A Food Filled Christmas Eve

 This night is full of celebration and food. ENjoy the Feast Of the Seven Fishes. Enjoy stollen while putting up the tree. Nibble on candy canes and chocolate.

Enjoy this wonder filled night ,full of joys and sweets, treats and snacks!

The Season Of Kindness

 This is All Soul's Day, a day when most Christians memorialize those we have lost - and this year we have lost many. Yet we also need to honor and help the living. It's time we come together to feed and nourish each other during what will be a difficult holiday season.

Again, it's so important to contribute to various food drives and food pantries right now. If you can, please  help those who are solely giving out food parcels.  This could be packaging or helping to hand out. It could also mean helping to shop and gather important foodstuffs such as cans of beans and veggies as well as containers of milk and orange juice. Another way of helping is financially contributing. If you don't have the money , then consider a pot in which family, friends and neighbors can put as low as ten dollars. You can easily raise $200 to $300. Also pay your local restaurants to supply dinners for those in need. If you live in or near Red Bank and  Toms River,  New Jersey there is Jon Bon Jovi's JBJ Soul Kitchen where you can volunteer to serve delicious food to those who need it. Donate enough to pay for a dinner out for a family or couple who needs a day or night out. Other restaurants are doing this too in your area. Find out where they are and contribute financially.

Many are also going to be alone this  holiday season, whether for Thanksgiving or Christmas. You may not be able to include them physically yet there are ways to share. One is sending over a portion of your dinner and then Zoom eating with them. It's a way of being inclusive without being in the same room or house. another is making an entire dinner for them. Include their favorite dishes too, whether it's cornbread stuffing or pumpkin pie. Christmas is the same idea too. share part of your ham or turkey dinner with them. Include their favorite or family dishes in your meal plan as well. If they want to contribute, let them. It's always fun to try new dishes and flavors. Again you can share all this on Zoom. The same applies to Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  For Christmas Eve, remember to include a plate full of homemade cookies. Ask what the person's favorite cookies are and make them. Toss in some  candy canes and chocolate kisses too in the platter for more fun and flavor. For New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, bring over a bottle of champagne to make the day festive. Again remember to include the person on Zoom.

Make this the season of kindness. Cook and bake extra for those who need it. Contribute financially to food pantries and restaurants who help those in need. We're all in this together. Let's unite over a good meal , good drinks and good talk.

Your Last Minute Christmas Dinner Check List

This is probably the most hectic weekend of the year. Home chefs are probably stressing about the big Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow or the one  on Monday >Now is a time to good to write up a list and check it twice - to ensure a hassle free meal full of good food and good cheer,.

First of all make sure all the holiday table linens are clean and up t snuff.If you want set the table tonight or tomorrow. Enlist your bored teen or tween to roll up the napkins and slide the  napkin rings on them. . Also check the good silver or gold cutlery to make sure that nothing is tarnished. The same goes for the matching ladles and serving spoons. Once you've done that it's time to assess the pantry and fridge.Do you have enough butter for both cooking and the table? Ditto for the margarine. Do you have enough spices such as sage for the dressing if you're serving turkey and cloves for the ham?
If you're making bked beans from scratch is there plenty of brown sugar or molasses? Are you low on garlic,or oregano? Now is the time to run to the store to get them.Make sure you have enough canned veggies if you;re going that route for sides. Eggs always factor into the holiday cooking equation too, whether as an ingredient or the star of a holiday brunch or breakfast. Buy enough so that you don't suffer a shortage..As far as rolls, they'll keep so get them now if you haven't already  The ham and the turkey should have been bought already. Waiting until the last minute could result in getting a smaller bird or  a canned ham as opposed to a fresh one.

Seafood has to be bought fresh if you're planning to celebrate Christmas Eve the  Southern Italian  way. However shrimp can be bought frozen and then thawed out.It can be done by either letting it sit in the fridge for twenty four hours or placing them in an airtight bag and running hot tap water over them.If you're planning on serving them as an appetizer, then also make sure you have enough shrimp cocktail sauce or the ingredients to make your own. Another question is  - do I have the proper pans for roasting? if not  now is a good time to head to the grocery and pck up a disposable f oil one (you can buy the read deal after the holiday during the January white sales) Make sure that your carving knives are all honed and sharp. The next step is looking over the smaller pots and making sure you have enough to cook the sides.Also check the sizing on your microwave ones too. You may have to use the old nuke machine if you don't have enough burners. For those planning a Christmas buffet make sure your sterno cans work, If one or more has dried out , then get new ones today. Luckily they can last twelve to fifteen years.


