10 Recipes the Pundits Love

Andy Rooney's Turkey Gravy, Huffington Post's Cowgirl Cornbread, and more

What will the pundits have on their Thanksgiving table this year? A virtual cornucopia of foods that's as varied as their political views. From old-fashioned recipes for pumpkin bread pudding to tips on how to fry your turkey without ending up in the emergency room, these pundits have Thanksgiving covered. Their top ten recipes for a delicious holiday.

• Andy Rooney's Turkey Gravy  The longtime CBS commentator says Americans should go back to fixing thanksgiving dinner the old fashioned way. No mixes, no frozen food, nothing canned." After all, he says, "there were no A&Ps in Plymouth in 1621." He offers his recipe for homemade turkey gravy. "Don't put anything fake in the gravy. When the turkey is cooked, pour off most of the fat, and scrape the dark brown goo off the bottom of the roasting pan. Mix in a few tablespoons of flour and some water, boil it, and you have Turkey Gravy. I used canned chicken soup instead of water in the gravy, but you don't have to do that."

• Kathryn Jean-Lopez's Brined Turkey  The National Review commentator has a recipe for those interested in a "pink" Thanksgiving. The color is the result of a process that helps make the turkey more moist, and Lopez promises it "has nothing to do with San Franscisco."

1) Brine your turkey
2) Cook to temperature based on a probe thermometer (not the pop-up)
3) Remember, brined turkeys look a tad bit pink (that is why we check the temperature to reassure ourselves.)
4) ENJOY! So, I would be much obliged if you could pass along this (or a similar brine) PSA

• Lifehacker's (Safely) Fried Turkey  Sarah Rae Trover of Lifehacker says "deep frying your Thanksgiving bird is all the rage, and for good reason: The results are delicious." With a little help from chef Alton Brown, she offers a sure and fast way to fry a turkey without ending up in the emergency room.

To get started you'll need the following: a fryer and its accessories, a metal or fiberglass ladder, a two-foot piece of dimensional lumber (1x2 or 2x4), a pulley, and a length of 3/8" rope. The extra gear is intended to let you start your turkey fry without injuring yourself using a simple pulley system, and that's the focus of the guide, but it's littered with other safety tips, as well.

• Glenn Reynold's Thanksgiving Lamb  The Instapundit takes on a leg of lamb for the holidays. He calls for marinating eight pounds of lamb leg in a mixture of "merlot, worcestershire, and teriyaki, plus sugar." Once you've roasted the beast, there's an added benefit: "Juices will make an excellent lamb gravy, especially if you add more merlot."

• The Chicago Sun-Times's White Castle Stuffing  Jill and Chris Barron offer their fast-food take on Thanksgiving stuffing in the pages of the Chicago paper. In addition to a pound of mushrooms, they call for "18 White Castle hamburgers" chopped into tiny pieces. Alternatively, you could use a "small loaf white bread, cubed and toasted."
  

• The Huffington Post's Cheesy Cowgirl Cornbread  Maria Rodale takes to the pages of HuffPo to offer a recipe for savory cornbread "so easy that any 3-year-old can make it." It requires a couple eggs, some cheese and milk, and not much else apart from cornmeal.
  

• Rod Dreher's Cornbread Dressing (With help from author Christopher Kimball)  The Crunchy Con shares a "psychedelically delicious" recipe. Secret ingredients include bacon, pecans, and more than a touch of bourbon. Plus, it's ready sooner than you think: "And you're thinking, 'Put it back in the oven, right?' No, that's it. You're done. Makes about 10 cups, and it tastes even better if you make it today and let it sit overnight."
  

• Michelle Malkin's Pumpkin Chocolate Crunch Pie  Malkin's shares a dessert recipe. You need instant vanilla pudding, pumpkin puree, almonds and a graham cracker pie crust. Schedule in four hours for chilling before finishing the pie off with "non-dairy whipped topping."

• Elizabeth Scalia's Pumpkin Bread Pudding (With help from a commenter) The Anchoress blogger offers a favorite recipe she received from one of her readers. Dark brown sugar, half and half, pureed pumpkin and vanilla get mixed with cubed challah bread and topped with caramel sauce. The commenter calls for raisin; Scalia prefers without.
  

• FireDogLake's Ricotta Cookies  FireDogLake blogger TobyWollin offers a "weird cookie that people will eat and you can secretly feel good about because the ricotta adds some protein." Beyond the cookie basics, he throws in "2 cups of whole milk ricotta" and offers variations for lemon, almond, orange-juice, and coffee-flavored cookies.