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Archives for December 2011

New Year’s Appetizers- Part 4

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 28th, 2011| Appetizers, Recipes
We're at the halfway point of the holiday week:  three days past Christmas and three days until New Year's Eve.  If you are celebrating at home and haven't planned the menu or the dish you're bringing, it is time to do so!  The benefit of delaying until this point

Confit

by Elizabeth Skipper December 27th, 2011| Ask the Chef
I’ve been reading a lot about meats that are cooked in a confit style.  What does confit mean?

In its simplest terms, confit means meat that has been preserved by cooking and storing in fat, usually its own. The word comes from the French word "confire" which means to conserve.

Lussekatter – Swedish Christmas Saffron Rolls

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 22nd, 2011| Breads, Desserts, Recipes
This Thursday brings the final installation of holiday treat recipes from the WMG team.  This recipe is courtesy of the newest member of our team, Jessica.  Jessica joined us in November and writes about a variety of topics, including politics, holidays, fitness, gadgets, and outdoor activities.

These saffron buns are

New Year’s Eve Appetizers- Part 3

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 21st, 2011| Appetizers, Recipes
New Year's Eve is a week and a half away and still is probably pretty far from everyone's mind.  There's no need to plan that menu when you still have Hanukkah or Christmas menus to plan.  However, it is good to start considering what you'll want to serve if

Pork & Apple Meatballs

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 20th, 2011| Appetizers, Recipes, Tapas Monday
Even though this dish was not part of our Iron Chef Thanksgiving, it did seem appropriate to follow my recent theme of apples.  This recipe is from a Tapas Monday early in November.  The inspiration for this recipe was quite simple.  We had a fruit bin filled with apples from

Italian Sesame Cookies

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 15th, 2011| Desserts, Recipes
It's Thursday, which means that it is time for another holiday treat recipe from one of the WMG team members.  Today's recipe is courtesy of our Assistant Editor, Lori.  As she explains, this treat is "not too sweet. . .great with tea or coffee."

Lori is a newer member

New Year’s Eve Appetizers- Part 2

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 14th, 2011| Appetizers, Recipes
On New Year's Eve, I can't think of a better menu than one that consists of an assortment of appetizers.  Sure, you could plan the evening as a formal event with a sit-down dinner, but isn't it more fun to have trays of finger-sized snacks?  Not only will you

Which Fat for Cookies?

by Elizabeth Skipper December 13th, 2011| Ask the Chef
When making cookies, I have noticed that different recipes suggest different fats: butter, margarine, shortening.  Is one better than the others?

Which fat a cookie recipe calls for will give you some clue as to how old the recipe is. Because margarine and shortening only entered the food chain in

Apple Ravioli

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 12th, 2011| Appetizers, Desserts, Recipes
As I wrote two weeks ago, we had an Iron Chef Thanksgiving at our house.  With a secret ingredient of apples and the assigned course of lunch/appetizer, I had fun making a trio of tapas plates.  Apple Skins were a hit with our 15 year old, and Apple Ravioli

New Year’s Eve Appetizers- Part 1

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 7th, 2011| Appetizers, Recipes
I know, I know.  Who's thinking about New Year's Eve cooking when there is Christmas and Hanukkah cooking and baking before then?  I'm guessing it isn't many people.  However, as I have the opportunity to share an assortment of sophisticated & simple appetizer recipes from some great chefs, it

Atlantic Fish Company, Boston, MA

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 5th, 2011| Restaurant Reviews
Black Friday was an exciting day at our house but not because we were dashing to early morning (late night?) sales.  It was exciting because there were no sporting events, practices, or work meetings to attend.  As we knew all of this weeks in advance, we planned to take

Almond Cookies

by Michele Pesula Kuegler December 1st, 2011| Desserts, Recipes
December is here, and the countdown to Christmas begins in earnest.  Shopping lists are made, letters to Santa are sent, cards are mailed; the list of preparations could continue endlessly.  Among all this hustle and bustle, it does seem that most people take time to do some holiday baking.

While adding