Homemade Holiday Candies

This is the time of year when do it yourself candy makers shine. there;s nothing as fun as putting together Santa pops or making exquisite truffles. Best of all, unlike baking you have unlimited ingredients. You Can have fun turning some of the most mundane stuff into yummy drops or balls. Even add exotic fillings too for some fun. Best of this candy is yours. not some fancy designer label stuff.or ones from an expensive boutique.



The easiest candy to make are chocolate lollipops. I would suggest taking four or five bars of any chocolate whethe r it be Hershey's or Godiva . Put thes e in a plastic bag and them microwave on high for about one minute. Cut corner of the bag with a scissor. Squeeze into molds that already have sticks in them. Dust on sprinkles or nonpareils. . You can also ice them too if you want. Another fun holiday (Or anytime candy ) is haystacks. These are so simple to make. melt one bag of whether milk or dark chocolate chips, Mix in coconut, then place heaping teaspoons of the mixture on greased cookie sheets. let set in a cool dry space. You'll get about one to two dozen depending on the size . peanut or any nut brittle is easy to create too. It's fun as a dessert and even better as a gift it also doesn't take that long to make.

Truffles are a yummy treat and gift. The secret is the creamy filling . For a rich interior use one part cream to two parts unsweetened cocoa. As for extra flavoring you can try Gran Marnier for a rich citrus-y taste or Irish cream. Truffles can also have sea salt and chili (not together though) as ingredients for a different experience. You can then enrobe them in just melted chocolate or dip them in powdered cocoa and/or coconut.

This holiday season, go wild with your candy making . Make fun treats and gifts using just simple chocolate , cream and sugar. You can create wonderful chocolates and brittles that family and friends - and you will thoroughly enjoy.

The Fun Of Fondues

Nothing says party like fondues. You can have it sweet with rich chocolate or savory with a yummy cheese blend. Even more fun is how the dish brings people together. There's something communal about sharing from one pot. You can talk and gossip while enjoying you favorite flavors.

Fondue may be Swiss in origin but the name comes from the French fondre to melt . it started back in the 18th Century when stale cheese and wine were melted together to extend more dinners. Fondue originally meant any sauce that can be dipped into. Traditional fondues use either Emmenthaler, or Gruyere cheese combined along with whit wine, garlic and dry mustard.Cornstarch is also used to thicken it. and nut meg can be added for extra spice. You should have torn up french bread for dipping however you can add leftover ham chunks too.

A dessert favorite is chocolate fondue.It was started at New York;s famed Chalet Suisse in 1966 by Swiss born Konrad Egli. it took Manhattan food critics by storm and quickly became the party dessert of choice. A true chocolate fondue should have heavy cream , and bittersweet chocolate melted together in the fondue pot. Vanilla can be added but something truly decadent, try adding a dash of liqueur. What to dip into it is easy. Strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, along with marshmallows and pound cake.

Fondue of any kind are just fun party foods. Make a cheese or chocolate one during this festive season. They ll surely please your guests.!

Yummy Luxury Omaha Steaks

This is the second installment of luxury foodie gifts. While we drooled over champagne and chocolate last week today we can smack our lips over steak. Omaha Steaks in particular. This company gives the world a variety of different cuts at over the top prices.

Omaha Steaks is one of the oldest food mail order companies in the United States. It started in 1917 by the Simons , a Latvian family who settled in Omaha. They came up with the idea of shipping steaks throughout the country after a son in law convinced Union Pacific to showcase their cuts in their dining cars. By the late 1940's the company had gone national By the mid 1970's stores were added. Omaha Steaks does sell some bargain packages starting at $39 but most are over the $80 range.

What can you buy at Omaha Steak? A lot of great cuts of beef. you can buy the combo which is filet mignon and Porterhouse steaks. You can also try filet mignons and T bone steaks shipped together. Omaha Steaks has some good sirloin cuts as well . There are also a variety of flavors such the whiskey ribbed and the Caesar one. Omaha Steaks also has poultry and seafood along with desserts.

There's nothing as delicious and intoxicating as an aged, juicy steak. Omaha Steaks fulfills that fantasy with their delicious cuts of beef. Order some for yourself for a yummy holiday treat.

New York's Great Restaurateurs.

Elaine Kaufman, like other great restaurateurs , had one of the best places int he city. Her namesake eatery drew all sorts of luminaries form writers to actresses to even Martha Stewart. Yesterdays New York Times celebrated her life in their Critic's Notebook, written by regular Sam Sifton. Not surprisingly he wasn't the only one, Elaine had several fans, among them Woody Allen and Liza Minnelli.


New York City an d its' environs are a great place to be a foodie and a celebrity. Restaurants throughout the ages have catered to both. There was Demonico's during the city's Gilded Age which hosted the enormous appetite of Diamond Jim Brady, there was and still is Sardi's which fed great Italian specialties to both the pasta lover and stage lover alike . There was the famed Joe Allen's which served steaks to real life Don Drapers the early Sixties.These colorful hangouts provided good cheer along with good wine and gourmet food to New York's masses.

Mr. Sifton goes on about today's restaurant owners/ There is , of course, the famed Bobby Flay and Mario Battali. They are chefs and the best , yet unlike Ms. Kaufman their fame comes form the Food Channel. People the world over know them and want to try their dishes. However they concerned with food , not with greeting th e customer, -nor with knowing the regulars by name. great restaurateurs were different. They cared about who ate there. They made sure guests have a good time. Today's are more like going to see a rock star in concert. Let them do their thing.Admire them but , don't get too close.

There will always be great place to eat in Manhattan , There's no shortage of excellent chefs. yet there is a shortage of restaurant owners who truly care about their customers Hopefully the trend will reverse itself.

Cookbooks The Ultimate Foodie Gift

Everyone , especially foodies, love receiving cookbooks as a holiday gifts. There's something exciting about opening up a book on our favorite things or on exotic cuisines. We long to make them and now have the recipes to do so. Not only that but cookbooks always have the best glossy photos in them. Coffee table books are fine but its; recipes books that steal the show.

Today's New York Times had an interesting buyer's guide put together by Times regular Julia Moskin. Ms. Moskin also included some recipes such as sauteed chicken with roasted grapes form the cookbook, Radically Simple (Rodale Press) by Rozanne Gold and mustard batons, savory mushrooms sticks from Dorie Greenspan's My French Table (Houghton Mifflin , publisher)Including these int eh article should give potential cook buyers a leg up on what to get their favorite cooks. There are other one s as well, featuring tapas, The Book of Tapas by Simone and Ines Ortega as well as a whole range of Indian themed ones,. The famed Indian chef, Madhur Jaffrey (Knopf) also has one out simply titled At Home With Mahur Jaffrey. there is also one on Indian street cooking as well, Street Food of India by I.B. Taurus.

Cake , bread and cookie bakers should also rejoice at the new books out now. There are some that I would live to get under my tree. The Gourmet Cookie Book put out by Houghton Mifflin is right up my alley. it includes recipes form 1941 to 2009. Another is Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson, featuring the recipes of that famed San Fran bakery Tartine . Boston;s famous bapastry chef, Joanne Chan g , the owner of Flour Bakery has put out a cookbook of her best cake recipes entitled Flour. (Chronicle) Again this looks like a great gift too.

There;s nothing like giving a foodie a cookbook for Christmas or any holiday. it's a fun way to spend hours reading the recipes and then the thrill of executing them. The best part is trying and tasting all those delicious dinners and desserts brought to life.

Crostoli - A Fried Holiday Sweet

Around this time of year we get in undated with sweets.there are endless cookies and scores of cakes. In th e midst of all this home baked goodness there's the crostoli , a fried sweet treat. it's a light an dairy alternative to all those snaps and tortes. One bite is crunchy, sweet and downright heavenly.

Crostoli is an Italian treat however the Poles make their own version called krusciki. The Piedmontese Italians also have a thinner version called bugie . It's basically a simple egg rich dough that's then fried. In Ital crostoli are a big carnival food.They can be made and then cooked on the spot being served piping hot. The Tuscan version requires Marsala wine for a sweet kick. while the Polish version is whiskey and sour cream laced. Some recipes just call for an egg, sugar and flour mix without any alcohol. However recipes vary from family to family. the one universal is that they all have powdered sugar dusted on them. (which creates a heavenly sweet cloud when you bite into one)

Crostoli can also be made plan and served with various sauces for dipping (hits was popular at the famous crepe chain The Magic Pan decades ago). You can make bougie or crostoli, ,nix the sugar at the end and serve with sweet dips. Most popular are chocolate along with apricot and raspberry dips. You can also sprinkle them with just cinnamon for Mexican vibe.

Instead of baking sweet treats this holiday season, think about frying them. crostoli are a different holiday sweet that everyone will enjoy. Not only that they are just heavenly to eat, light an airy as spun sugar.

Saint Nicholas Day Treats

Today is Saint Nicholas Day or Little Christmas. it;s was the original Christmas before martin Luther declared that December 25th should be the day commemorating the Christ Child's birth. However it is still a time of treats from savory to sweet. Children all over the world are given food gifts, in anticipation for the big day late on this month.



St Nicholas Day traditionally has candies and cakes however there are some savory treats associated with this day The Bulgarian make a carp dish called ribnik, and it's the fish baked en croute in a type of pastry dough. Why? The kindly saint is thought to be the protector of sailors and fishermen. Ribnik is usually eaten with cabbage and grape leaves or peppers,beans and more bread.. The Dutch also hugely celebrate this day and serve boiled chestnuts with butter and salt.



The day is really reserved for treats . Again the Dutch who are big on this holy day serve their kids spice cookies as well as a giant milk chocolate letter of their first initial. The Germans bake giant gingerbread cookies in the shape of the saint. they're later frosted with colored icing and given out. Since St Nicholas was known for his generosity, gold coins are given out. These are the foil wrapped milk chocolate discs all kids love and get during the holiday period.


Celebrate today with loved ones and the little ones in your life. Give them cookies or chocolates for this feast day of the man who would later be Santa Claus. Emulate his generosity too by giving extra treats for children in need.