My friend Nick recently traveled to a few countries in Europe, and when asked what his favorite meal he had there was, he answered polenta e casura, a specialty of Milan. (Judging from my success at Googling the dish, assuming I have the correct spelling, it is a closely kept specialty of Milano cuisine, too.) In any case, the dish sounded soothing, comforting and rustic: braised cabbage and sausage, with polenta on the side. What could be simpler yet more satisfying than that?
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Really, now? Fennel pie? Are you going to eat (and cook) that? I asked myself these same things, too. And while I was making this pie, at the Photojojo Food Photo Safari on Sunday, I heard many similar concerns from lookers-on. (I told you winter was a tricky time of year for finding seasonal pie fillings!) But, the great thing about cooking, especially in the name of fun with friends, is that nothing worse than a pile of dog’s dinner will result in a failed effort. I therefore gleefully submit to the anti-theory of “Why not?”
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Oh my god. My stove and oven won’t work. I’m dying — I’m going to die. Any second now. I’m sweating. I’m pacing around the kitchen like Woody Allen in Hannah and Her Sisters when he realizes that he’s eventually going to die. Is there no saving grace in the universe, to make our miserable time on earth worthwhile? If I pray hard enough, will the little ring of fire suddenly blare on when I turn the switch, just like it always did before? Should I be down on my knees, not just to check for a pilot light? How does one live without fire, anyway? What would our ancestors have become, if man had never learned to tame the flame? Would he have dwindled into extinction, or evolved into a morbid race of raw food enthusiasts and never have invented footwear beyond sandals?
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Happy holidays, food lovers. I hope everyone’s had their fill of celebratory treats both sweet and savory. No? Well, there’s another holiday coming up in a few days, the eclipse of 2008, but that one’s less about food (or holiness) than drink. Perhaps you, like I, are still looking forward to serious snacking on New Year’s Eve, but sense that you’ve maxed out on your monthly caloric intake. Instead of leftover fruitcake, this healthy sweet potato tart might appeal to both dueling persuasions.
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Sometimes, I have an internal speedometer going on when cooking at home. Twice in the past few weeks I made a batch of these cookies in record time, before taking off to bring them to holiday house parties. Even when I’m not in any rush, I get a keen satisfaction out of completing a (good) meal that was surprisingly fast. That’s something you don’t really get to see through the recipes on this blog. I could add an “estimated cooking time” to each one, like some practical cookbooks and magazines do, but that would betray the fact that sometimes, at no instigation, I’ll work at a glacial pace, and other times I might cook like I’m on Hell’s Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay’s counting down the seconds in that boorish tone, calling me something like Snozzlehead or Stinkypants or whatever that crazy Brit comes up with in attempt to make me crack.
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There’s no place like Brooklyn for the holidays. I’m sticking around this year, except for a Christmas trip over to Jersey. And if you’re also kicking it in NYC, then there’s plenty of fun to be had. Specifically, this fantastic day of food and photography that my friends at Photojojo, the Whisk & Ladle Supper Club and I are collaborating on.
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Did someone say “Christmas goose”? It seems to be echoing in the minds of many this time of year. But as Tom eloquently warns, it’s not always the home cook’s best call (listen to this guy - he’s a butcher). My mom will not let my dad forget the Christmas when he, spurred by Dickensian nostalgia, tried to cook a whole goose. I was very young then, but remember the epic disaster: rivers of fat, long delayed dinner time, and the taste not being worth a dime in anyone’s estimation. So why this precautionary tale about goose when the strange bird in this recipe evidently is not? Well, a small part of me would like to right the wrongs of the past, and cook a goose. But first, it’ll be helpful to get better acquainted with its diminutive cousin, duck. So here’s my second stab at cooking the quacker.
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Thanks to everyone who submitted their original, thoughtful and personal Reason for Not Eating Out #27 entries! There were so many good reasons among them — including avoiding the “drunken riff-raff” or the walloping calories of Southern eaten-out specialties. I go the sense that a lot of you are bloggers trapped in a busy person’s body. Should you decide to take up blogging (if you don’t already), I will be your first reader!

I ultimately chose to post Jess Habalou’s ode to cooking and creativity, which made me laugh, nod and learn something new. And without further ado, the first-ever guest-written Reason of the Month post…
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It’s official: My diet is heading into a recession. Chocolate, bacon and cheese — three deadly food sins. The Devil’s Triangle, if you will. All in one sugary, buttery package. Oh, what are we waiting for?
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‘Tis the weekend to get some gifts! It seems like no media outlet can resist offering their two cents on budget-friendly holiday gifts this season. (I’m listening to Sound Check right now doling out their musical gift picks.) And this year, neither can I.

I usually don’t dish about gift-giving, or other modes of culturally forced buying on this site (alright, come and give me the Scrooge speeches!), unless it’s about giving to charities. But there’s one little reason I’m making an exception: the troubled economy. So here are a few ways to spread your generosity and cheer without troubling your bank account.
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