Weekend Reading: Pumpkin Pie Wars, Apple Drinking Season, and More

• I've never successfully transitioned to digitizing my favorite recipes—they're all on paper, scribbled on index cards, scraps of paper, and notepads. This LifeHacker story on how writing by hand is better than typing make me feel a lot better about my "system." —Karen Shimizu

• One of the things I miss most about my hometown of Cincinnati is the tenacity of its local restaurant rivalries. The latest battle, as reported by the WSJ, pitting the pumpkin pie offered at legendary Cincinnati bakery Busken against that of regional Big Boy chain, Frisch's, heats up with competing billboards (pictured). Despite growing up in the supermarket-strewn '80s, I have 1950s-style memories of driving around town with mom in her battered Pontiac station wagon, first to Summit Meats, then to Busken for freshly baked bread, danish, and, if I was lucky, one of their deliciously cakey iced cookies. While I've never tasted neither Busken nor Frisch's pumpkin pie, nostalgia gives Busken the clear home-field advantage. —Keith Pandolfi

• With winter squash in the markets and the weather getting colder, it's a perfect weekend for making a pot of rich and warming squash risotto. A homemade lemon and sage infused olive oil makes this recipe from Cannelle et Vanille even more delicious. —Anna Stockwell

• This week's NYT Magazine sings praise to our bevy of options during apple-drinking season—a range of ciders, calvados, and apple jack. Rosie Schapp's suggestion to enrich mulled cider with apple jack instead of the more typical rum or bourbon has me heading out to the store for some Laird's. —Cory Baldwin

• There's always been something very appealing to me about the Turducken, the classic (if not only) example of meat stuffed in meat stuffed in meat, but I've never felt confident enough in my abilities to pull off such a daring and laborious maneuver. Fortunately, Kenji Lopez of Serious Eats demystifies the process of turkey filled with duck, chicken, and sausage, in this guide and 61 image slideshow. —Maria Yagoda