About seven years ago, we started a Thanksgiving tradition of traveling to the East Coast to gather with beloved cousins and other family members and friends. While children run around the house, high on soda and candy, adults toil in the kitchen, roasting the turkey, making lavish side dishes (I look forward to cousin Rory’s root vegetable gratin every year), and baking pies. The house is filled with a scrumptious mix of sweet and savory aromas. Ultimately, anyone not cooking is called away from the football game or pool table to gather for a feast around the dining table bedecked with special-occasion china and crystal.
In 2019, I enjoyed one of my favorite holidays in Paris. There’s nothing like Christmas in The City of Light, with extravagant illuminations and decorations on historic boulevards, buildings, and bridges. Add a great group of friends and extraordinary food and drink and it’s an epic occasion.
To me, the holidays are about the authentic experiences you have with the ones you love. They’re not about a fancy dinner or expensive gifts; they’re about unplugging, releasing the stress of life, enjoying the time you have, and making the best of it.
As an homage to the holidays, we present a bundle of stories on delicious dishes you can bring to your table. Tired of turkey? How about wild duck or goose? Are you a seafood lover? Make a bountiful meal full of seafood for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Or go vegetarian with a big pot of heirloom beans. We also offer ideas for great sides to bring to that friendsgiving celebration. To tie with the season, what about making your own pumpkin doughnuts for dessert? And before you embark on preparing any of these dishes, you might want to brush up on your skills. Check out our list of local cooking classes.
These are just a sampling of the stories you’ll find in this issue; there’s much more. I hope you enjoy it all.
Happy holidays!
Amanda
About the Cover Shelly Braginton, 8, has been taking the annual gingerbread-house-decorating class at Nothing To It! Culinary Center in Reno for five years. Her brother, Eli, 5, has taken it for two years. Photo by Jen Schmidt
