Cranberry coffeecake is one of my favorite holiday breakfasts. Everyone often gets up at a different time, so it’s nice to have something I can make in time for the early birds that will still be fresh for the later risers. I think I must have tried six or seven recipes over the years, with…
Orange Snowball Melt-Aways
I just love orange in baked goods, especially during the holidays. These delightful little cookies melt away in your mouth, with a burst of fresh orange flavor. The tradition of oranges in Christmas stockings goes way back. In my family, it was said to be for good luck. And when my great-grandmother Mary Ann Duncan…
Beef Tenderloin Roast With Cracked Pepper
This elegant yet simple dish from The New Basics cookbook (1989) has become the traditional star of our Christmas dinner. If there’s one thing our family agrees on, it’s beef. This roast is really easy to prepare and can be assembled several hours ahead of time. The seasonings complement the meat perfectly, neither overpowering nor…
Green Beans With Frizzled Shallots
This bean recipe has it all: It’s delicious, beautiful, and fun to make. It struck me recently just how long I’ve been making this dish for holiday dinners. I remember exactly where I was when I found the recipe. I was in the waiting room at my physical therapist’s office, early for my appointment (as usual),…
Butter Cookies
One of my favorite family traditions around the holiday season is decorating these rich, buttery cookies. Participation is mandatory from a very young age, whether you were born into the family or joined later. We’d have different colors of frosting, all sorts of sprinkles, colored sugar, cinnamon candies, and silvers. That’s what we called the silver-colored…
Buttercream Frosting
The best basic frosting couldn’t be easier. It’s perfect for Butter Cookies, cakes, or cupcakes, and takes just a few minutes to make (plus a half hour or so for the butter to come to room temperature before beginning.) You can add food coloring for variety, or shortening for extra decorating stiffness. You’ll find…
Cheaters’ Stuffing
I always feel a little guilty when I make stuffing. That’s because my dirty little secret is that I start with a packaged stuffing mix. I do have a trick up my sleeve to make the stuffing my own, though. As I’ve said before, my mom was doing semi-homemade before Sandra Lee was even…
Killer Shrimp
I love the flavor of this broth! It’s robust and has a nice kick to it. Once you’re done with the broth, the rest of the dish takes only about five minutes. The broth can take two hours but is truly worth it. Most of that time it’s just simmering away so you can be…
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