Friday Find: Serial Odds and Ends

I mentioned in a previous Friday Find that I am into the Serial podcast, like everyone else on the internet. I am actually in a Facebook discussion group with a bunch of sharp, astute people who make interesting points I never would have thought of. Yesterday I came across this link to charts for people obsessed with Serial, and had to share it there. And I want to share it with you too!

It's an ad for Best Buy! Photo from thebolditalic.com.

The thing with Serial is that it's interesting and fodder for a lot of discussion, but it's still about the murder of a teenager, and I don't want that diminished when I talk about it here. On that note, someone else also shared this poignant article about what Serial gets wrong, and the abysmal state of things in Baltimore at that time.

Photo from gawker.com.

Are you listening to Serial? I hear the Slate spoilers podcast (a podcast about a podcast!) is good, too.

Eight is a lot of legs, David.

It's after Halloween, which means it's the season of unapologetic Christmas movie watching!

Purists, including my Puritanical father (hi Dad!) will insist that you have to wait until after Thanksgiving before engaging in any Christmas-related activity. To that I say: How arbitrary. American Thanksgiving happens only in America, hence Christmas season everywhere else begins earlier. Also, it is called the Holiday season for a reason: many holidays! Also, it is America, so do what you want. Also-also, in one of the opening scenes of Love Actually, the countdown says "6 Weeks Until Christmas", which is NOW! Ergo, it's totally okay to watch Christmas movies now. Did I move too fast with that math for you? 

Quick look over here!

The point, really, is that you should do what makes you happy. And fall leading into the holidays is the time of year that makes me happiest. It centers around food, presents, family, downtime, parties, sentimental music and movies, and pretty much all the things I like most in life. Christmas movies are my favorites. In no particular order (well, after the first three), here are some of mine. I hope you'll share yours with me! I am always looking for good new movies. 

1. It's a Wonderful Life (Tradition! One of my most favorite movies. And I love this specific DVD set because it has both the black and white, and colorized versions.)

2. Love Actually (Probably my favorite movie.)

3. Elf (Best.)

4. The Santa Clause

5. The Family Stone. (Kills me every time.)

6. Family Man

7. While You Were Sleeping (It's a year-round movie, but feels Christmassy.) (Christmas-y?)

8. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (I used to hate this movie. Now I love it.)

9. A Christmas Carol. I like it in all its forms, but I'm especially partial to the George C. Scott version. 

10. And the Muppet version. I watched it for the first time, mmm, last year? And it's just so, so great.

11. Home Alone. Still one of my favorite movies, I'm not ashamed to admit. It would've been higher on the list, if I were going in order.

12. Home Alone 2

13. Die Hard. Combining a couple of my favorite genres: Christmas and Action. 

This year I also want to watch some classics. I just watched White Christmas for the first time, and I'd also like to see Meet Me In St. Louis, Miracle on 34th Street (I know I have seen it, in pieces, but I don't know that I've seen the whole thing. In any version. Do you have a favorite version?), Holiday Inn, and Christmas in Connecticut. We'll see if I get to them all.

Also on my list this year: The Holiday. 

What are your favorite holiday movies? Any that you've been meaning to watch?

(All image credits: Amazon.com.)

Friday Find: Thanksgiving help

(I didn't post a Friday Find last week because I was hunting for things for the Decor Guide, and had just posted the Gift Guide. I thought about taking a break this week, but there's no time for that! We have things to discuss!)

I'll get straight to the point: I love everything Cook's Illustrated does (not sponsored, I just really love them). I've never made a bad recipe from them, and they have such useful ideas. I love that they explain what they tried, what worked, what didn't, and why. Lucky for us, they recently released a helpful Thanksgiving guide, and I am gleefully browsing it, in disbelief that Thanksgiving is just two weeks away! 

Photo from cooksillustrated.com.

There are lots of helpful tips and tricks, including when to buy brussels sprouts, a clever way to chop celery, and how to fix a pie crust (Daisy, my pie challenged friend, I thought of you!).

I want to do a Thanksgiving recipe round-up, but I'm not sure I'll get to it in a more formal way. So, if I don't, here are a few I've had great luck with. Some of the original recipes are behind a paywall, which, frankly, is worth it. Likewise, I always recommend the Cook's Illustrated cookbook. It's my go-to, and it's currently about $23 on Amazon.

Pumpkin Praline Pie. I am a pumpkin pie purist. For me it doesn't get any better than the recipe on the back of the Libby's can, but this classic twist with its crunchy, chewy, nutty top was a delightful treat. (Pro tip: Not currently behind a paywall, though it usually is. Enjoy it while it lasts!)

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble. Apparently you can put a pecan crumble on anything and it will win me over. I have tried many sweet potato casseroles over the years, and I think this one is my favorite. It's well balanced, but still a little whimsical with the addition of a handful of marshmallows. (Check out that Cook's Illustrated Thanksgiving guide for the secret to perfect marshmallow topping!)

Classic Green Bean Casserole. Look, I don't like green bean casserole. I don't like canned green beans and I don't like soup out of a can. But if we're being honest, I found some fancy fried onions at the store last year, and wanted an excuse to buy them. So I decided to try a fresh version of the mushy old classic, just for kicks. As usual, I turned to my friend Cook's Illustrated, and used their classic recipe (online behind a paywall, and also in the cookbook. I'd never tell you to google it so you can see if someone has posted the whole recipe on their blog, but if you think of that all on your own then there's really nothing I can do about it.) The differences are huge: it uses fresh, blanched green beans, and a mushroom cream sauce from scratch. For a few brief but precious moments on Thanksgiving morning, I stood at the stove stirring that sauce, and contemplated asking everyone to leave so I could have some private time alone with it and a spoon. This year I plan on skipping the onion and breadcrumb topping altogether, and just tossing some bright green, freshly blanched, nutritious green beans in that delicious, heartwarming, unhealthy, cozy white mushroom sauce. It was truly perfect.

I love menu planning, especially for Thanksgiving, and I'd love to hear what you're planning! Do you have any favorite recipes to share? What's on your menu this year? I know a lot of you have good stuff. Especially you, Sarah.