Good morning, it’s Monday of a short, holiday week. That means the next three days are going to be crazy busy (speaking personally, of course; perhaps you’re already off and relaxing, in which case, kudos to you).
If you are going to be cooking a big Thanksgiving meal, you are four days out from showtime.
Hopefully, you’ve already done quite a bit in terms of pre-game prep, taking care of whatever items can be prepared ahead of time and chilled or frozen (like pie dough, dinner rolls, and stock or gravy (assuming you’re not going to be using the giblets to make it) for easier day-of assembly.
I am not terribly skilled in the kitchen, so I am hardly the expert when it comes to these things. But a little internet sleuthing reveals that you should probably already be defrosting the turkey if it weighs 20 pounds or more.
A good rule of thumb is to allow four hours of thawing per pound of bird, and you should move it from the freezer to the coldest part of your fridge to allow the defrosting process to occur safely and also in a timely manner.
You can always do the stream-of-water method if you get started late, but that seems like an unnecessary anxiety-inducing approach to me.
Unless you’ve done it already, today is the day to be purchasing your perishables. Cranberry sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge, covered, for up to seven days.
Also, any soups that you might be planning to serve can be made now and frozen – assuming you’ve got enough room in your freezer to house it. (Maybe you already did this over the weekend? It was a good time to stay inside in a warm kitchen).
It’s also recommended that you make some extra ice – again, not sure where you’re putting all this, maybe in the extra freezer in the basement or garage? A neighbor’s house? Your mom’s? – to accommodate the drinks you’ll be serving on T-Day.
All this is terribly exhausting just writing it, much less even thinking about actually taking it all on. You might recall that Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays. I just can’t get down with a day that’s all about over-eating a ton of beige food until you feel unwell.
Then again, I am not a big holiday person, period. So take this all with a healthy shaker of salt.
If I were to be eating Thanksgiving dinner, which it is looking like I won’t be doing, (I am not fishing for invites, FWIW, I am perfectly content to stay in and order pizza), you already know that I would probably be focused on just a few choice items that I don’t usually consume. This includes canned cranberry sauce, pie – preferably pumpkin, but apple will do in a pinch – and also stuffing.
I do not like stuffing that comes out of a box, nor do I like stuffing (or is it dressing?) with weird additions – oysters, for example, though I’m aware this is kind of a big deal for some people, or chestnuts, or prunes. I guess sausage is OK. But mostly I’m just there for the stock-soaked bread, squishy on the inside, and crispy on top.
Of course, you can only achieve this peak stuffing consistency if you cook it OUTSIDE the bird in a casserole or glass baking dish. Inside the bird if NOT the place for your stuffing, according to the USDA, because getting both stuffing and turkey to reach the optimal temperature (165 degrees) in terms of being safe to consume is difficult.
And when it’s inside the bird, it truly is stuffing, and not dressing, in case you were wondering.
In order to get the stuffing to a safe place, temperature-wise, you need to get the bird so hot that it basically dries out to leather. You can achieve the same toothsome umami flavor that you get with inside-the-bird cooking simple by adding some stock and extra fat of some kind to your stuffing casserole dish. Done and done.
Happy National Stuffing Day. You’re welcome.
It’s warming up just a hair today, with temperatures in the low 40s and a mix of sun and clouds. Meanwhile, out in Western New York, an historic storm saw the Buffalo area logging record snowfall totaling more than 6 feet in some areas. Buffalo residents appeared largely unfazed by the big storm because, well, they’re a strong and resillient bunch – and they’re used to it.
In the headlines…
At least five people were killed when a man shrouded in body armor and wielding an AR-15 style rifle stormed into an L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub in Colorado Springs just before midnight on Saturday and opened fire with a long rifle, the authorities said.
Officials praised patrons inside the club for quickly subduing the gunman, though at least 25 people were injured in the mayhem.
The shooting suspect, Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, was charged last year in connection with a bomb threat in a neighborhood about 15 miles from scene of the deadly rampage.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Club Q, where the shooting took place, said it was “devastated by the senseless attack on our community.” The shooting had echoes of the 2016 massacre at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
President Joe Biden said “we cannot and must not tolerate hate” in a statement following a deadly shooting Saturday night at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, where a man opened fire, killing at least 5 people and injuring 25.
Diplomats from nearly 200 countries concluded two weeks of climate talks yesterday by agreeing to establish a fund that would help poor, vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters made worse by the greenhouse gases from wealthy nations.
Sens. Tom Cotton and Mark Warner defended the Biden administration’s assertion that the Saudi crown prince should be shielded from lawsuits stemming from the slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Biden turned 80 years old yesterday, becoming the first octogenarian to ever serve in the highest office of the United States.
