Monday, November 25, 2024

Cheese dreams live up to their name

These two-bite sandwiches feature loads of Cheddar spiked with Worcestershire and garlic powder.
Cooking

November 25, 2024

Cheese dreams are shown on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Melissa Knific's cheese dreams. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cheese dreams come true

And seemingly without warning, Thanksgiving is only three days away. I'm not going to stress you out with a checklist of things to do for the great feast (except for a little reminder to defrost your turkey if you haven't already). Instead, I'm going to focus on getting you fed for all the other meals during this frantic week. Just because you're cooking turkey on Thursday doesn't mean you have to skip dinner tonight.

Here's what to make when all you want is a grilled cheese sandwich (that's me), but you're cooking for a crowd: Melissa Knific's cheese dreams. These two-bite snacks are made with loads of Cheddar cheese spiked with Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder for oomph. Make them for guests (children and grown-ups alike) for brunch, lunch or a buttery appetizer.

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Cheese Dreams

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Another option from the finger-food department (at least if you're like my daughter and you eat salad with your hands): Christian Reynoso's red cabbage salad with orange vinaigrette is colorful, bright, herby and filled with apples and dried cranberries for sweetness and almonds for crunch. It's a great salad to make ahead since it lasts for several hours at room temperature and would even look stunning on your Thanksgiving table, should you still be searching for something salad-y to round out the holiday carbs.

Another dish that works as well for Thanksgiving as it does for an autumnal weeknight meal is Sarah Jampel's cheesy baked pumpkin pasta with kale. This gooey, bubbling dish is perfect as a meatless side dish or a turkey-free main. And it's a great place to use up that extra can of pumpkin you might have laid in for pies and pumpkin bread.

You probably weren't thinking of making chicken this week because of that other bird on Thursday. But then again, my sheet-pan turmeric chicken and crispy rice is very different from the gentle flavors of the usual Thanksgiving meal. Heady with spices and studded with scallions and grated ginger, the rice gets brittle and golden as it roasts, absorbing all the good drippings from the drumsticks and thighs. No harm, more fowl. Serve it with some spicy sweet harissa-maple mushrooms from Nargisse Benkabbou, which are a paragon of umami deliciousness.

It would probably be sensible to skip desserts this week and wait for Thanksgiving's pie-a-palooza. As if! Just because you made treats for Thursday doesn't mean you have to go without tonight. Ali Slagle's fool-like cranberries and cream has plenty of yogurt in it, which also makes it perfect to eat for breakfast. Or dollop it on top of your Thanksgiving pies, where it will add both lush creaminess and a fetching scarlet hue.

You do need a subscription for the recipes. Subscribing to New York Times Cooking supports our work bringing you new recipes every single week, and doing it now, just in time for the holiday season, will pay you back amply. If you need any technical help, the brilliant people at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there for you. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi.

That's all for now. I'll see you on Wednesday.

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

Article Image

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Red Cabbage Salad With Orange Vinaigrette

By Christian Reynoso

20 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Article Image

Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta With Kale

By Sarah Jampel

45 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A loaf of pumpkin bread is photographed from the side with three slices cut from one end.

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Pumpkin Bread With Brown Butter and Bourbon

By Melissa Clark

1 hour 15 minutes

Makes Two 8-inch loaves

A sheet pan holds turmeric roast chicken legs with crispy rice.

Linda Xiao for the New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Sheet-Pan Turmeric Chicken and Crispy Rice

By Melissa Clark

50 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Article Image

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Harissa-Maple Mushrooms

By Nargisse Benkabbou

45 minutes 

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Article Image

Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Cranberries and Cream

By Ali Slagle

10 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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