Toluu

The Kitchen

Vote Now! Best Original Pie from the Best Pie Bakeoff 2008Yesterday

Twenty-nine pies! Thirteen classics, and sixteen originals. We're all the richer for these recipes, and we can hardly wait to try a few. Yesterday and today we voted on the Classic pies and it looks like we have a winner! (Go take a peek.) Today we're voting on the Original pies. There was a wealth of creativity in these pies - cherries, chocolate, caramel - even beans and Gruyère cheese! We need your help to judge them (all in good fun, of course - every one of these looks utterly wonderful.) Click through to see a gallery of all the pies and to make your vote count! Click through to see a gallery of all the pies and to vote! Voting closes a

Vote Now! Best Classic Pie from the Best Pie Bakeoff 2008Yesterday

Well, we've seen 29 scrumptious pies - each of which we'd like to take a fork to any time. We're all the richer for these recipes, and we can hardly wait to try a few. We're also voting on the pie that looks the best to us. Today we're voting on the Classic pies. Apple, pumpkin, pecan. Which is your favorite incarnation of a classic recipe? There are 13 entries in this category and we need your help to judge them (all in good fun, of course - every one of these looks amazing.) Click through to see a gallery of all the pies and to make your vote count! Voting closes at 12:00 noon on Friday, November 21 -- FIVE minutes to go!! Get your vote in!

Vote Now!

Voting will be open until 12:00 noon EST tomorrow, November 21. Links to the pie recipes are below, if you want to review.

The Classic Pies

Are You Planning a Trial Run for Thanksgiving?Yesterday

In one of our favorite episodes of "Will and Grace," Jack's mom shows up unexpected at Will and Grace's apartment several days before Thanksgiving, panting from speed walking and holding a casserole dish. When Jack finds out she's met his friends without his knowing, he says, angrily, "Damn her and her dry runs!" Do you have any dry runs planned?

We're not talking about preparing the whole meal twice, obviously, but maybe you're trying out a new dish and want to test it before serving it to a huge crowd. Or, you might make something ahead of time to find out exactly how long it takes, which will help you with your timing next Thursday. As for us, we've made cranberry relish (in the freezer) and are tackling homemade turkey gravy this weekend, since we've never made it before and we'd like to know it's go

Do You Use Kitchen Twine?Yesterday

Trussing a big turkey may be the only time some of us use kitchen twine all year. But others use it frequently: tying vegetables so they stay upright in a steamer, trussing smaller chickens and pork roasts, and tying cheesecloth bags of dumplings together. Do you use kitchen twine very often, and if so, what for?

We hardly ever use kitchen twine in the kitchen itself - but we often use it for wrapping presents with butcher paper and dried flowers for a rustic Christmas look. Also, that pretty twine holder above is from Williams-Sonoma: • Acorn Twine Holder, $26 at Williams-Sonoma (Image: Williams-Sonoma)

Summer in Review: How Was Your CSA?Yesterday

Most CSAs and farm-shares have sent their last boxes of winter vegetables and closed up shop for the season. Now that we've had a chance to catch our breath (and finish eating our leafy greens!), we thought we'd take a moment to reflect - how was your CSA experience this year?

Like many of you, this was my first year doing a CSA. I absolutely loved getting the fresh produce every week and I also really loved feeling like I was part of the community. I got to know the farm a lot better and became friends with the people at my weekly pick-up. I was fairly pleased with the weekly variety, and especially pleased with all the potatoes, squashes, and beets we'll be eating well into the winter months. But I'll be honest with you, I found the whole experience a little tough. Some of it was the standard CSA complaint of getting overloaded with one thing and not enough of something else. I seriously never thought I'd