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Anthropologie crushes it around the holidays. Year after year, the brand comes up with the cutest, most giftable items. There are always super-adorable ornaments (many of which are food-themed), a new version of the store’s iconic monogrammed mugs, various cheese boards, and more. In fact, it’s totally possible to shop for everyone on your list in one fell swoop. (We know what you’re thinking and, yes, there are plenty of gifts for your dad!)

Some Kitchn staffers were talking about the new holiday items the other day when we realized we were all in agreement about the single best thing to buy this time of year: coupe glasses! Hear us out.

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Hi, everyone. Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday morning. For those of you accustomed to receiving Sunday With Sisson in your inbox, I wanted to give you a heads up that the team and I are making some changes (just technical) with the newsletter and “Sunday With Sisson” for just a few weeks. Some of you may notice some temporary interruption in your email delivery from MDA. It’s all part of upgrading our systems. Unfortunately, there’s never a good time for these things.

In the meantime, I’ll be posting “Sunday With Sisson” letters each Sunday on the blog until we’re back to our full mailing capacity. Enjoy, and—as always—thanks for joining me here. 

Good morning, everybody.

So, California is on fire. You’ve probably heard the stories and seen the videos of people racing along burning highways to escape. It’s unlike anything the state has ever seen.

I no longer live in Malibu, but I did for 25 years, and my daughter Devyn has been living in our old Malibu house with her boyfriend and three dogs.

She was in the house last week as fire raced down the valley toward our home. They watched as it got closer and only left when the flames finally reached our backyard, assuming they had more time before it was upon them. They didn’t.

I was following along on live stream news from my place in Miami. When I saw local L.A. reporters standing on the street below our house with 30 foot flames roaring directly behind them, I called and told her to get the hell out. Devyn had no idea because the power and Internet were all cut. She and the dogs went to Santa Monica; her boyfriend stayed in Malibu to protect our house (successfully) and a few other friends’ homes in the area.

When I got confirmation that she was all right, I went to sleep. I’m a worrier—as longtime readers will know—but I went to bed with a clear mind, knowing that everyone was safe. Sure, I worried about the house, which has been on the market for a few months and contains 15 years of dearly held memories along with some lingering belongings, but I was also totally at peace with whatever happened. We’ve got insurance and houses are just stuff. The people who live in the house and the memories we form there are what matters. That sense of home doesn’t just disappear. It stays with you.

The house survived anyway, albeit with a fair amount of fire and water damage to two sides of it. Two of our neighbors weren’t so lucky and lost their homes entirely.

It’s interesting to me that just two weeks ago I was writing about the importance of practicing gratitude. These events asserted a real life reason why gratitude is so essential: life is fragile—and it can be taken away at any moment. Even if you think you have nothing, you have life, and the promise and opportunity that represents.

Gratitude asks us to resist the temptation to judge the height of our own fortune (or the depth of our misfortune) by comparison with others. It’s self-referencing, which is the seat of its power. So many things become possible when we operate from that place.

I’ve said before on the blog that Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday. This year I’ll be celebrating its message more than ever.

Enjoy your Sunday, everybody, and a good holiday to you and yours.

Best,

Mark

The post Sunday With Sisson 11.18.18 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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It is officially the time of year when basically every day is either a holiday party or the holiday itself. In other words, ’tis the season for thoughtful, charming, and unique hostess gifts. “Thank you so much for having us!” a good hostess present says. Also, “Thank you for allowing us to drink red wine in your immaculate living room!”

I like to imagine I am the type of person who keeps a handful of small but lovely tokens on hand; tokens harvested from my many exotic travels. This would be evidence that I am the kind of person who plans in advance, and also proof that I am always thinking of others. I am not. I rarely plan for anything. Also, I don’t go that many places.

Still, it is something to aspire to. Someday may we all have well-stocked gift cabinets; wonderlands of objects just waiting to be presented to our many beautiful friends.

Until then, here are 10 delightfully inexpensive hostess gifts you can order on Amazon with free Prime shipping.

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During the winter holidays, I make plenty of pies so that everyone feels comfortable taking a big slab, but that also means I have some leftovers. Transforming apple pie leftovers into a stuffed French toast isn’t difficult at all. Crush up the filling and crust, stuff it into a generous slice of brioche or challah, give it a quick pan-fry, and bake it to finish. Not too shabby, eh?

