Tasty Tidbits: Take Home Thanksgiving Meals and Giving Back Events with Top Chefs and More -- My Daily Find

BY KAREN YOUNG

Home for the Holidays with Sweet Butter Kitchen — order desserts, sides or a full T-Day meal with all the trimmings.

Get your Thanksgiving ‘home for the holidays’ orders in by November 18 at MDF fave Sweet Butter Kitchen in Sherman Oaks. Check out Diestel Free-Range Roasted Turkey Breast, Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel, Herb Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Caramelized Shallots, Cauliflower Gratin, and Green Bean Casserole, along with Herb Gravy and Cranberry Sauce. Scrumptious desserts include Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie, Chocolate Mousse Pie, and Cranberry Walnut Bread Pudding. Try out some sample bites tonight at 6:30 p.m. (November 14) at Diana Rossen Worthington’s book signing for Seriously Simple Parties.

Order a Texas style BBQ Thanksgiving meal to go at Smoke City Market. Or smoked turkey by the pound.

One MDF’s fave BBQ restaurants , Smoke City Market, is dishing up a full Texas style turkey dinner -to -go for a minimnum of 10 people for $18 per person. It includes a 10 to 12 pound turkey plus garlic mashed potatoes, Texas stuffing, sweet potato pie, creamed corn, Billy’s gravy and pecan pie. All orders must be ordered by November 18 and e picked up by 1 p.m. on November 22.

Meet some of the top chefs in L.A. and taste sweets while helping LAUSD students work towards culinary careers at “Getting Our Just Desserts.”

Eat sweets and meet renown chefs for a very worthwhile cause at “Getting Our Just Desserts,“ a pastry-and candy-tasting event at the Art Institute of Santa Monica on Saturday, November 17. Proceeds benefit C-CAP (Career through Culinary Arts Program) which facilitates scholarships for LAUSD high school students who are studying cooking to become chefs. There will be tastings from over 35 celebrity pastry chefs, confectioners, bakeries, coffee and tea purveyors, and other specialty vendors, including A-Frame, BLD’s Doughnut Shoppe, Charm City Cakes West, Coolhaus, Euro Pane, Jamaica’s Cakes, LA Creamery, MB Post, Patina, Picca, Rockenwagner Bakery, Seoul Sausage Co., Short Cake, Valerie Confections, Marcel Vigneron /Modern Global Tasting & Weaver’s Coffee & Tea. Headlining the event will be Sherry Yard, who is the Executive Pastry Chef of Spago Beverly Hills. Classes and demonstrations given by recognized experts in their fields include: Larry Canepa, Duff Goldman, Evan Kleiman, Alice Medrich, Charles Perry, Robert Wemischner, Diane Worthington, and Donald Wressell. Time: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. for General Admission; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. for VIP Ticket Holders, : The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, 2900 31st Street, Santa Monica. Tickets: $50 general admission; VIP $100 ($125 at the door). For more information or to order tickets call: Gloria Barke at 818-756-1260 or online: http://ccap-la.brownpapertickets.com . www.ccapinc.org

Michael Voltaggio

Another worthwhile community food oriented event will be held November 17 as well, featuring a chef demo by Michael Voltaggio (Top Chef, Ink) who is the first in a series of chefs conducting demos at this year’s Garden School Foundation Community Workdays. Other chef’s lined up include: Nancy Silverton (Mozza), Roxanna Jullapat (Cook’s County), Vinny and Jon (Animal, Son of a Gun), Ludo Lefebrve (LudoBites), Amelia Saltsman (Santa Monica Farmer’s Market Cookbook), Evan Kleiman (KCRW’s Good Food), and Pressed Juicery. For this event, Voltaggio will be doing a special chef demo at the 24th Street Elementary School’s 3/4 acre garden run by the Garden School Foundation .The demo will include produce grown by the 24th Street students and feature Michael’s signature whimsical style and unhindered creativity with food that will get kids inspired and excited about the learning potential of food! Further details of the demo, including what Michael is going to make, will be sent out via Twitter (@gardenschoolLA). Anyone who comes down to volunteer will be able to attend the demo. Volunteers should bring water, a hat, and sunscreen. Workday is from 9am – 1pm. Demo is from 10:30 – 11:30., 24th Street Elementary School located at 2055 W 24th Street, Los Angeles 90018. Street parking is available, entrance to the garden is through the parking lot just West of the main school entrance. Details of the chef demo at GSF homepage: http://www.gardenschoolfoundation.org/

Get a $5 gift certificate to the Daily Grill with every $5 donation (up to $20) to Operation Homefront.

Help the Daily Grill give back this week through November 17. For every $5 donated to Operation Homefront you will receive a $5 certificate to use on your next visit to Daily Grill ($20 certificate max). Operation Homefront provides emergency financial aid and other help for families of deployed service members, and for Wounded Warriors during their recovery and transition.

Donate at Panda Express to help Hurricane Sandy victims.

Panda Restaurant Group Inc. Through Friday, November 30, Panda Express and Panda Inn locations across the country will collect donations to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy through in-store drop-boxes allowing guests to make contributions of any amount. Panda Restaurant Group Inc. will match 100 percent of the proceeds, with all donations benefiting the American Red Cross