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Make this green bean casserole ahead of the party and relax

Green bean casserole is a holiday staple, so we set out to develop a version that could be assembled in advance to make our holiday cooking easier. To ensure that the flavor of the casserole didn't become dull in the freezer, we boosted flavor by using plenty of garlic, white wine and fragrant thyme. After testing a number of ways to par-cook the beans, we discovered that the easiest solution was also the best: simply add them raw. Tossing the beans with a bit of cornstarch before putting them in the baking dish helped to thicken any liquid they exuded during cooking. We stuck with a ...

Roasting gets Brussels sprouts caramelized on the outside

Roasting is an easy way to produce Brussels sprouts that are caramelized on the outside and tender on the inside. To ensure that we achieved this balance, we started by roasting them covered with foil; tossing them in a little bit of water to create a steamy environment helped cook them through. We then removed the foil and roasted them for another 10 minutes to allow their exteriors to dry out and caramelize. Since Brussels sprouts can take some time to prep, we found that we could prep them in advance so all we needed to do at serving time was toss them on a baking sheet and cook ...

Mushroom Cornbread Stuffing or Dressing

So, what do you say, dressing or stuffing? Technically, it's dressing if it's cooked in a pan and stuffing if it's cooked inside the bird. However, which word you choose seems to have more to do with where you come from: Midwestern or Southern folks often call it dressing, regardless of where it's cooked, and Northeasterners lean toward the term stuffing, even if it never saw the inside of the turkey. You can certainly cook this stuffing in the turkey if you want, but I rather love it in a pan, so the top gets crispy and browned. Or do a little of each method if your gang is ...

This apple crisp gets an unlikely boost from cranberries

Although it's hard to imagine that apple crisp needs much improvement, we liked the tartness and texture that cranberries added to one of our favorite standard dessert recipes. The challenges were balancing the fruit flavors and making sure that the filling baked evenly while the topping stayed crisp. We achieved the perfect fruit mix by combining fresh and dried cranberries, and we precooked all the fruit and added tapioca to thicken the juices. This step shortened the oven time and ensured that the classic butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and oat topping lived up to the name ...

Want a crisp and moist turkey with mahogany skin? No sweat

Unless you have access to multiple ovens, only a very large turkey will do when you've got a crowd coming to dinner. But finding a container large enough to brine a gargantuan bird can be tricky, and turning the bird in the oven (our usual method for evenly cooked meat) can be tricky. We wanted the Norman Rockwell picture of perfection: a crisp, mahogany skin wrapped around tender, moist meat. And it had to be easy to prepare in a real home kitchen. We chose a Butterball turkey, which has already been brined for juicy flavor (a kosher bird, which has been salted, works well, too). A ...

Ugly and also delicious – Pickled Pepper Pull-Apart Beef sandwich

Many people who grew up outside the South think that all Southern food is the same. But this is far from the truth. You can live one county away and your food experience and your definition of Southern food is completely different. Sheri Castle is my favorite Southern cook of that nature. I have known Sheri for many years. She is a fellow North Carolinian. She is a generous person and cook with a wry sense of humor and an extensive food knowledge of her Southern foodways. And those Southern food traditions differ in many respects from my southern food experience. One day, we are going ...