Fun With Carbs

If I had my way, I’d try out new restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day. But budgetary, dietary and geographical restrictions prevent me from channeling my inner Guy Fieri. With that in mind, I’ll be having guest bloggers share their far-flung dining experiences here from time to time.

My former colleague Sandy Csizmar, a web producer at the Hartford Courant, received a delicious surprise this weekend when her husband, John, took her on an impromptu road trip to Sonic Drive-In in upstate New York. As New Englanders are pretty obsessed with Sonic, Sandy was stoked to finally try it out. She was nice enough to share her experience with us all…

Read the rest of this entry »

After two full turkey dinners, I don’t even want to look at the pile of leftovers in my fridge. But each meal was delicious.

At my parents’ house Thursday, we had cheese and crackers and amazing shrimp cocktail before heading into the main event of turkey; stuffing made with sausage, apples, onion and celery; sweet squash with brown sugar and butter; luxurious homemade mashed potatoes; my grandfather’s decadent Morton’s Steakhouse creamed spinach recipe and flaky rolls. Oh, and Ocean Spray cranberry log, as we call it, sliced up into manageable pieces. Dessert was our choice of Junior’s caramel apple cheesecake, a Milky Way mousse cake, pumpkin pie and gourmet cupcakes created by my aunt’s friend, a baker in Worcester.

Dinner at the in-laws was decidedly more healthy, but the turkey was perfect. My mother-in-law said she stuffed the turkey’s cavity with fresh oranges and bell peppers. While I couldn’t taste those flavors in the meat, I wonder if it added to its moistness. The white meat was fabulous. Wine selections: Beaujolais for the Griffin meal, Hobnob Pinot Noir at the Zielonkas.

Your turn: what did you eat on Thanksgiving? Did any dish particularly stand out to you? Any turkey techniques you want to share?