November 7th is National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day (National Almond Day is February 16th, National Chocolate Day is October 28th, National Milk Chocolate Day is July 28, National White Chocolate Day is September 22…and National Chocolate With Almonds Day is July 8th [hold the bittersweet]).

Most celebrants would run out for a dark chocolate bar with almonds. But think outside the wrapper; here are other ideas:
 
 
CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE & ALMONDS

 
 
CANDY WITH CHOCOLATE & ALMONDS

 
 
COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE & ALMONDS

 
 
DRINKS WITH CHOCOLATE & ALMONDS

 
 
PIES & TARTS WITH CHOCOLATE & ALMONDS

 
 
PUDDINGS & ICE CREAM WITH CHOCOLATE & ALMONDS

 
 
THERE’S A FOOD HOLIDAY EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

The original concept, assembled by THE NIBBLE in 2005, has been widely copied.

Check out all the American food holidays.
 
 
COCKTAIL RECIPE: CHOCOLATE ALMOND DELIGHT

We serve this cocktail for dessert. Nothing extra is needed, but a few Amaretti di Saronno are a welcome addition.

Ingredients Per Drink

[2] Here’s the recipe from Giada De Laurentiis (photo © Delish).

[3] French macarons are made with almond flour; thus, chocolate and almond (here’s the recipe from FoodToLove.com.au).

[4] A chocolate cocktail with an almond cookie rim (photo © Musings Of A Housewife).

[5] Amaretti cookies are made from almond flour (photo © HiLine Coffee Co.).

1. FINELY CRUSH the cookies and place them on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Moisten the rims of the glasses and twist in the cookie crumbs to coat. Set aside.

2. COMBINE all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with the ice. Shake and strain into a Martini glass.
  

[1] Which is your turkey: Frozen? Heirloom? Heritage? Brined (photo courtesy Reynolds Kitchens | Facebook)? [2] A fresh free-range brined turkey (photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma). [3] What the Pilgrims ate: Wild turkeys are streamlined birds that look like marathon runners compared to turkeys bread to have more meat (photo by Larry Price | National Wild Turkey Federation).

If you just grab the nearest Butterball from the freezer case, you have a plan. It’s a fine plan: We actually chose the Butterball in a blind tasting of heirloom, heritage and organic turkeys.

But with more and more people interested in the fresh turkey experience, there are other options to consider.

Whole Foods sent us this turkey advisory from master butcher Theo Weening, Whole Foods Market’s global meat buyer. He suggests that you ask these questions when searching for your perfect bird.

1. How Fresh Is Fresh?

The fresher the turkey, the faster it cooks. If you’re paying for a fresh turkey, the question to ask is: Exactly how fresh is this “fresh” turkey?

Fresh turkeys are processed and stored just above the freezing point to keep them juicy and tender…but for how long? Many conventional grocers advertise “fresh” turkeys that are actually harvested nine months or more before Thanksgiving!

Whole Foods and other quality vendors sell turkeys are processed just before the holiday season, to give you the freshest and best-tasting turkey possible.

2. Antibiotic-Free & Organic Turkeys

The question here is: Where and how was this turkey raised?

The best birds are raised with the highest standards, and a great butcher will steer you to a turkey that meets the highest quality breeding stock and practices: no antibiotics, no animal by-products in the feed, no added growth hormones, animal welfare standards, and audits by third-parties like the Global Animal Partnership.

While you can find all these qualities in non-organic birds, organic-certified* turkeys continue to grow in popularity each year, and WFM butchers agree that they are some of the most flavorful birds around. They’re raised on organic pastures with outdoor access and fed non-GMO, organic feed. They are available from 10 to 20 pounds, sometimes a bit larger.

3. Heritage and Heirloom Birds

Most Thanksgiving turkeys are bred to have huge breasts with lots of white meat. In fact, large commercial producers have bred the breast so large that the top-heavy turkeys can no longer fly†. More and more people we know are choosing to make Thanksgiving more “authentic” with an old-style bird.

Heritage turkeys are bred for flavor. Raised slowly and traditionally, they are rich and succulent birds with a more robust turkey flavor.

Unlike supermarket birds, they are not bred to have a huge double breast that delivers a preponderance of white meat. Rather, these breeds are the closest you’ll get to what the Pilgrims ate, which makes them a new experience for most people.

