I have a confession. Until a few days ago, I had never watched, nor wanted to watch, a show on the Food Network. I couldn’t even tell you what channel the Food Network was on or what Paula Deen, Bobby Flay or Jamie Oliver looked like. In fact, I’m as opposite of a gourmet as one can be.

It’s not that I can’t do anything in the kitchen. I am excellent at chopping ingredients into perfectly tiny little pieces, I make a mean fruit salad and I’m quite accomplished with all Nestle Tollhouse recipes. But as far as my gourmet skills are concerned, the toaster oven is about as far as I can go. Actually, I’m so good at using the toaster oven I’ve decided I could even have my own show on the Food Network.

I would call it “Toasting with Susan.” People would tune in for such show topics as “The Art of Evenly Toasting a Weight Watcher English Muffin,” “Toaster Safety” and “Poptarts vs. Toaster Streudel.” People could even buy my cookbook, “The Toast of the Town—372 Fairly Good Toaster Oven Recipes.”

So, why am I telling you this? Because Thanksgiving is almost here and I really want to impress my family with some sort of incredible recipe. Therefore, I decided to turn on the Food Network channel and see what I could find.

On “Sara’s Secrets,” she was stuffing a turkey and giving some helpful pointers. She said that nutmeg is a great addition to any dish. I wondered how that would taste on my toasted pizza bagel.

Next, “Molto Mario” gave a little too much information for a first-timer like me. I was able to catch an important tip, however. He said that a professional-quality, thick-bottomed pan won’t give you hot spots and won’t burn things. (Neither will a good quality toaster oven.)

“Emeril Live” was great because every time Emeril added an ingredient, his studio audience clapped wildly. I think I’d like a studio audience for my cooking show. They could break out in thunderous applause each time I change the toaster dial from “toast” to “bake.”

Last, I felt great when the chef on “Boy Meets Grill” burned his bread on the grill. He really should have used a toaster!

I was still undecided on a recipe when I met up with my new neighbor, Buffalo Grove resident Amy Freedman. Amy is the owner of Bistro in Motion which is a personal chef service.

“Ever since I was five years old, I really, really loved to cook,” says Amy who was making omelets for her grandfather at age six. “On Sundays we would have Chinese Night, where my parents and I would make every dish from scratch.”

Amy’s must-have in the kitchen? “A good, sharp chef’s knife,” she says. “You can live without most of the gadgets, but with a good chef’s knife you can do everything.”

Freedman also gave me some great holiday-entertaining tips to share with all of you:

-Don’t try to do too much. You don’t have to do every side dish. Cover the basics or have people bring things.

-Make sure to have enough ice, trash bags, soap, napkins, etc.

-Do as much ahead of time as possible.

-Have a good meat thermometer for your turkey. Don’t rely on those pop-ups because by the time it actually pops up, your turkey may be overcooked.

-Use the thermometer for the stuffing inside the bird, too. It is covered with drippings. The temperature should be 165 degrees and the juices should run clear. This includes reheating, too.

-Pick and choose what is worth spending time on so you can make sure you enjoy your party.

Amy also shared some of her favorite Thanksgiving recipes:

Nana Theresa’s Stuffing

(For a 12 pound turkey – can be doubled)

1 package Pepperidge Farm Cubed Bread Crumbs

½ Loaf Stale Challah torn into bite size pieces (If bread is fresh dry it in a 225 degree oven)

2 T butter or oil

3 large onions

4 stalks celery

1 can chicken broth

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 eggs (well beaten)

½ t. sage

¼ t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

¼ t. ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz fresh mushrooms (lightly sautéed) optional

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté onions and celery in butter or oil until golden brown (about 6-8 minutes). Meanwhile, heat chicken broth in microwave or on the stovetop. Add breadcrumbs and bread. Add warm chicken broth to the onion, celery and bread mixture. Add graham cracker crumbs, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper and beaten eggs. Add mushrooms if desired. Stuffing should be moist. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of water if needed. Stuff turkey and cook turkey.

Cranberry Sauce

1 Cup Cranberry Juice Cocktail Concentrate, thawed

1/3-Cup Sugar

12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries rinsed

½ Cup Dried Cranberries

¼ Cup Dried Cherries

4 T Orange Marmalade

2 T Orange Juice

2 t Orange Zest

¼ t ground allspice

Combine cranberry juice concentrate and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; stirring until sugar dissolves. Add fresh and dried cranberries. Cook until dried berries become soft and fresh berries begin to pop open, about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat and add orange marmalade, orange juice, orange zest and allspice. Stir. Cool Completely. Make at least 2 hours ahead. Can be made up to 3 days in advance. Makes 2 ½ cups

Finally, I asked Amy if people were ever nervous having her over for a meal. “It’s always a pleasure to enjoy someone else’s hard work,” she says. “I’m really not critical, even when things are store-bought. I also love having people over and actually look for excuses to have company.”

To find out more about Amy Freedman’s personal chef service go to www.bistroinmotion.net, call 773-350-8611 or email Amy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Well, although I didn’t find any Thanksgiving recipes with which I could use my toaster, I’m definitely making Amy’s cranberry sauce recipe. It doesn’t even require me to turn on my oven. Have a wonderful and festive Thanksgiving! If you have an idea for a future column, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

© 2006 Susan Dubin, Buffalo Grove, Illinois