Blog Posts by Food52

This week, a Merrill-ific dinner, because who doesn't love that? Her so-good-it's-silly Pasta Al Forno is rib-sticking, whole-body-warming food. Plus, it serves 8, so make the full batch and you'll have enough for dinner tonight and tomorrow night: always a bonus, but this week a must. Shaved brussels sprouts offer freshness and crunch, welcome alongside the creamy baked pasta.

The Menu

Pasta Al Forno with Pumpkin and Pancetta by merrill

Serves 6 to 8

1 3-4 pound cheese pumpkin or butternut squash
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
1 pound conchiglie rigate (shells)
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 pound shredded fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
1/2 cup fontina, coarsely grated
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola
2 tablespoons ricotta
2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut the pumpkin into 8 equal wedges and arrange on two

Once Thanksgiving dinner is cooked, served, and eaten, you'll want a pat on the back, a nap, and maybe some sweatpants. With no more timers to set or turkeys to roast, it's time to relax and enjoy time with friends and family.

Come Friday, though, you'll probably get hungry again -- and you'll probably have a fridge full of leftovers. We've rounded up seven ways to turn your leftovers into dishes that will give them new life rather than make you feel obliged to recreate Thanksgiving dinner for lack of a better option.

Get creative, and embrace your leftovers: fewer trips to the grocery store is always a good thing. Here are our favorite ways to repurpose your Thanksgiving leftovers, brought to you by the spirited home cooks' community at Food52.

• Take things up a notch with 11 Secret Weapons for Your Thanksgiving Meal

• Keep your guests' hunger at bay with these 7 Low-Maintenance Hors D'Ouevres

• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

You've been busy. You've been tired. You've let the days of prepping and chopping and make-ahead-ing pass, and The Big Day, that day that everyone's been talking about (and that you, until now, have been ignoring) is now two days away.

Don't panic.

Here is a full, well-rounded, nobody-will-ever-know Last Minute Thanksgiving Menu: Thanksgiving simplified, condensed, and served up on your finest china. Take a deep breath, head to the grocery store, and get started. We've got your back.

• See our 11 Secret Weapons for the Thanksgiving Meal.

• Check out 7 Thanksgiving Salads to Lighten Up the Feast.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

What makes a perfect pecan pie -- one worthy of the Thanksgiving table? We say: everything about this one.

>>RELATED: See our favorite pumpkin pie recipe, Meta Given's Pumpkin Pie.

Why? Because this recipe from Melissa Clark's wonderful cookbook Cook This Now is the essence of fall: all of the spiced, toasted, dark, and sweet notes of it. It calls for wholesome maple syrup (instead of the more traditional corn syrup), which you reduce until thick and infuse with a generous amount of spice. A splash of dark rum adds a little punch to the subtly smoky filling, and the crust is a sheer joy: tender and flaky, it's also supremely easy to handle.

It will definitely be on our Thanksgiving tables this year.

>>RELATED: Make perfect pie every time with our Pastry 101.

Melissa Clark's Spiced Pecan Pie with Star Anise

FOR THE PIE CRUST

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces

When cooking a meal like Thanksgiving, you've got to have your lay-ups: those dishes you know you can count on, the ones to get into mouths quickly and off of your head. Enter: the stress-free hors d'oeuvre. Here are 7 dishes to keep your guests happy while you make your final touches -- 7 pre-Thanksgiving snacks to, well, keep your guests from hurting each other.

• Check out our Pastry 101 to get ready for Thanksgiving pies and tarts.
• Got vegetarians coming for dinner? Check out our 10 Turkey Alternatives to make everybody happy.
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Get answers to your burning Thanksgiving questions on the go with our free FOOD52 Hotline iPhone app.

Thoughts are turned toward every devoted home cook's favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. Fluffy pillows of mashed potatoes (or will they be roasted this year?), creamed vegetables, and a butter-basted bird (or deep fried?) -- so much to decide, so much to plot, test, and plan.

As the first pangs of hunger for that glorious feast begin to settle in, so too does a longing for some preemptive super-healthy meals. Sonali's umami-filled Miso and Agave Glazed Salmon and thirschfeld's brilliant Red Cooked Squash together make a perfect pre-holiday meal, the kind you'll want to eat every night until the big day to fortify yourself for the inevitable onslaught of cream and butter that await.

As always, this meal comes together quickly and without fuss -- perfect for a weeknight, but dressy enough for company.

The Menu

Miso and Agave Glazed Salmon by Sonali aka the Foodie Physician

This recipe serves 4

1/2 cup light (shiro) miso
5 tablespoons sake
5

The best part of all of this? Vegetarians like pumpkin pie. And pecan. And apple. Just please, whatever you do, hold the Tofurkey.

•Take the stress out of hosting Thanksgiving with these five tips.
•Serve a delicious vegan pumpkin pie that will please everyone at your table.
•Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Get answers to your burning Thanksgiving questions on the go with our free FOOD52 Hotline iPhone app.

The chilly weather is more than ideal for spicing up your life, especially with this fall and winter favorite: ginger. These six recipes for gingery goodies will without a doubt add a warmth and a zing to your holiday season.

• See more recipes for holiday breakfast on Food52.

• Browse bread, rolls, and muffin recipes from the Food52 community.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The FOOD52 Hotline is here to help!