Heirloom turkeys are breeds that date back to the early 1920s-1930s, heirloom turkeys strike a balance between the wild turkey of the heritage breeds and the milder flavor of Butterball and other modern breeds adjusted to the preferences of many Americans. Heirlooms have offer more white meat than heritage turkeys. They can be up to 28 pounds.

4. Brined Birds

Fans of brining will tell you that the technique produces a more tender and flavorful turkey. The technique requires soaking the bird in a saltwater solution for 4 to 24 hours before roasting. You can buy them pre-brined.

Note: Kosher turkeys have already been salted, so brining will create an overly salty bird.

If you want to try it but not for the first time on the most important turkey day of the year, mark a date on your calendar; New Year’s Day, perhaps? A roast turkey is great football food.
 
 
MORE TURKEY TIPS

1. Order Ahead.

Some of in-demand turkeys can sell out before Thanksgiving. Now’s the time to call or visit the butcher to reserve exactly the type and size you want.

If you don’t have time to cook your turkey, don’t have space in the oven, want to minimize stress, etc., let someone else do the work for you. You can order a cooked turkey prepared for reheating.

You’ll know the turkey has been professionally cooked—no mistakes—and can focus your time on the more memorable sides.

 
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*USDA organic certification requires time and expense devoted to paperwork and steps required by the auditors that don’t improve the flavor of the turkeys. There are family farmers who produce all-natural, top-quality poultry but elect not to invest their resources in organic certification.

†These big-breasted turkeys are also too top-heavy to mate. The females must be artificially inseminated.
 
  

Twenty-five years ago, people who needed an alternative to dairy milk turned to soy milk. Then rice milk arrived.

Today there’s quite a selection of non-dairy milks: almond, cashew, coconut, flax, hemp, oat, rice and soy.

Since 1999, according to market research firm Euromonitor, plant-based alternatives milks have grown in annual sales by an average of 10.9%. They are now a $1 billion-plus category in domestic retail sales.

The trend is based on personal factors: allergies, kosher and vegan diets, lactose intolerance and sustainable lifestyles (the manure and flatulence of dairy animals produce huge amounts of methane, a major greenhouse gas. Here’s more information).

As with dairy milks*, each plant-based milk has a different flavor and nutritional profile.

Although we drink a large amount of cow’s milk, we like plant-based milks for different reasons: chocolate and green tea almond or soy milk for a refreshing drink, cashew milk as a delicious newcomer, coconut milk for cooking.

We especially like coconut in creamy soups. It gives a slight Thai twist; add hot chile slices and lemongrass for the full Thai experience.

Some of our favorite thai dishes include coconut rice, coconut curried chicken, coconut pumpkin soup, and our beloved tom ka gai, coconut chicken soup. All get their coconut flavor from unsweetened coconut milk.

But for today, here’s a fusion soup: chowder with coconut milk. It has another popular Thai ingredient too: hot chile slices.
 
 
RECIPE: SPICY SEA BASS CHOWDER WITH COCONUT MILK

Sea bass is poached in coconut milk for this extra rich and velvety hearty chowder. DiscoverCaliforniaWines.com, which gave us the recipe, suggests that it be paired with California chardonnay or viognier.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking

2. ADD the onions, garlic, and jalapeño; cook, stirring for 1 minute.

3. ADD the potatoes; cook and stir for 1 minute.

4. STIR in the red bell pepper, coconut milk, water and salt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes

5. ADD the zucchini and bass. Bring to a simmer and cook for 7 minutes.

6. DIVIDE the chowder among 4 bowls. Squeeze the juice of one lime wedge over each serving.
 
 
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*The list of animal milks drunk worldwide includes camel, cow, donkey, goat, horse, llama, reindeer, sheep, water buffalo and yak.
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[2] Coconut milk is available in cartons and cans (photo © So Delicious).

[3] Try coconut milk in your next banana smoothie. This recipe has pineapple as well (photo © Makes And Takes).

[4] Many desserts can be made with coconut milk, from ice cream to this coconut milk flan. Here’s the recipe from Care 2 (photo © Care 2).

