Pre-Party Ready

Now that the holiday party season has officially kicked off , party goers need to know one thing.Don;t go to any soiree or tree trimming party hungry. It pays to have a mini meal before hand. You'll feel better along with not getting drunk so quickly on an empty stomach.

One of my pre party rituals is always having a cup of simple vegetable broth and a few crackers before hand. This satisfies me until I actually eat again which is usually late .A cup of hot , steamy broth is also fortifying.I'm satisfied along with knowing I won;t wolf down all sorts of rich party foods later on . Nothing is more uncomfortable than the after effects of gorging on an empty stomach . Most nutritionists also recommend eating other low calories snacks such as raw carrots and celery sticks, Having a snack of these three or four hours before the actual feast will help you keep sated.If you want more protein spread a dab of peanut butter on the celery . It can also go on crackers too. Cheese and crackers are another good go to pre festivity snack as are grapes.If you know you;re eating very late - anywhere from nine PM to midnight, then think about heating up a light soup for yourself. Any vegetable soup is good or even a ramen noodle soup. They;'re light  and filling, able to stave your appetite until the later hours.

Another plus about eating early is that it helps with not getting drunk. If you have a boozy night ahead then plan on carbo loading before hand. Again , a cup of Ramen noodles is probably your best bet. It's mild but filling. You can even add a beaten egg to it for more protein.Pizza surprisingly is a pre partier's best friend, but this may be too much before a big do. Try a simple grilled cheese or better yet a sandwich filled with one or two slices of any kind of cold cut. instead Also just a toasted muffin, bagel or English muffin will  help in you absorbing that run punch or champagne cocktail. Surprisingly a baked potato is another good mini meal before all that holiday punch.Potatoes are pure starch which can easily absorb the alcohol.Just make a simple one, butter on top with salt and pepper, Leave the cheese and chili for another day. Ddespite what the old wives tales say, drinking milk before boozing is not a good idea. The alcohol will curdle it on your stomach leaving you nauseous and ready to hurl. Keep away from it and ice cream.

Eating before a big holiday party is a must.  Have a small sandwich or a cup of broth You'll feel better and won't arrive hungry, ready to gobble down anything.

Healthy Holiday Cookies

Many think it's as rare as actually seeing Santa Claus or even an elf? What is it? A batch of healthy holiday cookies.Is there such a thing? More importantly what would they taste like?Well, there is such a thing and healthy good for you cookies actually are flavorful.

Many home bakers and cookie affectionadoes blanch at the very notion of a healthy holiday treat. After all Christmas is supposed to be a time for indulgences with buttery rich shortbreads and icing laden gingerbread men. Yet you don't have to give up flavor for a tasty plate of goodness.One of the most popular to bake during this season is the sugar cookie. One sub in white flour with spelt. along with coconut or evaporated cane sugar.Home bakers could sub in the healthier brown sugar, however this makes for a very chewy sugar cookie. Most holidays ones have a snap and crunch to them.Use a butter type spread such as Earth Balance sticks. They are non dairy yet have a buttery taste.Unfortunately the icing does have to have confectioner's sugar to create a smooth paste, however you can add skim milk or make an icing using macadamia nuts and shredded coconut.Peanut butter cookies are another holiday fave. You can sub in maple syrup for refined white sugar Applesauce can be added too along with organic peanut butter. Chocolate chip, that holiday cookie platter must have can be remade into something healthier.One, you can sub in carob chips for chocolate ones. Another sub in  -oatmeal flour  or whole heat for an extra chewy bite.Again use coconut and sucanat -which is whole cane sugar that hasn't been refined.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without the classic snickerdoodle. This time they can be a good for you indulgence, with the addition of organic sucanat and using Earth Balance  faux butter .sticks. Use a  lot of cinnamon when making these because the spice can help in lowering blood pressure as wekll as aiding in combating stomach flu. Oatmeal cookies are a must have. These can be made as healthy as possible., with whole wheat flour and honey along with brown sugar. An egg is used as a binder although there recipes that do use applesauce as a binder instead. Raisins are the preferred extra but you can also add dried cranberries for color and more flavor, along with dark chocolate chips. What would Christmas be without the classic gingerbread men and house?. You can still bake these  but with a better for you spin.. Use whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, coconut oil for butter and the oil dark molasses for white sugar.The last is high in potassium, iron,Vitamin B calcium and magnesium.You could use royal icing to decorate or a glaze. As for the gingerbread house, sub in healthy decorations rather than candy. Have an almond decorated roof along with Craisins around the windows and doors.Shredded coconut can be sprinkled on top to simulate snow. Another fun idea with the molasses is using it to make classic molasses snaps, using whole wheat flour and egg whites.

Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as a healthy Christmas cookie that is delicious. You can make a whole slew of them, including the classic gingerbread house. They're a treat that's good for you.

