How to Build a Holiday Dinner Menu
If you’ve never planned a big holiday meal, it can seem daunting. But then, remember the math. Most classic holiday dinner menus include a main dish, gravy or sauce, potatoes, two to three vegetables,...
View ArticleFearless Holidays: Turkey FAQ
So much information exists on the humble turkey. Here are simple answers from reliable sources. Did we miss something? Email us. Q. Why do we eat turkey on holidays, anyway? A. Great question. As this...
View ArticleShepherd’s Pie with Chard-Lentil Filling
Recipe by Kim O’Donnel My family has shifted to mostly vegetarian in the past couple of years. This has meant something new for us: meatless holiday dinners. The key to this recipe is a great...
View ArticleFirehouse Challenge: Stuffing
Next up came stuffing. Arguably, this has the most “active” time of any of the traditional side dishes. There’s chopping and sauteing involved. I made this dish twice, once manually cutting up the...
View ArticleFirehouse Challenge: Supermarket turkey vs. Organic Bird
A turkey may seem like a humble, if popular, bird but it’s yielding increasing discussion in the food world. One study found that generic turkeys contained high levels of bacteria; researchers pointed...
View ArticleFirehouse Challenge: Green Beans canned vs. fresh
Green beans are a classic side dish for any holiday. I debated an update on green bean casserole, but decided instead to serve fresh green beans and canned green beans, each were lightly sauteed in...
View ArticleFirehouse Challenge: Real mashed potatoes vs. Instant
I can understand the lure of instant mashed potatoes, and you want comfort, you want it now. According to Wisegeek.com, a Canadian scientist developed instant mashed back in 1962. Here’s how the real...
View ArticleFirehouse Holiday Dinner Challenge: Gravy
At its heart, gravy is a sauce. Sauces flummox home cooks. I interviewed a woman at a supermarket who told me, “I’ve burned gravy, I’ve made greasy gravy, I’ve made lumpy gravy, I’ve made bland gravy....
View ArticleFirehouse Challenge: Cranberry sauce
Growing up, I assumed that cranberries grew in the shape of a can. I am not alone. When I was nine, my Aunt Judy made cranberry relish from whole berries and nothing was the same again. Of all the...
View ArticleFirehouse Challenge: Packaged vs. Homemade Holiday Dinner Classics
For years, a relative of mine served boxed stuffing at her holiday gatherings, spiced up with cut-up pre-cooked turkey sausage. When I offered to make some homemade stuffing one year, she waved me off....
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