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You can only have so many sweet potato desserts. It’s time to try something without that extra 100 calorie count of whip cream and brown sugar.

Well, in Asia, most people have their sweet potatoes just as they are after baking them. In Japan, some people even make a small fire with the fallen Autumn leaves and bake the potatoes slowly inside the fire.

Fires here are a little difficult, but your oven will do just as well if you’d like a simple baked potato. Here’s how it goes:

Preheat oven to 400F.
  1. Clean the potato by scrubbing it thoroughly with a brush.
  2. Bake the potato for 45-75 minutes. The bigger the potato, the longer it will take.
  3. When the skin appears to puff up or there is a dark liquid beginning to slip down the sides of the potato, your potato is ready to eat after peeling off the skin.
  4. You can always top the potato with a pat of butter while you’re eating those Thanksgiving leftovers.
Happy post-Thanksgiving!
 
 
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**Note from the editor- Due to the number of wonderful Thanksgiving articles we received, this one's a day late but gives us an excellent idea for what to do with all those leftovers!

Ingredients:
  • 2 Slices White Bread
  • 2 Dollops Mayonnaise
  • Several Pieces Cold Turkey
  • 2 Dollops Cranberry Sauce 
  • 2 Large Dollops Cold Stuffing
  • 1 Ginger Ale
Directions:
  1. At roughly 9:30 PM Thanksgiving night, right when you are considering the possibility that you might one day be able to eat again, decide that it is in fact time to leave the family viewing of _________ (insert your choice family movie for traditional post-Thanksgiving feast- for me, “Meet Me In St. Louis”). 
  2. Fight the “itis” (dangerous disease brought on by overeating and characterized by symptoms of laziness and sleep) to regain a slightly more vertical posture and make your way to the kitchen. 
  3. Toast two slices white bread (they taste the best when your grandmother or some other older matronly figure can cut it into triangles for you after toasting them- don’t ask, I’m just giving you the recipe for success- some things just work). 
  4. Once bread is nicely crisped and golden brown, add a layer of the thinner turkey left-overs (which hopefully have had a chance to chill nicely in the refrigerator while the first part of the movie was being watched). I prefer white turkey meat, but that is just a personal preference. 
  5. Add a light layer of stuffing on top of the turkey. 
  6. Add cranberry sauce to the turkey and stuffing piles. Apply mayonnaise to the top pieces of bread. Note that there must be a sufficient amount of both mayonnaise and cranberry sauce, as these act to combat the dryness of the turkey and stuffing. 
  7. Note that the sizes for ingredients are relatively arbitrary- this is both because in a food-drunk state it is impractical to take the time to measure, and because in a food drunk state I have never taken the time to measure my own portions. 
  8. That being said, this is a complex dish characterized by two key contrasts: temperature contrast between the cold left-overs and the warm, freshly toasted bread and texture contrast between the dry turkey meat and the moist cranberry sauce and mayonnaise. That being said, perfect balance in these contrasts can only be achieved through experimentation.  In the spirit of American gluttony on Thanksgiving, it may be necessary to test the combinations on a sandwich or two before even bringing the final masterpiece back to the movie room. 
  9. Finish sandwich assembly (there will most likely be overflow).
  10. I always find that a Ginger Ale is the perfect accompanying drink for this late-night snack, as it quiets my stomach down. 
  11. Be prepared to receive jealous looks when you re-enter the movie room. I try to by-pass these and do my duty as a good American and Thanksgiving celebrant by making several sandwiches (or perhaps delivering those slightly imperfectly balanced attempts mentioned earlier) for other family members. 
  12. They can get their own Ginger Ale. 
  13. Settle back down in a more horizontal position, let the “itis” resume its work, and enjoy Thanksgiving: Round 2.
Note: This recipe can be used for times other than 9:30 PM Thanksgiving night. However, I make no guarantees about its success.  In my experience, it never tastes as good. 
 
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, and Enjoy!
 
 
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Here's hoping everyone has a safe and delightful food loving holiday! Enjoy our Thanksgiving articles and look forward to another dealing with left-overs tomorrow!
 
 
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One very memorable Thanksgiving of mine involved an alternative to the classic roasted turkey. My grandfather, an adventurous and unconventional man, decided to purchase not only a single turkey but a bird comprised of a plethora of poultry. Turducken, the term for this excess of fowl, has recently become an interesting and tasty substitute for the typical Thanksgiving turkey dish. Made up of a de-boned chicken stuffed inside a de-boned duck, which is then inserted into a turkey, turducken could be considered a monstrosity! In addition, turducken can be cooked with unique variations of stuffing that include variations of sausage or the traditional stuffing depending on one’s preference and taste. According to National Geographic, “Hebert’s Specialty Meats” in Maurice, Louisiana has been named the birthplace where the concept of turducken originated.  The dish, introduced to American palates in 1985, has taken on great popularity in the past 25 years and has even inspired people outside of the U.S. to sample this delight.
 
 
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Thanksgiving is just around the corner! And we all know what that means—turkey (And lots of it!) The biggest myth surrounding the beloved holiday’s feature nutriment is the notion that turkey makes us sleepy. 

