Thanksgiving dinner: bread, biscuits, or rolls?

Posted by Mario Bosquez

One of the big Thanksgiving dinner dilemmas is whether to serve bread, biscuits, or rolls. Recently on "Living Today's" Baking Day segment (it airs every Thursday) we had Jim Lahey, executive baker and owner of New York's Sullivan Street Bakery on air. He said to go the bread route and make it from scratch.

Jim has also written a cookbook, "My Bread: The Revolutionary No Work, No Knead Method" which outlines his concept for baking bread. Jim's concept includes the simplest of ingredients: bread flour, instant or other active dry yeast, and flour for additional dusting. Jim recommends using a 5 qt. cast-iron pot with an oven-proof lid for baking the bread. Although there is a required rising time of at least 12 hours there is only a brief additional rising time and then baking for about an hour! This unique recipe is called Jones Beach Bread and includes seawater! The recipe for Jones Beach Bread is listed below. I hope it inspires you to bake a fresh loaf of bread for the holidays.

Download Jones Beach Bread

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions

Posted by Mario Bosquez

Carol Berman aka The Travelling Sommelier has some wonderful ideas for Thanksgiving wines. Below are two choices that Carol feels are perfect for your turkey feast.

Daniel Gehrs, Chenin Blanc, 2008, is sold for $16. Carol describes this wine as "lovely" with floral scents and notes of pear and honeysuckle. The Daniel Gehrs also has a clean finish and pairs very well with everything on your holiday table.

Carol also suggests Bonny Doon Vineyard, Vin Gris De Cigare, 2008 (pictured on the right). It's a beautiful rosé produced by Winemakerr Randall Grahm and sells for $17 a bottle. Carol says this wine is a great choice for turkey and all the sides.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Hotline is here!

Posted by Alexis Tirado

It's the moment we've all been waiting for...it's the annual Thanksgiving Hotline on Martha Stewart Living Radio! Starting today until Wednesday, 11/23 our radio hosts and celebrity chefs like Martha, Emeril, Nigella Lawson and Mario Batali, will be answering all your Thanksgiving-related questions! The hotline is live today, tomorrow and Weds. from 7 am EST to 7 pm EST. Call 866-675-6675 with your question or listen to the broadcast for FREE today. Just click on the player located on the right. You can even download recipes from all the chefs featured on the hotline! Happy Thanksgiving!

Passion Fruit Cocktails!

Posted by Naomi Gabay

Got a passion for holiday entertaining? A passion for cocktails? Or simply a passion for passion fruit? Then these are the cocktails for you, directly from Allen Katz! Here are a few fun takes on passion fruit cocktails just in time for Thanksgiving.

Extradition
Ingredients:
3 fresh Strawberries, hulled
2 ounces Pisco
2 ounces fresh apple juice
3/4 ounce passion fruit syrup

Directions:
1. In a mixing glass, muddle strawberries. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously over ice. Fine strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a strawberry on the rim of the glass.

Passion Fruit Margarita
Ingredients:
2 ounces Partida Reposado Tequila
1 ounce Le Combier Triple Sec
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1/4 passion fruit syrup

Directions:
1. Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel float.

GET MORE COCKTAIL RECIPES

Thanksgiving Wine Suggestions

Posted by Mario Bosquez

With the Thanksgiving Holiday next week, we decided to explore the world of wines that would be lovely gracing your Thanksgiving table. They are delicious, affordable, and pair well with everything from the appetizers to the turkey!

Elissa Cooper of Barterhouse Wines joined me to share her Thanksgiving wine suggestions.

Elissa's first choice, Dr. Karl Christoffel Mosel Riesling Germany 2008, sells for $15 and carries flavor notes of stone fruits, mostly peach and pear. This selection is wonderful for serving with all the sides and the turkey itself. It was my favorite wine out of the bunch too!

GET MORE WINE SUGGESTIONS AFTER THE JUMP

Etsy’s Holiday Gift Recs

Posted by Mario Bosquez

The "Living Today" Holiday Gift Guide (a weekly segment on air) features the handmade, handcrafted, artisanal gifts that are available just in time for the holidays. Adam Brown of Etsy, came by the studios to share his gift guide recs. Adam also told us that the meaning behind Etsy remains a mystery that’s yet to be revealed! We’ll keep you posted when the name gets revealed. In the meantime, below are Etsy-approved gift suggestions. Etsy specializes in presenting arts and crafts items that include candles, crocheting, ceramics, and pottery; a whole range of handcrafted items!

A gift idea for under $25 is a sun and moon mason jar that is made of mostly recyclable items, battery-operated, and features frosted glass.

This handbound leather journal sells for under $50 and works great for pencil, pen, and even pastels. The pages are hand-stitched into the leather.

If you want to surprise someone with an unusual gift you might consider this trio of beer soaps; made with actual beer! They feature Corona beer soap with lime essential oils, Fort Collins Shocolate Stout with cocoa butter and Goose Island Oatmeal Stout with natural oatmeal and honey. They go for $7 each.

