Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving marks the near-end of yet another completely transformative year. This Thanksgiving, we are thankful for (and in no particular order):

Jillian: I am thankful for Violet, the sweetest, happiest baby girl in the world. For Malcolm, who never seems to get tired of me, even when I am totally tired of me. That Penny is in remission. My sister is happily engaged. My father is healthy. For all the new babies born this year, but especially WMK. And, also, copious cups of coffee, old friends, down comforters, Downton Abbey, paperback books, our badass stroller and daily walks, looking and thinking, not being super fat post-pregnancy, the salt air, finding out I can do it, Betsy, olive oil, the lullaby station, Rockland, love, autumn, summer, winter, two hour naps, Yes on 1, grace periods, Carr’s rosemary crackers, the galleries on Main Street, reruns of Gilmore Girls, being 34 and liking it, having enough and being able to give, and Doritos.

Malcolm: Photoshop CS6. Omakase at Suzuki’s. Living within walking distance of Wasses hot dogs. The support of friends and family, who seem endlessly willing to support our latest cockamamie schemes. MexGrocer.com. Achiote paste. Processed pasteurized American cheese and Wonder Bread. Triplecream and baguettes. BlogHer, who is helping to make it possible to get paid to do what we really love. Having a “lobster guy.” Granite quarries. The fried haddock at Graffam Brothers in Rockport. All of the local businesses that like what we’re doing here at From Away, and show their support. Cupcakes. Pinterest. My mother, who managed this year to beat a cancer diagnosis without missing a single step, and whose blonde curly hair I get to see every day reflected on my daughter’s head. Serious Eats. Brown liquor. Spotify. Kendrick Lamar. Amato’s. Frozen waffles. Mayonnaise. Vespa. Coffee. The maillard reaction. Those squeezie pouches of baby food. The brilliant food blogosphere friends we’ve made, who inspire us every day. The mussels at Long Grain. The print magazines we’ve been fortunate to work with this year, who seem to have been tricked into believing we are actual food writers and photographers. Tater tots. Squeeze bottles. Rockland Food Service. Port Clyde. For my brothers and sisters, who I don’t see as often as I’d like, but who I can seem to always count on. For Violet Maeve, the funniest tiny person I’ve met, and for whom I would be delighted to do absolutely anything. For Detective Olivia Benson, the Mexican dog who has so far managed not to eat her face. And for Jillian, the weird girl I met in college who turned into the beautiful, (mostly) graceful woman and mother that I am privileged to spend every day with.

And for our readers, who keep coming back day after day to see what we’re cooking, what we’re drinking, and where we’re eating. Thank you so much for your continued support, your insightful comments, and your suggestions, and we hope you’ll keep following along!

About the Author: Malcolm Bedell

My first memories of cooking start in Maine at six years old, when I wore a yellow rainslicker to avoid getting spattered by the bacon I was frying in a skillet. My interest in both Mexican cooking and recreating classic New England dishes from scratch developed while living in Mexico, on a steady diet of pork and habanero peppers. You can see more of my writing and photography online on Serious Eats, the Huffington Post, BlogHer, and Foodista, as well as in print for Downeast, Indulge, and Cigar Snob magazines.