Foodie Gifts Foodie Fun

The gift giving season is upon us. It's the time of year to stress about what would be the perfect gift. Luckily foodies and homes chefs are the easiest people to buy for. There's always an interesting food or new gadget that's sure to please them. That's what makes shopping for them so much fun but shoppers do need a guide This helps in selecting the right gift.

Yesterday's New York Times Food section knows this and supplied readers with a two page gift guide in their holiday section. There are some interesting ideas that are sure to please everyone. Candy canes are front and center in this  and they're in both traditional and very non traditional flavors. Hammond's Candies of Denver Colorado produces the old fashioned peppermint kind along with sugar plum and birthday cake flavors. (however  be warned one candy cane is $2.95 and $30.00 for a dozen) Anglophiles and butter lovers will go mad for English toffee.from Littlejohn's Candies. This Los Angeles fave also has bacon caramels for the Paleos in your life  as well as fudge in a variety of different flavors.Tired of sweet, then try unami and spicy Gochuan Korean Hot Sauce ,a hot chili paste that's sweet, spicy and savory. It's not just for bulgoki but for adding zest and zing to ribs, burgers and dogs.For something truly different try Scourtins the savory butter cookie with the addition of a briny olive paste.(!) Lark Fine Foods bake them in their Essex Massachusetts facility.They're known for their interesting pairings such as burnt caramel and rosemary in the company's other cookies.If you have a true meat lover in your life then gift him or her with Nodine's Smokehouse bacon sampler. It has the German influenced juniper infused bacon along with garlic flavored and the classic apple wood smoked one. Get nut lovers pecans from Cleveland Organics for both nibbling and baking,

The guide has some intriguing gadgets for home chefs.A sweetly  old fashioned  one is the Chef Time from Piq.This is an ultra cute kitchen timer with a toque wearing chef's mustache sporting head on top. Messy home chefs and home bakers will appreciate the sturdily made apron from Les Toiles de Soleil. It's pricey at $75.00  but it's made of a durable cotton that will last through splashes and washings.It's in a bright striped pattern that will liven up any kitchen Innovative chefs will appreciate the Spiralizer from Kitchen Aid.. It's the size of a mixer and comes with four different peelers. You can not only make carrot ribbons with it but also peel and slice apples along with coring and slicing.Another must is a set of thirteen wooden spoons from Dura Artisans. These are hand carved beechwood from India and are all different sizes and spoon shapes. If your home chef craves elegance then surprise them with a classic looking cabbage leaf bowl from Williams -Sonoma.It's a beautifully crafted bowl from Portugal with a special commemorative stamp celebrating the store's centennial. If your home chef s more the Pioneer Woman kind of cook then  thrown in a triangle dinner bell from Schoolhouse Electric. It's a high end gift at $65.00 but a fun one that will last years.

This holiday season give your special foodie, home chef or home baker a unique gift. Using the Times Food Holiday guide , you 'll find the right present that will be thoroughly enjoyed. It's just a little help that will go a long way in the marathon that is the holiday shopping season.

The Times Holiday Issue

For the last three weeks  the New York Times Wednesday section has been offering helpful hints and recipes regarding Thanksgiving.Now they're helping home chefs and bakers tackle the onslaught of holiday baking and cooking. There's also a guide to gift giving but that'll be for tomorrow. Today it's all about the bake.


The big guns of the Food section, Julia Moskin, David Tanis, Martha Rose Shulman and Joan Nathan give us the skinny on both sweet and savory . Even the front page has a lovely picture of chocolate reindeer cookies (and of course the lead one does have a red nose.)The recipe is on the next page, dark chocolate espresso snap that only needs royal icing because the flavor is so intense. A California reader, Mari Pfeiffer sent it in and it's from Great Cookies Cookbook by author and teacher Carole Walter. You could even make them and then hang them on the tree as ornaments.Martha Rose Shulman who often contributes healthy recipes to the Tuesday science Times gives us gluten free cookies. Hers are meringues and haystacks, traditionally flour free treats. The meringues are heavily laced with chocolate which cuts the cookie's sweetness.They're a nice departure from the traditional flour ones, providing the right amount of crunch and chewiness. Haystacks are a fun treat,This variation has sugar, butter, evaporated milk and salt cooked in a saucepan and then rolled oats , shredded coconut and vanilla is added.It's then mixed and spoonfuls are dropped onto parchment paper or cookie sheets to cool.

