Thanksgiving, part 4: food crazy

America is a nation of closet foodies. Ask anyone out on the street and so many will tell you Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday because it’s all about eating yummy stuff all late-afternoon long. We pick our favorite holiday by what it delivers to our stomachs, how about that!

My turkey didn’t grace the table until after 9.

I take on Thanksgiving cooking in the way that one takes on a massive housecleanig project: ambitiously, with sleeves rolled up (actually I prefer cooking in an undershirt) and with a lot of components mapped out for the day. Grit and determination. Especially if I am cooking the entire meal in someone else’s kitchen. Without many props.

I start Wednesday evening and cook straight through until we sit down, whenever that may be, the next day sometime, with a few hours out for a little sleep and a brief walk, just to get that housebound feeling out of me.

So, let me randomly throw out a few dishes of the day (we counted fifteen). Broken up by a walk.


apple puffies


squash with dumplings


chive scones


Lake Michigan at Evanston


snack food



chipotle corn


caramelized endive


with roasted garlic and herbs


the bird


chocolate with raspberries