Photo: tobym, Flickr.

• Mark Bittman's advice for Thanksgiving: "Just chill."
• Since 1999, residents of Jamestown, R.I., have held a Thanksgiving leftovers potluck deemed the "Save the Best for Last" dinner the Saturday after Turkey Day.
• Taking a clue from the Butterball Turkey talk-line, Sam Sifton will be answering reader questions until 3 p.m. Thursday.
• How to carve that bird. No hacking allowed.
• Urban food lovers learn how to hunt, butcher and cook their own meat to reduce the food miles between producer and consumer.
• President Obama hosted the first state dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, with a vegetarian menu prepared by Chef Marcus Samuelsson.

Four turkeys. Photo: cobalt123, Flickr.

• Simple tips for a hassle-free Thanksgiving.
• Compound butters pack an amazing punch.
• A pre-roasting milk bath is a good alternative to salt-brining your holiday bird.
• But don't forget the gravy.
• Here's an American culinary tradition you've probably never heard of: tomato pudding.
• Cranberries are good for the adult kind of "sauce" too.
• Should you have a catastrophe on the big day, try one of these turkey hotlines.
• Add a Thai twist to turkey leftovers.

Photo: paul goyette, Flickr.

• Got milk? To make traditional mashed potatoes decadent enough for the holiday spread means one thing: heavy cream, and lots of it.
• Chocolate isn't just for dessert. Take it from the Italians and try adding the "food of the gods" to savory pastas, soups, risottos and crostini.
• Experts say the pumpkin shortage Libby's announced last week won't affect your pie this year, but next year may be a different story.
• Pungent, bold-flavored blue cheese "can help satisfy your cravings for rich, creamy foods without the guilt."
• Get out those planners -- Thanksgiving dinner is all a matter of good scheduling.

Vegan mashed potatoes and gravy. Photo: chotda, Flickr.

• Contrary to popular belief, Champagne prices are apparently dropping; here's how to buy.
• If beer is more your style, here are some suggestions for what to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner.
• And turkey basics from the USDA allow for more drink and less think next Thursday.
• A columnist offers three steps to "fool-proof" gravy.
• Local chefs share their favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
• The Pacific Northwest Cheese Project, a blog about local cheeses, is now a book.
• The Thomas Street Bistro runs more like a dinner party than a restaurant.

Photo: Emily Barney, Flickr.

• Make sure the Thanksgiving preparations don't turn into an episode of "Hell's Kitchen" by following Mark Bittman's guide of 101 things to prepare in advance.
• Lose the rolling pin with these homemade dessert suggestions. No fussy pie crust required.
• "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" -- Melissa Clark challenges her family's traditional chestnut stuffing by cooking up three new stuffing possibilities to see if they can compete.
• The Pour Blog admits "books about wine are no substitute for drinking wine." But these six book suggestions about wine can help readers better appreciate what they're drinking.
• 'Tis the season to cook and bake pears.
• Legendary French chef Pierre Gagnaire is the latest three Michelin-starred to infiltrate the Vegas strip with his first restaurant endeavor in the U.S.

Photo: Blue Square Thing, Flickr.

• An inside look at Volt, the restaurant of Bryan Voltaggio -- a remaining contestant and one-half of the brothers Voltaggio on 'Top Chef Vegas.'
• Inspired by a cupcake, a contemplation of eating with your hands: "There's an intimacy with your food ... that you don't get when you have the intermediary fork thingie."
• As many are picking the perfect bird for Thanksgiving, food journalist Rob Kasper acquaints himself with heritage turkeys at a Baltimore County farm during their final days.
• Aspiring to become a sommelier? Test your wine I.Q.
• Cooking with wine? What about cooking with beer? From beer-battered to basted, a look at menu items from Baltimore restaurants that put a little hop into the recipe.
• In light of the mass beef recall in early November, consumers are turning to small butcher shops, small cattle farms and gourmet grocers in search of a better burger.

Photo: Andy Lyons, Getty Images

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Candied apples.
Photo: tibchris, Flickr.

• South Florida book clubbers are setting their tables to match their assigned reading, whipping up Jell-O salads in honor of "The Help" and making candied apples to celebrate "Water for Elephants."
• Readers rush to the aid of a Pakistani ex-pat seeking to recreate his late mother's carrot rice pudding.
• The Desperation Dinners team proves you can make faux maque choux in 25 minutes.
• Dried mulberries and melon seeds line the shelves at a Persian grocery store in Plantation, Fla.

