Anne Braly

At the risk of stating the obvious, this Thanksgiving will be different from any we've ever experienced.

I find it very strange to be writing about cranberry chutney as an appetizer or a snack to enjoy while watching the Masters Tournament.

Growing up, Milly Rawlings awakened every December morning to open a square door on her Advent calendar, anticipating what wonders lay behind each door. She still remembers the scenes - a snowy night in Germany, a sled, a Christmas tree in the Bavarian woods, a nutcracker, lighted windows, a lighted wreath - a different one for each day.

It's about this time of year that we're on pumpkin overload.

Pumpkin pie, with its thick orange custard, fragrant spices and flaky crust, has been a powerhouse on the holiday menu ever since the Pilgrims gathered for the first Thanksgiving. But as ubiquitous as pumpkin pie has become over the past several hundred Thanksgivings we've celebrated in America, traditional pumpkin pie — that recipe found on the back of the Libby's pumpkin can and one many of us can make from memory — has become a rather uninspired offering.

Oh Great Pumpkin! How we love decorating you with ghoulish grins or happy smiles — carving your face is so much fun. Getting the slime and seeds out can be tough, though.

Local foodie Rita Downer recently emailed me with a link to a YouTube video of a retired school cafeteria cook showing how to make a dessert enjoyed by students and teachers alike - peanut butter bars.

With the lighter meals of summer giving way to more substantial fare, slow cookers are coming out of hibernation. Yes, there are appliances that will cook faster, particularly with air fryers, convection ovens and electric pressure cookers (Instant Pots) now in most every kitchen. But there's something about slow cooking that comforts us to the core.

Brown rice, I love to hate you. I don't know how many pots of brown rice I have thrown away because it comes out either not cooked enough or so mushy it's more like gruel.

Kenyatta Ashford married into a family with a rich culinary tradition in Chattanooga - the LeMont Johnson family, owners of Cafe LeMont (now closed) and LeMont Catering.

Many of us are counting carbs these days, but it's hard to say no to potatoes. There's just something about a baked potato with sour cream and butter or scalloped potatoes made in the true French method with cream, Swiss cheese and a hint of garlic that's difficult to resist.

In her debut cookbook, Meseidy Rivera argues that easy but memorable meals may be only a matter of changing your approach.

Like most events on Chattanooga's calendar, the annual Greek Bake Sale has been reconfigured.

Tired of looking at the same four walls day after day, but not ready to take the leap beyond the city borders?

Before the words "pandemic" and "social distancing" became part of our everyday vocabulary, cooking classes were fun nights out that we could spend with friends to learn new recipes, tips and techniques. But the stay-at-home rule changed everything.

Feel that slight bit of chill in the air after the sun goes down? The one that makes you want to wrap yourself in a blanket, light a match and let the fireplace come alive once again?

Barton and Cindy Close of Signal Mountain grew up camping. "It's in our blood," Cindy Close says.

I'm sure you have Friday marked on your calendar as National Fried Scallops Day. No? There's still time to run to the store and get some to celebrate.

Not too long ago I got an email alert from allrecipes.com about the best cookie bars they could find.

Though born in the United States, chef Eric Taslimi, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina, spent his early years in Iran, where his parents were born. And it's this background that helped influence his career path.