The slaving. The spread. The whirlwind. THE TURKEY. The food. The company. The pie. The piled plate. The tryptophan. The fire. The passing out. Ahh, tis the holiday.

“One scoop of creamy mashed potatoes. Four peas.” On Thanksgiving mashed potatoes are my jam. Whipped to perfection, they are a creamy, buttery pile on your plate stuffed between turkey and another more colorful side, dripping with homemade gravy, and begging you to fork them first. My mother has always made them with garlic, whipped with butter (or ghee), and spiced with a hint of herb. Since I don’t eat turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing are Thanksgiving to me. And OH BOY, I don’t really miss that turkey one bit. Just drizzle me some of that gravy.

Stuffing is one of those things that you wish you made more than once a year, but then you get around to baking the cornbread a day early, assembling the ingredients, and baking it in the oven for an hour. You realize it’s become a lengthy task to keep you busy while the turkey is cooking. Well, thanks for that. The time we take to make stuffing these days has graduated it to my favorite Thanksgiving dish.

Oranges, blue cheese, and red onion are a winning combination. In other terms I would say something astringent, something sour, and something spicy go well together. Add in the sweetness of the dressing, the savory walnuts, and the fresh, bitter greens and you have a simple salad with a complex taste. Adding in the salt and brine of a good black olive also works well.

By now know this base recipe by heart, but like to change its embellishments every time. In the spirit of Thanksgiving we made ‘em a little sweet, adding in the warmth of winter spices and plumped currants. Slathered with butter and eaten over the cooling rack, these no-fuss morsels held their own even though our attention was focused on tomorrow’s more high-maintenance eats.

I’m breaking new ground this Thanksgiving: organizing a holiday menu, being away from my family for turkey dinner (sniff), and killing two birds with one stone (heh) and visiting both families during the weekend. We’ll be cooking with Matt’s family for Thanksgiving and then dropping in on my own on Saturday. Cooking in a new kitchen always levels you: there’s unknown oven heating times, range heat differences, the challenge of remembering every single ingredient you need in advance, and the unknown palettes to please. We are going to cook the shit out of this meal.

I have been reading through the various speculations on who will be appointed Obama’s “King of Corn.” I signed a petition today for Michael Pollan. This kind of public statement speaks volumes regardless of the practicality of nominating an intellectual warrior for a physical post. Journalists play just as strong a role in our politics as do those in office, and Michael Pollan has stepped up to that challenge many times. Whether Pollan is the best suited, we need someone better equipped, more knowledgeable, and capable of turning our food system around. It all started with Earl Butz under Nixon. The hope is there will be change under Obama. We need someone in office who can balance the interests of politics and business with quality, health, and the sustainability of our planet’s resources.

Cookstr, a food site that samples recipes from cookbook superstars and celebrity chefs, recently launched in beta. The site hopes to give users a sample of recipes online and entice them to buy the books. Already signed up are chefs from Jamie Oliver (“The Naked Chef”) to Fergus Henderson (Nose to Tail) to Mario Batali (Chez Panisse) to Madhur Jaffrey (famous for Westernized Indian). It’s mostly a Western crowd, but that’s to be expected.

I have always wanted to make scones with heat. Well, Matt obliged this weekend and baked some. We were definitely missing out. These scones are fluffy, a little spicy and with some bite from the cheddar and finish smoothly with a taste of rosemary. I am digging this spicy little wake-up call.

It’s starting to get cold. Cold means frost which means winter vegetables. In the winter, we have two main options: squash or roots. This year I’m just not ready for either. Since I started paying more attention to seasonal produce, I have been amazed with how excited I am as new vegetables come to the greenmarket. Not this winter. My stomach has been saying “Winter, slow dooooown.” I’m eating tacos tonight. [I also had tacos last night.] For now I am beating the cold wind and puffy coats by building an inner fire using the magic of capsicum and tequila.

If you’re feeling what I’m feeling, join in on my fun. Chipotle chicken tacos with cheddar and guacamole.