The Rake Magazine

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I love December 01. It's the first day of a month of days that begin with a little chocolate treat from my advent calendar. I am much more disciplined now than I was in the early years. I understand that it's better to stretch the happiness out over the cold days, rather than trying to "work ahead". And if I happen to forget, run out of the house in a whirl, then the next day is twice as nice.

This weekend I'm going to the Midtown Global Market for some culinary stocking stuffers. I'd like to stuff a Manny's Torta in each stocking, but they're a bit drippy, yeah? I really love to sneak in some funky Asian candy from United Noodle that no one understands, and then watch their face as they chew jammy fish nougats.

BONUS...this Saturday the MGM is hosting the No Coast Craft-O-Rama sale: cool, funky objects from crafty producers with names like Crabby Sister Company, Pins with Fury, orangyporangy and Phantom Limb. I have two particular teens in whom I have begun to culitvate a healthy dislike for The Mall and all AE clones within. A few snappy screenprinted tees and rock-buttons should satisfy ... along with chewy jammy fish nougats.

Hot off the presses, this release from the kids who rep the public relations for Five Restaurant & Street Lounge:

David Parson Capaccioli is the new Exec Head Chef and Mary Beth Mueller is the new GM.

Capaccioli is a former instructor at the Art Institute of Minneapolis Culinary Arts School, was once Executive Chef at Cafe Un Deaux Trois and is a "close associate of Vincent Francoual".

Mueller has been a manager at JD Hoyt's, Dixie's Calhoun, and the St. Paul Grill.

Apparently Five "will be re-emerging as the restaurant to discover great finger food" and "savor comforting bistro fare". They will also be "adding a baby grand piano for live 'lounge tinklings' Thursday through Saturday".

So is that it? Is that the best Plan B for a cutting edge restaurant? Bring in the B-Squad and a piano for "lounge tinklings"? Trust me, I know that restaurants need to make money to survive. But if you're going to dumb it down to be more palatable to the masses and the investors, I think you have to let the name die. It never was their restaurant, it was Woodman's.

I have a pre-feast ritual. It involves staying in pajamas, drinking hot cocoa, snacking on peanut butter toast and the Macy's parade. It's like my own inner pre-shift, my personal calm before the storm.

Just as important, and maybe a touch underplayed, is the post-feast.

First of all, dessert shouldn't be served directly after the meal. You have to let the stuffing and potato flavors linger and the memory of the meal set. I love that moment when you feel relaxed and happy, you smell the coffee brewing and you know you have just enough room for something sweet.

Pumpkin pie is lovely, but why not jack it up as pumpkin pie brulee? And don't shy away from making a signature Thanksgiving ice cream.

If you're looking for a new pie, there's only about a million options. I like Derby Pie because it has two of my favorite post meal ingredients: chocolate and bourbon.

One of my favorite, and easiest, post-feast options is to buy a huge block of dark chocolate and set it on a board with a sharp knife and some accessories: slices of grilled bread, salted almonds, apricots, sugared ginger, pistachios, Nilla Wafers, peanut butter, whatever you like.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for the following reasons:
1. No gifts. I love giving gifts, I just hate pretending to like the teal suede and faux fur vests of my life.

2. It's not religious. It'll never be turned into something more palatable and washed out so that everyone feels fuzzy and unoffended.

3. It's all about food. The whole point of the day is to eat well and be happy and thankful that you can. It's the only celebration of the year where the feast is real show.

As for the family angst, that's just gravy.

The only thing more certain than long lines at the grocery store, is the abundance of cooking advice offered by every media outlet on the planet. So I'll play along....

Go Turducken! because it's more than a meal, it's a David Blaine moment.

Watch Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter or Pieces of April with Katie Holmes-Cruise before cooking, it will help remind you that there are bigger disasters than what you will likely produce. Confidence, dahling!

Cocktail.

If anyone asks "What can I bring" tell them $20. Or bread. Or wine, that may or may not be consumed with the meal.

Forget the fancy name-place cards, I've got two words for you: hand turkey.

Let's eat y'all!

I don't think it's cheating to call in some girlfriends to help with Thanksgiving. Just because those girlfriends happen to be professional caterers is neither here, nor there.

The Chowgirls are a sassy couple of caterers who succeed at kicky, yummy food while caring about local farms and ingredients. They have a little place in the Dinkydale mall that is open to the public for lunch: croque monsieur, sausage and goat cheese lasagna, organic spinach salad, cuban medianoche, YES PLEASE!

More importantly, they can quell your T-day fears by offering a sweet selection of sides. Imagine checking these off your list: potato-fennel gratin with gruyere, beet salad with balsamic and gingered pecans, gravy with sparkling cider and shallots, even a half pint of herbed Hope Creamery butter. But hop to it, you have to order by this Sunday.

Because I will simply be a guest this year, the bourbon-lovin' Derby Pie will be gracing my sister-in-law's table. I just have to figure a way to sneak in the beet salad as well.