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As much as I could easily pile my Thanksgiving plate with creamy mashed potatoes and rich, sausage-studded stuffing and be more than content with my selection, I do find it nice to squeeze one or two more side dishes on there that are a bit lighter. Something green or not so heavy is a nice contrast to the decadent favorites of the holiday and helps keep everything balanced, which is always my mantra at any meal — holiday or not. Here are 10 of those recipes to make room for at the table this year.

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If you’re thinking of tucking your slow cooker away for your big Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving celebrations, think again. Instead, let it help you make a big batch of warm cocktails — like mulled cider, Irish coffee, or eggnog lattes — to serve all your family and friends.

Like all slow cooker affairs, this is a hands-off approach, which is especially nice when so many other things have your attention on the big day. Plus, you can leave the slow cooker on the warm setting, so things will stay steamy for hours. Below you’ll find some of our favorite slow cooker sips. Cheers!

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner — do you have your menu planned? Whether you’re hosting this year, or have been asked to make a dish for a potluck Thanksgiving, we have 30 essential recipes that cover the classics and also offer something a little new.

You can make classic mashed potatoes, or brighten them up with a surprise vegetable. You can bake a classic pumpkin pie, just like Grandma’s, or spice it up with extra ginger and a graham crust. Green bean casserole, or green beans with lemony almond topping? Take your pick; we have all the essentials you need for a classic holiday, and a few new ideas that will bring an extra dash of delicious to your Thanksgiving celebration.

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Routine is a steady comfort during busy times, and it’s one of the many reasons I lean on meal planning. We’re headed into a week of out-of-town guests, kids home from school, and lots of cooking and eating with Thanksgiving this Thursday.

Between coordinating family and planning our Thanksgiving meal, I’m kind of decision-fatigued — so I’m leaning on a meal plan template to make the dinner decisions for me. Here are the four dinners I’m serving before and after our festive Thanksgiving meal and a look at what we’re eating on Turkey Day.

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I’m not quite sure how the Thanksgiving dinner evolved into such a big and complicated meal. Who can realistically pull off roasting a massive bird and cook all the side dishes that are now deemed a standard part of the meal without going a little insane? My advice: Make little bits and pieces of your meal ahead of time, before all the madness sets in. Here are some tips and pointers on what you can do now — and what should wait for later!

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Dry turkey, bloody roast beef, cold-in-the middle lasagna … it happens. But it doesn’t have to! Use a thermometer and cook your meatloaf or your lamb chops or your salmon to the perfect degree of doneness. Never again serve pork chops that are so overdone they have to be doused with gravy. Find out just how tender chicken breasts can be. And stop wondering, once and for all, whether or not the turkey is done! (If you want to get technical, there are even perfect temperatures for banana bread and pumpkin pie.)

There is no shame in using a meat thermometer. It doesn’t make you a lesser cook who needs a piece of equipment to back up your instincts. In fact, nearly every professional chef uses a meat thermometer, and they’ll suggest you should too. Once you start using a thermometer, you’ll never want to cook without one again.

Why You Should Trust Our Gear Pro

For more than 30 years, I was in charge of testing and reporting on everything from wooden spoons to connected refrigerators at the Good Housekeeping Institute. I’ve walked the floors of every trade show and read every new product release for longer than most digital publications have existed!

My street cred? I also worked as a chef in New York City restaurants for seven years.

I’ve tested, used, and played with nearly every piece of kitchen gear (including thermometers) to come on the market for years. When it comes to gear, it takes a lot to impress me, and I know what actually works.

Picked by a Pro. Tested by Real Home Cooks.

I’ve tested what feels like every thermometer on the market (at all the price points, low to high!) and these are my all-time favorites. But you don’t have to take my word and my word alone, either. Kitchn editors — a unique hybrid of professionals and home cooks, who develop and test great recipes in real home kitchens — and real Amazon shoppers weighed in on some of these picks too, testing my favorites in the context of their actual home cooking.

After all, when it comes to kitchen gear, what matters is that it works for a home cook — not just that a chef endorses it, or that it passed some high-flying bar in a sterile test kitchen. You want gear that is, above all, practical, long-lasting, and mindful of real cooks, real kitchens, and real budgets.

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