Knowing how to make mulled wine is at the top of my holiday season skills list, along with pie making , gift wrapping , and secret keeping. (I score 2 out of 4. Can you guess my failures?!) Mulled wine is one of my favorite winter drinks…
As someone who develops recipes professionally, you’d think that I’d always have a plan for feeding my family dinner. Just like everybody else, though, the busier I get, the harder it is to get dinner on the table. Thanks to natural bran…
Chocolate candy is a must over the holidays. Festive sweets make a special treat to have around the house, serve as part of a holiday dessert spread, or give as a gift . Store bought is great—we love supporting local chocolate shops —but…
Holiday entertaining doesn’t have to be a blockbuster affair. In fact, some of the best holiday gatherings are small, impromptu get togethers and relaxed gatherings with easy cocktail party foods, festive snacks and, of course, seasonal …
If you’re not Jewish, get ready to wish that you were: Jelly donuts are a traditional Hanukkah food. As in, you must eat them to celebrate the holiday or you get kicked out of the tribe. Okay, you don’t really have to eat them, but you c…
There may be more talk of picky eaters than foodie kids, but some kids really dig food. I know for sure that these seemingly rare creatures exist because I happen to be mother to one. My older son loves eating, looking at food magazines,…
Whether we like it or not, all of us parents become the family cook at some point, and even those of you who hate to cook know that it doesn't get us out of it. (Darn kids and their need to eat.) These fab kitchen gadget gifts are some o…
I’d like to think that calories don’t count over the holidays. In fact, that IS what I think while indulging in classic holiday treats like decadent hot chocolate and gingerbread desserts . Cocktails, though, are a place where I can skim…
Compared to last year (holy Thanksgivukkah !), it may seem like we have tons of time to prep for Hanukkah, but I have a feeling that the time will fly. Quickly. Before we know it, we’ll be on the hook for eight crazy nights of festivitie…
With 8 days of gift giving, Hanukkah is a time for creativity: Something they need, something they want, and so on and so forth until you get to something they can eat. These edible gifts for Hanukkah are a perfect addition to the holida…
You’ve planned and prepped for your Thanksgiving meal and then suddenly you remember: wine! (Or is that just me?) I generally drink wines I like, no matter what’s on the table--I’m easy that way. The Thanksgiving challenge is that there’…
We’ve been gearing up for Thanksgiving all week with amazing mashed potato recipes , the easiest cranberry sauce recipes , killer stuffing recipes , tips for how to make homemade pie , and a guide to best mail order pies in the country (…
Stuffing is one of those Thanksgiving dishes that I’m always changing. One year cornbread, the next sourdough. Sometimes sausage, other times bacon. Every once in a while I make it in the bird, though mostly it's done in a separate pot. …
As a professional home cook and recipe developer, I’m always game to change things up, even at a holiday meal. But, if you ask me, certain holiday dishes, like cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving are essential. You can play with them, but do…
We recently shared our essential tips for how to make a homemade pie , but have a feeling that some of you may skip out on the baking this Thanksgiving. No judgments here if you’d rather place an order and have your Thanksgiving pies del…
We might as well call the holiday season “pie season” if you ask me. That’s honestly what it is—or at least what it should be. Who’s with me? Even if you’re not (and we’ll settle this later), Thanksgiving and the winter holidays create t…
These 9 amazing fall salad recipes are enough to keep us from missing summer salads. For me, fall is all about stews, chili, roasts, and salads. Yes, salads! Roasted veggies are delicious, but roasted veggies tossed with greens and a del…
Those of you who don’t celebrate may not know that before Christmas became the blockbuster that it is today, Chanukkah was a pretty quiet affair. And as hard as Chanukkah tries to keep up (at least in my house where we celebrate both hol…
With Halloween behind us, it’s time to collect our gourds and go home. If you haven’t already carved yours, now is the perfect time to gather your pumpkins and put them to (actual) good use by roasting those pumpkin seeds for a nutritiou…
Candy may be the only Halloween treat that my kids are interested in, but with Halloween falling on a Friday night this year, I’m also looking forward to a fun Halloween cocktail to usher in the weekend. Whether you want a sweet sip, a s…
When celebrating Halloween with little ones, there’s a fine line between fun creepy and scary creepy. Lucky for me—a firm believer that the creepier the better—my kids are finally old enough to handle scary Halloween. I’ve spent a lot of…
Of all the throwback candies, candy corn reigns supreme. More than just nostalgic, it is among the most popular Halloween candies year after year. (Because it's awesome, that's why.) It’s also the inspiration for these fun, delicious can…
Last year I threw an awesome Halloween party for my kids. (Really! There’s video , complete with Halloween dinner recipes , to prove it.) It was a blast, but now my kids want to do it again. I'm game—anything to show off my rockin' Cleop…
Being a food writer who focuses on (mostly) healthy family eats is a funny thing during the Halloween season. I get a lot of nervous laughter and jittery explanations from friends about giving into the bloodbath of candy—as if I don’t do…
