While there are many things we can be thankful for this Thanksgiving, food is undoubtedly biting at the top of the list. Consider even how much you would really love the Thanksgiving holiday without the emphasis on the Thanksgiving meal.
Spice up your latte
What would be the point in celebrating without apple cider, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and the juicy roasted turkey with gravy? One thing is for sure: the taste of Thanksgiving always brings comfort, and the best way to anticipate Thanksgiving is with a morning Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Nothing is better than waking up for class and smelling the delicious blend of pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavors in your a.m. cup of coffee. If you haven't tried it, Starbucks makes a mouth-watering Pumpkin Spice Latte with their signature espresso, steamed milk and whipped cream topping that will leave you craving a Turkey dinner. It's a treat we wouldn't be able to live without in the fall, and thanks to Starbucks, we have it around for a limited time during the Thanksgiving season to spice up our festivities.
Check in with your favorite coffee shop, whether it's Fair Trade Coffee House, Steep & Brew or Michelangelo's and ask if they have Pumpkin spices in this season, too. Espresso Royale certainly gets the point. They offer a Pumpkin Pie Latte that fills your Thanksgiving craving by putting the flavor of pumpkin pie into the goodness of your latte.
Not a coffee addict? Try steaming milk and blending in these fall spices. The key is to simmer a little syrup on the stove, then add in the pumpkin spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and vanilla) and see how this season you won't be able to live without this comfort drink.
- Oren Katz
A splendid sweetener
If you haven't seen their usually delightful and lively commercials, you've seen them next to the sugar in the colorful condiment stands in your favorite coffee shop. It"" is Splenda brand no-calorie sweetener.
As advertised on each of their packets, you can technically put as many packets of the sugar look-alike in your favorite coffee or tea drink without affecting your total calorie intake for the day. Fellow sugar alternatives Sweet-n-Low and Equal also have no calories, but there's something about Splenda that makes it the most popular artificial sweetener.
Maybe it's their bright yellow packets that make Splenda stand out above its competitors. Or maybe it's the fact that sucralose, the main ingredient in Splenda, is 600 times sweeter than sugar, bringing you (literally) more bang for your buck. Also, each packet has less than one gram of carbohydrates in it, not putting too much of a damper in your total carb count for the day.
Or maybe it's the fact that it has the same health benefits no matter what you put it in. Although the most popular thing to put Splenda in, especially on campus, is obviously coffee, it also goes well in hot beverages like tea and cider, and it also tastes great in oatmeal.
Although Splenda has had its share of trials and tribulations for calling itself ""not sugar,"" it has easily become one of the most popular coffee add-ins in the country.
- Caissa Casarez
Pumpkin up
Pumpkin is one of the most versatile foods because it can take on both sweet and savory characteristics. It can evoke memories and connote tradition, and it has wonderful adaptability in varying dishes. Pumpkin evokes a certain cultural image in American cuisine: pumpkin pie - a dessert whose place at the end of the Thanksgiving meal promises a rich, creamy custard baked in a flaky pie crust. It is the perfect culmination of an already decadent feast.
We should not pigeonhole this food into a rigid time period during a single season, however. Even though pumpkin reigns those few weeks during October and November, it is simply forgotten the remaining months of the year, hindering our potential for relishing its distinctive flavor and texture.
Pumpkins contain such health benefits as potassium and beta-carotene. The New York Times reports that beta-carotene is an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the body, which scientists have attributed to reducing development of certain types of cancer and to help protect against heart disease and stroke.
Although in recent years Americans have increased interest in the health benefits of certain fruits and vegetables, pumpkin's position is placed primarily in the ranks of comfort foods. Most often served in pies, breads and soups, pumpkin is a mainstay of dishes to enjoy in blustery November weather. As you walk down State Street, advertisements catch your eye for pumpkin muffins at Sunroom Café and pumpkin bagels at Einstein's.
World cuisine offers us refreshing takes on the traditional pumpkin dishes. In Italian cooking, pumpkin and sage can serve as a savory filling for ravioli. Japanese chefs will often use pumpkin in tempura. Thai cuisine mimics the Pilgrims' recipes: filling smaller pumpkins with custard and serving it as dessert. Certain parts of China use the pumpkin leaves in soups, and Australians serve pumpkin roasted with other vegetables.
Even if you choose apple or pecan pie over the classic pumpkin this Thanksgiving, be sure to reserve a place for pumpkin throughout the season. It offers many choices and you will easily find a dish to savor.
- Frances Schoeller
The classiest cupcake
There is a certain type of cupcake called red velvet that reigns supreme over all other cupcakes. Granted, one can't really go wrong with any flavor of this quintessential dessert. Warm cake and sweet icing is a duo that is difficult to beat. And yet, there is something in the rich decadence of a red velvet cupcake that makes it appear extra fancy.
Each moist bite feels as if it is a treat to be savored. Even the name red velvet conjures up images of a sweet, somehow royal, individual specialty cake. Its fluffy layering, dark red cake and soft cream cheese icing makes for a dessert that feels more grown-up than your average run-of-the-mill chocolate or vanilla baked good.
One of the joys surrounding cupcakes is that we associate them with nostalgic memories of our past childhood. There was no better feeling than knowing someone's mother had brought cupcakes to the playground. Cupcakes were the embodiment of excitement felt during childhood that couldn't be articulated beyond a wide, icing-laced smile. As adults, we are now able to relive this youthful delight with each bite.
Red velvet is the epitome of the adult cupcake. Its extraordinary richness adds an extra measure of guilty pleasure, as it is a top-tier cupcake. Stepping into a bakery that carries a perfect red velvet cupcake provides a link to the delight we felt on the playground as a kid. So go ahead, adult college student, be thankful for such a delectable treat and take a bite out of childhood.
- Jessica Ward
A healthy split
The food pyramid. A detailed description of the nutritional foods you should consume in a day. How could you possibly be able to get the appropriate number of servings for each different food group? Be thankful for the one food that makes it possible to get your daily serving of each: the banana split.
The banana split is the perfect combination of all the nutrition and satisfaction you could only hope to be in more of your meals. You have your daily consumption of protein thanks to the nuts sprinkled on top, and the main source of dairy comes from three large scoops of ice cream.
Let's not forget about the fruits and veggies. The banana and cherry on top provide an adequate amount of healthy vegetation. We're even required to have a small amount of fats, which is drizzled on in the form of chocolate syrup. Just add a cookie for some carbs, and you have the full meal.
As you work your way up the food pyramid, be thankful you can satisfy all of these servings in one delicious dessert. This Thanksgiving, don't focus on the turkey, the stuffing or the apple pie. Start a new Thanksgiving tradition by eating the one food we should truly be thankful for.
- Casey Tarnas
