My first memories of Thanksgiving in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina were of simple seasonal foods spread on a rough plank table in my mother’s old home in Madison County. Located in the far west of North Carolina, bordering eastern Tennessee, Madison County used to be known as rough country (moonshiners, family feuds) though it’s now home to a plethora of organic farmers. My mother’s people, the Treadways and the Sawyers, were raw, hardworking clans with bodies long and lean and spirits naturally suspicious of outsiders. Their hands were calloused from labor and their faces weathered from days spent outdoors and worn with the constant worry of survival in the wilderness that they called home. Read on… »

This old-fashioned stack cake made with dried apples, molasses, and spices is a traditional centerpiece of the Appalachian Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients

1 pound dried apples
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon Read on… »

On November 10, the holiday feasting season officially began (in my mind) with the Fourth Annual Casserole Party, which was created by Emily Farris, friend of Spooning and author of the brand-new cookbook Casserole Crazy. First place went to the creators of Caulifornication, a creamy cauliflower concoction; those lucky cooks got a turquoise Le Creuset pot, which is officially the most beautiful piece of cookware I’ve ever laid eyes on. Anyway, all that Pyrex and communal feasting made me realize that it’s time to get the folks together to eat and be merry. In that spirit, Spooning will be launching a new theme, Gather ‘Round, which will open with a terrific piece by Karen Dill about her first memories of Thanksgiving, celebrated with her rural mountain relatives. Moonshine and home-cured ham? Yes, please!

It’s an exciting time to be an American. Chocolate is our new favorite flavor, and that can only mean great things for our future. This delectable chocolate White House was featured on the adorable blog-of-the-moment Yes We Cake. (I’ve actually been marveling for a while about the quantity of baked goods Obama has been inspiring—I don’t recall Kerry kupcakes or Clinton clafoutis!) Then there’s Comedy Central’s Chocolate News (hosted by In Living Color’s brilliant David Allen Grier—It only took him til he was 53 to get his own show!). And here in NYC, today is the kick-off of the annual Willy Wonkaesque fantasy that is the Chocolate Show, featuring, among other things, cocoa couture. (This chocolate Wonder Woman get-up takes the, uh, cake.)