Biden, who planned to celebrate with a family brunch, was the oldest president to assume office and, if re-elected, would be nearly a decade older than the oldest second-term president, Ronald Reagan, who was 73 when he was sworn in.
“A perfect birthday celebration filled with so much love — and Joe’s favorite coconut cake!” the first lady tweeted, sharing a photo of the Biden family gathered around a table as the president blew out a birthday candle.
Biden’s granddaughter Naomi said her I do’s Saturday at the first White House wedding in nearly two decades.
The bride, 28, wore a Ralph Lauren long-sleeve white gown with a high-necked lace collar as she marched down the aisle to the strains of “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve.
With Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer poised to lead the Democrats in Washington, the New York borough that they live in – Brooklyn – enters the political spotlight.
As the Supreme Court investigates the leak of a draft opinion of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade, a former anti-abortion leader has come forward claiming another breach occurred in a 2014 landmark case involving contraception and religious rights.
In a letter to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and in interviews with The New York Times, the Rev. Rob Schenck said he was told the outcome of the 2014 case weeks before it was announced.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is reviewing the possible leak of a 2014 Supreme Court decision authored by Justice Samuel Alito after the article suggested he or his wife discussed the opinion on contraception and religious rights before it was released.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chairman of the committee, said in a statement Saturday night that the allegations were serious and “highlight once again the inexcusable ‘Supreme Court loophole’ in federal judicial ethics rules.”
A storm of investigations targeting leaders of both political parties will shape the 2024 campaign, but risks angering voters who just showed their frustration with their priorities being ignored.
Biden’s backing among Democrats to run for reelection has been significantly boosted in the wake of better-than-expected midterm results, a new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds, while Donald Trump’s standing among Republicans has been dented.
The government of Oman is a partner in a real estate deal signed last week by the former president, intensifying questions about a potential conflict as he seeks the White House again.
The legal jeopardy Trump faces in two federal criminal investigations took on a new tenor Friday with the appointment of a special counsel at the Justice Department.
Jack Smith, a DOJ alum known for his work in international war crimes prosecutions, will take over the investigation into sensitive government documents taken to Trump’s Florida home at the end of his presidency.
Elon Musk said on Twitter that he would reinstate Trump to the platform as part of a shake-up of the social media service, with the former president’s account quickly showing up again on the site.
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West surfaced on Twitter with a “test” to see if his account was working after a series of outrageous anti-Semitic statements had gotten him suspended from the platform and compelled many businesses to ditch him.
Anti-abortion proponents who believe Trump’s crowning achievement was the overturning of Roe v. Wade say the newly declared 2024 contender will still have to earn their support in the Republican presidential primary – and he may be off to a rocky start.
Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley and other Republicans with a potential eye on 2024 gathered in Las Vegas at a moment of deep vulnerability for Trump.
Walt Disney’s board of directors last night replaced Chief Executive Bob Chapek with Robert Iger, the company’s former chairman and CEO who left the company at the end of last year, according to a company announcement.
Add rising interest rates to the challenges that small businesses are already grappling with, including inflation, labor shortages and strained supply chains.
U.S. consumers and businesses have trimmed spending plans for gifts, charitable contributions and holiday events, data show.
Three people died over the weekend after contracting Covid, the first deaths from the virus that mainland China has recorded since May, when the city of Shanghai was still locked down.
The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou locked down its largest district today as it tries to tamp down a major COVID-19 outbreak, suspending public transit and requiring residents to present a negative test if they want to leave their homes.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee tested positive for Covid-19 at the airport after returning from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Thailand, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other global leaders.
The combination of a swarm of respiratory illnesses, staffing shortages and nursing home closures has sparked the state of distress visited upon the already overburdened US health-care system. And experts believe the problem will deteriorate further.
Financial and bureaucratic barriers in the United States mean that the next generation of Covid vaccines may well be designed here, but used elsewhere.
New York took a significant step yesterday toward launching a legal market for recreational cannabis by announcing the 36 businesses and nonprofits under consideration for licenses for the first retail dispensaries in the state.
The Office of Cannabis Management published the list of candidates ahead of a vote on today by the Cannabis Control Board, that would ramp up the race to begin legal sales in the state despite a legal challenge to the licensing program.
New York is poised to award its first retail licenses to sell legal cannabis products today — but regulated dealers will face getting smoked out by a thriving black market.
Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement saying she was “horrified” by the Colorado nightclub shooting and condemning anti-LGBTQ violence in “all its forms.”
