holiday food

Life is a bit repetitive these days. But we all have to eat, so I encourage you to use this time to cook new things you’ve never made before. You can do it, be daring, be bold, be different–try this! Yorkshire pudding is one of the most traditional British dishes there are, although the origins […]

Coq au Vin is a classic French dish of which Burgundy, Alsace, Champagne, and Auvergne all claim paternity, it is also an absolute favorite of mine on a cold winter night. Where Did Coq au Vin Come From? According to various legends, Coq au Vin can be traced back to Julius Caesar and conquest of […]

You survived the holiday season but you have one more celebration to come. But this one is easier. Much easier. New Year’s Eve is a bit more celebrated than New Year’s Day. And let’s call New Year’s Day what it is: a recovery day for the night before. But New Year’s Eve is a fun, […]

Winter is a wonderful time. Earthy, hearty, beautiful root vegetables are in abundance. But what to do with them?  I say roast them. I love slightly browned roasted vegetables lightly toasted in olive oil. Straight-up, as a side dish, or here, mixed together in a hearty winter salad. This roasted winter vegetable salad hits the […]

The Muffuletta is one of the greatest sandwiches ever created, yet sadly many have never heard of it. The Muffuletta is a New Orleans classic, created in 1906 by a local grocery owner named Salvatore Lupo. Lupo, an attentive man, watched as Sicilian farmers would come to his store, The Central Grocery & Deli, and order an […]

In Britain, December 26th is Boxing Day, a national holiday, that celebrates the traditional post-Christmas servant’s day off. Sausage rolls or Boxing Day rolls as they are often called, are a traditional dish served during this holiday celebration. In the past, this day was one of the only days when upper-class families had to survive […]

As a kid, I never liked butternut squash, it was always mushy and flavorless.  Years later, I learned how to make it.  It is funny how subtle things in a recipe sometimes make all the difference in whether we like or dislike something.  Growing up, butternut squash was one of those foods that I was […]

Thanksgiving is nothing without the cranberry sauce. This slightly sweet, slightly tart compote is essential at a Thanksgiving table if you ask me. And for the record, I am not talking about the canned stuff.  I believe in shortcuts at times, especially around the holidays when the sheer volume of tasks associated with hosting a […]