A British oddball who celebrates Christmas every single day said the recession had forced him to scale back the whirlwind of daily festivities this year. Andy Park, who bills himself as Mr. Christmas, said his weight had plunged after slashing his mammoth daily portions of mince pies, champagne, roast turkey and all the trimmings. The divorced electrician from Melksham in southwest England used to blow 11,000 pounds (18,000 dollars, 12,000 euros) a year on his daily Christmas knees-up but... Read Full Story
Tue
15
Dec '09
Posted by webmaster in Recipes , Food , Grains & Baked Goods
If you love feasting on layer after layer of melted cheese, pasta, and sauce, there’s a good chance that you don’t have to be convinced about how delicious and addictive a good lasagna is; bite after wonderous bite.
The ultimate dish to cook when you want your friends and family to feel truly spoiled, lasagna makes any meal a party and a feast for the senses.
But the stunning truth is... Read Full Story
We make divinity. Mainly at Christmas.
Sometimes it is absolutely great, soft but dry, and melts in your mouth. Other times it is slightly harder. And once in a while it comes out sticky.
Divinity is one of those candies that your grandmother made. In Alabama, people say it is a southern tradition, but my grandmother made it too, and she was born in Switzerland and raised in California.
In any case, there are many recipes for divinity. Most call for you to cook sugar, water and corn... Read Full Story
This year I have decided to enter my Holiday Honey Mint Cookies in the Gourmet Girl Magazine’s Virtual Holiday Cookie Crawl.
Holiday Honey Mint Cookies
Recipe makes 4 Dozen cookies
1 Cup Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Smooth peanut Butter
2 Cups White sugar
2 Eggs
2 ½ Cups all purpose flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
¼ Tsp Salt
1 ½ Tsp Baking soda
1 Tsp pure Vanilla extract
¼ Tsp ground Nutmeg
2 Tbsp finely chopped Mint leaves
½ Cup Powdered Sugar (optional)
½ Cup Honey... Read Full Story
Family’s are often caught up in so many plans during Christmastime that sitting down together over a fancy dinner may not be a good fit. Your family members may be traveling and have to head out before dinnertime, or you may be expected to eat at several homes and can’t fill up on a big meal at each home. Or, you may simply need to watch the food budget and can’t justify the expense that a big sit-down meal usually entails.
When your budget is part of your decision. consider how expensive... Read Full Story
I would like to make my favorite desserts this holiday season, but I know the cooking is going to be more a task of strategy than of cooking. Juggling desserts in and out of the oven is a struggle. So, this year I’ve decided to develop some crockpot dessert recipes to free up my oven for the main course and avoid all the struggle of shuffling dishes around. Now my turkey can stay in the oven where it belongs!
So, how am I going to turn my old favorite dessert recipes into crockpot dessert... Read Full Story
Family’s are often caught up in so many plans during Christmastime that sitting down together over a fancy dinner may not be a good fit. Your family members may be traveling and have to head out before dinnertime, or you may be expected to eat at several homes and can’t fill up on a big meal at each home. Or, you may simply need to watch the food budget and can’t justify the expense that a big sit-down meal usually entails.
If you are considering your family’s budget, big sit-down dinners... Read Full Story
With the chill in the air, comfort food calls. No matter how hard the wind blows, I can still hear the call of the warm and savory recipes. But I don't always have all the time I'd like in which to cook whole meals of comfortable goodness. Good thing we like leftovers. Versatile, easy, quick. You can make patties (croquettes, cakes, fritters) out of just about anything you have left over from a dinner. Add a binder, maybe some filler and/or coating (an egg and some breadcrumbs, respectively... Read Full Story
I am still out-of-town, but thought I would re-post an article I did last year on peanut brittle. I’m ready to get home and get my Christmas baking done. I had exciting news this week…I had a website ask if they could use my porch pictures for their Christmas porch ideas! You can check it out at Outdoor Front Porch Idea s. They get tons of hits every month, so I am hoping to welcome some new friends from their website. Hope you are all snuggled at home, baking and enjoying the holiday... Read Full Story
