Now that Thanksgiving’s over and the family has scattered  (at least for now), there’s a good chance they somehow manage not to feel so far away. Between FaceTime, Skype, email, and other modern modes of conversation, it’s fairly likely you’re not missing a beat — either you’re texting them or, more likely, they’re texting you. So, in celebration of this in-between holiday time and the When Parents Text blog’s 1^st year anniversary (a holiday in itself!), we present you with this lovely video:

I’m very lucky–other family members host our big gatherings, so when it comes to holiday cooking, all I have to make is dessert.

In researching options for this holiday season, a recipe for Pumpkin Cobbler caught my eye on KitchenScoop.com, the website of Desperation Dinners authors Alicia Ross and Beverly Mills. I decided to make it this past Thanksgiving.

The now-famous "magical cobbler"

While assembling the cobbler according to the recipe instructions, I was very confused. Why did the recipe say to place the crust mixture on the bottom, then read “The crust will not cover cobbler completely, but this is fine.” How would it cover the top at all if it was on the bottom?

The short answer? Because it’s magical! During the baking process, I peeked into the oven to discover the crust wrapped around the edges of the dish to envelop the top AND the bottom of the pumpkin mixture in a delicious, buttery crust!

The dish was a hit at Thanksgiving dinner. Now my whole family is calling it the “magical crust dessert,” and everyone wants to help bake it so they can see the “magic.” A holiday dish everyone is fighting to help make? That is definitely something to be thankful for!

Click here for the Pumpkin Cobbler recipe on KitchenScoop.com

Spotted! 10-Minute Puppets author Noel MacNeal on the Sesame Street parade float! What, you don’t see him?

Here, I’ll give you a hint: He’s hiding inside an eight-foot two-inch tall bright yellow bird. Now do you see him?

Noel MacNeal is a regular Muppet and Sesame Street performer, and this Thanksgiving he scored the awesome gig of being Big Bird on the Sesame Street float! Says Noel: “Turkey Day was great. Got to be a big bird before eating a big bird!”

Here’s Noel, outside the Bird but still in the nest, with fellow Sesame Street character Abby Cadabby and her puppeteer, Leslie Carrara-Rudolph.

And here’s his book, with a hue to rival those yellow feathers, and a quote on the cover from the puppeteer who created Big Bird!

Loyal followers of the Workman blog will remember WorkMan, our resident superhero, and are no doubt wondering what he’ll be doing this Thanksgiving. What do superheroes do on Turkey Day? Well, I can’t speak for where all of them might be (Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Wayne Manor) but WorkMan has personally let me in on his plans. With the day off from his editorial intern activities, WorkMan will concentrate on what he does best: making the world a better place. On this Thanksgiving Day, you may find him tackling any number of activities from How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist. Here’s a sampling:

• Thanking the Troops: LetsSayThanks.com gives kids (and their parents) an easy way to send a free patriotic postcard to military personnel serving abroad. Pick a postcard on their website, write your message, and Xerox will print the card and send it overseas. You can also send a virtual thank-you card to a service member through Defend America (ourmilitary.mil, click on “Thank the Troops”). These cards let solders know that we’re thinking of them here at home and appreciate their sacrifice.
• Making Poverty History: Cofounded by U2 front man Bono, the ONE Campaign (one.org) is a powerful grassroots organization that works with policy experts, activists, and political leaders to find solutions to global issues like AIDS, malaria, climate change, and extreme poverty. This campaign does not ask for your money, only your voice. Take one minute out of your day to visit their website and sign a petition to fight against these devastating problems.
• Wiping Away Shopper’s Remorse: IGive.com is a charity mall with over fifteen thousand organizations to choose from—from Action Against Hunger to your local YMCA (you can nominate your preferred charity if it’s not already on the list.) When you make a purchase through iGive, the retailer puts a percentage in your account. You can then redirect those funds to a partner charity. OneCause.com is another charity mall (with merchants like Dell, Disney, and Sheraton), where you can earn money for causes like American Forests and the American Cancer Society.
• Sweet Gestures: Do your macaroons come out perfect every time? Donate your cookies and other baked goods to your local Meals on Wheels (mowaa.org). During the holidays and for every birthday, volunteers provide homebound seniors with special goodie bags called We Care Packages—decorated shoeboxes or paper shopping bags filled with edible treats, toiletries and small personal items. Packages can also include a personal note with well wishes from volunteers. Visit their website to find your local Meals on Wheels chapter and look under the Volunteer Opportunities tab.

Impressive list, WorkMan! But you don’t have to be a superhero to change the world. Many of these activities can be done in 15 minutes or less, faster than the time it takes to get through holiday gridlock. There are plenty of ways to help others on a daily basis without having to donate millions or become a full-time volunteer. Pick up How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist (or if your a kid, Do Something!: A Handbook for Young Activists) to figure out how to start and discover hundreds of little to no-cost ways to make a difference. Trust me and WorkMan, “doing good” is just as satisfying as pumpkin pie or your Aunt Cindy’s cranberry sauce, and the best part is you don’t have to choose between the two!

–Editorial Intern Justin would like to wish everyone a Happy (Merry?) Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday–the mix of food and family always wins me over–but all of the cleaning, entertaining, and cooking that lead up to the day itself can make even the most cheerful chef a bit cranky.

Jessica Harper, the Crabby Cook herself, has your back. Watch Jessica’s casual take on Thanksgiving cooking–a foolproof cranberry sauce recipe–below, then read an excerpt from her upcoming book The Crabby Cook.

The Crabby Cook Cookbook by Jessica Harper

For a lot more crabby fun, visit Jessica Harper at TheCrabbyCook.com.

On the holiday, young hands can stay occupied with this project — and the resulting turkeys make great placecard holders! Just tuck a little card, with each diner’s name, behind the turkey’s head. (Don’t do it too many hours before dinner is served, or grease will leach onto the paper!)

Photography © Kevin Kennefick

Turkeys
Excerpted from Candy Construction by Sharon Bowers
Copyright © 2010 by Sharon Parrish Bowers
Used with permission from Storey Publishing
What You’ll Need:
Nutter Butter cookies
Chocolate Mortar or 1 can store-bought chocolate frosting
Mini marshmallows
Mini chocolate chips
Candy corn
Red fruit leather or red decorating gel
Fudge-striped shortbread cookies (two for each turkey)

What to Do
1. For each turkey, lay a Nutter Butter flat on your work surface. For the eyes, put two dabs of mortar on one end of the cookie and press two mini chocolate chips into the wet frosting. For the beak, trim off the tip of a candy corn and mortar it in place. Cut a little strip of red fruit leather and glue it alongside the beak, letting it dangle down beneath to serve as the wattle. If you don’t have fruit leather, you can use a squeeze of red decorating gel.

2. With mortar, glue the back of the Nutter Butter to the front of a fudge-striped shortbread cookie. Use more mortar to glue candy corn to the back of the striped cookie. Place the candy corn so that the fat ends radiate outward.

3. With a thick dollop of frosting, glue the Nutter Butter and fudge-striped cookie in a standing position on a second fudge striped cookie that is lying flat. It helps to sort of nestle the rounded base of the Nutter Butter into the hole in the middle of the shortbread cookie.

Fun Variation: These goofy turkeys are even cuter if you have the brown “Indian corn” candy corn (with brown ends instead of yellow), which is sometimes available in late fall. (If you see it, stock up!) Or be sure to save some regular candy corn from Halloween, because Thanksgiving will be here before you know it.

This is one project where using a few dabs of peanut butter in place of frosting is fast, easy, entirely appropriate, and even totally tasty. Be sure to use creamy peanut butter, not crunchy. Also, do not use the natural kind, which is less sticky because it’s grainier and oilier, lacking the sugar and emulsifiers that smooth out other types of peanut butter.

Though not a traditional Thanksgiving dish per se, Myra Goodman’s Roasted Butternut, Fennel, and Cranberries recipe from The Earthbound Cook epitomizes autumn, while also combining several ingredients that are commonly used around the holiday.  If you feel like trying your own spin on the dish, substitute in other winter vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, cipollini onions, shallots or yams. If you’re looking to make a vegetarian or vegan dish, the pancetta can be eliminated.

Serves 8-10

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 6 cups)
3 large fennel bulbs, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 3 cups), fronds reserved
3 crisp apples such as Fuji or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup dried cranberries, preferably organic
1/2 cup (4 ounces) finely minced pancetta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped reserved fennel fronds or fennel pollen
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400˚F.

2. Place the squash, fennel, apples, cranberries, and pancetta, if using, on a rimmed baking sheet.

3. Place the olive oil and maple syrup in a small bowl, and whisk to combine.

4. Pour the oil mixture over the vegetables and toss to coat. Add the thyme and fennel fronds, and season with coarse salt and black pepper to taste. Spread the mixture out. Do not crowd the vegetables as this will cause them to steam rather than brown—use two pans or cook in batches if necessary.

