Got a sweet tooth? Testing a dessert recipe and sampling a couple of sweet new tunes - that’s what the Sweet Sound Bites feature is all about. 

This is one of my favorite fall-back desserts. Like most brownie recipes, it’s super-easy to make and – even better – to make ahead. Planning ahead for holiday entertaining becomes a little less stressful knowing that I’ve got a pan or two of these crowd-pleasing brownies in the freezer ready to thaw and serve.

This is a rich, dense brownie which comes with a welcome burst of cinnamon. Yes, there’s coffee in there too adding depth to the chocolate but you don’t really taste it as a standalone flavor.

Please continue after the jump (click Read More below) for photos, the recipe and a sample of new-to-me music that’s been floating my boat lately. I hope you like it too.
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Bringing the Sound to today’s Sweet Bites is … Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators + Hey Geronimo. 

Tradition is not really my thing. A readiness to see things through a new lens is what floats my boat. Or contrariness, is what my family would say. I have a long history of cringing and questioning when someone says “But we’ve allllways done it this way!”

However I grudgingly admit there are certain time-and-time-again habits or behaviors, okay traditions, that I do indulge in, especially during the holidays. Placing feathered bird ornaments on the tree is a throwback to childhood Christmases that I look forward to each year.

Another holiday tradition that always makes me smile is a loud, rousing, completely atonal Thanksgiving singalong with this hippy anti-war classic, Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie. This also goes back to childhood – mom had a record collection both wide and deep – and is repeated each Thanksgiving morning during the cooking marathon. Local radio station WXRT plays it twice a day, all 18 minutes of it.

Why wait until tomorrow? Give ol’ Alice a listen now. Maybe it will become your new tradition. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all, no matter how (or if) you choose to celebrate it. 

Coming soon to a holiday dinner table near you, these little red devils have already taken over – the grocery shelves, the recipe sites, even the calendar.

National Cranberry Day = Nov 21
Cranberries are a major commercial crop in certain American states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the leading producer of cranberries, with over half of U.S. production. Wild cranberries were probably part of the first Thanksgiving in 1621. Today, cranberry sauce is an essential part of American and Canadian Thanksgiving celebrations.

National Cranberry Relish Day = Nov 22
There are many different recipes and combinations that make up cranberry relish and people have their favorites.  The common ingredient, of course, is cranberries, other ingredients may include: apples, oranges, pineapple, sugar, salt, pecans, orange zest, lemon juice, and brandy.

National Eat a Cranberry Day = Nov 23
Eat a Cranberry Day is celebrated to promote the health benefits of cranberries. Raw cranberries have been marketed as a “superfruit” due to their nutrient content and antioxidant qualities. Laboratory studies indicate that extracts containing cranberry may have anti-aging effects.

National Cranberry Juice Day = March 4
Outlier.

Sources: Foodimentary + KeepIn Calendar + National Day Calendar​

Here are a few of my favorite cranberry recipes – none of which are especially Thanksgiving-y. Unless you want them to be.

• Rosé Sangria with Cranberries & Apples – from Food & Wine
• Cranberry-Pistachio Baked Brie – from Gimme Some Oven. An easy, festive appetizer. 
• Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce – from Epicurious
• Cranberry-Glazed Meatballs – from David Lebovitz. He uses ground pork; I like it with ground chicken or turkey instead.
• Cranberry Upside-Down Cake – from Fine Cooking. The recipe calls for a regular cake pan but I use a springform pan instead; I think it's easier to remove the cake from the pan. Be sure to wrap the bottom tightly in foil to catch/prevent drips. 
• White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies – from Food Network. I know many people who turn up their nose at white chocolate and I get it. But in this cookie combo it really works. Add chopped toasted macademia nuts for a real wow.​

Dancing Fun Fact:
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Wikipedia sez:

Rhumba, also known as ballroom rumba, is a genre of ballroom music and dance that appeared in the East Coast of the United States during the 1930s. It combined American big band music with Afro-Cuban rhythms, primarily the son cubano, but also conga and rumba.

Taking its name from the latter, ballroom rumba differs completely from Cuban rumba both in its music and dance. Hence, authors prefer the Americanized spelling of the word (rhumba) to distinguish between them.

And now I invite you to push back from your desk or whatever task you’re doing. Put on your imaginary cha-cha heels and think slinky cuz -- it’s time for you to rhumba! Find the playlist after the jump. 