Individuals attribute this to the presence of L-tryptophan, one of many amino acids that exist in this excellent source of protein. After digesting the turkey meat, L-tryptophan journeys to the brain, via our bloodstream. The brain then converts this particular amino acid into the chemical serotonin. Serotonin is what is responsible for making us calm and sleepy. ‘Ah-ha!’ That’s why I have trouble keeping my eyes open after that huge Thanksgiving meal. Hold on just a minute. After conducting further research, it is now known that L-tryptophan is only capable of immediately making an individual tired if it is consumed independent of other amino acids. Scientists have discerned that turkey contains plenty of other amino acids, so then why do I always get so drowsy after my Thanksgiving meal? “Blame it on blood flow.” Eating a huge meal results in less blood flowing to the brain to compensate for the increase in blood that flows to the stomach, needed to help with digestion. 
 
 
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Ann Arbor is a culinary cul-de-sac.  From the Saturday morning farmer’s market, to the organic haven that is the People’s Food Co-Op (PFC), and to the endless cheese variety of Zingerman’s to the mouthwatering specials at Afternoon Delight, we have it all. 

Every Saturday I have a ritual of going to Kerrytown to visit the farmer’s market. After I visit the vendors and buy my goodies I head home while stopping by the PFC for food staples and Afternoon Delight to scope out the specials. This past weekend, the dishes I saw on my way home inspired me to cook acorn squash stuffed with a wild rice medley. I bought almost all of the ingredients at the farmer’s market, PFC and Zingerman’s. This dish is easy (I made it in a dorm kitchen), vegetarian friendly and supportive of the local food scene. Enjoy!
 
 
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Our fair city has recently had its share of celebrity visitors. In the last few weeks, I’ve heard whisperings of Clive Owen, David Schwimmer, and Ann Heche visiting some of our local establishments. But, an unlikely celebrity received perhaps the most enthusiastic reception of all when he made an appearance at Borders on Monday night. I am, of course, referring to Duff Goldman, the cake artist made famous by his wildly successful reality show, “Ace of Cakes.”

For those of you who have never heard of Duff (shame on you!), he is known for his innovative and creative approach to cake decorating. From a young age, he had an atypical interest in art, preferring graffiti and welding to traditional styles of creation. He bounced around lower-level cooking jobs, graduating from the University of Maryland before attending Corcoran College of Art and the Culinary Institute of America. He opened Charm City Cakes in Baltimore 2000. Thanks to his rebellious attitude towards cake decorating, he got invited to participate in Food Network Challenges, finally landing his own program, Ace of Cakes, in 2006. With the success of the show, Duff and his brother, Willie, decided to write a book that would offer an unprecedented peek inside Charm City Cakes and the production of “Ace of Cakes.” This book, Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes, brought Duff and his brother to Ann Arbor.
 
 
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Now that it’s quite chilly out, and soon to become freezing cold, its soup season! This delicious soup is chunky and rustic, and the touch of cream at the end gives it a smooth taste. It’s a spin-off of one of Olive Garden’s soups…but naturally, this is much better. It’s also pretty inexpensive to make because of the ingredients so invite people over, make a big pot, and cuddle up with a blanket and a movie on those frightfully cold Michigan winter nights.
 
 
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When you’re hungry and don’t feel like bundling up to brave the cold this winter, or if you suddenly hear your stomach growling relentlessly in the middle of an intense cram session, pizza delivery isn’t your only quick and easy option anymore. Straight2YourDoor.com offers Ann Arbor residents delivery from a variety of local eateries. Through their website, you can order food to be delivered straight to your door from Max and Erma’s, Panchero’s, Quiznos, Raja Rani, Sava’s Café, Teriyaki Time and many others.

Last year, four U of M Business School students started the delivery service MDelivers. Over the summer, they merged their business with Straight 2 Your Door, a national company, which serves not only the Ann Arbor community, but four other college markets as well in Indiana, Wisconsin, and Texas.
     
 
 
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Picture from March of the Dimes Signature Chef Auction
 I recently had the opportunity to sit down with restaurant chef/ owner of Grange Kitchen and Bar’s, Brandon Johns. A former UofM graduate and Wolverine football player, Johns adds a unique flavor to Ann Arbor’s restaurant scene. Through innovative and eco-friendly culinary creations such as brioche crusted walleye and French fries fried in duck fat, Johns’ ingenuity rises supremely among the monotony of other menus around town.
      Chef Johns began his restaurant career as a waiter during college and quickly moved on to working as a chef at Real Seafood Company in Ann Arbor. He says that by “working hard, showing up, and possessing some skill,” he was able to work toward his desire to become a chef. After learning that he had a passion for working with food, Johns moved to New York City to attend the Institute of Culinary Education.  He claims, “It was one of the best decisions I ever made.” This definitive statement highlights the impact that culinary school training had on his future. Johns went on to say that working as a chef in The Big Apple opened many doors for him and gave him numerous connections.  He also commented, though on the grueling almost hazing-like process of working tirelessly for long hours to make salads and other less interesting dishes while working his way up in the restaurant business. With little or no pay to start out, Johns pointed out how much passion he needed to remain interested in the culinary world.