Five Questions With

Anthony's Cheesecake Owners Dish on Thanksgiving

Philip Byrne and Anthony Lauro share dessert tips and give thanks before Turkey Day

It's the most wonderful – and busiest – time of the year at Anthony's Cheesecake in Bloomfield. Co-owners of the beloved Washington Street shop Anthony Lauro and Philip Byrne stepped out of the kitchen Tuesday to talk holiday desserts, what they're thankful for this Turkey Day and more for Patch's "Five Questions With" column. What Thanksgiving dessert is everyone ordering from your store? No surprise here: Lauro and Byrne said pumpkin cheesecake is their biggest seller this time of year, with sweet potato pie and pumpkin pie not far behind. How many orders have you racked up for Thanksgiving? The quaint shop has gotten at least 400 orders so far for Thanksgiving pies and cheesecakes and will be baking through Thursday. "I always find the …

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How to Brine a Turkey

Brining a turkey takes time and effort, but results in a moist and flavorful bird.

  “Brining” has always been the secret method that chefs use to make a moist and flavorful baked turkey. Many years ago I asked a chef why her turkey meat tasted so good, and she led me back to the kitchen’s large, walk-in cooler filled with birds soaking in a fragrant bath. I immediately got her recipe. But what is brining? There are two types: wet and dry. Dry brining is simply rubbing a turkey in a salt and herb mixture and letting it sit (refrigerated of course) for many hours (usually about one hour per pound). It's somewhat easier and more convenient than the alternative wet option, and advocates insist dry brining makes for a bird with a firmer meat texture, and the skin is sensational. Wet brining, which does seem to be the most …

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Thanksgiving Bonanza: Recipes, Cocktails and More

Share your recipes and kitchen secrets with your neighbors by adding to the list in the comment section!

Change up your traditional Thanksgiving recipes with a little help from the Bloomfield Patch! This is not the Patch's first Thanksgiving. Throughout the years, there have been numerous articles, blogs and tips posted about holiday recipes and cocktails. In order to help get your table ready, here is a short list of some of the best. Click on the links below and it will transport you to the recipes.  But this list is far from complete! So if you have a Thanksgiving recipe you hold dear to your heart, share it with your neighbors and friends by: • Looking for a new way to cook your bird? Then check out these recipes (stuffed, unstuffed, braised, grilled, smoked, and deep fried), in addition to cook times, and a few general tips and tricks…

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Fantastic Thanksgiving Sides

A cheesy potato casserole and delicious cranberry sauce are sure to light up your Thanksgiving dinner table.

It’s time for Thanksgiving, my favorite time of the year! Not only do you get to see family, but the food is plentiful and delicious. If your family is anything like mine, there are multiple side dishes to choose from to accompany the all important turkey. Everything from green bean casserole to sweet potato pie has been served at our table and now, I would like to share some fantastic side dish recipes that may become a part of your Thanksgiving tradition. Ingredients Cheesy Potato Casserole 3 lbs red potatoes, sliced 1 lb broccoli, chopped 1 10.75 oz can cream of chicken 1 cup sour cream ½ lb ham, sliced 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp kosher salt 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp basil ½ cup cheddar cheese, grated ½ cup Asiago, grated ½…

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Food Donations Needed For Thanksgiving & Hurricane Sandy

Local food pantries struggling to keep up with the demand this holiday season.

For food pantries across Northern New Jersey, Hurricane Sandy dealt a double blow: It increased the number of families in need of assistance and shortened the span between Halloween (which Gov. Chris Christie moved to Nov. 5) and Thankgsiving, which comes early this year. Prior to the storm, the Community Food Bank of New Jersey reported more than 960,000 residents of Northern New Jersey are food insecure, meaning at times they lack access to enough food to maintain an active, healthy life.  The Community Food Bank is hosting its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive this Saturday, Nov. 17 from 9am to 2pm at the following locations in Essex County:   

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Town Pub to Host Free Thanksgiving Dinner

Civic-minded establishment happy to feed senior citizens and needy

  Through a series of conversations with several older patrons a few years ago, Rami Korio was reminded of The Town Pub's roots. The venerable tavern on Broad Street always connected with others in the community and its manager felt inspired to bridge the past and present. Three years later, the Town Pub is preparing to host its annual free Thanksgiving Dinner for senior citizens and needy persons in Bloomfield. Dinner will be served from 1-4 p.m., with all food freshly prepared on site and served by Korio and his staff – all of whom are volunteering their time. “We want to give something back to the town,” Korio said. With the return of Foley Field, the Town Pub showed it could successfully connect with younger patrons by sponsoring …

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Extra Rail and Bus Service for Holiday Travelers

NJ TRANSIT offering early getaway rail and bus service.

  Whether you’re traveling over the river or through the woods, NJ TRANSIT is gearing up to provide gridlock relief during the approaching holiday season.  Starting Wednesday, Nov. 23 and continuing through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, scores of NJ TRANSIT customer service representatives and volunteers will be deployed at major facilities to assist customers, with rail and bus service adjusted to match Thanksgiving travel patterns.  This year, NJ TRANSIT will once again offer “early getaway” rail and bus service on Wednesday, Nov. 23, for the benefit of customers leaving work early, and to provide additional capacity for customers traveling to Newark Liberty International Airport. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is typically the …

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Share Your Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes!

Do you make a non-conventional dessert? Side dish? Main course? Tell us about it!

While the “traditional” Thanksgiving dinner usually consists of turkey and trimmings, we have all established different traditions through the years. That said: Do you bake or cook anything that strays from conventional Turkey Day cuisine? Perhaps it is a dessert, a side dish – or maybe even the main course. We are looking for your non-traditional recipes to share with our Patch readers. Please e-mail them (and pictures) to bfalzarano.patch@gmail.com and we will publish them early next week. And, of course, feel free to share below in the comments.

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Thanksgiving, On Steroids and Off

Recipes and tips for buying and preparing the turkey and side dishes. Gobble, gobble.

You gotta love Thanksgiving. It's non-denominational, everyone celebrates it and even if you're not a cook, there are endless opportunities to participate. You can be the one who sets the table, buys the groceries, brings the wine, serves the drinks, orders ahead of time or picks up dessert. You can also be the one who turns on the TV and expresses gratitude for what we've got: Food, shelter, friends, family, and hopefully, health, happiness and internet access. In our house, Thanksgiving is an all-day eating marathon. There's always plenty of food and it's usually pretty good. This year, though, we're not hosting. I'm not even cooking. One of my brothers-in-law just married a pianist from Israel who is an outstanding cook. She wants to …

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