Five Ways to Drink Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Turkey…stuffing…mashed potatoes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they’re all great, but in the ES book holidays are a time to get booze-y. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up traditional Thanksgiving flavors. These five liquor-fueled concoctions put the yay in turkey day.

1. Pumpkin Martini

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We’ve been seeing this one pop up a lot lately, whether made with pumpkin spice or pumpkin syrup. At Devil’s Alley in Philadelphia, they say screw the FDA and throw some caffeine in there too. Their espresso pumpkin martini is made from Van Gogh Expresso Vodka, Bailey’s Irish Cream and pumpkin syrup. Leave pumpkin pie for the babies. (Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

2. Cranberry Cocktail

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We all know that frightening blob of canned cranberry sauce is gonna be left on the table at the end of the meal, right? Fortunately for cranberry lovers who want their antioxidants in a more easily digestible form, there are now several types of cranberry liquor on the market. At Patina Restaurant in LA, the turkey day menu gets washed down with “the fall cocktail” — 1½ oz. Pear Vodka, ¾ oz. Cranberry Liquor and 1 oz. Apple Juice.

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Talking With Our Mouths Full: Introducing the ES Podcast

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Long-time readers know the ES crew won’t be satisfied until we control the entire food media world, and on that note, today’s a big day in the annals of Endless Simmer history, as this post officially goes where no ES post has gone before: the world of sound. That’s right — in addition to learning what we eat every night through our words and photos, you can now get all up in our heads and actually hear what’s going on inside these hungry, hungry minds.

On Talking With Our Mouths Full: The Endless Simmer Podcast, we’ll bring you food stories from around the globe, interview some of your favorite food personalities, and share our every edible thought, all via the magical medium of Internet radio. Given the time of year, today’s debut episode is all about — what else? — turkey! Those of you looking to mix it up a bit this Thanksgiving are in luck, as four of our favorite food personalities have graciously taken the time to tell us about a few alternative ways you can cook that big bird this year. Hit the play button above and take a listen!

Featured Guests in this Episode:

Fabio Viviani, the fan favorite from season five of Top Chef, is also the star of the upcoming Food Network series Fabio: A Catered Affair, the chef at brand new LA eatery Firenze Osteria, and a roving ambassador for Santa Margherita wines. Somehow, he found the time to talk to us about turkey.

Elizabeth Karmel is widely recognized as one of America’s foremost BBQ and grilling experts. The executive chef at New York’s Hill Country Barbecue and Market (an Al Roker favorite!), Elizabeth is also the founder of GirlsAtTheGrill.com, where, among other goodies, you’ll find a mean recipe for grilled turkey.

Mike Bober (a.k.a. JoeHoya) along with his wife Elizabeth, writes the Washington, D.C. food blog Capital Spice. When he’s not busy smoking out his entire neighborhood, he drops enough knowledge around ES to earn himself a place in the Endless Eater Hall of Fame.

Clint Cantwell is a member of award-winning competition barbecue and grilling team Smoke In Da Eye. If you’re gonna try frying up your bird this year, please, please read Clint’s Ten Tips to a Perfect (and Safe) Deep-Fried Turkey.

After you’ve listened to the turkey talk podcast above, be sure to share your own turkey cooking tips in the comments below, and cast your vote:

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Talking With Our Mouths Full is produced by Adam Pogoff of Boutique Radio. For all your podcasting and audio production needs, visit Boutique Radio on the web.

T Minus Ten Days: Our Best Thanksgiving Sides Recipes

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Uh-oh! Ten days and counting to National Gluttony Day, and the crew here at ES is far from finishing our Thanksgiving menus.

How about you all? In need of some inspiration? To get the ball rolling, here are some of our favorite side dishes from Endless Simmer Thanksgivings past:

Cranberry-Butternut Squash Spring Rolls

Curried Parsley Sauce with Brussel Sprouts and Potato

Squash with Portobellas, Walnuts and Feta

Hot and Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

Julienne Root Vegetable Salad

Turkey-Bacon-Potato Onesie AND Sweet Potato-Feta-Spinach Onesie

Roasted Pumpkin Stew

Ginger-Gorgonzola Acorn Squash

Mindless Baked Sweet Potato

Curry Pumpkin Soup

Squash and Spinach with Curry-Ginger Yogurt Sauce

Have a great Thanksgiving side recipe? Drop the details (or a link) in the comments.