Lentils With Sausage And Roasted Butternut Squash

Does anyone else think it got cold really fast this year? I don't feel like we eased into it at all. I mean, I've seen snow twice already, and it's only November! (Of course, now we're getting a few days of warm weather, which I will not complain about at all! Yesterday was gorgeous!) The colder temperatures had me developing cravings for hearty, warming dishes like soups or bowlfuls of lentils. I seriously feel like I could eat lentils all late fall and winter long.

Dining Around At The Royal Sonesta

I have such fond memories of staying at the Royal Sonesta Boston in Cambridge and dining at the restaurants there. I've enjoyed meals at ArtBar and Dante. I've had good times staying there with friends as part of a joint bachelorette party. And I had a nice stay there with my mom and sister as well. We were even motivated enough by the proximity to the Charles River to go for a morning run.

Recently, the hotel underwent a huge renovation and I was invited in to see the changes. The event was set up as a dine-around at the hotel, which was a nice opportunity to visit the old restaurants I know there and check out what's new.

Goat Cheese Tart With Pomegranate And Mâche

I love cookbooks. If you came to my house and saw my collection, you might even call it an obsession. People see the books I have downstairs in the living room and think I have a lot of books. They don't realize there are so many bins of them in the office and basement too (we're hoping to do built-in bookshelves in the living room in the not-too-distant future so I can finally unpack them all). Even though I already have so many, that doesn't stop me from adding to my collection.

Recently I attended the launch party at Island Creek Oyster Bar for The New England Kitchen: Fresh Takes on Seasonal Recipes, Jeremy Sewall and Erin Byers Murray's new cookbook.

"Butterball It" Plus A Butterball Turkey Gift Check Giveaway

We all know that Thanksgiving is coming, and we embrace it in all different ways. Some of us are excited to tackle roasting the bird and fearlessly enter the kitchen. Others are a little more trepidatious and might have questions and concerns along the way. That's where Butterball comes in with their new "Butterball It" technology. When you visit Butterball.com, you'll see a search bar where you can type in any Thanksgiving-related questions you might have.

Hosting Thanksgiving: Menu And Planning

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? We always go to Jeff's parents' house for dinner on Thanksgiving day, and last year we started a tradition of hosting my family on the Saturday after. I feel like we get the best of both worlds that way. I make a nice dessert for Thanksgiving day, which is easier with my work schedule (my holiday doesn't start until Wednesday afternoon). And then, along with help from my family, I put together a big dinner for Saturday, with plenty of time from Thursday evening until our early Thanksgiving dinner is served Saturday afternoon.

I've been going over last year's menu and tweaking it and tailoring it for this year. For dinner at Jeff's parents', I'm making an apple tart recipe from work that my mother-in-law requested. I tasted it often during development (it's so good!) and am excited to add it to our Thanksgiving meal. (Last year I made a cheesecake topped with cranberry curd and chocolate.)

Here's what I've got planned for the whole meal on Saturday…

Overkill, A 12-Course Dinner Benefiting No Kid Hungry

Last week, I attended Overkill, a 12-course blowout dinner hosted by Brian Mercury (pastry chef, Harvest) and Mary Dumont (chef/partner, Harvest). This year the event benefited No Kid Hungry. No Kid Hungry is Share Our Strength's national campaign to end childhood hunger. Through culinary events such as this one, plus Taste of the Nation, No Kid Hungry dinners, and a series of "Food Fight" events, Share our Strength receives the support it needs to work toward ending childhood hunger.

Mini Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts

These should really be called mini baked apple cider doughnut muffin doughnuts, because I took a doughnut muffin recipe and adapted it to make doughnuts. But that sounded like too much of a tongue twister, so mini baked apple cider doughnuts it is.