Lots of good Thanksgiving things to do with this wonderful stuff.

Cope's Dried Sweet Corn, from Amish country. 

 Turkey is good meat, especially with the sides and gravy. There is an easy and effective way to cut it up:

One spatchcocked and cooked over citrus, one regular with a heavy spice rub

Or as a side with any meaty winter dinner. Whenever Mrs. BD brings this to a party, the bowl is clean.

Very easy, too: Grandma's Corn Pudding   As a friend's wife said to me last night at a deep-fried turkey party, "just call it a vegetable and enjoy it." Yum yum.

"Cape Cod Turkey" means a codfish dish. Cape Cod friends of mine always make cod for Thanksgiving, figuring that that is most of what the Pilgrims had for dinner.

They make baked stuffed cod, which is a delicious thing as long as you do not overcook the fish. Let's face it - Thanksgiving is about stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and punkin pie anyway and not so much about the turkey. Well, Mrs. BD makes Butternut Squash pies but it's the same difference.

There is a specific New England dish called Cape Cod Turkey.   Cod and potatoes.

A repost from a past November -

A great hunt this morning at a pal's rod and gun club. Heavy snow flurries and a stiff breeze made things interesting. Had two good Labs working for us today. Had to break the ice in their water tubs. Being Labs, naturally one insisted on climbing into the water tub to play with the floating hunks of ice and was not eager to come out.

Before a late lunch we had some venison sausage and I fixed myself a Clamato Bloody Mary while we cleaned and oiled our weapons. For lunch, they made us rare roast beef with Onion Pie, with a nice Chateau Simard '86 (Simard remains an excellent wine for the price). I do not know whether it was just the effect of a long cold day in the field, but this onion pie was about the tastiest, most savory thing I have ever eaten. The cook made it with a plain white-cracker piecrust and maybe sprinkled cracker crumbs over the top. This pie is to a kiche as a Grizzly Bear is to a Teddy Bear. Rice Pudding for dessert, of course: what else would you serve at an old-fashioned guy's club where women are not allowed?

As my friends know all too well, it's great to have somebody else to drive so I can indulge a post-prandial, post-hunt snoring snooze. I do not know why my friends put up with me.

Prepare unbaked pie shell. Start heating oven to 400 degrees. Saute onions in butter and dump into pie shell. Toss the cheese with flour, sprinkle over onions. Beat eggs well. Stir in milk or cream, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese. Sprinkle crack crumbs on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven heat to 300 degrees and bake 25 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve hot, in wedges.

That is soul food with a rare roast beef. Might be a good treat for a holday, too, as an alternative to creamed baby onions (which I also love).

I like leftover cold pizza for breakfast as much as any other guy, but around here late summer is when our home grown tomatoes ripen. In New England, tomato season is brief (except for cherry tomatoes).  Almost done. They are sweet.

Here's my favorite way to use our own tomatoes for breakfast: Put one (large) or a couple of thick slices of tomato on some thin white bread. Then slices of cheddar to cover the tomatoes. Put under a hot broiler til the cheese melts a bit and the exposed bread browns. Not necessary, but a small sprinkle of oregano on top if you must.

Perfect breakfast - simple pizza. A shame that the Romans never knew tomatoes.

The locals know all of the best wild Beach Plum spots, and clean them out before anybody else. I do not think they can be cultivated, but the plants can be bought. Very slow growers. However the rose hips from the beach roses (Rosa rugosa, a native of Asia) also make a delicate jelly.

We have a bunch simmering right now. Lots of recipes online.

Roses and apples are closely-related. 

Mrs. BD and her pal had the best burger in their lives in Mississippi in a road trip to Houston last winter, in some redneck dive place with fancy burgers.(nb: Redneck is not a disparagment on Maggie's).

General rule of thumb: Always avoid disgusting chain places. The hole in the walls have the best stuff because they have to compete.

 One of my cool daughters emailed me about the best burger she has ever had (visiting a college pal in Nashville): cream cheese, jalapeno jelly, and grilled jalapenos. I feel hungry now despite a filling lobster salad for lunch with a glass of chardonnay. Life is pleasant in the USA.

Yes, I make a mean jalapeno jelly from my garden each year. Good with cheese. My kids steal the jars from the pantry. 

Simple as pie. Roughly chop up a few cloves of garlic. Roughly chop up an onion. Throw them in a big pan with plenty of olive oil for a few minutes on medium heat.

Chop up an eggplant into about 1" square chunks - skin on. Also, a couple of zucchinis and yellow summer squashes to about 1" chunks.

Before the garlic and onions brown, throw in the vegetable chunks with a cup of water, stir it up a little, throw in some salt and plenty of ground pepper, and cover the pot.

No tomato - it messes up the subtle flavors.

Then get some sprigs of thyme, oregano, and basil from the garden and throw them on top, and let it slow simmer and steam on low medium for a while, covered. Gently stir it around a little.

As soon as the veggies begin turn soft but before they fall apart, take off the stove. Throw a handful of fresh-chopped parsley on top before serving. Even vegophobes like it.

At this very moment. Chunks of Black Cherry wood from the woodpile, with a pot of water in there.

Short and regular pork ribs rubbed with brown sugar, various ground peppers, dried mustard and Kosher salt.

Also a pork butt or two.

Let me know whether the smell of the smoke comes through your computer screen. It smells good.

If you cannot smell it, maybe your computer's smoke-blocker blocks it.

How do you do this enjoyable task? 

In the southern USA, "tea" means Sweet Tea. People usually make a couple of quarts at a time. Delicious.

I have been a fan of Sun Tea since I first had it in Montana. It's usually made a gallon jar at a time. Keep the top on or ants will come, and keep in direct sunlight for 5-6 hours.

The real recipe. Peaches or blueberries are ok too. (recipe link corrected)

Simple

Either an Antipasto or a Primi.

Simple, light, and good

From Nice, of course, as its name indicates. A charming Riviera town. I would go back there anytime.

These are a favorite summer treat around here. Yes, you can do it with pumpkin blossoms too. Use the male blossoms, on the stalks. No reason to waste them.

A simple recipe.  Do not wash the blossoms. Serve hot, with salt.

For a fancier antipasto, fried blossoms stuffed with goat cheese. How good does that sound?