The Sip and Feast Podcast

When we think of Thanksgiving, images of perfectly glistening turkeys leap to mind. But as much as we romanticize the bird, the reality is that the sides are the real reason we love Thanksgiving! Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/5yvld3QGbr8 Forget the bird and bring on the sides We love a good Thanksgiving turkey with its crisp golden skin, tender juicy meat, and lots of gravy, but when it comes down to it, the side dishes are the true stars of the show! There are so many to choose from - the must-haves, like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and stuffing, some lesser-known sides, and of course the obligatory albeit outdated ones that complete the Thanksgiving dinner spread. In this episode, we discuss our favorites, talk through the recipes, and answer the question, "If you could only choose 5 sides to make for Thanksgiving, which 5 would you choose?" We also discuss canned vs. fresh cranberry sauce, the reason you won't find a Sip and Feast recipe for green bean casserole, and Tara shares her unpopular opinion on stuffing. Stay tuned for next week's episode where we'll provide you with the ultimate game plan for a successful Thanksgiving! Resources Sip and Feast Fall and Thanksgiving Recipe Catalog Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes Recipe Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Italian-American Lasagna Recipe Cranberry Sauce Recipe Italian Sausage Stuffing Recipe Sage and Onion Stuffing Recipe Garlic Butter Rolls Recipe Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Recipe Maple Roasted Carrots Recipe Scalloped Potatoes Recipe Baked Artichoke Hearts with Breadcrumbs Recipe Italian Potato Casserole Recipe Baked Cauliflower with Cheese and Breadcrumbs Recipe Creamed Spinach Recipe If you enjoyed The Sides are the Real Reason We Love Thanksgiving episode, leave us a comment below and let us know! We love your questions. Please send them to [email protected] (remove the 11111 for our contact). There’s no question not worth asking. If you enjoy our weekly podcast, support us on Patreon and you will get 2 more bonus episodes each month! Thanks for listening! For a complete list of all podcast episodes, visit our podcast episode page.

It's no secret that warehouse clubs like Costco have fantastic deals, especially when it comes to feeding a family. Whether it's olive oil, cheese, or something as simple as half-and-half, there are so many reasons why we love Costco! It continuously proves itself to be one of the best places to find deals to fit the budget and lifestyle of many families. Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/FpfQI24xfIs Why we love Costco Watch any of my YouTube videos and you're likely to find that I'm not only using pots, pans, and ingredients purchased at Costco, but I'm probably wearing a shirt from Costco too! In this episode we explore the very best food-related deals Costco has to offer, from nuts, oils, and cheese, to meat, honey, and seafood, we outline all the reasons why we love Costco! Note: we did not receive any compensation from Costco and the opinions expressed in this podcast are solely our own. Resources Biscotti Walnut Snowball Cookies Pignoli Cookies Braciole Salmon Oreganata Riso al Forno If you enjoyed the Exploring the Best Food Deals at Costco episode, leave us a comment below and let us know! We love your questions. Please send them to [email protected] (remove the 11111 for our contact). There’s no question not worth asking. If you enjoy our weekly podcast, support us on Patreon and you will get 2 more bonus episodes each month! Thanks for listening! For a complete list of all podcast episodes, visit our podcast episode page. Transcript Intro James (00:00):Welcome back to The Sip and Feast Podcast. This is episode 19. We're talking Costco today. What exactly about Costco, Tara? Tara (00:08):We're talking about the things that we love to buy at Costco because they're the best value possible. And I'd like to add here that, although we wish we were, this video is not in any way sponsored by Costco. James (00:24):That's right. I mean, I often joke, I joke all the time on the main channel because we get a lot of comments, be like, "You keep shilling for Costco." Costco does not sponsor us one bit, and I don't know if they really sponsor anybody. They don't have to. They're just a great business. They're one of the best success stories of a business probably in the world, and they have extreme brand loyalty. People will travel. Not everything is like here in Long Island where we have a location every 20 minutes away. There's parts of America that people will drive two hours to get to a Costco and they do it because the deals are just phenomenal. And we're going to talk specifically about food deals for you today. We're not going to talk about office supplies and- Tara (01:12):Tires. James (01:12):... tires, landscaping equipment, cars. We're not going to talk about that. This is a podcast about food. So Tara, let's get right into it. We kind of bulleted these out and not priority-wise, but I think maybe you could tell by the tone of my voice what are the best deals and which I really think you should pursue. Olive and other oils Tara (01:33):First stop Jim, oil. James (01:35):Okay. Olive oil. This is just an unbelievable deal at Costco. I recommend you wait to buy your oil until you get to Costco. Now that being said, we do use different types of olive oil. We use Partanna quite frequently, and that's the good extra virgin olive oil. That's a Sicilian olive oil. I use that a lot for when I want a high quality extra virgin but not the highest quality. And when I'm using the highest quality, that is Frantoia Barbera. So let's just get those two out of the way. Those you will not find at a Costco. Tara (02:10):That's right. The brand that we are talking about is the Kirkland brand, which is Costco's own brand. James (02:17):Yeah, it's their in-house brand. Obviously they're not in the olive oil making business, so it is probably one of the larger olive oil brands that Kirk is selling directly to Costco.

