Whether it’s the front porch or foyer, apartment door or entryway, the holiday season will bring new scrutiny to the entry area of your home. Remove clutter, clean and organize the portal to your household today. Check the front door, cleaning and polishing knob, knocker and any windows. Check the Read more…
Yes, it’s wall-to-wall shoppers at the supermarket during the season–but if you must join them? Instead, assemble a holiday survival kit. Before you shop for the holiday meal, check supplies of these often-forgotten items for your holiday gathering. Pencil these items into your regular shopping list–and save a last-minute trip. Read more…
If your family traditions include Christmas cakes–those glorious fruit-studded concoctions traditional to the British Isles–it’s time! Fruitcake jokes aside, you’ll need 4 to 6 weeks to mellow traditional Christmas cake recipes, so start your baking this week. Happy Christmas!
Attitudes to holiday baking fall into two general categories: you love it, or you hate it. Whether you’re dreaming of the Christmas bakefest as early as July, or dreading it as the season approaches, you need a plan. A written holiday baking plan makes sense–and cents–of holiday baking chores. Knowing Read more…
Decembers here, and holiday cooking will soon be in full swing. Do you know how old your spices are? Fresh, savory seasonings are a must during the holiday season–but in many kitchens, jars and tins of spices languish for years, losing flavor over time. Check your spice rack for freshness Read more…
There’s no panic like the one the morning of Christmas day, when you realize you’ve forgotten just which cookbook contains the family’s favorite sweet potato casserole. Twenty minutes later, books, notecards and torn magazine pages litter what was a once a clean kitchen counter. Fight back–and save your sanity–by spending Read more…
Christmas morning is no time to discover stains on the tablecloth, unpack tarnished flatware or to recall that last season saw the shattering of your favorite turkey platter. (That darn dog!) Prepare to set a pretty table with a pre-season tabletop check. Inventory and inspect table linens, napkins, serving pieces, Read more…
What’s a holiday cook’s best friend? Disposable food storage containers–and their convenient cousins, zipper food storage bags. In the holiday kitchen, disposable containers hold baked goods for giving, keep leftovers in order and line up for mise-en-place duty during holiday cooking sessions. Lightweight and inexpensive, they nest neatly and travel Read more…
Now’s the time, in the calm before the holiday meals begin: clean out the freezer! Supermarkets will soon offer loss leaders on holiday staples, from pie to whipped topping, dinner rolls to desserts. Tossing expired frozen food–or resolving to eat up freezer dishes that are nearing their expiration point–will create Read more…
In the weeks to come, the refrigerator will play a starring role in the holiday kitchen–so clear the decks for holiday cooking with a refrigerator clean-out. Toss expired foods and work the last dribs and drabs of salad dressing, produce or dairy products into the week’s meals. You’ll make room Read more…