Roast Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad {Macabre Meals}

I enjoyed researching, cooking, writing - and of course eating - my October Serial Killer Supper series so very much that I've decided to continue with it indefinitely. And because the space where death, culture, and food intersects is so vast, I'm expanding the category. Under the umbrella of "Macabre Meals" I'll be exploring all sorts of dark and lovely things. Real murderers, fictional killers, history, scandal, myth, and more. It's going to be so much fun!

As luck would have it, this month's Creative Cooking Crew Challenge, hosted by the lovely Joan of Foodalogue and Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks, has dovetailed nicely with my current preoccupation. The task: Create an appetizer for Thanksgiving, something for guests to enjoy before the main feast.

Cheddar Cheese Soup with Haricots Verts, Mushrooms, & Cronions; A Green Bean Casserole Makeover

In honor of Thanksgiving, the theme for this month's 5 Star Makeover, hosted as ever by Natasha of 5 Star Foodie and Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! is a holiday classic, the green bean casserole.

For those of you who did not grow up in the U.S., the green bean casserole is a staple of many American Thanksgiving celebrations, and generally consists of some variation of canned or frozen green beans, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese or imitation cheese product, and bread crumbs or fried onions. It's a gloriously and unabashedly white trash dish, and it conforms perfectly to my late, much-missed mom's philosophy of cooking: Do as little as possible.

Duck, Duck, No Goose: An (Almost) Wordless Wednesday Feast (and the Pitaya Giveaway Winner)

Okay, kids - this is about as wordless as I can get for Wordless Wednesday. Presenting: What Poppa Trix and I had for Thanksgiving. Ta-da!

I admit,  putting up a post about Thanksgiving food is ....   arriving rather late to the party at this point, but I'm hoping that perhaps these dishes will provide some inspiration for a fabulous holiday meal, or an anytime mini-feast. It all came together in just a few hours and caused minimal chaos.

Herby Turkey Leg Confit with Dragon Fruit, Pomegranate & Chili Gastrique and a Giveaway That You Really Need!

Look, I am not self-delusional. (Usually.) I realize that a big hunk of meat on a bone accompanied by a brownish sauce is not the world's loveliest food. I tried to plate it in an appealing way, I really did: That jaunty angle! The clever dots of gastrique! That cute green plate!

But I realize this is not my finest food styling hour. I hope though - I really, really, really hope - that just this once you won't eat with your eyes first. Because this is seriously the very best turkey dish I have ever had, and Poppa Trix felt the same way. And we do not use superlatives lightly.

Left Behind! and a Mystery

The photo above may or may not be borscht, but that is definitely a slice of homemade beer batter quick bread perched on the side of the bowl. Whatever that soupy stew was, it was delicious - but I'll get to that in a sec.

You see, it's the day before Thanksgiving and I am too sick and flu-ey to go with Poppa Trix to the grocery store.  In a futile effort to feel better, I took cough medicine,  congestion medicine, and some extra strength Tylenol. I attempted to get dressed, even applying uncharacteristically excessive amounts of eye makeup to try to mask my death-warmed-over appearance, but Poppa said I still looked wretchedly ill. In truth, I am in no shape to go - I almost fell over into the fridge while I was trying to ascertain whether or not we needed more eggs.