[6] Chowder is one of the chunkiest soup, packed with goodies. Some, like Manhattan clam chowder, do not contain dairy. Here’s the recipe for this corn and zucchini chowder from Little Broken (photo © Little Broken).

[7] Bisque is a creamy seafood soup, puréed into smoothness (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

THE DIFFERENCES: BROTH, CHOWDER, SOUP & MORE

 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOUP
 
 
THE HISTORY OF SOUP

We love fresh sage, but seem to use it mostly in the fall. We use it in stuffing, flash-fried as a garnish, and with cocktails.

But of course, you can enjoy it year-round. It’s a standard herb blend with parsley, rosemary and thyme, a key component of poultry and sausage seasonings. Our mom put fresh sage under the skin of a chicken prior to roasting.
 
WHAT IS SAGE?

Salvia officinalis, common sage, is a membr of the Lamiaceae family of flowering plants, also called the mint family.

Members are frequently aromatic in all parts* and include many widely used culinary herbs: basil, hyssop, lavender, marjoram, mint, oregano, perilla, rosemary, sage, savory and thyme. Some are shrubs, some are trees; in rare instances, some members are vines.
 
USES FOR SAGE

 
Search for sage recipes and you’ll find favorites like butternut squash soup, creamed onions with sage, pork chops and loin, roast chicken, roasted vegetables, and saltimbocca (a rolled main of steak, prosciutto and provolone with sage).
 
COCKTAILS & HORS D’OEUVRE

On this lovely fall weekend, relax with a sage-garnished cocktail and complementary hors d’oeuvre.

The Side Ride cocktail, created by blogger Carey Nershi of Reclaiming Provincial, combines Cognac, Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur, sweet and sour mix (ideally homemade) and Sprite (or 7-Up) lemon-lime soda, both to taste.

It’s similar to a Side Car, but substitutes gin for the Cognac. Carey took this sophisticated approach with a recipe she created for Vermont Creamery, served with hors d’oeuvre made with Vermont Creamery’s Bijou, an award-winning aged goat cheese in the style of the French crottin.

Carey uses barrel-aged gin, a recently-revived practice that ages gin, like tequila—in bourbon barrels that generate more richness and spice.

Wood aging also adds color, so barrel-aged gins are the color of whiskey.

You can use regular gin, or use this as an occasion to try barrel aged gin.

And, since this is the season for sage, the cocktail has a fresh sage leaf garnish.

[1] Fresh sage (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [2] Fried sage leaves. Here’s the recipe from Saveur. [3] Butternut soup with a garnish of creme fraiche and a sage leaf. Here’s the recipe from Bon Appetit.[4] Sage as a cocktail garnish in everything from Martinis to this Cranbery Sage Holiday Cocktail (here’s the recipe from Creative Culinary).

[1] The Side Ride, a Side Car with gin instead of cognac (photo courtesy Reclaiming Provincial). [2] Beefeater Barrel Aged Gin (photo courtesy Pernod Ricard). Aged gin is a great gift for a gin lover. [3] Bijou, a Loire-style goat cheese crottin (photo courtesy Vermont Creamery). [4] Caramelized apples (photo courtesy All Clad). [5] Sarabeth’s Chunky Apple Jam (photo courtesy SBK Preserves).

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the gin, Grand Marnier, lemon juice and bitters in a shaker with ice. Stir 8-12 seconds and strain into chilled coupe glass.

2. RUB the rub sage leaf lightly on the rim of coupe and float the leaf in the drink along with lemon or orange peel.
 
RECIPE #2: GOAT CHEESE HORS D’OEUVRE

Carey created this hors d’oeuvre to go with the Side Ride cocktail. Slices of Bijou aged goat cheese (from Vermont Creamery) are topped with smoked salmon and a dollop of crème fraiche for a festive bite.

We had a jar of Sarabeth’s Chunky Apple Jam, and found that we preferred apple jam/preserves to the caramelized apples she specifies. It’s also a lot easier to open a jar, rather than than peeling, slice and caramelize the apples.

If you have another jam or chutney, that can work, too.

And if you want to use caramelized apples, Carey’s recipe is below.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE the Bijou into rounds and place on top of crackers. Top the cheese with the caramelized apples or preserves, and a piece of smoked salmon that’s size-appropriate for the cracker.

