Cheese dreams live up to their name

These two-bite sandwiches feature loads of Cheddar spiked with Worcestershire and garlic powder.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 25, 2024 Melissa Knific's cheese dreams. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cheese dreams come true By Melissa Clark And seemingly without warning, Thanksgiving is only three days away. I'm not going to stress you out with a checklist of things to do for the great feast (except for a little reminder to defrost your turkey if you haven't already). Instead, I'm going to focus on getting you fed for all the other meals during this frantic week. Just because you're cooking turkey on Thursday doesn't mean you have to skip dinner tonight. Here's what to make when all you want is a grilled cheese sandwich (that's me), but you're cooking for a crowd: Melissa Knific's cheese dreams. These two-bite snacks are made with loads of Cheddar cheese spiked with Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder for oomph. Make them for guests (children and grown-ups alike) for brunch, lunch or a buttery appetizer. Featured Recipe Cheese Dreams View Recipe → Another option from the finger-food department (at least if you're like my daughter and you eat salad with your hands): Christian Reynoso's red cabbage salad with orange vinaigrette is colorful, bright, herby and filled with apples and dried cranberries for sweetness and almonds for crunch. It's a great salad to make ahead since it lasts for several hours at room temperature and would even look stunning on your Thanksgiving table, should you still be searching for something salad-y to round out the holiday carbs. Another dish that works as well for Thanksgiving as it does for an autumnal weeknight meal is Sarah Jampel's cheesy baked pumpkin pasta with kale. This gooey, bubbling dish is perfect as a meatless side dish or a turkey-free main. And it's a great place to use up that extra can of pumpkin you might have laid in for pies and pumpkin bread. You probably weren't thinking of making chicken this week because of that other bird on Thursday. But then again, my sheet-pan turmeric chicken and crispy rice is very different from the gentle flavors of the usual Thanksgiving meal. Heady with spices and studded with scallions and grated ginger, the rice gets brittle and golden as it roasts, absorbing all the good drippings from the drumsticks and thighs. No harm, more fowl. Serve it with some spicy sweet harissa-maple mushrooms from Nargisse Benkabbou, which are a paragon of umami deliciousness. It would probably be sensible to skip desserts this week and wait for Thanksgiving's pie-a-palooza. As if! Just because you made treats for Thursday doesn't mean you have to go without tonight. Ali Slagle's fool-like cranberries and cream has plenty of yogurt in it, which also makes it perfect to eat for breakfast. Or dollop it on top of your Thanksgiving pies, where it will add both lush creaminess and a fetching scarlet hue. You do need a subscription for the recipes. Subscribing to New York Times Cooking supports our work bringing you new recipes every single week, and doing it now, just in time for the holiday season, will pay you back amply. If you need any technical help, the brilliant people at cookingcare@nytimes.com are there for you. And I'm at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hi. That's all for now. I'll see you on Wednesday. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards. Red Cabbage Salad With Orange Vinaigrette By Christian Reynoso 20 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta With Kale By Sarah Jampel 45 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Jim Wilson/The New York Times Pumpkin Bread With Brown Butter and Bourbon By Melissa Clark 1 hour 15 minutes Makes Two 8-inch loaves Linda Xiao for the New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Sheet-Pan Turmeric Chicken and Crispy Rice By Melissa Clark 50 minutes Makes 4 servings David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Harissa-Maple Mushrooms By Nargisse Benkabbou 45 minutes  Makes 4 to 6 servings Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Cranberries and Cream By Ali Slagle 10 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Sign up for Dinner Tonight One quick and easy recipe in your inbox each night to answer that eternal question: What's for dinner? Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. 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