Food myths run rampant in our world, whether it be online or through old wives' tales handed down through the years. Much of this misinformation applies to the culinary world and we’re here to talk about it and decide which of them hold water. If you prefer video, watch the full episode 10 YouTube video version. Shortly after we published our instructional video for Pasta alla Norma, we received a ton of comments telling us we should have picked a male eggplant since they have fewer seeds. This is a claim I heard throughout my childhood but always wondered if there was any truth to it. With just a little research I found that it is in fact a food myth. Eggplants do not have a specific sex, rather each eggplant has both male and female parts. In addition to the eggplant myth, we explore a number of other culinary myths and claims including: Should shrimp be cooked to a c shape, not an o shape? Should pasta water be the same salinity as the sea? Does turkey really make you tired? Does chicken need to be washed? Should pasta be rinsed after cooking? Do fresh tomatoes always make better sauce? Do the shiny and dull sides of aluminum foil have different purposes? Should oil be put in pasta water? Resources Pasta alla Norma Shrimp alla vodka Shrimp tomato basil pasta Ratatouille Ciambotta Pasta Fagioli Olive Bread If you enjoyed the Busting Culinary Myths episode, leave us a comment below and let us know! We love your questions. Please send them to [email protected] (remove the 11111 for our contact). There's no question not worth asking. If you enjoy our weekly podcast, support us on Patreon and you will get 2 more bonus episodes each month! Thanks for listening! For a complete list of all podcast episodes, visit our podcast episode page.

Deli culture, much like pizza and bagel culture, is part of the New Yorkers' (specifically Long Islanders') DNA. If you're from Long Island, you know someone who worked in a deli or have worked in one yourself, and you most definitely have a strong opinion about which deli you think is best. If you prefer video, watch the full episode 7 YouTube video version. We explore deli culture through the lens of native Long Islanders and how leaving New York can create a yearning for those things that are uniquely "deli": the glistening white potato and macaroni salads, the prolific bacon egg and cheese on a roll, the familiar face of the dude behind the counter smiling as he asks, "what'll it be chief?". We also discuss Jim's experience as a deli worker, the most popular Long Island deli lunch and breakfast orders, the importance of a properly wrapped deli sandwich, the prep involved ahead of the lunch rush, the influence of Boar's Head and it's significance in deli culture, and how Jim perfected the recipes for New York deli macaroni salad, potato salad, and coleslaw. We also discuss the importance of the round deli roll that looks like a Kaiser roll, but is anything but, the Italian hero and why it never has mayo, and Jim regales us with excerpts from his deli days and why you should never block someone in with your car! Resources Bacon Egg and Cheese Sandwich New York Deli Macaroni Salad New York Deli Potato Salad New York Deli Coleslaw New York Pizza Italian Hero Chicken Cutlets The Pizza Podcast Episode If you enjoyed the Long Island Deli Episode, leave us a comment below and let us know! We love your questions. Please send them to [email protected] (remove the 11111 for our contact). There's no question not worth asking. If you enjoy our weekly podcast, support us on Patreon and you will get 2 more bonus episodes each month! Thanks for listening!

A first date is all about making a good impression and assessing whether or not there's a connection that warrants a second date. Since food is an integral part of how we connect on the human level, the first date often involves dinner. But are there some meals that should be avoided? Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/p6JGMqZf2js When thinking of foods to avoid on a first date, I think of overly messy ones, that require you to wear a bib or use a toothpick. While some of my favorite foods, like buffalo wings, are on our list of foods to avoid on a first date, I will say that if you do make a mess with your food on the first date and still get a second date, there likely was a connection there! Best and worst first-date foods? While neither of us has been on a "first-date" in ages, Tara and I reminisce on some of the foods we ate on our first few dates, which included gyros and calzone. While I impressed her with eating one, I repulsed her with another and she isn't shy to remind me of it often! lol A recent discussion prompted us to discuss this topic here on the podcast and hash out further which are some of the best and worst first-date foods. For example, pasta with easy-to-eat shapes, such as penne or rigatoni, are easier to eat than spaghetti. Steak, beef stews, short ribs, or anything else that's both bite-sized and delicious are also great options, while messier foods such as a whole lobster, or buffalo wings, or anything requiring you to wear a bib or use wet napkins may be deal-breakers. Resources Pasta aglio e olio recipe Pasta Norcina recipe Baked chicken and potatoes Pasta Bolognese recipe Stuffed Mushroom recipe Steak au poivre recipe Braised short ribs recipe Beef Bourguignon recipe Garlic Parmesan wings recipe Potato frittata recipe Sweet potato frittata recipe Rigatoni alla vodka recipe If you enjoyed the Best and Worst First Date Food Episode, leave us a comment below and let us know! We love your questions. Please send them to [email protected] (remove the 11111 for our contact). There’s no question not worth asking. If you enjoy our weekly podcast, support us on Patreon and you will get 2 more bonus episodes each month! Thanks for listening! For a complete list of all podcast episodes, visit our podcast episode page.