Law enforcement agencies will boost surveillance online and in-person in an effort to protect communities from hate crimes, Hochul announced.
“I have directed the New York State Police to ramp up monitoring and increase support for communities that are potential targets of hate crimes,” Hochul said.
Voter turnout in New York City fell sharply from four years ago, despite this election marking the state’s first time for early voting for a gubernatorial race. The low numbers proved to be a key factor in Hochul’s slim victory over Rep. Lee Zeldin.
New York’s once blue-leaning Asian-American voters — disgusted with crime, discrimination and bad education — have turned on the Democratic Party with a vengeance.
State Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs quietly collected $6.1 million in federal pandemic relief loans for various ventures he runs — yet these businesses donated $54,000 over the same period to the campaigns of Hochul and ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Members of the state Redistricting Commission have started work on new state Assembly district lines due in fewer than two weeks after a shakeup in the group’s leadership.
The Democrats are on the brink of retaining their supermajorities in both the state Assembly and Senate, despite Republicans flipping several seats and coming closer to victory in the governor’s race than they have in decades.
Democrat John Mannion made history, winning a Central New York state Senate seat that’s been in Republican control for more than half a century.
The state public campaign financing system quietly went into effect. It’s modeled on the city’s public dollar matching system, and will allow candidates running for state office to receive taxpayer money when they raise contributions from small donors.
The coalition that helped get New York state’s climate law passed a few years ago is back, calling for $10 billion in state spending to help meet the goals laid out in the landmark law.
Two men arrested Friday at New York’s Penn Station, in what authorities said was a “developing threat to the Jewish community,” have been charged with multiple felony counts, including criminal possession of a weapon and making a terroristic threat.
One of the men busted for plotting to shoot up a city synagogue is Jewish and his grandfather survived the Holocaust, prosecutors and relatives said.
Nets star Kyrie Irving apologized for the harmful impact his Oct. 27 social media post had on the Jewish community, and the Nets lifted his suspension — which ended at eight games.
School districts across the state of New York are prohibited from using any Native American mascots, team names or logos. And the state’s education department is now urging its school comply by the end of the school year — or risk losing state aid.
Tod Laursen, acting president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, is leaving the job, the university confirmed Friday. His exit date is Dec. 14.
One of Mayor Eric Adams’ top advisors, Lorraine Grillo, announced Friday that she would step down from her post in the coming days, paving the way for a new first deputy mayor to take her place.
Adams signed off on several bills Friday designed to reduce the city’s vermin population — a continuation of a policy push he’s taken visible joy in since his days as Brooklyn borough president.
City Councilman Lincoln Restler has a plan to improve and expand dog runs across the city and make the Parks Department responsible for their upkeep.
Allies of Maimonides hospital are accusing former Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield, who runs a city anti-poverty group, of being a ringleader in a bitter campaign to undermine the embattled medical facility.
Rev. Al Sharpton’s charity nearly doubled his compensation and also shelled out close to $300,000 for private jets so that he and other bigwigs could attend “important gatherings.”
Saratoga Springs police shot an off-duty sheriff’s deputy from Vermont early yesterday after the deputy was involved in a shootout after an argument in a bar on Caroline Street, according to Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino.
The deputy was shot multiple times after he ignored officers’ demands to drop his gun, police and the Saratoga Springs mayor said at a press conference.
The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society renewed only five of its 21 municipal partner contracts for 2023, leaving 16 communities scrambling for solutions to handle stray dogs.
Nauman Hussain, the limousine company operator prosecutors blame for the 2018 limo crash in Schoharie, is heading to court to try to overturn a judge’s decision to toss a plea bargain that spared him prison time in the deaths of 20 people.
The Wine & Dine for the Arts festival, a celebration of food and international beer, wine and spirits that benefits Albany arts organizations, will return in January to its full three-day format for the first time in three years, organizers announced.
The Balloonary, a balloon decor business, opened its doors in downtown Albany earlier this month.
Howard J. Hubbard, who served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany for 37 years, has formally asked the Vatican to permanently remove him from being a member of the clergy.
While the two other state-run resorts, Belleayre in the Catskills and Gore in the Adirondacks opened Friday, Whiteface opened Saturday but with top-to-bottom sliding.
Residents along Saratoga Lake are accusing the town officials of choosing a developer’s wishes over public safety and the lake’s health by seeking changes to a law that protects the stability of the steep, forested slopes that loom over homes and roads.
The 53rd Annual Daily Gazette Holiday Parade took place this weekend in downtown Schenectady.
An Ulster County Supreme Court judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Kingston Rent Guidelines Board’s attempt to significantly lower rents for certain properties covered by the Emergency Tenant Protection Act.
