It’s fun to play with your food. Photo
courtesy WorldwideFred.com.
If your kids won’t finish their food, at least let them play with it.
Food face, available with a man’s or woman’s face, is a ceramic plate that gives children (or the child within) free reign to play with his or her food.
The 8-1/2-inch plate is $12 to $13. If you give one to every member of the family, there can be nightly food art competitions. It’s also a fun party activity.
Buy online at Amazon.com. See WorldwideFred.com for a complete list of online retailers.
Make your Thanksgiving more elegant by skipping the soda and serving unsweetened flavored water. These refreshing waters also are a change of pace for people who drink mineral water or club soda, as well as for designated drivers and others who aren’t drinking wine. Kids typically enjoy them, too, so it’s an opportunity to show them alternatives to soda.
Our favorite, all-natural, flavored waters:
Hint. There are 10 delicious flavors of hint, but Pomegranate-Tangerine and Pear are especially appropriate for the Thanksgiving table. Available in 16-ounce plastic bottles at fine supermarkets and specialty food stores nationwide, they can also be purchased online at DrinkHint.com.
Ayala’s Herbal Water. For more sophisticated palates, there are six varieties of Ayala’s Herbal Water that combine two or three food-friendly flavors. Cloves Cardamom Cinnamon, Cinnamon Orange Peel and Ginger Lemon Peel are our picks for Thanksgiving.
The right flavored waters add panache
to the Thanksgiving table. Photo courtesy
Ayala’s Herbal Water.
All are available in 16-ounce plastic bottles; the latter two flavors are also available in 750 ml elegant frosted bottles (the size of a wine bottle, and a lovely gift). Ayala’s is also available at fine markets nationwide, and online at HerbalWater.com. The line is certified organic.
If you’re a guest, you can send a case ahead of time as a host(ess) gift.
Have you decided yet how to cook your Thanksgiving turkey? The biggest problem people cite is that the white meat comes out too dry (hence, the need for gravy to moisten it).
Different techniques are used by skilled cooks to ensure a moist bird—from bacon under the skin to brushing with butter to injecting melted butter under the skin. But brining is generally thought to be the best way to go.
In this week’s video, Chef Scott Cutaneo—formerly of Le Petit Chateau in Bernardsville, New Jersey and now at the helm of Equus—shows how to brine a turkey to soften the meat and add flavor.
Ingredients
16-18 quart container
2 gallons of water
4 cups of salt
4 cups of sugar
2 ounces of Bourbon (more if you like)
3 cups of ice
Measurements courtesy Scott Cutaneo and Howdini.com.
Brining works well with other types of poultry too, as well as pork and even salmon. See our full guide to brining.
NEXT WEEK: How to roast the turkey.
For more techniques and recipes, see our Gourmet Poultry Section.
Want a healthier, lower-calorie Thanksgiving? See our list of tips.