Photo: Matti Mattila, Flickr.

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Photo: sweetbeetandgreenbean, Flickr.

• Don't mourn the loss of the summer produce bounty. A guide to the dark leafy greens of fall -- like spinach, collards, Brussels sprouts, rainbow chard and savoy cabbage -- proves autumn has a cornucopia of seasonal vegetables.
• Cookbook author Paula Wolfert reveals her sacred kitchen object, claiming she "never met a pot of clay she didn't like."
• The common chickpea is spiced up with cumin, turmeric, coriander and cayenne.
• Got a hungry man in your life? Lucinda Scala Quinn, author of "Mad Hungry, Feeding Men & Boys" offers ten tips for feeding men (and boys), like "don't ask if they're hungry" and "train them to fend for themselves." After the tips, she cooks up five guy-approved recipes, like "Flat Roast Chicken" and "Steak Pizzaiola."
• Warm up with hearty stews as the weather cools down. Tomatillos, small green tomatoes popular in Mexican cooking, shine in a "lean, mean slow-cooker recipe" with beef eye of round and pinto beans.

Thai chicken soup. Photo: elana's pantry, Flickr.

• Seven soup recipes from seven new cookbooks help Denver residents stay warm this season.
• Seared scallops, salad and rib-eye are the way to go at the newly revamped Simms Steakhouse.
• The Colorado Beer Festival descends on Colorado Springs this Saturday, and offers more than 70 beers to sample, as well as a designated-driver program.
• The Wynkoop Brewery will hold its own Beers of the Year mini-festival on Saturday, also.
• Dublin-made cream liqueur Coole Swan, which gets its name from Yeats' poem "The Wild Swans of Coole," is finally for sale in Colorado, and one food writer -- who claims it's the finest cream liqueur he's ever tasted -- couldn't be happier.
• A "gastropub" opens in Cherry Creek, inspiring food critic Tucker Shaw to explore the etymology of the word.
• A knife-wielding blogger discovers the bounty of the duck.

Photo: ulterior epicure, Flickr.

• Trevor Corson, the author of "The Story of Sushi," says to step away from the chopsticks -- the proper way to eat sushi is with your fingers.
• Joaquin Baca of the Brooklyn Star only serves up food he likes to eat -- including the Americana classic green bean casserole, updated with homemade mushroom soup and onion rings.
• White House chef Sam Kass stirs pots and policy. When he's not preparing meals for the first family, he gathers with senior policy advisers to figure out how to improve the health of the country's children.
• First Lady Michelle Obama makes a cameo on the Jan. 3 episode of "Iron Chef America" to raise awareness for the Healthy Kids Initiative -- and revealing that the secret ingredient is anything from the White House garden.
• From Momofuku to Marco Canora, the roundup of this season's best new cookbooks is sure to take readers on an "edible adventure."
• Sam Sifton's latest reviews Le Relais de Venise L'Entrecôte, the Parisian import to Midtown that relies on "the simplicity of salad, steak and fries, heavy on the salt and butter, rich as a cardiologist," and waitresses in what resemble French maid outfits.
• The Minimalist, Mark Bittman, takes meatball madness to the Middle East with lamb, cumin, mint and bulgur.
• Nostalgic for wine from their Vienna upbringing, Carlo Huber and Paul Darcy made it their mission to bring Viennese wines and wine culture to the United States.
• Saltie, a tiny sandwich shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, serves up sandwiches "the Earl would approve."

Photo: Juushika Redgrave, Flickr.

• A reporter and his daughter attempt to make their own Halloween candy and quickly vow to never do it again.
• Kansas City kids collected more than 850 pounds of sweets on Halloween night and gave it all away to benefit a charity that provides braces to low-income youths. Rest assured, the candy didn't go to waste, but to troops overseas.
• A recipe for a reduced-fat au gratin potato casserole pleases the palate.
• At The Drop, a small plates restaurant on Kansas City's "Martini Corner," how you want to eat is almost as important as what you want to eat.
• Sumo, a Japanese steakhouse in the suburbs, is a pleasant surprise with top-notch service, spicy salmon rolls and... spinning eggs?
• A raw food enthusiast uses finds from her Halloween harvest for a semi-healthy Welsh rarebit recipe.

The bacon buzz is still in full effect. Photo: Another Pint Please, Flickr.

