When I visited the pigs at at von Trapp Farmstead for my story in this week's paper about Vermont Whey Fed Pigs, I enjoyed the spectacle of seeing exactly how the Duroc, Old Spot and Tamworth mixed-breeds grow to their 225-pound hanging weight at slaughter.

And to celebrate the fact that we'll be feasting on turkey and not hog this Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share a pair of cute piggy videos.

One of the oinkers' favorites is pizza from Red Hen Baking Co.

Below, here's how the magic happens, as their caretaker, Ignacio Villa, spins their food through the air to them.

Here, a mama, whose piglets were born just days before, enthusiastically recharges with whey left over from the production of the Farmstead's organic Oma cheese. Rolls from Red Hen bob in the liquid. Hopefully, your Thanksgiving dinner has a little more variety, but these pigs are sure to be enjoying their own holiday feast this week!

On the radio yesterday, a local deejay gushed about the beauty of Butterball turkeys — namely, that the bird's breast has already been injected with liquid that bastes the bird as it roasts, rendering brining unnecessary.

I heard this while I was on my way to Norwich's Hogwash Farm to pick up the lanky, organic 10-pound bird that now rests in my refrigerator. Brining is a messy, laborious task; but after last year's pasture-raised bird (from another farm) emerged from my oven kinda dry, I wondered, is this the year I finally wade into saline waters?

Proponents of brining — or soaking the turkey overnight in a salt bath — swear that it helps achieve penultimate moistness. I decided to ask Molly Stevens, the local cookbook author whose most recent work — All About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art — tackles this very question, and won a James Beard award to boot.

2033 Essex Road, Williston, 879-0251

This week, I wrote about Guild & Company in South Burlington and the transporting effect of its dining room. On Saturday, I visited another restaurant with a vibe all its own. Unlike Guild, though, Honey Thai Restaurant in Williston isn't so much big-city destination as Mad Hatter's Tea Party — in Thailand.

The sign at right should give you an idea of the design of the dining rooms. The front is unassuming enough, with dark colors and ethnic touches. But the huge back room, most recently home to Douzo Japanese Steakhouse, Sushi Bar, Martini Bar and Thai Cuisine, is all bright colors and shining blue Christmas lights. Imagine a great birthday party at an Asian karaoke bar —sans arrests for public drunkenness — and you've got the idea.

The front dining room was mostly full when we arrived, but our friendly server quickly took our order.

The blurry shot above mirrors the buzzy energy inside Misery Loves Co. late this morning, less than an hour after it opened inside the ex-Don Pedro's Taqueria space in Winooski. 

Gone are the wild parrot hues of the previous tenants; they've been replaced by cool, white walls and tile, a pale, zigzag wood floor, and vintage pendant lamps. By 11:30 a.m., all of the nine or so tables were filled, oversize sandwiches were flying off the grill and the only memory of the former tenants was a small tray of hot sauces. 

It's days before Thanksgiving, and we're being clobbered with recipes for steamed turkey, curried brussels sprouts and complex squash purees. Yet, while Thanksgiving surely involves cooking for days — then devouring everything in under 30 minutes — it can also be rich with awkward distant-relative encounters. What better time to get liquored up?

Yes, Beaujalois and Pinot Noir and Riesling shine ever so on the Thanksgiving table, but sometimes you need a stiff cocktail to blunt the holiday's edges.

Since I've just had a particularly trying week, I've had plenty of inspiration to experiment with that simple but gorgeous concoction, the Negroni. In its classic form, the Negroni is a sweet-bitter blend of gin, sweet vermouth and the Italian bitter Campari. A bad one can taste like airplane fuel, but a great one is bracing, juicy and too easy to make. And, since all of the elements contain alcohol, it can also get you quite buzzed, quite fast. (One Negroni is really all you need; two could cause trouble.)

201 Cornerstone Drive, Taft Farm Shopping Center, Williston, 878-5556

Decent New York-style pizza is hard to come by in the Green Mountains. When I find a new place to get it, it's time to celebrate.

Hooray, then, for the thin, cheesy slices at Vermont Pizza Company.

The address might be familiar. Until earlier this fall, the spot was known as Rocky's New York Pizza. John Howe, who has owned that place for a year and a half, was looking to carve out his own niche, hence the name change, major remodeling and new menu. The new, more open floor plan is decorated with close-up photographs of Vermont produce. I sat beneath a print of a bouquet of turnips.

While a tide of blue helped push Barack Obama into a second term, legalize gay marriage in three states, and green-light recreational marijuana use in a few others, not all election results were cause for Democratic swooning this week.

In California, voters rejected Proposition 37 — a ballot initiative that would have required mandatory labeling of foods that contain genetically-engineered ingredients. The measure, backed by organic farmers, natural food purveyors and people concerned with what they eat, was defeated by a margin of 53 to 47.

The victory for the No-on-37 supporters likely stemmed from their unrelenting media blitz in the state, such as the commercial above — it implies that the bill would financially burden farmers and result in higher food prices.

When they were warm, the chips melted like a kiss from heaven, like a mother's love. Even when the cookies at Cheese Outlet/Fresh Market were days out of the oven, the chips retained more than a hint of their almost liquid glory.

But I've eaten my last Fresh Market chocolate chunk cookie. Tony Blake, owner and founder of Burlington-based Vermont Commercial Real Estate, confirmed to the Burlington Free Press today that the market is no more.

Stressful days at the Seven Days food desk are bound to be slightly more stressful from now on. We'll be pining for the chewy cookies, with just a hint of crunch at their edges, as we report food news. When I've finished my feature for the week, I'll be looking around, confused, for a bite with just a few salt crystals to give it character and enhance the sweetness.

I can't say I didn't milk those cookies for everything they were worth: I almost always ate them in thirds, saving bites for after my next couple of work lunches.

I suppose that once I've packed away my mourning garb, the hunt will be on for Burlington's next best chocolate chip cookie. But for now, tears.

On Halloween, about 2000 people received an email from the Highfields Center for Composting offering "New Rewards for Highfields' Heat Recovery Kickstarter Project!" The Hardwick nonprofit has been researching ways to better capture the heat generated by decomposing food scraps, and is in the midst of a $40,000 Kickstarter campaign to help fund a research center.

The two images that accompanied the email, though, were startling for some. In one, a smiling woman held up squash to obscure her naked breasts, while straddling a green placard with the word 'Compost' written across it. Another woman lay topless in a pile of dark humus, flinging some up with her left foot. Both models were volunteers for a 2013 'Hot Compost' calendar that Highfields' planned to offer as a reward in its campaign.

But the cheeky photos sparked a small but vocal backlash from customers and others who found the concept offensive and demeaning to women. Under pressure, Highfields scrapped plans for the calendar and offered an apology on its website and Facebook page, in which it called the concept a "mistake" and said it did not reflect Highfields as an organization.

131 Main Street, Burlington, 863-2244

Remember Glori Nori Market & Café? The take-out spot at 131 Main Street in Burlington closed almost a decade ago, but at the time it had a novel concept: To offer a mix of international foods, with an emphasis on Jamaican and Asian flavors.

Well, it's back — sort of. Esperanto, which occupies the very same space, feels like a blast from Burlington's past. It has a stoner vibe and a menu that cherry picks quick, casual dishes from all over the world.

But the new restaurant has had bad luck. Just after opening on September 29, construction workers descended on the sidewalk right in front, making it difficult for passersby to see the eatery was open for business. I went in last night to see if it was worth braving the construction.