Cooking Articles

George Washington's Egg Nog

Never in my wildest dreams did I think George Washington would be my authority on the art of egg nog. He was probably our nation's greatest leader and an unparalleled general. But a master of curing...

A Few of My Favorite (Culinary) Things

They should pay my mail delivery person by the pound during November and early December. Every day my mailbox is stuffed to overflowing with thick holiday gift catalogues. I usually toss most of them...

A Quick Dinner For A Stress-Free Christmas Eve

Cooking a fast, healthy, and pleasing dinner for the family during the holidays can be a challenge, and Christmas Eve is no exception. Like the other nights in December, there is a good chance that dinner...

Kiddie Sized Holiday Bites and Nibbles

Are your kids big snackers? Well then the holiday season is the perfect time for them! Bite sized foods abound at various holiday gatherings, school parties and family celebrations. Everything from...

O Cupcake Tree

Cupcakes are all the rage these days. Every bakery makes them, some are small and delicate, truly a cake the size of a cup. Some are gargantuan and indulgent, more along the lines of a baby's head or...

Holiday Slow Cooking Traditions

I got an e-mail from a good friend today, a Christmas survey in which you fill out all of your favorite Christmas traditions and forward it on to others. The questions included such things as most loved...

Christmas On The Lighter Side

A mere four weeks after preparing what is usually the biggest meal of the year, Thanksgiving dinner, we are expected to do it all over again. Fortunately for most Americans, Christmas tends to be a smaller...

Waking Up For Christmas Eve

The night before Christmas can be filled with sleepless hours for many people, those who look forward to waking up in the morning to filled stockings and present-laden trees. For some, such as a lucky...

'Tis The Season For Eating

‘Tis the season for festive holiday merrymaking and nonstop eating. From stringing popcorn for tree decorations to helping to fry the Hanukah potato latkes at grandma’s knee to baking cookies to leave...

A Taste of Hannukah

A tradition for many centuries, candles and menorahs are lit around the world during the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah. Family and friends gather for feasting, fun, stories and games. And, of course,...

Veggies to the Rescue! What's-on-Hand Soup

It’s been one of those weeks: seems like every time I turn around we’re out of something, somebody needs something, or there’s email, texts, phone calls, deadlines, errands, chauffeur-duty, homework...

Blended Wines and Other Such Faux Pas

Growing up, I never saw my parents drink wine or even beer. My dad would drink an ice cold non-alcoholic O’Doul’s; occasionally, he let me have a sip but I wasn’t impressed by the taste. Even after...

Whole Holiday Dinner, Easy and Impressive

Impressive: a word never far from my mind when dreaming up Christmas dinner. Easy: probably the last word I am thinking of when plotting for a full day in the kitchen. Impressive and easy are two words...

Holiday Cookie Extraordinaire

The year I turned sixteen, a friend and I were inspired to dig into baking some Christmas cookies. My mom was all for it—and even gave us the money to go to the store and buy the ingredients. So we...

Kill 'Em With Kahlua Cake

Last week I suggested that one can clobber the holiday blues by getting into the center of holiday spirit: make some food and give it away! My first thought with this week’s advice was to share my bourbon...

How Many Fishes On Christmas Eve?

We were just puzzling over the family holiday plans, and came to a little stumbling block. With a couple of different outings scheduled for Christmas Eve, the seven fish dinner we usually like to enjoy...