• A brief background on bloodsuckers, plus "a bloody fete Dracula would thirst for" -- creative fanger foods, pun intended.
• When left home alone with the task of feeding trick-or-treaters, one columnist came to discover the marvelous match of red wine and chocolate.
• Bacon banter has finally leveled out a bit, but isn't going anywhere anytime soon. However, a recent local event preceding April's Baconfest Chicago wowed porcine appreciators, with dishes like the pumpkin-bacon-waffle with pomegranate-glazed pork belly.
• More than "junk food with a European pedigree," Nutella is a "vaguely wholesome" snack with an interesting background -- and can be made at home from scratch.
• The Festival of Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer takes place November 7, and pays tribute to a worthy beer trend on the rise.
• A gallery of ten "superfoods" we should be consuming more of, from avocados and beets to chia seeds and dandelion greens.
• Recipes: Comforting Chicken Pot Pie with Drop Biscuits ("the gustatory equivalent of curling up with your favorite blanket"); the luscious Vanilla Ice Cream with Bourbon Walnuts and Caramel; Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork and Spicy Slaw "warms up a Halloween party;" Sheila Lukins' Banana Cake.

Pumpkin gnocchi. Photo: sonicwalker, Flickr.

• As wine sales have dipped with the failing economy, the results of the annual Plonkalooza, which judges 50 local wines -- half whites, half reds -- priced at $12 or less, are more promising than ever.
• L'Ecluse 16 in France's Alsace region serves "traditionally French [fare] with an inventive twist," with consideration of seasonal produce.
• An interview with Boston "Rising Star" Jiho Kim, head pastry chef at L'Espalier.
• A gallery guide on how to satisfy your "pumpkin palate," from its savory cameos in coffee and beer, to inventive pancakes, pastas and whoopie pies.
• Reminiscent of collegiate endeavors, the Boston Globe goes on an informative pizza crawl, sampling everything from cheese-loaded dive pizzas to the upscale quality-ingredients of refined Italian eateries.
• Restaurants: Jamaica Plain's Bon Savor serves French and South African cooking and is "as much about charm and personality as food;" "the coolest place in town," Trina's Starlite Lounge dishes up delicious bar fare; Barbara Lynch's flagship restaurant No. 9 "is still tops" for French and Italian seasonal cuisine.
• Recipes: A brothy, vegetarian Mexican-Style Soup; a refined Cod Wrapped in Phyllo with Pea Puree; Apple-Plum Crumble with maple syrup and oats; a spicy-sweet Vietnamese Caramelized Chicken.

Photo: longpig, Flickr.

"It certainly sounds plausible since after all this is the Dairy State, but the answer is no," she said. "The 1935 Laws of Wis., ch. 106 came close; it required serving a small amount of cheese and butter with meals in restaurants (effective from June 1935 to March 1937)."

What crazy food laws have you heard of? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo: AdelaideNow

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Photo: roboppy, Flickr

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Vibrant Swiss chard from the Torrance farmers' market. Photo: clayirving, Flickr.

In the "treacherous food landscape" of today's supermarkets, noted New York Times contributor and author Michael Pollan has culled a collection of "Rules to Eat By" to help readers navigate "through the minefields of the modern-food marketplace or restaurant menu."

He requested suggestions from New York Times readers in March as research for an upcoming book and received more than 2,500 in just a few days. With food policies ranging from the innate ("Don't eat egg salad from a vending machine"), to quirky ("Don't yuck someone's yum"), to moral ("Don't eat anything you aren't willing to kill yourself"), Pollan's 20 favorites provide a helpful guide to eating right.

As food takes a longer and longer path -- and transformation -- from its origins, and the food industry gains increasing influence over what is deemed "nutritious" according to federal standards, eating right has become more and more abstruse. With the constant rise of misguided or unsound food principles -- Paula Deen categorizing her strawberry cake as "fruit" on "The View," KFC's Double Down sandwich swapping its bun for two servings of fried chicken, a markedly "Supersized" culture -- Pollan stresses the importance of the elementary practice of trusting culture, and following our leaders -- mothers and fathers and friends -- rather than increasingly convoluted federal nutrition guidelines when making appropriate food choices.

Weary of the "era of dazzling food science, supersize portions and widespread dietary confusion," Pollan published "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" and "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals," took the James Beard Award for best food writing and is currently the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkeley.