Your overwhelming appreciation for flan inspired me to hunt down a recipe. This pumpkin flan is a wonderful alternative dessert to pie and perfect for those who dislike pie crust. It's delicious by itself or topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. Flan is an excellent choice for the busy holiday season because it has to be made in advance, leaving enough time for it to chill. You'll be able to have dessert crossed off your list. If it sounds delicious then get the recipe, read more

As a child, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving — besides the turkey, pie, and Macy's parade — was the annual viewing of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. I love the way that Snoopy and the gang had their own Thanksgiving without adults. Even though Peppermint Patty freaks out over the lack of turkey and pumpkin pie, I always thought it looked like a lot of fun. What child wouldn't want a a smorgasbord of treats — two pieces of buttered toast, pretzel sticks, popcorn, and jelly beans — while sitting around ping-pong table? Looking back on it now, I see part of the message is that it doesn't matter what you're eating, as long as it was made with love. So despite how your feast turns out — be it fantastic or forgettable — remember to take a deep breath and enjoy the day.

To see a clip of Snoopy and the gang prepping for their Thanksgiving feast, read more

Su has provided us all with a highly-thorough cupcake primer, complete with basic recipes to get you started. — Journal of a Girl Who Loves to Cook

The weather has started to take a turn towards Winter — it's San Francisco and we go immediately from Summer to Winter — and while I love the sound of pouring rain, I'm not quite ready to part with Summer. On days where the gloom takes over, I like to mentally transport myself to a warmer place by mixing up a Summer cocktail. This one — a perfect mix of scotch and ginger ale — is called a Mamie Taylor and was very chic in the early 1900s. Today it's relatively unknown, but I think we should change that. To get the recipe, just read more

Don't wait until Thanksgiving day to do all the cooking; start today and reduce tomorrow's stress. Here's how you can get the prep work for Thanksgiving dinner done in advance:

• Make desserts one to two days before Thanksgiving. Or break it up over the course of two days. Make the pie dough on Tuesday and the filling on Wednesday. Be sure to bake the dessert the day before Thanksgiving. Everything bakes at different temperatures so this will free up the oven. Also the dessert will have plenty of time to set.
• Make rolls, breads, or cornbread for stuffing/dressing the day before. These can be reheated last minute while the turkey is resting.
• Peel potatoes on Wednesday. To prevent oxidization, place in a bowl of water in the fridge.
• Thaw the turkey. Take it out of the freezer now; the last thing you want is for the bird to be half frozen when you stick it in the oven.
• Chop the vegetables the day before. This will give you lots of free time on Thanksgiving. Place in bowls covered with plastic wrap or sealed plastic baggies in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.
• Depending on the appetizers you are serving, prep or make these the day before as well.

Got a great tip about how to prepare a dish before Thursday? Please share with us below!

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If you're already gearing up for Christmas — and I know a bunch of you already are — why don't you get a head start by figuring out what treats you're going to make this year? Everyone expects cookies, so surprise them with homemade truffles. Recently, TeamSugar member issarocks shared her recipe for Simple Chocolate Truffles. It's a simple twist on mini cream-cheese balls, one that will be easy for you to re-create on your own. To get the recipe, read more

We were all pretty intrigued by the artist who uses meat as a medium for wigs, but what do you think of Italian artist Simone Racheli's meat-inspired items? His works, which are made from plastic, iron, wood paper, and wax; and include items such as an iron, a modern chair, and even a toilet. Racheli's work isn't meant to gross folks out, it's meant to bring the items to life, by showing what they're like when you remove their skin and show off their muscles and meat. Hrmm . . . I wonder what a nice cut of chair would taste like?

Even when it's just my family at Thanksgiving, I always find it fun to seat everyone by using place card holders. They are simply festive and make it feel more like a holiday. You could run to Williams-Sonoma and buy some, but with a little creativity, you could make them! I quickly made the ones pictured at right using real apples. To see how I made them, read more

Cooking a turkey to perfection is often a daunting task. It doesn't have to be intimidating though; with the help of a few tools you can easily roast a moist, flavorful, and delicious turkey! However without a roasting pan, roasting rack, meat thermometer, and baster, you may run into some complications. To ensure that we cook the most amazing turkey, I had you gather up the necessary turkey tools. You saved the stuff in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Turkey Tools. Check out this gravy separator that aimeeb found. This microwave and dishwasher safe cup magically separates the turkey juices from the fat. How cool is that? For more check out the selections below.

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