Apple Chestnut Stuffing (and How To: Peel Fresh Chestnuts)

Thanksgiving went down a little differently this year. Rather than celebrating the holiday at my father's house, my boyfriend and I joined my sister at her in-laws' for dinner. We were treated to an absolutely amazing meal (Thanksgiving with an Italian spin), and by the time we finished dessert (yes, I ate two pieces of pie), I seriously began to wonder whether I'd fit through the door when it came time to hobble out of there.

Crazy About Cookies Giveaway

The time for Thanksgiving dinner preparation has passed, and it's highly likely that the leftovers from the gluttonous day are gone or nearly so. It's now time to shift our focus toward decorating the house for Christmas, buying gifts for family and friends, and thinking about what to serve at holiday parties and at Christmas dinner.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Caramelized Onions over Couscous

Long holiday weekend over. Brain fried. Body exhausted.

Featured Friday, Volume 1.14

Did everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving? Hopefully, you aren't suffering too much from indigestion. As predicted, I was only able to eat one plate of food, but I made absolutely sure there was no empty space on that plate. You'd think the last thing I'd want to do right now would be to write about food, but it's [Black] Friday. That means it's time for another Featured Friday post!

Giving Thanks

I'm sitting on a train, heading home to Connecticut for the Thanksgiving holiday (and long weekend), and my mouth is watering thinking about all of the food I'm about to consume in a few hours. To say that I'm excited about Thanksgiving dinner is an understatement. Every year, I say that I'm going to eat at least two plates of food, but then I usually get caught putting way too much food on the first plate and I get stuck at one. (Not including dessert, of course. There's always room for dessert.)

Music to Play on Thanksgiving

You've carefully planned your Thanksgiving meal (including promising your family that real mashed potatoes and boxed mashed potatoes will make an appearance). You've set your table with your best dinnerware and flatware. You've wiped all of the wine glasses a third time to remove traces of fingerprints (and to lessen the chances of being criticized by your in-laws). You've meticulously written the names of your guests on place cards and have strategically assigned each of them a seat. All you have to do is wake up at the crack of dawn on the Big Day, carefully coordinate the simultaneous cooking of multiple dishes at once, and play host/hostess.... Right?

Crap.

Featured Friday, Volume 1.13

When I started the Featured Friday series on Taste As You Go, I wanted to "choose a few posts from the list of blogs I follow and offer my thoughts about them -- what I learned, what I found enjoyable, what I found objectionable, etc." Somewhere along the way, the series morphed into round-ups of recipes that called for specific ingredients. It's not that I dislike gathering these recipes into one place... I just wish I had more time to explain why I picked them.

Food Memories of San Antonio

Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery
218 Produce Row
San Antonio, TX 78207
(210) 225-1262 | Map

When I went down to Austin to visit my friend Kristina back in August, she promised we'd spend a day down in San Antonio. I'm pretty sure Kristina started hatching the plan for our mini road trip as soon as I admitted that I had never been to the Alamo. Before we did the "tourist thing," we stopped at San Antonio's Historic Market Square to have brunch at Mi Tierra Cafe & Bakery. The line of people waiting for a table rivaled the lines at the most popular brunch spots in New York, so we passed the time over at The Mariachi Bar, which is attached to the restaurant.

Sapori d’Ischia: A Hidden New York Gem?

Sapori d'Ischia
55-15 37th Avenue
Woodside, NY 11377
(718) 446-1500 | Map

"Are these directions right? Is there really a restaurant this way?" Those questions repeated in my head as I attempted to navigate my way from the subway station to Sapori d'Ischia, the Italian restaurant in Woodside billed as a "hidden New York gem" that I was invited to review. I got so turned around that I stopped to ask for directions at a car dealership... and then I finally called the restaurant to confirm that I really was supposed to walk through the empty industrial park.

Featured Friday, Volume 1.12

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, folks everywhere are planning their menus and stocking up their pantries with their must-have ingredients to avoid a holiday feast catastrophe only hours before their dinner guests are due to arrive.

Alice's Tea Cup: Alice's Pumpkin Pancakes

Like millions of other women in the world, I have fond memories of the tea parties I used to throw when I was a little girl. In fact, my mother had the forethought to save the very first invitation I ever received to a tea party so I could have it as a memento. So, I love that there's a place in New York City where I can go to take a break from the reality of my adult life and relive those childhood memories. Alice's Tea Cup offers "a classic afternoon tea with delicious food, served without pretension."

Food Memories of Austin

We were spoiled last week in New York City with unseasonably warm temperatures in the mid-70s. Now we're dealing with downright frigid temperatures, which shouldn't surprise us given that it's November, but there have been grumblings about how cold it is out there. Therefore, I think it's the perfect time to look back on the practically impulsive trip I took to Austin to visit my friend Kristina back in August.

Share Our Strength Initiative

I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of November for the past few weeks. Now that it's here, I can finally reveal the "secret project" that I was eluding to on Twitter:

I have pledged to donate 100% of Taste As You Go's

ad revenue for the months of November and December

to Share Our Strength, a national organization

dedicated to ending childhood hunger in America.

Although I haven't talked about it on my blog, hunger is something I've experienced. You probably don't believe me... What food blogger could ever really be hungry? But it's true.