Julia Moskin, David Tanis,and Joan Nathan give us the savory side of holiday baking. Ms.. Moskin has ideas and recipes for different types of challah for the Hanukkah meal.Everyone knows it as a golden braided loaf with a sweet taste  however this is the Ashkenazi, Eastern European Jews, namely the ones from Hungary , version. Sephardic Jews, from Spain make a crunchy rounded loaf, redolent with sesame, caraway and cumin seeds. It's perfect with just honey or dipped into a spicy tagine. The North African and Middle Eastern Jews bake    plain ones with just a touch of sugar and a bit more spices. Another Hanukkah favorite is latke, those crispy fried potato pancakes celebrating  the miracle of the temple.Joan Nathan gives us her aunt's recipe which involves mashed potatoes instead of the usual grated ones. She also adds dill, parsley and shallots for more flavor. They're fried in the oil of the moment  - coconut oil.. This potato puff kind retains more of the vegetable's flavor  as opposed to the grated latke which has an oilier taste. David Tanis  contributes yummy onion tartlet recipes that work at any holiday party. It's a simple butter crust ,faintly lemony thanks to a dash of lemon juice. The topping is caramelized onions and a covering of Gorgonzola or blue cheese.You can sub in a milder cheese like Fontina if the other is too sharp. He also recommends using the dough recipe for galettes and other savory tarts.

Home bakers will love this issue. There are some great recipes, from the chocolate snaps to the onion tartlets to try. Everything is the perfect treat for the holidays ahead!

The Great American Holiday Bake Show

Can something very very English translate to American? Sort of, as we've seen in a variety of TV shows that originated across the pond. There's another reincarnation, this time an American version of The Great British Baking Show. It highlights some of this country's best amateur bakers with an Yankee twist.

There has been some criticism regarding the show which airs on ABC Monday nights at ten PM. The hosts husband and wife Ian Gomez (he of Cougartown) and Nia Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding " fame  chat and banter with the judges, Mary Berry, imported from the British show and Johnny Iuzzini ,a renowned pastry chef and former head judge on Top Chef : Just Desserts. Gomez and Vardalos don;t have the plummy, highly witty panache that the British hosts,Sue Perkins and Mel Gieidroyc. These ladies would fit right in with Jeeves and Wooster with their puns and sarky asides, along with their Pythonesque silliness. Sadly the Gomezes are more like your neighbors , offering help along as with lame jokes. Even "Ready, set, BAKE!!!", the show's "Tally Ho"  comes off as a weak mew  where their Brit counterparts shout it exuberantly. The format is the same., three bakes an episode, starting off with a signature, followed by a technical, then the showstopper.. Mary Berry is the same on this four week competition, as she is on the British ,a  kind of sweet but crackly Home Ec teacher. What is missing is the beefy sexiness of Paul Hollywood along with his sharp tongue. He is the perfect foil for Ms. Berry, tart to her treacle. Johnny Iuzzini is good as a judge, offering suggestions, but he's kind of like the sycophant assistant teacher, trying to cozen up to Ms. Berry for a promotion,.There's no smoldering fire there  to bake anyone's cake. Mr. Hollywood was a judge on a similar American spinoff, The American Baking Competition with Jeff Foxworthy back in the summer of 2013. That interpretation was just a little more livelier.

What about the bakers themselves?Are they as personable as their British counterparts? Yes,.as with the British mother ship, the bakers come from all over the country , offering a wider range of regional sweets and accents than the original show. They're not as catty or as backstabbing as other American reality show contestants. They're more like students attending an elite baking class ,. This makes watching the show addictive and refreshing . The bakers are all so nice, you find yourself rooting for all of them. The Yanks  face up to the challenges with the same , grace courage and determination as their English counterparts. Gomez and Vardalis joke with them, although it's not the same as Sue and Mel. The couple also tell the audience about each contestant's signature and show stopper bakes,with the same story book graphics, that explain designs and ingredients to the viewers. The challenges are interesting with the bakers coming up with gingerbread pagodas and Eiffel Towers (well this is the holdiay competition after all). There is a top baker chosen by Mary and Johnny and sadly one baker has to go home. The setting is done in an airy tent in the middle of a lush field where contestants are also interviewed.

Will Americans cozy up to The Great American Holiday Baking Show? ABC is probably hoping so, however diehard fans will still watch the original British one. It's a semi sweet treat that's fun for foodies to watch.

Bread Puddings Savory And Sweet

Bread pudding is one of the most versatile and easiest dishes to make. It can be a savory casserole like strata or a gooey dessert like a brioche pudding;Best of it, its' hearty and satisfying ,the ultimate comfort food for combatting the crazy days ahead of us.

Savory bread puddings are the perfect weekend meal. All you need is stale bread for starters and the  rest is up to you. One of the best recipes is the zuppa montagne , a Piedmontese winter dish made with stale Italian bread, chicken or vegetable broth and Swiss or Fontina cheese. A more textured version is subbing in breadsticks (the Stella D'oro kind works best here) and layering on the bottom of a casserole dish. If you want crunch and texture added shredded cabbage , preferably the Savoy kind , cooked in butter , as a second layer. The cheese is then layered on followed by the broth. Use three to four ladlefuls of this , reserving some of the broth to pour over later. Cook at 325 degrees Farenheit for forty minutes. You can also microwave this too for a quick five to six minutes.There is a popular rosemary and bacon bread pudding circulating on the web right now.This is a custardy version , involving eggs. along with sharp cheddar and of course, bacon. Sauteed onions are also thrown in for sweetness.After baking in a 375 degree oven for forty minutes, it's all set to come out, golden and puffy like a cheese soufflé. For those who love something more exotic , try strata which means layers. Stratas can be made for any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's layers of bread,peppers. bacon and onions with milk and cream added for pure custardiness.