Keeping abreast of your Christmas dinner is important. it will make for smooth prep and cooking.. It's one less headache you have to deal with during a busy day in the kitchen.

The Annual Christmas Checklist

 Successful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners begin with well stocked kitchens. These meals are not ones to improvise with or sub in anything last minute.Everything  should be on the ready. There should not be any hiccups or snags. The meal , albeit  sometimes a difficult cook and roast,should go easily without any drama.

By now most home chefs should have the main dish, namely the roast. Make sure that it's enough for your guests. Two servings usually work per person .If you feel you'll come up short then get a second  roast. Also have make sure you have every ingredient for your sides. Have extra cans of faves such as green beans and corn. If you haven't shopped yet, then get larger versions of what you normally buy.After all you'll not only need that olive oil for salad but you 'll need it for sauteing vegetables as well. Not only will you need more olive oil but it also pays to have extra margarine and butter , both for cooking and the table. Keep enough chicken, beef or vegetable stock on hand too It's just as valuable as a stuffing ingredient as it is for gravies. Flour is the backbone of any dinner. It is used in making roues as well as the chief ingredient for baked goods. You may think that eggs are only good for that Christmas breakfast. You're partially right, however they're also needed for binding stuffing  as well along with being those yummy appetizers deviled eggs. Remember that hard boiled eggs are also  part of the stuffing in stuffed celery too and they  make a nice addition to any salad.


What else should you have ? The basic condiments. Salt and pepper are used in almost everything, and salt even more so because of baking. Brown and white sugar is also needed. Brown sugar is needed for  rubbing onto ham as well as for candied yams. It can even be added for color to roast beef gravy. Make sure you also have filled spice jars too. Chive and dried scallions go well  in homemade mashed potatoes along with being good sprinkled on green beans. Keep in ind that you have to have cinnamon too. It 's vital in any sweet potato dish as well as gracing dessert cappuccinos.If you run out of it, don't fret Nutmeg can sub in or it if you're in a pinch. Another inventory to double check is your beverage one. You should have a basement  full of different kinds of soda and flavored waters to suit everyones' tastes.Get the kids Simply Fruit Punch to drink with their holiday dinner.It's a nice alternative to sodas and has a refreshing mixed fruit flavor. Holiday desserts stretch out into two and three hours so have plenty of coffee and tea on hand for sipping. Make sure you have a few different flavors of teas so guest can have a choice. There should be equal amounts of decaf and caf as well as espresso shots for those who have a long drive home. A nice tough is having two or three flavored creamers on hand too.

A well stocked holiday kitchen is key to a successful dinner. Make sure you have everything and you don't run out. Christmas Eve and Christmas are not the times for culinary disasters. Enjoy the holiday and holiday cooking.

Christmas Eve And Sauce

Right now I'm in the middle of making a vegan Bolognese sauce. you read right. a vegan one with soy meat crumbles. I t will go with the already made ravioli and fennel salad. this is what I love about Christmas Eve, the fact that most of the world celebrates with centuries old family recipes. it laso means celebrating with special foods and sweets, usually deemed too special for everyday fare.It could be thirteen fishes in honor of Apostles or a prime rib to set off family gathering.All in in it's a time to celebrate one's faith and family .Food is the best way of doing this. Have a good holiday.Enjoy the joy as well as the foods of the season.Remember why we rejoice for our Lord's Birth. As for me, it's time to get back to the sauce.It's really a special meal for a special night.

December 24th A Foodie's Christmas Eve

While I’m celebrating my German heritage and putting up the tree I’m wishing all my reader s out there a healthy and happy holiday Enjoy your Christmas, Hanukkah and/or Kwanzaa. Celebrate your heritage and your blessings with favorite foods and traditional dishes.


Liz