Wild rice stuffing with cranberries is a side dish made by simmering wild rice in stock until the grains split and go tender, then baking it with sautéed onion and celery, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and fresh herbs until the top turns golden. I make some version of this every year starting in October, long
The best back to school snacks pair a protein or fat with something crunchy or sweet, so kids stay full longer. Here are 14 snack combos, lunchbox ideas, and make-ahead tricks that actually work, plus the gear worth buying.
Yes, you can make deviled eggs up to two days ahead of time, as long as you store the hard-boiled whites and the yolk filling separately and don’t pipe them together until an hour or so before serving. I learned this the embarrassing way. I once assembled a full tray of deviled eggs the night
Goat cheese mashed potatoes are made by mashing boiled Yukon Gold potatoes with warm butter and cream, then folding in softened goat cheese off the heat, using about 4 ounces of cheese per 2 pounds of potatoes so the tang stays in the background instead of taking over. I love goat cheese, but the first
A poinsettia cocktail is cranberry juice, orange liqueur, and sparkling wine, and the cranberry base batches perfectly the night before. The ratio I use, why it isn’t quite a Christmas mimosa, and how to scale it for a crowd without losing the bubbles.
Spiked hot chocolate you batch the night before: a real melted-chocolate cocoa base, the spirit stirred in ahead, reheated on the stove or in a slow cooker, with toppings added only at serving.
A green bean casserole recipe without cream of mushroom soup swaps the canned condensed soup for a quick homemade mushroom cream sauce made with butter, flour, fresh mushrooms, and cream, so you get that same rich, creamy casserole without the tinny, oversalted flavor of the can. I used to think green bean casserole just came
My sugar cookie martini recipe mixes vanilla vodka, RumChata, and amaretto with cream for a dessert cocktail, plus the rim trick that actually keeps sprinkles on the glass.
My cranberry Moscow mule is built to be batched the night before, with the vodka, cranberry, and lime mixed ahead and the ginger beer poured in at the glass so it never goes flat.
My cowboy caviar recipe uses canned pantry staples, a tangy homemade dressing, and one trick that keeps it from turning soggy at parties.
To make mulled wine you can batch ahead, simmer a cheap dry red with cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, and sugar, stir in brandy off the heat, then chill it overnight and reheat it low and slow. The batch-ahead method, the wine to buy, and how to hold it warm in a slow cooker all night.
This brown sugar pork tenderloin recipe gets seared for a real crust, glazed with dijon and garlic, and roasted just until it hits 145°F. Juicy every time.
The best cranberry sauce substitutes are fresh cranberry relish, a quick orange marmalade thinned with a little water, or a cherry sauce made the same way you’d cook cranberries, since all three land close to the tart-sweet flavor and jammy texture people expect on the table. If you’re standing in your kitchen right now realizing
The most elegant Christmas appetizers use just two or three high-quality ingredients arranged simply, like cranberry brie bites, whipped feta with hot honey, marinated shrimp, or prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, and most of them take about 15 minutes of hands-on work rather than any real cooking skill. I used to think elegant meant complicated. My first few
A halloween 7 layer dip is a classic seven-layer taco dip made with refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cheese, and olives, finished with a sour cream spiderweb piped on top and dragged into a web pattern with a toothpick. I’ve made some version of seven layer dip for basically every Halloween party I’ve hosted