Holiday Goodies

greenbeansSometimes I wonder if I'm truly an American. I mean, I have never eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread, I have never eaten at Taco Bell, and despite its nearly iconic status in American cuisine, I cannot abide green bean casserole. You know the one – green beans with cream of mushroom soup, topped with crispy fried onions.

Growing up, I never knew what a casserole was; my mom (and grandmother) never made them. After hearing about green bean casserole from friends at school, I felt like I was missing out – I told my mom, "It has fried onions on top! It's like green beans with Funyuns!" The next day she bought the ingredients for green bean casserole; I couldn't have been happier.

Unfortunately, she made the green bean casserole in front of my grandmother, Nan. I still remember her look of shock when my mom opened the can of fried onions. "Onions in a can? Who ever heard of such a thing? And who puts soup on string beans?" she said, "Bah, that's American food." I reminded her, "Nan, we are American." "Yeah," she replied, "but we cook Italian."

Despite Nan's protests, I got my green bean casserole. I was giddy with anticipation. Unfortunately, with the first bite, my giddiness ended. Green bean casserole was nothing more than mushy green beans topped with salty soup and greasy onions.

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christmas gooseGoose is so easy to make, I don't know why more people don't make it especially at Christmas, when it makes you feel so totally gentile. But, here's one caveat: a huge goose feeds a surprisingly small number of people. 

You know how you occasionally meet a fat person who says, I'm not really fat but my bones are big? Well that person is lying, but if they were a goose they wouldn't be.

The stuffing is divine.

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alice_cookbook_sm.jpg Allen Byers was a creature of habit.  He made traditional stuffing, took a nap at the same time every day and was better at giving presents in June then he was at Christmas.  Although I never would have dared suggest changing his nap time, one year I did work up the courage to suggest he try a stuffing recipe from his favorite cookbook, THE ALICE'S RESTAURANT COOKBOOK.  Even though what the book proudly declared was Alice's favorite stuffing didn't call for any of the traditional ingredients, he let me talk him into trying it. 

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From the Huffington Post

easyappetizers.jpgWith the holidays near -- er, here -- holiday party season is in full swing. We're sure you've already labored over festive meals and decadent desserts to serve to your loved ones when entertaining at home. If you're still hosting, for New Year's Eve, perhaps, you deserve to take a break. Or at least appear to in front of your guests.

These awesome appetizers require almost no moment-of work or attention. Some need to be pulled out of the oven or gently reheated, but other than that, they're purely make-ahead. For the most part, they're easy too, requiring no more than a few hours of work a day or two before.

That means when you throw a finger food party, all you've really got to do is relax, dip your pita into some hummus, and toast to the new year with friends.

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Rice-Krispie-Coconut-Snowballs-Do you love coconut as much as I do? If you do, then these Rice Krispie Coconut Snowballs are going to make you smile. The Rice Krispies become this sugary coconut delivery system. What could be more perfect?

Now, my husband, he completely dislikes coconut. It kills me! I don't know how he lives...(he'll love that I said that too). I guess he could never live in the South with all the amazing Coconut Cream Pie he'd have to turn down. And then there's the most amazing Coconut Cake I've ever made. Swoon! He'll never know what he's missing. More for me.

This is truly a quick and easy recipe, perfect for the cookie platter. The sugary whipped egg whites keep the mixture together, letting you form the mixture into little snowballs.

During a holiday season so full of red and green, the snow white color is a welcome reprieve. It gives balance to the Christmas crazy that can sometimes take over the house. I find these cookies to be an elegant reminder of the serenity of wintertime. 

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