Copy of The Weekly Whisk 🥣 10/31/25
- Jen Vondenbrink
- 20 minutes ago
- 5 min read
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Pumpkin Pie Season
I love the New England tradition of putting candle lights in the windows. Wherever I’ve lived, I recreated the tradition, sometimes even influencing others in my neighborhood to do the same.
It is no surprise to many that I light my candles in November, actually on November 1st. This usually corresponds to the time change as well. For me, this is the perfect antidote to early dark evenings. When I finish work, I’m not faced with a dark house, but instead a house full of warm candlelight. It makes me smile every time.
This also sparks my need for one-pot dinners such as a humble stew, pasta tossed in a homemade sauce, or my new favorite curries.
Curry in India simply means a spiced sauce, but has come to mean a meat and/or vegetable dish cooked in a spiced, flavorful sauce typically eaten with rice. There are all different types of curries, ranging from an extremely hot Indian Vindaloo to a mild, even sweet, Yellow Thai Curry. Plus, there are curries from all over the world, including Japan, South Africa, and the Caribbean, all of which I have yet to explore.
My favorite right now is a Red Thai Curry. It isn’t very spicy, and if you make it at home, you can adjust the spice level. Although I’ve made curries from scratch such as my nephew’s Butter Chicken, I’ve found that there are many curry pastes that you can find in your local grocery store that cut the time to make a curry from hours to under 45 minutes.
These curry pastes are simply the spices cooked and ground or mashed into a paste. So, instead of having a cabinet of spices you may not use often, having a small jar of curry paste can save you money and food waste, along with time.
I know some of you don’t like to buy ingredients for one dish, so I found this video by Jamie Oliver, which talks about all the different ways you can use curry pastes and chutneys besides a curry. It was actually Jamie Oliver who introduced me to the ease of curry paste when he added some to yogurt to make a sauce for a dish he was making. I thought it was genius and have used that trick many times over.
If you are still a bit iffy about trying to make curry, Trader Joe’s makes it even easier. One of the things I love to do at Trader Joe’s is pick up a random ingredient and see how I would use it. Their Red Thai Curry Sauce is what turned me onto making my own curries.
Like you I was a bit skeptical when I bought my first jar. I never had Red Thai Curry. I didn’t know what it was going to taste like, but I gave it a go. As soon as I tasted it, I was hooked. Now you will always find a jar of it in my cabinet (unless I’ve used it up). Not only do I use it for curries, but I will make tray bake dinners, roast vegetables, and make chicken wings with it.
Lesson of the week: Don’t be afraid to give things a try. You never know, you may find your new favorite dish or ingredient!
If curries aren’t your thing, here are a few other things I’ve been making:
Grain Bowls - using up lots of leftovers here.
Chipotle Pork Chili - and adding that to grain bowls as leftovers.
Shrimp Toast - retest of a recipe. Still holds up (picture isn’t great but taste is all there)
Ask Jen
Q: With Thanksgiving coming, what can I make ahead to save time?
A: This is a great question, and it isn’t too early to ask it because in the blink of an eye, Thanksgiving will be here.
You can pretty much make most everything a bit ahead of time, except the turkey, including the gravy! Here’s a list to consider:
Stuffing
Gravy - use chicken or turkey stock
Mashed potatoes - although you need to think about reheating so they don’t dry out. My Mom always made them ahead and then brought them up to temperature in either a slow cooker or over a pan of simmering water.
Sweet potato casserole
Green bean casserole - you may just want to assemble this and then bake it on the day, rather than baking and reheating, because the green beans may become mushy
Pies - All pies can be made ahead of time, and then reheated in the warm oven while you have dinner. You can even assemble and freeze apple pies and bake them off on Thanksgiving day
Dinner rolls
Cranberry sauce - if you are making your own
How far in advance can you make these dishes? It depends on your schedule and how much storage space you have in your refrigerator or freezer. For example, you could make your stuffing, gravy, apple pie, and dinner rolls, and freeze them. For anything you make and want to keep in the refrigerator, I would recommend no more than 2 days before.
Check out my article on When to Shop for Thanksgiving to start your planning!
This Week's Favorites
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We are lucky here in New England to be the place where Thanksgiving originated. If you haven’t checked out the Plimouth & Patuxet Museums, they always have lots of events this time of year talking about Thanksgiving and giving you more history of the time and place. It is a good day trip even before the holiday.
Check out the featured recipes from King Arthur Baking for November! I’ve made their focaccia before and it is amazing! Next on my list is the Cinnamon Roll Cake…come on. How good would that be?
All-Clad Stainless Saute Pan with Cover - I use this to make my curries because it won’t react to the sauce, and it is heavy. I know it is expensive. The Cuisinart is a good alternative.
You can find the Pataks Curry pastes and sauces at most stores (don’t buy it from Amazon because it is too expensive. Just sharing the link so you know what to look for).
Recipe Ideas for the Week
Talking pumpkin, here are some ideas:
Pumpkin Curry Soup with Lentils - deliciously warming and seasonal
Indian Spiced Creamed Spinach - It is not your Grandmother’s creamed spinach
Thai Noodles with Peanut Sauce - The picture isn’t great but they are really yummy
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Jen Vondenbrink is a cooking, food, and lifestyle blogger at Appetite for Life since 2020. Jen Vondenbrink has over 35 years of professional cooking experience apprenticing with local pastry and artisan bread makers, working for culinary innovator J. Bildner & Sons in Boston, as well as Starbucks Coffee Company in Seattle, Washington. Jen Vondenbrink has published cookbooks such as Thanksgiving Recipes From Home, Fun Summer Recipes, and the Cozy Soup Cookbook. Jen Vondenbrink also hosts the Appetite for Life Cooking Club, where members get insights to enhance their cooking. Jen Vondenbrink offers cooking classes and cooking coaching, working one-on-one with people to strengthen their cooking knowledge and skills.
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