Taste / StarTribune.com / Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Let the parties begin

Time is running out. You need to step up to the dinner plate. We'll help as the festive season begins with the first of what often are many holiday meals between now and the new year.

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Fixit: Organic, free-range turkeys go outdoors

Q Where can I find a turkey that has been raised without hormones? Would this be an organic turkey?

Tart, tasty berries liven up holidays

Wisconsin is the nation's top producer of the cheery Thanksgiving staple.

Stock up on holiday wine with these tips

A is for acidity, which cuts through dry, salty foods and fatty ones, making it a wine's foremost attribute for pairing.

Weekly wine deal: Sauvignon Blanc

A simple pleasure from new Zealand.

Restaurant deal of the week: Murray's

The words "Murray's" and "cheap" do not seem synonymous, but that's not true. The landmark downtown Minneapolis restaurant (26 S. 6th St., 612-339-0909, www.murraysrestaurant.com) offers a budget-minded three-course early  bird dinner (weekdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.) for $19.95. Choose from a Caesar salad, daily soup or onion rings for the first course; an 8-oz. sirloin steak, broiled salmon or chicken piccata for the main course; and crème brûlée, chocolate cake or spice cake for dessert. Monday-Friday 4:30-6 p.m.

Give turkey tons of flavor

The easiest way to add tons of flavor to your Thanksgiving turkey is to get under its skin.

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Ask the Splendid Table

Green-bean salad a vegetarian hit

A reader writes It's my first meatless dinner party, but first, I have got to tell you how I found out how vegetables rock!

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From our archives: Ten days of Thanksgiving recipes.

Start thinking about leftovers, starting with walnut-sage crepes filled with turkey.

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