The Fork

So hey, what're you guys up to in a week from today? Just kidding. Like you, we've got the day off (sorry if you don't, but in our defense we work, like, all the time) and are planning on eating too much with whatever family members and friends we can find. We have also seen lots of people out there in Facebook Land offering up chairs and meals in their homes to those who would otherwise be stranded, which we think is cool. We really like when humanity does nice things for each other. But anyway, we're psyched to Thanksgiving it up.

In fact, we even went out and learned that Thanksgiving wasn't a federal holiday until Lincoln made it so in 1863. Before that it had been a pretty unfamiliar concept in much of the country (specifically the South), and even the exact day itself was up for debate until 1948 when Harry "S is for Sexy" Truman proclaimed that it would be a last-Thursday-in-November thing. Boom—history.

We're also here to help with some last-minute pointers:

For example, did you know that the Chocolate Maven will take your T-Day pie orders up til Tuesday Nov. 21? They also told us that they're churning out bunches daily anyway, so you should be good to go if you can't bake 'em yourself and they'll surely be fresh. There's an order form here , but you can call them in, too. And though the traditional pumpkin pie ($13) is surely worth it, the pumpkin cheesecake ($24) looks straight bonkers. They have more choices, too, in pecan and pastry form.

Modern General (637 Cerrillos Road, 930-4562) has entered the world of catering as well and now offers easy meal pickups for special occasions (like holidays). Thanksgiving orders can also be placed until Tuesday Nov. 21 and include pies ($35-$60), turkey stock ($12 per quart) and lots more. Also they sell shovels there, so …

If you're more of a go-out-and-eat-because-you-hate-doing-dishes kind of person/family, word on the street is that the Anasazi Restaurant (113 Washington Ave., 988-3030) has a stellar prix fixe menu for $45-$95. If this sounds like a lot, remember it's a holiday and all that

We also came across this handy website from Athens Foods wherein multiple leftover recipes are available. We generally like those next-day sandwiches best anyway, but some of these recipes are pretty incredible—like the phyllo sweet potato triangles and the turkey Parmesan mini-shells. The fine folks at Athens have seven days worth of suggestions, so make it happen.

More Tidbits

-Awhile back, SFR reviewed a food documentary about Northern California chef Jeremiah Tower called The Last Magnificent . Basically, Tower has influenced the culinary world in ways you wouldn't believe, so imagine how pumped we were to come across this treasure trove of info from CNN (yes, that CNN). Check it out and ask yourself: If Anthony Bourdain loves Jeremiah Tower, shouldn't I?

-Local coffee company Caveman Coffee (411 Water St., Ste. B, and 1221 Flagman Way B1, 992-2677) has really embraced the holiday spirit with a special on gift cards that's more exciting than a tall coffee jam-packed with butter (which is also a thing they do): If you buy gift cards over the amount of $25, you qualify for a store credit after Dec. 1. Do this thing. Oh, and be aware that Caveman also does a monthly subscription wherein they'll send super-rad coffee stuff right to your door for a mere $24 a month (which is probably way less than you spend at coffee shops).

-Speaking of coffee, we're sure you've heard about the "fine" Americans smashing up their by-the-cup Keurig coffee machines because the company chose to pull advertising bucks from Sean Hannity's Fox News program after he featured and sorta-kinda-definitely defended Alabamian Senate hopeful and sexual predator Roy Moore (whose disgusting exploits you can read about here ). Setting aside how gross and wasteful Keurig's chambered one-cup bacteria factories are for a moment, you've gotta love a cross section of people who decide to stick it to a company that already has their money by destroying their own property. Smart.

-And since we want to go out with some lighter fare (Ha—food jokes!), know that we had a simple breakfast at new restaurant/bakery Dolina (an eggs and toast kinda thing) for just $8, which we needed to tell you about for no other reason that it was so amazing we're still thinking about it. Are you not frequenting this place yet? You should be. SFR gave 'em a proper review last month, but we felt it was worth repeating.

Also …

It's not a food thing, but Ski Santa Fe's tentative opening day is on Thanksgiving. And while we'd never out-and-out suggest public drinking, we did come across this cool article about flasks and drinks that are good in flasks. Just be careful while you're propelled down a mountainside with only sticks to prevent you from a wipe out (cue ferocious drum beat).

We did happen across that Betty Crocker Cookbook from 1950 that's totally cool and has totally weird gelatin recipes and such, and we're planning to gift it this season, but we also discovered they update that thing every so often. Pick up a newer version here.

Don't forget to NOT mix up salt and sugar when making sweet treats this year (this sounds obvious, but one time our mom totally blew it and ruined our after-dinner lives by doing just that).

And while we're talking about sweet treats, get a load of this super-rad biscochito recipe from former SFR writer Eli Seratt, which we mention because it's the state cookie of New Mexico and also because they just sound good to us:

Biscochitos

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Zest of one orange
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons anise extract

Topping:

• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in orange zest.
3. Combine cinnamon and sugar for topping in a small bowl and set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, beat vegetable shortening with a mixer, gradually adding sugar, until light and fluffy. Add egg, brandy, orange juice, vanilla extract and anise extract and beat well.
5. Add dry ingredients the shortening mixture gradually, stopping when mixture is combined. Do not overwork—dough will have consistency similar to piecrust.
6. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
7. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon dough into cookie press, and press shapes onto lined baking sheets.
   • Alternately: roll out dough to ¼-inch thickness between two sheets of parchment paper, using about 1/2 to 1/3 of the dough at a time. Cut out cookies and place on lined baking sheets.
8. Bake cookies 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.
9. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture immediately. Cool one minute and loosen cookies from parchment paper. Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile…

We're gonna go ahead and link to yet another piece from our annual Restaurant Guide, because that thing is just straight pure gold. This week's highlight, the aptly-titled " Party of One ," is all about de-stigmatizing the idea of eating alone. All it really takes is a good book and/or the ability to be polite. We'll have our fingers crossed for all y'all.

Finally…

We're happy to announce that Fork reader Bob responded to our query about weird regional dishes. Says Bob, "Not really sure how regional this dish is, but when I lived in Oklahoma, no winter holiday dinner would be complete without Frog Eye Salad."

Now, we didn't know what the hell that might be, but have since discovered that it's a pasta salad made with whipped topping (think Cool Whip … not joking) and lots of eggs. You can find a recipe here . Thanks for the tip, Bob! We feel a little weird about this thing, but we salute you and all the fine people of Oklahoma.

No one, however, answered us about where their kids like to eat. Let us know! Like, what happens if we wind up in a Punky Brewster situation and have to feed a young person? We'd be so screwed. As always, let us know at thefork@sfreporter.com .

…Till next time!

Post-Script: We're taking next week off to spend time with our families whether we want to or not. The Fork will return on Thursday Nov. 30. Kisses!