Cheesy Autumn Mushrooms – from BBC Good Food

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds – from Half Baked Harvest via Delish

Pull-Apart Stuffing Rolls – from Serious Eats

Roasted Carrots with Harissa and Crème Fraiche – from Serious Eats

Cranberry Sauce with Red Wine and Figs – from David Lebovitz

Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar – from Kalyn’s Kitchen via Simply Recipes

Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes – from Simply Recipes

Roasted Stuffed Onions – from Smitten Kitchen

​What’s your gotta-have-it side dish for the Thanksgiving feast? How about your always-wanted-to-try-it dish? Details please, in the comments.

Alternate Title: Why are All These People Traipsing through My House?
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What’s it all about? Why do this thing? What and especially Who is this party for? I don’t mean to be confrontational, but these are the things that you as the party host should be crystal clear about well in advance of the first ding-dong or even the first RSVP.

(RSVPs. Haha, remember those? Pretty rare to receive ‘em these days. Prove me wrong! Get off my lawn!!)

Party purpose and party theme are not the same thing although they do work hand-in-hand. But purpose comes first and it comes from the heart.

Purpose: “I want a cozy evening in to catch up with my close friends.”
Theme: Comfort food + game night.

Purpose: “We’re celebrating a milestone event with extended family and friends.”
Theme: Champagne & finger food + Red carpet/VIP treatment for the guests of honor.

​Purpose: “Maintaining a festive tradition and reconnecting with people from different aspects/stages of our lives, past and present.”
Theme: Bountiful Buffet and Open Bar + Annual Holiday Open House  

My main takeaway about purpose is that it will keep you focused when the party prep mania takes over (and it will). If “close friends coziness” is what you’re after, don’t let yourself get sucked into a dinner plan that’ll require you to live in the kitchen all night, or one that will make a guest feel terrible if spillage occurs (and it will). A pot of chili, green salad and a couple six-packs will be perfect.

​The latter of the examples above is what we’re prepping for right now. Family, friends, neighbors, work colleagues current and past – all will descend upon us for a rollicking good time in just a few weeks to light the menorah and help decorate the Christmas tree. Over time the open house has become an excuse to offer a lavish home-cooked spread that takes weeks to prepare. The guests don’t mind, in fact some say they make sure to wear their “eatin’ pants” with the stretchy waistband. The danger comes in getting so caught up in the perceived need to exceed expectations that by the time party day rolls around I’m liable to be exhausted and cranky. Not a good look for the Hostess with the Mostest.

I need to remember that the purpose is to hang out with our peeps – sometimes it’s the only opportunity all year – and say “Hi, How’ve you been, and Happy holidays.” With a houseful of guests (usually 80-100 on flow) it can be difficult to say much more than that, but we now arrange the logistics so that more quality time is spent with the invitees than cooking a show-stopping dish or fiddling with a highly detailed centerpiece. Who really cares if we purchase salad and pie vs making every last menu item ourselves? Who cares if there are only five kinds of cookies instead of six? When I keep the party’s purpose in mind, it’s easy to stick with what matters and let go of the rest.
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More party planning tips are coming your way over the weeks ahead and I’ll ask for your help too. Got any good tips for staying focused while planning your awesome party? Tell all in the comments.  
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​Wow, this is really darn good and a great example of healthy food that is also craveable food. Crunchy from the veggies and the nuts, zesty from the dressing, and sweet from the morsels of dried cranberries. Even though it contains a few trendy-in-recent-years ingredients that have started experiencing restaurant menu backlash – namely kale and Brussels sprouts – I would still gladly eat this in public, say the office lunch room. And then do a little dance. And then have another serving. (Dancing is optional. Second helpings are not. It’s healthy!)

I’ve started menu-planning for a big holiday shindig in December and “make ahead” are my two favorite words. This is one of those magical dishes that gets better by sitting in the fridge overnight. Or two or three nights. It keeps forever is what I’m saying. I’m also saying that this salad is likely to make an appearance on the buffet table. Lucky guests. 
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Brussels Sprouts Salad with Kale, Cranberries & Toasted Hazelnuts
Recipe adapted from Guy Fieri and My Whole Food Life

Ingredients

For the salad:

• ½ cup skinless hazelnuts
• 8 ounces Brussels sprouts
• 1 small bunch kale (about 4 cups lightly packed leaves, chopped)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded OR 1/3 cup purchased matchstick carrots
• 1 small Granny Smith apple
• ½ cup dried cranberries

 
For the dressing:

• 9 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

 
Directions

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Roughly chop the hazelnuts, and then spread them out on a sheet pan and roast in the oven until golden, 10-12 minutes. Check frequently to prevent burning.
• Wash and pat dry the Brussels sprouts and kale.
• Trim the rough ends and remove damaged outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts. Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, through the stem. Using a sharp knife finely slice the Brussels sprouts crosswise to give you fine ribbons.
• Remove the tough stems from the kale leaves and discard. Stack the leaves up on top of one another and cut across the stem so it yields a similar shape to the shaved Brussels sprouts.
• Remove the apple’s core and cut the flesh into thin slices. You can either peel the apple or leave the skin on, as you prefer. (I leave it on.)
• To make the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, champagne vinegar, Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper in a bowl, whisking together until lightly emulsified. 
• Mix the Brussels sprouts, kale, carrots, apple and cranberries together in a large salad bowl. Lightly dress with a few tablespoons of the champagne vinaigrette. (I put on food prep gloves and mix the salad with my hands. Everything gets blended more thoroughly that way, and massaging the kale with the dressing helps it to become tender.)
• Keep the salad in the fridge for at least a few hours before serving. Overnight is better. Before serving, toss the salad again, taste, add a few more spoonfuls of dressing as needed, top with freshly ground pepper and toss again. Finally, top with the toasted hazelnuts and serve.
• The salad will keep in the fridge for nearly a week.

Afternoon Dance Breaks are a recurring feature that invites you to get up from the desk, crank up the tunes, and dance your fool head off for a few minutes before resuming the daily grind. 

According to YourDictionary.com, a kickline is a line of dancers who perform a kicking dance such as the cancan.

A famous example is The Rockettes, whose leggy testament to lower body strength and a shapely ankle is legendary.

The ladies in the photo above are no Rockettes but they seem to be having a wonderful time with their beach-y kickline. So how about you? Hit Play on the Kickline Playlist (next page – click Read More below) and kick out the jams for your energy-boosting afternoon dance break.

My first love played tenor sax in a cover band that worked the clubs up and down the Jersey shore so there’s a little sentiment involved, but I can pretty confidently say that the saxophone is now and has always been the coolest of musical instruments. Cool cats blow the sax, be they black or white, brown or pink or beige or yellow. 

​Come on now, surely we can do better than that on National Saxophone Day! Check this out, daddy-o.

Fish for Dinner is a recurring feature chronicling my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding any fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before slowly adding the real deal into my diet (but usually at a restaurant). The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with fishies instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

Halibut with Lentils and Mustard Sauce is the dish I made to christen our new kitchen post-renovation. On one hand, it was exciting to try out the new appliances and a relief to be back in action, cooking and food-blogging again. (Up until now we’ve done no cooking at all in our makeshift basement kitchen besides making sandwiches and heating leftover carry-out in the microwave. For 10 weeks.)

But we’re not fully moved into the “new” kitchen yet so the logistics of preparing this meal were a bit of a pain, running back and forth, carting supplies and ingredients and utensils between upstairs and down. Nevertheless it was great to be back in the culinary saddle again, and as a bonus: this dish turned out to be a distinct win – tasty, hearty, and easy-to-make!
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Continue reading for more of the story including the recipe, plenty of pictures, a Catch.com profile of Mr. Halibut, and a fishin’ tune for your listening pleasure. (Click Read More below.)

The picture above shows the obstacle course our living room has become over the duration of this renovation. There is no order to the chaos because we never anticipated that every blessed piece of furniture we own and random things galore would be stuffed in there all at once. Surprise!

I’ve mentioned more than a few times that Ilise and I are about ready for this frickety frackety renovation project to be done. We’re still ready, and no, it’s not quite done yet. Almost. We’re now in the punch list phase with our design/build firm, Kitchens and Baths Unlimited, knocking out the final fixits like installation of the last few pieces of cabinet molding, and a hinge or two, and the knob for the spice drawer, and and and.

The painting job begun during Week 9 continued all last week. Remember? Slow but meticulous. It looks great. There’s a little plaster weirdness being fixed this week – one wall looks like it has a baby bump, the other one is concave. Maybe in the grand scheme of things they cancel each other out, but we’re going to be boring and insist that both walls end up flat and smooth. 

This week’s musical selection needs a little explanation. Khalil Fong is an American-born Hong Kong singer whose musical genre is listed as Mandopop, which I did not know was a thing. (He sings in Mandarin, his second language, so there you go.) His musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and D’Angelo. I can hear the first two, but as for the third, well, it’s good to want things. I picked this song for the numbers in the title, tying back to the punch list … but there are way more than 7 items on that list. Khalil’s breezy pop/jazz/soul sound is one I’d like to hear more of. Hope you like it too. 

This will be the last Kitchen Reno post for a few weeks. I want to do a big reveal with ta-da photos once the final elements come together. As requested, I’ll also provide some Lessons Learned about the project overall for any readers who may be considering their own renovation project.

Thanks for taking this dusty, disruptive journey with Ilise and me! If you missed any of the weekly reno recaps you can find them here.