TEXAS COOKING ONLINE * November, 2003 NEWSLETTER *

Holiday Dinnerware Special Get a free gift with the purchase of special holiday dinnerware sets from Lennox and Pfaltzgraff. This special runs through November only. Bonus buys with Fiestaware Free pasta bowls, bread trays, place settings, salad plates, more! See special Fiestaware gift offers. Special Rebate: $20 with purchase of high-quality Le Creuset Cookware Welcome to the time of year that some folks ominously refer to as "the Holidays." Some of us can't get enough of this time of year, and some of us just plain fear it. At Texas Cooking, this is our busiest time of year. You can find all kinds of resources and help for your holiday meals and entertaining, whether you welcome or dread the Season. Over the past several years, our article Turkey & All the Trimmings has been read by thousands of people worldwide. We have included it in this newsletter in case you need a checklist for preparation of your Thanksgiving meal. The traditional dressing in Texas is cornbread dressing; however, we will concede the existence of other varieties. Austin writer Trish Bales shares several dressing and stuffing recipes from around the country in Dressings From Coast to Coast. Want a selection of methods by which to prepare your turkey? How about brining before roasting this year. Interested in using a turkey fryer or smoking your bird? This month, John Raven takes us through preparing the turkey, paying special attention to the deep-fried turkey process, in his article Talkin' Turkey. You may find yourself receiving houseguests during the holidays, so pay special attention to Sidney Carlisle's article, Autumn Brunch. And don't fail to check out our featured recipe, Scalloped Potatoes. High on the list of all-time great comfort foods, they're perfect for the Thanksgiving table. On the Texas Cooking front page, take a look at the "Pie Box". You'll find no fewer than ten pies you can choose from that will please your family, friends and guests.

Personalized, postmarked from the North Pole, the perfect gift - just $9.95 Special Features Talkin’ Turkey by John Raven, Ph.B. The holidays are upon us, and this is the best time to make use of turkey fryers. Of course, there are other ways to prepare a bird, like roasting and smoking. John Raven covers all the bases in his article Talkin' Turkey. Dressings from Coast to Coast by Trish Bales Are you daring enough to try something new this year at Thanksgiving? Trish checked into different traditions outside the Lone Star state and found dressing and stuffing varying greatly in flavor, but tasting great. Included are Minnesota Wild Rice Dressing, Hawaiian Sweet Potato Walnut Stuffing, North American Butternut Squash Stuffing, Louisiana Oyster Dressing and California Wild Mushroom Dressing. Turkey & Most of the Trimmings by Eleanor Bradshaw Whether you're a novice at preparing a Holiday meal or an old hand, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner can be daunting. Even if you are able to delegate preparation of some of the dishes to friends and relatives, more than likely you will be responsible for the basics; that is, the turkey, the dressing (that's stuffing to you non-Southerners) and the gravy. Autumn Brunch by Sidney Carlisle Inviting friends for brunch is a way to bridge the gap between casual backyard barbecues and the more elaborate plans of the approaching holiday season. Here is a delicious menu featuring crispy waffles, grits and apple coffee cake with apple vanilla icing. Fiestaware Bonus Buys Special Fiestaware offer until November 30. In November, you can find terrific buys on many Fiestaware products. Get free pasta bowls, bread trays, place settings, salad plates and more! Also, read our report on the special holiday pattern American Christmas Tree. Vote in our online poll! This month's question: Close your eyes and imagine the Thanksgiving meal before you. Your plate is filled, ready and waiting. What will your first bite of Thanksgiving dinner be? Have you read John Raven's latest advice column, Ask Dr. John? This month's column includes, among other topics, patty melts, cooking beans and fajitas and cast iron skillet care. Talk about variety! Great jackets, jerseys, shirts, caps and watches for Texas Longhorns, Aggies and Red Raiders fans. Visit today to find these and many other fun items. Texas Golf: Off the Beaten Cart Path Enjoy golf? Dallas writer Jason Stone writes a new article monthly on exciting places around Texas for golfers. Read this column on our sister website, Texana. Also, check out his great book, The Texas Golf Bible. Books about Texas Read our original book reviews on great books about Texas in the Lone Star Bookstore The favorite of many