It’s Thanksgiving Day! We're talking turkey and all the fixins’ that go with it. What is the proper way to carve a turkey? What do you do if your guests show up late? And how can we stay away from that dreaded canned cranberry sauce? Here to help solve some of these dilemmas, as well as give some helpful tips, are food writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin from our partner The New York Times.

With days upon days of holiday cooking ahead of us, it's the time of year when you're most likely to consult a cookbook ... or give one to your mom. Julia Moskin, New York Times food writer, and Adam Gopnik, staff writer for The New Yorker, join us for our very own cookbook roundup. Gopnik also examines the larger purpose of the cookbook in the age of the internet.

Feed six people for fifty dollars? No problem. No problem that is until you realize what your competition is serving. When the New York Times asked two of their food writers to create menus for dinner parties on a strict $50 budget both of them quickly realized they couldn't offer chicken and salad, not when their competition was dishing up tilefish ceviche in handmade tortilla chips or cheddar gougeres and Jean-Georges desserts. In this culinary Thunderdome, it's Julia Moskin versus Kim Severson and they are battling it out for best budget dinner party. The judge? Frank Bruni, the feared New York Times food critic. They join The Takeaway for a reenactment.

The story of their dinners, Comrades at Arms: Two Food Writers in a Kitchen Smackdown, is in today's New York Times.

Recipe Files: Kim's Tacos de Carnitas
Adapted from Tara Duggan, The San Francisco Chronicle
Time: 2 1/2 hours

• 3 pounds pork shoulder, either butt or picnic
• 7 strips orange zest
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped, plus finely chopped onion for garnish
• 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican canela
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 24 small corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
• Chopped cilantro for garnish
• Salsa for garnish.

1. Trim any thick fat from surface of pork. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discarding any that are pure fat. Put pork in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, orange zest, garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cloves.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on surface. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until pork is very soft; add water if necessary to keep meat submerged. Season with salt, then continue to cook until water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry meat slightly; cook even longer if you prefer crisper meat. Stir often and add a bit of water if meat sticks or seems about to burn.
3. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Spoon a few tablespoons of carnitas onto each tortilla. Top each taco with cilantro, finely chopped onion and salsa. Serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Julia's Tangerine-Vanilla Floats

Adapted from "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" by Suzanne Goin with Teri Gelber (Knopf, 2005)

Time: 10 minutes

• 6 large scoops vanilla ice cream
• 3 cups freshly squeezed tangerine juice (from about 12 tangerines) or orange juice (see note)
• Seltzer

Divide ice cream among 6 medium-size glasses or cups. Add 1/2 cup tangerine juice to each cup and top off with seltzer. Serve with a straw.

Yield: 6 servings.

Note: Fresh orange juice can be used instead of tangerine juice, but it should be very sweet and not too acidic. Try adding superfine sugar to taste.
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There is science and there is cooking. Then there is the area where the two intersect. New York Times writer Julia Moskin joins The Takeaway to talk about the culinary and scientific as heavy machinery, geometry and electrical engineering enter the kitchen.