Awesome appetizers for your Thanksgiving feast.

If you stop and think about it, it’s kind of absurd to even consider appetizers before Thanksgiving dinner. But let’s not stop and think about it, shall we? Because all the while the turkey’s in the oven roasting, it’s emanating the most delicious smells from the kitchen. Tummies will invariably rumble. So, yeah: appetizers are a good thing. But you’ll want simple nibbles that aren’t too fussy or difficult to make. Like these. Get my favorite Thanksgiving appetizer recipes over on writes4food.com.

Fabulous Thanksgiving side dishes.

Rob and I are heading to the beach in South Carolina over the Thanksgiving week, leaving our loving family in Indiana wondering what the hell is wrong with us. So it’ll be shrimp and grits for us on Thanksgiving day. Figuring you’re planning something a bit more traditional, I’ll share my favorite Thanksgiving sides, salads and breads to inspire your Turkey Day menu. See the collection of holiday recipes on writes4food.com.

The Dorothy Project: Overnight coffee cake.

Two things strike me about this recipe that I found in my grandma Dorothy’s old recipe file: one, the beautiful penmanship, and two, this line: “Can be made 2 days before, providing you have good refrigeration.” …

The Dorothy Project: Arizona Mountain Soup.

This recipe for Arizona Mountain Soup was tucked into my grandmother’s “Kitchen Klips” file of old-fashioned recipes. With hearty beans and rice, this almost chili-like soup is super easy to put together and hearty enough for these first cold nights of the season. Do as the recipe’s originator, Arizona mountain resident Bennie Bennet, does and serve it with cornbread. Get the recipe on writes4food.com.

Double carrot risotto.

In my kitchen, ingredients often give rise to recipes instead of the other way around. Recently, I had a bunch of leftover carrot juice from another dish. I had some garden carrots in the “rot drawer.” Carrot juice + carrots became Double Carrot Risotto. It was a hit! With its seasonal flavor and beautiful orange color, it’s the perfect recipe for this time of year. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

The Dorothy Project: Spanish rice pilaf with zucchini and tomatoes.

As I’ve been browsing through my grandmother Dorothy’s “Kitchen Klips” recipe file, I’ve smiled as I discovered recipes that are very familiar to me. That’s because I sent them to her. Back in the 90s, Grandma published a cookbook, and she included many recipes from family and friends in addition to her own favorites. I sent her this recipe for Spanish Rice Pilaf with Zucchini and Tomatoes — it didn’t make the cut for her book, but Rob and I make it all. the. time. It’s the perfect summer-to-fall transitional dish. Get the recipe on writes4food.com!

‘Lost and found’ zucchini casserole.

When you’re going through a collection of vintage recipes, it’s fun to imagine what prompted the person who assembled the collection to include a particular recipe. This recipe for a simple, one-bowl zucchini casserole just seems so much like my grandmother: it’s good, and not at all fussy. Here’s the next installment in The Dorothy Project: Lost and Found Zucchini Casserole, which she clipped from Gourmet magazine in the 1980s. Get the recipe on writes4food.com.

The Findlay Market Cookbook

My cookbook, The Findlay Market Cookbook, is Cincinnati’s local cookbook — a celebration of local food as it’s best represented by Cincinnati’s historic public market.