professional chefs, copper cookware is as efficient as it is beautiful. For a limited time, you can treat yourself to world-class copper saucepans, roasting pans, cataplanas, paella pans and more at terrific sale prices. More information New Recipe: Scalloped Potatoes 1-1/2 tablespoons butter 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1-1/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 2-3/4 to 3 pounds potatoes (baking potatoes or russets), peeled and thinly sliced (1/8-inch slices) 1 small onion, peeled and very thinly sliced, rings separated 1-1/2 cups chicken broth 1 cup heavy cream (whipping cream) 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, and preheat the oven to 400°F. Over medium heat, melt the butter and stir in the bread crumbs. Sauté until golden, remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the flour, thyme, salt and pepper. Put one-third of the sliced potatoes into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle one=third of the flour mixture evenly over the potatoes, and top with half of the onion rings. Repeat for the second layer, then top with the remaining one-third of the potatoes and flour mixture. Whisk together the chicken broth, cream and mustard, and pour mixture evenly over the potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes, then scatter the bread crumbs over the potatoes. Continue baking for 50 to 60 minutes longer. Potatoes should be crusty and medium brown on top, but tender and creamy in the middle. Most of the liquid will be absorbed, but potatoes should still be moist. Serve warm. Makes 8 servings. Order up delicious steaks, poultry & seafood from 5-star restaurants Visit the Texas Cooking Food Gift Store for great offers and coupons. Online Groceries: Many of our West Coast readers can now conveniently shop for their groceries online. Click on our link to find out more. Special $10 off coupon with certain purchase. Stop Spyware! Kazaa, Gator and other similar programs have been sneaking their way onto people's computers wreaking havoc to their systems. This malicious set of programs are difficult to remove. They flood the screen with their own pop-up ads, and they open the computer up to a host of viruses. If you have programs like Kazaa, TopText, Gator, WhenU and others on your system, take a moment to learn about the problems these programs cause. We have written a useful and quick tutorial that informs you about them, and how to uninstall them from your computer. Free Catalogs Get Great Savings from These Free Catalogs Clothing Bridal / Wedding Wine & Brew Sporting Goods Hobbies / Crafts Pets _________ Free $25 shopping offer T-Shirt Contest We award T-shirts to ten readers every month. The winners are announced in the first newsletter of the month. October Contest Winners Walter B. of Lansing, Michigan Teresa B. of White Plains, New York Dale D. of Orlando, Florida Rhonda H. of Calhan, Colorado Rudy J. of Schuamburg, Illinois Jim M. of San Antonio, Texas Judy R. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Debbie S. of Kountze, Texas Gail W. of Little Rock, Arkansas Beverly W. of Canton, Ohio Congratulations winners! We are frequently asked if we award T-Shirts to non-US residents, and the answer is Yes. We have had quite a few Canadian winners, and have also sent T-Shirts to winners in England, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany. The Rules Since we began our T-Shirt giveaway five years ago, our contest rules remained unchanged. Readers have been able to enter as many times as they like, and their entries were retained in our database. As you can imagine, our contest database has become very large (which is good), BUT much of it consists of old email addresses that are no longer valid. Therefore, we are making the following change in our contest rules: Readers can still enter as often as they like; however, each contest entry will expire three months following the date it was entered and will disappear from the database. This will greatly reduce the number of "names in the hat" and improve the odds of winning. We think this change will result in an even better contest. Subscription / Unsubscribe Help This newsletter is sent to you because you, or someone on your behalf, indicated you would like to receive it when you signed our Guest Book or entered our T-Shirt Contest. If you wish to stop receiving the Newsletter, click here or point your browser to http://www.texascooking.com/unsub1.ihtml If you would like to change your email address, please send an email to txmailbox@texascooking.com. The Texas Cooking newsletter and the Texas Cooking website are designed and maintained by Labnet Web Design. 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