2. TOP with a dollop of crème fraîche and garnish with a small sprig of fresh dill or a piece of sage.

RECIPE#3: CARAMELIZED APPLES

Caramelizing is the process of converting sugar into caramel. This type of caramel is not thick like caramel sauce or caramel candies. Rather, the sugar and butter combine to create a light, caramel finish to the apples.

You can use caramelized apples with everything from pancakes to pork loin. Carey uses a dab to add a sweetness counterpoint to the salty smoked salmon in the recipe above.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PEEL the apples and cut them into thin slices, as if for apple pie. First cut them into quarters, then slice each quarter into 4 pieces.

2. MELT the butter over medium-high heat. Add the brown sugar, stir to combine, and add the apples. Toss the apples a few times until they are softened and caramelized.
 
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SAGE RECIPES?

Let us know how you use them: for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts.

There are numerous ways to make that American favorite, mashed potatoes, even better.

A topping of butter-sauteed lobster might be the most exciting preparation for a special occasion. It’s a perennial favorite at Ocean Prime, a fine steak and seafood restaurant with 12 locations from coast to coast.

We obtained the recipe from Chef Brian Hinshaw of Ocean Prime (thanks)! and adjusted it as noted, starting with much more lobster topping. With our family of foodies, you can’t start a war over who didn’t get enough lobster!

We also used Yukon Gold potatoes, which are renowned for their creamy, buttery flesh. Whatever potato you choose, plan on 1/2 pound of raw potatoes per adult.

You’ll also need a stand or hand-held electric mixer, with a wire whip attachment. If you don’t have a whip attachment, see if you can buy a set to fit your mixer; they’re very useful attachments. Otherwise, use the regular beaters and then whip the potatoes to smoothness with a whisk.

Or better yet, since Christmas is coming, ask Santa for a stand mixer with all the attachments.
 
 
RECIPE: LOBSTER MASHED POTATOES

This recipe preparation actually makes whipped or pureéd potatoes. The difference: Mashed potatoes can be made with any texture, from lumpy to pureé. Whipping the potatoes adds air volume, and whipping them into smoothness is a pureé.

Ingredients For A Crowd

 
For The Lobster Topping

For 12 ounces of mashed potatoes, you’ll need:

 
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*Peppercorns are the fruit of a vine, Piper nigrum. White pepper is a conventional peppercorn with the black husk removed. While much of the piperine—the compound that gives pungency to the peppercorn—is in the husk, French chefs of yore chose to remove it to avoid black specks in pure white dishes like white sauces and puréed potatoes. Frankly, we like the specks and the extra flavor from the husk and use black peppercorns universally. Here are the different types of pepper, including pink peppercorns, green peppercorns and dozens of others, none of which is Piper nigrum.
________________
 
Preparation

[2] We purchased cooked lobster meat (photo © Celtic Crab Products).

[3] Frozen-cooked lobster meat is less expensive (photo © GCastd).

[4] We love fresh herbs, so added extra chopped chives and some parsley (photo © A Way To Garden).

2. PEEL the potatoes; then cut them in half and slice them into 1/2 inch pieces (if using Idaho russets, you can just halve the potatoes). Place in pot and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt.

3. BRING the pot to a boil, then immediately turn it down to simmer. Never boil potatoes; they will become waterlogged. Cook until fork tender.

4. DRAIN the potatoes in a colander, then put them back in the hot pot for 3 minutes to steam (dry out). This allows the cream and butter to be absorbed into the flesh. While the potatoes are steaming…

5. HEAT the butter and cream in a small pan until the butter has melted. Add the potatoes to the mixing bowl and whip for 30 seconds; then add 3/4 of the butter mixture and continue to whip—slowly at first, then add the salt and pepper and increase the speed to whip more air (volume) into the potatoes. Use the remaining butter mixture only if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

6. SERVE the mashed potatoes in a dish, topped with lobster meat and extra. Garnish with the chives and more paprika as desired.
 
 
MORE SPECIAL MASHED POTATO RECIPES

 
Plus some food fun, mashed potatoes with a cup of coffee: Mashed Potato Donuts.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF POTATOES

How many different types of potatoes are there? Thousands, worldwide; but check out the dozens of varieties you can find in the U.S.
 
 

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