Sweet bread pudding is a nice change of pace from the usual cakes and pies.It's also a homey treat at a tree trimming or holiday party. One recommendation is using stale baguettes or Italian bread instead of regular white bread.It gives the pudding chewiness and texture along with a mellow yeasty flavor. Still use three or four eggs but cut back on the sugar. Many recipes call  for a cup of white sugar. I'd halve that or use a more earthier tasting brown sugar. Milk or cream can be used . These can be mixed., because using just cream can make the dish heavy and dense. Purists will want raisins for more sweetness. Many (including myself) are not fans of this. If you want extra sweetness, try a  dollop of salted caramel drizzled on it.A truly decadent variation is New Orleans style which uses a buttery whiskey sauce as an accompaniment. If you want something decadently Gallic , try a brioche bread pudding. Brioche is a yummy French roll, egg and butter rich.It is the perfect ingredient in a decadent dessert. Add cream, and butter along with eggs, sugar and brandy to bake with it into a lush pudding.Lemon or orange zest can be added for more color and flavor. Serve this with whipped cream or crème Anglaise, a sauce that combines cream, sugar eggs and Armagnac brandy.

A savory or sweet bread pudding is a great slice of comfort during this hectic holiday times ahead A slice of strata is a great weekend meal while a brioche bake is the perfect dessert for a holiday party.Make the traditional or create your own for some yummy fun.

Cold Days, Sunny Meals

The temps are dipping. There's more night than light and the pressure of the holidays are coming  at full speed. It would be nice to escape this, take a trip to a warm happy go lucky island or exciting , exotic country. However that ' s impossible - or is it? Cooking sunny bright meals, from sunny bright places is a mini escape from  dull, chilly days.It's an exciting way to enjoy winter cooking.

One sunny bright place that has so many tasty recipes is Morocco. This corner of northwestern Africa has some yummy dishes that are easy to make. Cooking Moroccan may also be the perfect time to add a tajine pot to your kitchen arsenal. Everyone from Williams-Sonoma to J.C. Penney's now sell  them.  If you don't have one, no worry. A pressure cooker can sub for it. Slow cook a chicken with an array  of such spices as cumin and ginger.Saffron colors it to a blazing sun yellow  while raisins temper the spices kick. A plus is that it takes an hour which allows you to work around cooking it. A second  plus is that the recipe is bendable.You can use lamb or veggies instead of fowl.. Couscous is another dish that will bring to mind colorful bazaars and rainbow sunsets. Squash and chickpeas are added to this wheat semolina along with dried fruit and spices such as turmeric and cinnamon. For a light weekend supper try bagels with za'atar, an easy to make dip. This is a mix of sumac,thyme and roasted sesame seeds along with marjoram, oregano and coarse salt. Dip the bagel(it should be hand rolled , not those big puffy kinds) first in  a small bowl of olive oil and then the spice mix. Za'atar can also be sprinkled on eggs,, salads and veggies to zing them up.

Everyone love the Caribbean , with it's warm seas and balmy nights. To capture some of that heat , try making a few of the dishes of the area. Jamaica gives us the fiery jerk - which can be translated into a pork , chicken or chicken wing dish. You can buy jerk seasoning or better yet make it yourself. It's a blend of onion powder, chives, allspice and cinnamon. Cayenne gives it its' color and fire while nutmeg and cinnamon gives it a tinge of sweetness. It can be rubbed on the wings a few hours before.  Serve it with a tangy pineapple infused sauce. Jerk pork is another fiery dish, guaranteed to satisfy that longing for Kingston. It's taking pork loin, marinating it with a heady mix of Scotch Bonnet peppers, a mix of orange and lime juices along with  a blend of soy sauce and olive oil and then grilling it over an open flame (hopefully the grill hasn't been put away yet) Serve with a plate of hot festivals, a fried zeppoli like fritter that tempers the jerk's spiciness. Plaintains can also be served. These are a type of banana that are excellent prepared the sweet way with brown sugar and butter. Vanilla and cinnamon are also added to accentuate the taste.Plaintains can also be fried into a fun crispy chip too.

Let your kitchen take you to those exotic, sunny places. It's easy to make a tangine or jerk chicken and pretend you're in Morocco or Jamaica. Consider these exotic dishes a vacation for your palate.