I'm Back with a New Trick in My Bag!

That's right, I just flew in from New York, and boy, are my jokes tired. Wait, I think I've already used that one before...which I guess proves my point. Anyway, I've returned from Christmas break with the family, and looking forward to resuming normal production soon (for you newbies that's 2.5 videos every week!).

Technically, we're not supposed to work until the New Year, but it's been too long without a video, and I'm starting to get the shakes, so I'm going to film something today. By the way, the photo shows a very successful experiment I did cooking a prime rib "sous vide" style in a cooler. Now that I think about it, the title should actually be, "New Bag in my Tricks."

I got the idea here, and it worked beautifully! I don't think I'd be able to film, edit and post before New Year's Eve, but rest assumed this will be shared on the channel at some point. Stay tuned. I missed you all!

Chef John’s Taking Another Break!

The recent break I took over the Thanksgiving holiday was the first time in six years that I’d gone a whole week without posting a video. Well, since everyone was so understanding, and seemed genuinely happy that I was taking a vacation, I’ve decided to take another one.

That’s right, it seems as though I have a few more days of vacation time to use up, and it’s either take them before the end of the year, or risk a terse email from Human Resources. 

This actually works out perfectly, since I’m flying back east to spend the Christmas holiday with my family. My hope is that you’re all be so busy eating, drinking, and of course, shopping, that you’ll hardly notice I’m gone.

By the way, I know I’ve mentioned heading back to New York many times, but I’m not sure if I’ve ever specified exactly where. Here’s a map with good ol’ Machester, NY pinned for all to see. You’re welcome, stalkers. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week, and I promise this will be the last vacation I take this year.

I’m (almost) Back!

Today is the last day of my vacation, and I'm sorry, but I just couldn’t not post any longer. So, I wanted to say a quick hello, and thank everyone who sent along their well-wishes during the break. By the way, I loved seeing the pictures many of you posted on Twitter and Instagram of our Thanksgiving recipes!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to golf as I'd planned, but I did keep myself busy with a few fun projects around the house. One of those projects was definitely not an awesome and illegal pizza oven built from a pile of bricks found in the garden (not pictured here). Nope, that didn’t happen.

Anyway, I’ll have a brand new video recipe tomorrow, so be sure to stay tuned for that, and as always…I missed you!

Chef John’s Taking a Break!

One of the things I love about my partnership with Allrecipes.com is that they actually make me take these things called, “vacations.” Apparently these periodic breaks are quite common in corporate America, and supposedly help the employee relax, rest, and recharge. Since I’m going to be golfing, that’s not going to happen, but still, I appreciate the time.
 
I’ll be off for a week, and by “off,” I really mean “off.” While comments will be published, I will not be monitoring the blog while out, so when it comes to cooking questions, you’ll be at the mercy of fellow foodwishers and Google. Good luck with that. Anyway, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and I look forward to getting back to work next week. Enjoy!

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A Thanksgiving Side Note

Thanksgiving is almost here, and we'll assume you already have a great turkey and gravy recipe, so today we are focusing on the side dishes (btw, if you are still sans bird recipe, don't panic, and just check out our critically acclaimed, two-part video series, How to Make Turkey and Gravy).
 
Everyone knows, it's not a great turkey that makes the meal, it's what you pair it with. What good is a beautiful bird sitting next to a bunch of so-so sides? With that in mind, here's a little collection of thanksgiving appropriate dishes from days gone by. Don't let the poor producton value on the older videos fool you, these are some great sides, and would make a lovely addition to your holiday spread. Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach

Creamy Corn Custard

Pecan and Apricot Sourdough Bread Stuffing

Green Bean and Blue Cheese Gratin

Lime and Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Celery Root and Potato Puree

Cold Broccoli Salad

Cheesy Broccoli Gratin

Butter Roasted Cauliflower

Next Up: Cranberry Sauce 2013

I don't want to get bogged down in the details, but sometime Friday we'll be posting our annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce recipe. One hint, and possible spoiler, I really think you'll go nuts for this. Stay tuned!

Photo courtesy of USDA

Pumpkin Chunkin

Just in case our recently featured pumpkin cheesecake isn't your thing, here are some additional ideas as we head towards the Thanksgiving holiday. It's kind of a mystery why we only enjoy these recipes this time of year, since they're all made with available-anytime ingredients, but whatever it is, it's probably the same reason people don't make s'mores in the winter. 

Anyway, I hope you give some of these great pumpkin recipes a try soon, while there's still time. Just click on the recipe title links, and away you go. Enjoy!

	Pumpkin Pancakes It's a crime these aren't a regular item on diner menus.
	Pumpkin Scones There are some colors that only occur with food, and this is one of them. Look for "pumpkin scone" on a paint chip near you.
	Best Pumpkin Pie Ever Since no one can prove otherwise, my legal team is fine with this recipe's outrageous claim.
	Low Fat Pumpkin Flan There are some things that just shouldn't work, but they do, and sometimes those things are low-fat flans.
	Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls You can pretend these are healthier for you than regular cinnamon rolls, since they're made with nutritious pumpkin, but we know the truth.

Happy National Chocolate Day!

According to Twitter, today is National Chocolate Day, and to celebrate I'm re-posting one of my all-time favorite ways to enjoy this ancient pleasure, the Savory Chocolate Sea Salt Crostini. You can read the original post here, but to summarize, these are awesome. Enjoy!