Another suggestion from Etsy is a handmade wreath that is perfect for the holidays but also appropriate for the rest of the winter season as well. The wreath is priced at around $30.

Happy Holidays and look for more Living Today Holiday Gift Guides on this blog!

Hanging out with Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck and other celeb chefs!

Posted by Lauren G

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to attend the 2nd Annual Savor Borgata event where I wined and dined with the hotel’s top chefs including Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay. Savor Borgata is a ticketed event, open to the public that happens every year at the Water Club Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. It attracts food lovers from all over the country who want to meet, greet and taste with some of their favorite culinary heroes. Below are some of the highlights of Savor Borgata, including some great Thanksgiving tips for you to try at home.

Bobby Flay tells us about his Thanksgiving plans. He also talk about why "themes" are great for a big feast.

Bobby whipped up Surf and Turk Skewers with Red Pepper Vinaigrette and Honey Mustard Mint.

Here's Wolfgang Puck in action, serving Stir-Friend Pad thai noodles, Grilled Shrimp, Steak and Scallop Skewers and Chinese Chicken Salad.

In this video Wolfgang shares his Thanksgiving plans and how you can create a family meal at home with more meaning than just eating a turkey! Plus Stephen Kalt, of the newly opened Fornelletto Cucina and Wine Bar shares his tricks for a perfect cranberry sauce (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries. Bring all to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.) Lastly, Chef Michael Schulson of Izakaya tells the TRUTH about what every chef does at Thanksgiving time!

Michael Schulson also says his favorite dish for Thanksgiving is always turkey, but in the meantime, he is happy to serve up delicious sushi! The event featured scrumptious sushi such as California, shrimp tempura, yellowtail and smoked salmon.

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Naomi's culinary travels in Spain!

Posted by Naomi Gabay

When I travel, I always think that the food is as important (or even MORE important) than the sites that we see. So when I returned from my trip to southern Spain and checked out my pictures, it’s no surprise that many of my pictures were of Spanish cuisine! I like to be able to look back at the pictures and recall the aromas and flavors of where I’ve been. It really brings me back into the moment.

You can’t talk about the food of Spain without mentioning paella. Traditionally it’s made with seafood, but being the vegetarian that I am, I managed to find myself a delicious vegetarian version.

It was beautiful weather for the entire trip -- 80 degrees and sunny! I spent many afternoons at outdoor cafés with cold pitchers of sangria.

Another perfect warm weather treat was this chilled almond and garlic soup. It was served with a side of sliced melon that I stirred into the bowl for a perfect sweet and savory balance.

If you prefer your soup warm, this was another garlic soup, served piping hot. Floating in the soup was a piece of toasted bread and a poached egg.

For those who do eat meat, there was plenty! Jamón ibérico, or Iberico ham is a cured ham that's slice fresh before serving.

After the Jamón ibérico is sliced, it’s served in a simple presentation.

One of most popular tapas that you can find on any menu is the simple tortilla. In Spain, a tortilla is more like what we think of as a frittata -- layers of egg and potato. Delicious and satisfying!

A variety of fried vegetables were offered, but my favorite were these slices of eggplant that we drizzled with a dark, rich molasses.

Croquettes are another popular option, often stuffed with ham or cheese.

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Holiday Entertaining Cocktails

Posted by Naomi Gabay

Bourbon, whiskey, pear nectar, maple syrup, pistachios… all the scents and tastes of fall are now in full swing! Today’s cocktails from Allen Katz are autumn in a glass and are perfect all your Thanksgiving entertaining.

Bourbon Milk Punch
Ingredients:
1 1/2 ounce Wild Turkey Bourbon
3 ounces milk
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 dash vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Shake ingredients over ice and serve in highball glass. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Nutty Old Man
Ingredients:
2 ounces Buffalo Trace Bourbon
1/4 ounce Dumante Pistachio Liqueur
1/4 ounce agave syrup
3 dashes orange bitters

Directions:
1. Stir ingredients over ice and strain into an old-fashioned glass ¾ filled with ice. Garnish with a wide orange twist.

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Entertaining with Martha and Emeril

Posted by Alexis Tirado

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so Martha and Emeril will be on the radio to share their favorite holiday tips with you! The duo will discuss their top notch entertaining ideas, favorite turkey recipes and much more! And we know you're brimming with questions so they'll answer your phone calls too! Tune in on Tuesday, November 17, at 4 pm EST (1 pm PST) on Sirius 112 and XM 157. The number to call in is 866-675-6675

Also, you can still ask your holiday questions during our Thanksgiving Hotline which airs from Mon. 11/23 to Weds. 11/25, the hotline is LIVE everyday from 7 am EST to 7 pm EST. Get all the guest listings for the hotline here.

Lastly, we have over 30 Thanksgiving recipes for you from our Thanksgiving hotline guests! Download the FREE Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Hotline cookbook here.