth is the perfect, simple backdrop. Besides, it's supposed to be wrinkled - so throw it on without worrying about wrinkles and creases.

METAL CANDLE LANTERN | WAYFAIR

Come on, now. You know I wasn't going to let the table be all plain vanilla! I love these candle holders - they give such a romantic edge to the table, and, most importantly, they aren't too tall. It's the worst when you can't see the person across from you!

EXTRA LARGE GOLD ICE BUCKET | FOOD 52 & PUNCH BOWL WITH LADLE | CB2

Keeping the crowd happy during cooking (and the meal) is key to a smooth Thanksgiving, but if you're like me with 25-30 relatives and friends, the last thing you want to do is stop mashing the potatoes to pour someone a drink! At our house, my mom and I make a ridiculous sangria that we put out and let people help themselves. Wine works too, and the key is to put these beautiful pieces outside the kitchen so no one interrupts your flow. :)

PREMIER 2-PIECE CARVING SET | SHUN

The turkey is always the main event, so here are a few picks to make it the best it can be. First, a carving set - you need one! And this one is just too pretty. It's a bit of a splurge, but a girl can dream....

LARGE BRINING BAGS | FIRE AND FLAVOR

If you are reading a food blog right now, there is no excuse not to brine; it's the gold standard - more flavor, more juiciness. It just needs to be done. These are some awesome all-natural bags to use, and there are also brining kits on the site with all of the ingredients (except water...) to make it easier for you.

GRAVY BOAT WITH WARMING BASE | WILLIAM SONOMA

You worked really hard on that turkey, got the most delicious drippings, and turned it into a gravy to die for. Now, you could go out and find some antique, artisanal, super delicate gravy boat that stuns on the table. OR you could have warm gravy. Seriously, the thought of cold gravy is up there with like wilty, slimy greens (eek factor).

WOLF GOURMET COUNTERTOP OVEN | SUBZERO

I know, this may look like an easy-bake, toaster oven, but it is much much more! I LOVE my countertop oven - in fact, I did a pop-up last week at a cute store that had no kitchen and brought my little oven with me (5 courses; nobody knew the wiser). Yes, it toasts, but it also bakes with convection and convention settings. If you are like me and don't have a double oven, you understand the trials and tribulations of Thanksgiving. How do I roast my turkey and make stuffing / mac n' cheese / roasted veggies, etc?!? Here is your answer. It heats up in no time, fits most casserole dishes and is up for the job. Can you tell I love this oven? By the way, I'm showing you my dream buy (i don't have this one), but there are options up and down the price range with Hamilton Beach's coming in under $100.

JAN BURTZ GOLD LUSTER SERVING BOWLS | ABC HOME

Whatever you make, you have to make it look good on the table, and these serving bowls are simple, gorgeous and happen to be dishwasher and microwave-safe (key!). Also, I love this bakeware because it goes from oven to table and looks flawless.

DONATE | FEEDING AMERICA

Food insecurity is real. Donate $ or food to help others this holiday season. My little PSA.

Enjoy!

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