5. Roast the vegetables until they are lightly caramelized and tender, 30 to 45 minutes. As they are roasting, shake the baking sheet or stir the vegetables occasionally so they develop a crisp crust on each side.

6. Transfer the vegetables to a warmed platter and serve immediately.

7. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat over low heat or in a microwave before serving.

Orange and cranberry is another combination of sweet and tart that gets the juices flowing. Add a little pumpkin, and you have a most satisfying breakfast bread which will brighten any brunch table.

Pumpkin Bread

Excerpted from Pumpkin by DeeDee Stovel
Copyright © Edith Stovel 2005
Used with permission from Storey Publishing

MAKES 2 LOAVES

2 cups sugar
3⁄4 cup (11⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4 eggs
2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Juice of one orange (about 1⁄2 cup)
31⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
11⁄2 cups walnuts, chopped
11⁄2 cups dried cranberries

1 Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8- by 4-inch pans with butter.

2 Beat the sugar and butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs, pumpkin, and zest. Add enough water to
the orange juice to make 2⁄3 cup. Add to the sugar mixture and continue beating until well blended.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda into the pumpkin mixture.

4. Fold in the nuts and cranberries.

5. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake 70 to 80 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle
comes out clean and the top is golden brown. Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before slicing. Serve immediately or double wrap in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Sharon Bower’s new book Candy Construction is a dream come true for kids—all the projects are built out of candy, cookies and frosting! Pirate ships, race cars, necklaces, game boards, train cars and spaceships…all deliciously edible.  These adorable Pilgrim Hats, a Thanksgiving-centric project, could be a kid-friendly dessert or a fun way to keep the little ones occupied after the big meal.  Some of the pieces need to be cut in advance by an adult, but kids of all ages can do the assembling.

Pilgrim Hats
From Candy Construction by Sharon Bowers
Storey Publishing, 2010

Photo by Kevin Kennfick

12 fudge-striped shortbread cookies
12 mini peanut butter or caramel cups
Chocolate Mortar or 1 can store-bought chocolate frosting
Strawberry fruit leather

What to Do:
1) To construct the hats, turn the cookies over so the solid chocolate side is on top. Unwrap the miniature cups and use a dab of mortar to glue them, top side down, to the center of the cookie.

2) To make the hatbands, use scissors or a sharp paring knife to cut a strip of the fruit leather about 1/8-in. wide. Wrap it snugly around the fluted base of the cup, pressing it right up against the cookie. Press the ends together and trim off the excess. The fruit leather is sticky enough that you probably won’t need icing to hold the ends together.

3) Cut a square buckle from another piece of fruit leather and press the buckle over the seam in the hatband.

Chocolate Mortar: (makes 3 cups)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners’ sugar (a 1-pound box)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2-3 tablespoons whole milk or cream

1) Beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and cocoa powder, beating until absorbed. If the frosting is too thick, add the milk or cream, a few teaspoons at a time, until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

For years I’ve attended a seasonal get-together called “Friend Thanksgiving,” which is simple in concept (just as it sounds: all friends, no family) and delicious in execution.  It’s basically a potluck open house held the weekend before the actual holiday and guests bring a side dish to accompany the enormous turkey(s) cooked by the hosts.

Part of the fun was the complete diversity and inventiveness of the dishes.  Sure, there would be the expected stuffing and mashed potatoes, but there might also be Asian-style brussel sprouts, a blue-cheese gratin or braised radicchio.  Point being, sometimes changing up the traditional fare isn’t a bad thing. I, unfortunately, no longer live near the “Friend Thanksgiving” couple, but if I did, this is what I would bring—Scalloped Corn from David Tanis’ Heart of the Artichoke—it seems like a nice mix between something I don’t often see at the Thanksgiving table, but at the same time entirely Pilgrim-appropriate.

Scalloped Corn:

2 tablespoons butter, plus more for buttering the dish and topping
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
Kernels from 6 ears sweet corn (about 3 cups)
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1) Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Butter a 10-inch baking dish.

2) Melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a medium skillet, and soften the onion with a little salt, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, season with salt and pepper and cayenne, and stir well with a wooden spoon.

3) Slowly add the half-and-half and stir well as the sauce thickens. Add the corn kernels and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat.

4) Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl, and stir into the corn mixture.

5) Pour the corn mixture into the baking dish. Scatter the bread crumbs over the top and dot with butter. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden.