Category Archives: Holiday

December 11, 2012 · 7:36 pm

Drunken Fig and Pear Pockets

Is this not the perfect name for a holiday appetizer?

In addition to the parties lined up over the coming weeks, I’m happily anticipating the conclusion of my final semester of graduate school. In the middle of all the chaos of finals, prepping for the clinical rotations, and holiday travel, I also just ran my first 5k race. There’s plenty to celebrate.

Screen shot 2012-12-11 at 6.08.27 PMMy first 5K was the Winter Classic in Cambridge, MA, and it was a blast. Although I run consistently for fun, I’d never tackled a road race, so I was a little nervous going in to it. At a little over 3.1 miles, I was confident I’d be able to handle the distance, but it was the mass start and the drive to constantly push myself. I finished in just over 23 minutes, which I was excited about. I’m already looking forward to signing up for more. You definitely get bitten by the bug after your first one.

So, back to the drunken pears. As someone whose name starts at the beginning of the alphabet, I always get assigned to the appetizer group for potlucks, and I sometimes struggle figuring out what to bring. I came up with this recipe a few weeks ago when I thought the November Recipe Redux challenge was for holiday appetizers. It ended up that the real challenge was for vintage appetizers (or remakes of childhood favorites), but oh well. I’m glad I made this, and I’m looking forward to the next chance to make this again.

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Filed under Appetizer, Baking, Fall, Healthy, Holiday, Quick & Easy, Snacks & Party Food, Vegetarian, Winter

November 21, 2012 · 8:04 pm

Lighter Potato Gratin

I make two potato dishes every year for Thanksgiving: some kind of white potato (usually mashed) and sweet potatoes (often, also mashed). Potatoes are one of (if not my all-time favorite) foods, and back home, my mother used to make scalloped potatoes for us when we were little. So, for this month’s Recipe Redux challenge (vintage side dishes), I thought I would present you with a pairing of potato sides: a potato gratin to mirror the layered dish of my childhood and the other, a potato galette, an experiment I made for my family last year at Christmas.

The first dish, the gratin pictured above (and recipe below) came on the heels of a delicious filet Mignon David cooked for me awhile back. The steak was a special treat, and it was bathed in a luscious cream and peppercorn sauce based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated. But at the end of the night, with the steak all gone, we were left with a hefty portion of the cream sauce leftover. So I took the extra and poured it over thinly sliced potato layers and turned it into a baked gratin.

Doesn’t that also embody the spirit of healthy home cooking? I know this has a bit of heavy cream in the ingredients list, but making the most of leftovers is something that I think helps home cooks keep cooking at home, rather than picking up some quick and easy take-out.

Then I have this potato galette with onions and caraway, which adorned our Christmas table last year. It was such a fun idea and translated well into a composed, elegant holiday dish (in case you’re still hunting for ideas for tomorrow… if not, it’s fabulous at Christmas, too).

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Filed under Baking, Fall, Holiday, Winter

January 7, 2012 · 4:14 pm

Saveur’s Pickled Shrimp

I made this pickled shrimp recipe from Saveur magazine at least four times over the past few weeks, and I’m sure they’ll keep finding their way into my menu planning throughout the spring and summer months, too. My family always serves shrimp on Christmas Eve, and this works well as an elegant holiday appetizer. I could also see it being a convenient and portable snack for Super Bowl parties. I’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon a few new recipes this fall that will make their way into my repertoire, but I’m kind of surprised that this is one of them. For one, the shrimps are marinated overnight, so it’s not the kind of dish that can be a last-minute menu idea. But each time I’ve made it and brought it to parties or dinners, it’s gotten rave reviews. Continue reading →

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Filed under Healthy, Holiday, Seafood, Shrimp, Snacks & Party Food

December 21, 2011 · 7:28 am

Mini Tarts filled with Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, Goat Cheese, and Lentils

This month’s Recipe Redux challenge incorporates some form of legume into a holiday party or potluck fare. The recipe below went through menu iterations before I landed on the right filling and presentation, but when I found out what the theme for December was, I had a pretty good idea what direction I’d want to take it. A few months ago, I made this salad, which is itself a good option to take to a potluck, but I wanted to try it with butternut squash.  From there I made a large galette, and then mini galettes, which proved far too cumbersome to be useful for bringing to a party. The mini tarts seemed like the perfect combination of rustic and whimsical, while still being practical enough to prepare and transport to a party. I used mini muffin tins to get the size created above, but I suspect larger sizes will work well, too, because this filling combination tasted great in whichever pastry shell I baked it. Continue reading →

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Filed under Baking, Healthy, Holiday, Snacks & Party Food, Vegetarian

December 14, 2011 · 10:04 pm

Cornbread Stuffing with Chorizo & Sweet Italian Sausage

Last week was extremely busy at school, with little time to cook, even less time to take pictures, and next to no daylight in which to take good pictures. Now, with a little less on my plate, I got to spend the weekend testing out new recipes that I’m considering making for my family’s Christmas dinner and the meals leading up to it. (It also doesn’t help that the first time I wrote this post I closed out of the browser without saving). I tried this chorizo cornbread stuffing back in November, but I think it would work just as well for December holidays. The sweetness of the cornbread and the spiciness of the chorizo are a good combination on their own, regardless of whatever they accompany. Continue reading →

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Filed under Holiday