stuffing

If you've got both vegetarians and meat lovers joining you for Thanksgiving, consider serving an almost meatless meal. The only meat dish on the menu is the turkey, but the appetizers and supporting dishes are all veg-friendly. Start with baked brie and toasted walnuts. It's a luxurious way to begin any party and the salty cheese-nut combo will whet guests' palettes.

When you move to the table, serve a sherried kabocha soup with spiced pepitas as the first course. A bay and lemon brined turkey is the main event, while scalloped yukon gold and sweet potato gratin, Brussels sprouts with vinegar-glazed red onions, shiitake mushroom and herb stuffing, and roasted cranberry sauce are the scrumptious sides. To get a look at these savory and seasonal recipes, please keep reading

It's arguably the standout dish at Thanksgiving, yet at the same time shrouded in ambiguity. What's the proper way to refer to it: stuffing or dressing? Is there even a distinction?

Some believe that if it's cooked inside a roast, it should be dubbed stuffing; if it's prepared outside the bird, then the proper name for it is dressing. But go south of the Mason-Dixon line, and cooks will call it dressing, regardless of whether its preparation, citing the term "stuffing" as an unpleasant-sounding word. Likewise, northern states and New Englanders generally refer to the dish as stuffing across the board.

So, much like the soda-pop debate, whether you term that beloved side of seasoned starch and vegetables stuffing or dressing is really a matter of where you're eating. But we can all call it one thing for sure: delicious.

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Are you sick of the same old, boring Thanksgiving recipes? Then this year, why not shake things up and serve a menu that is bold, flavorful, and eye-catching? Start with fried polenta bites with spicy chorizo. The focal point is a vibrantly colored turkey coated in adobo and red-chile gravy. On the side: cornbread stuffing, chile scalloped sweet potatoes, cranberry citrus compote, and olive oil mashed potatoes with manchego cheese.

While the traditional elements are there, each of these recipes has a slight twist making them oh-so-modern. Use all to host a memorable meal or incorporate one or two into your menu. The recipes, after the jump.

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• Everything you need to know about stuffing. — The Epi-Log
• How to stay healthy during the holidays. — Chow

Source: Flickr User Maggie Hoffman

Last year on Thanksgiving, my older brother, while shoveling stuffing down his throat asked, "How come we only have stuffing once a year? It's so good!" I have to agree with him, stuffing is one of the main reasons I look forward to turkey day. Although I change up the recipe I use, there's one ingredient (besides bread) my stuffing must have: Italian sausage. As the plump sausage renders fat, it imparts an incomparable depth of flavor and porky goodness to the bread and vegetables. This recipe combines the fragrant juicy pork with soft butternut squash, leafy kale, oozing parmesan cheese, and melt-in-your mouth focaccia. The elements may not be traditional, but the resulting stuffing is comforting, addictive, and most-importantly, delicious. To serve this stuffing to your family, get the recipe and read more

Recently, I decided to try a recipe that called for day-old bread. I wanted to make the dish that night and headed to the grocery store hopeful that I could find a loaf of day-old bread. Although I was out of luck, I chatted with the baker about my dilemma. How could I turn new bread into stale bread? Here's what she told me to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Slice the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. If your recipe calls for no crusts, remove them now.
3. Place the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Do not season or coat with oil.
4. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bread cubes are toasted and dry, but not browned.

Use the dried out bread to make your recipe. This technique worked perfectly for me! How do you dry out bread?

Cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal is quite a hefty task. Not only does it require culinary expertise, but it also involves lots of planning. To help shoulder part of the burden and cut the budget, many people like to throw or attend a potluck Thanksgiving.

Usually the person hosting is in charge of the turkey. They should also assign side dishes — that way you won't end up with seven sweet potato casseroles and no cranberry sauce — and coordinate a cooking schedule.

If you're a guest at a potluck on Thanksgiving, be sure to ask the hostess what you should bring.

Select a side dish that can be made almost entirely in advance and put it together the morning of the big day. Communicate with the hostess and explain that your dish needs a certain amount of time in the oven or microwave. To see my recipe suggestions — like herb-roasted turkey, fennel and potato puree, sausage and apple stuffing, and cranberry ginger relish — for hosting and attending a potluck Thanksgiving, read more