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December 2008
Which holiday are you most willing to splurge on?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For many of us, New Year’s Eve is the one celebration we’re willing to break the bank for. With price fixed dinners and flowing champagne for toasts, it’s hard to go out without making a major dent in your wallet.
I know in the past, if we were lucky enough to find a babysitter, dining out at a favorite place made the evening a night to remember. Now with my kids getting older, it’s harder to have the night for ourselves. We are usually ferrying someone someplace or hanging around to make sure they get home on time. If they don’t have plans, we do something as a family, so no one feels left out. Birthdays have become our preferred holiday for splurging. We each get to pick our favorite place and have the dinner of our choice.
What about you? Do you think New Year’s Eve expenditures are worth it? Or, would you rather avoid the roads with a quiet dinner and video at home? Would you be more willing to splurge on Valentine’s day, an anniversary or a birthday?
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Are you hitting the town on New Years?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With Christmas over, there’s still one more holiday to bid adieu to before opening those new 2009 calendars. Most of us have barely cleaned up the discarded gift wrapping and it’s already time to start thinking about another, New Year’s Eve.
I always get sentimental about New Year’s. No matter what has gone on during the year, it is always absolutely astonishing when December 31 arrives. It seems like the years fly by quicker and quicker.
I used to like going out on New Year’s Eve. Sure you have to pick your way through the inflated priced fixed meals and terrible service, but when you get it right, there’s nothing better. I’ll never forget an amazing meal at Bacchanalia I had probably 10 years ago.
Now, with the kids older (and wallets tighter) we’re less likely to go out. We started a fondue tradition a few years ago and it’s actually fun to be able to include everyone in the celebration. So even though my teenager has more parties than I, we can still try to carve out a little family time before he ditches us for his friends.
What are your plans? Are you staying in or going out? What’s been your most memorable (and printable) end-of-the-year celebration?
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Should supermarkets be open on holidays?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have to admit I had a moment of horror this past thanksgiving when I ran out of pecans in the midst of making my pies. I normally have a spare bag in the freezer for “emergency situations” but this year the shelf was barren. Boy did I luck out when I called around and discovered all the supermarkets were open at least part of the day. Even a couple of years ago this would have been unthinkable but it seems commerce rules and I confess, I benefited from it.
I can imagine the same thing happens to a lot of us on Christmas day. Do you think stores should be open for part of the day for a last minute recipe crisis? After all, movie theatres, hotels and restaurants are open on Christmas and they service far fewer people than a supermarket would.
What’s the craziest substitution you have had to make when you ran out of something and couldn’t find a store open?
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What are you cooking for the holidays?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Thanksgiving has a more or less traditional menu with turkey as the centerpiece, for most of us, Christmas and Hanukkah dinners leave more room for creative interpretation.
I have to confess, this year I will be away for the holidays so for the first time in a long time I won’t be cooking. But when I am here, I always do vary it. I tend to make a slow-cooking aromatic roast of some sort and some really yummy type of potatoes, either a gratin or crispy roast ones. The rest is totally up in the air.
Have you planned your holiday meal out? Do you have a traditional menu that you repeat or do you branch out? What’s cooking at your house this year?
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Are work holiday parties a thing of the past?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I definitely noticed my friends had fewer holiday parties this year, which is certainly understandable with the economy. That’s why I was surprised when my husband told me someone in his office asked to borrow our punch bowl for a work party they were hosting at their home.
Work holiday parties seem like the dinosaur of entertaining. I know I’m dating myself here, but I remember a time, when they were the blowout of the year and no expense was spared. The mix of eggnog and good cheer (with probably some bourbon mixed in) seemed to melt any iciness between office mates…at least for those hours. Inevitably, there was some embarrassing story to emerge from the event, about some unexpected couple ending up in the supply closet or some indiscretion with the Xerox machine (or maybe I’ve just watched too many movies.)
A few of my friends, mostly who work for companies based out of state, still have holiday events, but that’s about all I’ve heard about.
Does your company sponsor a holiday party? If not, do any of your office-mates put together a gathering? Does anyone even take someone for an appreciation lunch? Oh, and do tell, have you ever witnessed some naughtiness at a work party where someone needed to do a walk of shame the next day?
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When do you have your big holiday meal?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s hard to believe that Christmas and Hanukkah are next week! Between baking dozens of cookies, shopping for family and friends, attending the various school concerts and holiday parties crammed in before the vacation, it’s hard to actually think about what to make for the holidays in our own kitchens.
It seems everyone plans their major holiday “feasts” a little differently. Some have their big meal Christmas Eve, some Christmas morning and others Christmas dinner. Some do all of the above! That’s a lot of meal planning to keep straight in a short period of time.
When do you do your big meal? Have you started preparing already?
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Do you update classics recipes?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In the food goddess column this week, a reader wrote in requesting a healthier version of the salmon croquettes she grew up with many, many years ago. The goddess suggested giving the recipe a proverbial “facelift” by transforming it into a salmon burger with modern Asian flavors.
As part of this update, she recommended substuting fresh salmon for canned and instead of binding it with a heavy flour and butter mixture to use just enough panko and fresh vegetables to bind it. She also flavored it with ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce.
For some cooks, it would be blasphemous to alter a classic recipe to this degree. There’s no doubt, it is daring to go from a plain, but tried and true recipe, to something with much bolder and unexpected flavors.
Do you like to update your recipes, especially comfort food type meals? Or is “what was good enough for mama is good enough for me” more of your philosophy?
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Are you a cookie swapper?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Around this time of year, it seems that even the most reticent bakers head to their kitchens to start baking cookies.
While, I have never done it, I have several friends who participate in organized holiday cookie swaps, where everyone bakes and brings several dozen to share. I’ve done informal swapping, especially with certain friends who like to bake. The thing I like most about exchanging is that I can find recipes I like (or don’t like) without having to spend the time trying them out. My friend, Lisa, always makes a bunch that I never would think of trying, so I can see if any are ones that I would want to make again. I tend to stick with classics that i love, maybe adding one new one each year.
Do you or your friends get together to swap cookies? What do you think are the best approaches to a successful swap? Have you ever had someone at your swap whose cookies — or behavior — was not up to snuff? How do you handle that?
If you love cookies, be sure to check our Baker’s Dozen Christmas Cookies collection for recipes and photos.
RELATED: How to organize a cookie swap party from Allrecipes.com | Holiday entertaining ideas and stories from the Atlanta Holiday Guide.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: Favorite recipes, Holidays
What do you look for in a kitchen knife?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A reader recently wrote in requesting advice for choosing a replacement when her favorite knife bit the dust. Ironically, mixed in with a slew of holiday books was a book, “Knives Cooks Love” entirely about that subject. It is amazing, and a little weird, how you can find a cookbook on just about any topic these days.
There is no doubt about it, a cook wouldn’t be able to do much without a good knife. In fact, a couple of high quality knives are essential pieces of kitchen equipment. I have to say, I received a few Henckel knives as wedding presents and they have lasted over 15 years. It was interesting to think about what I would buy now, since I haven’t had to think about that in a long time, and probably won’t have to for a lot longer, since a good knife really is an investment.
Like much cooking equipment, a knife is a personal thing. It has to feel right in your hand, which means, shopping around a little for the right size and shape. After reading about options for the best blade, I realized I would recommend one made of high carbon stainless steel, which is both stain resistant (unlike carbon steel) and maintains a sharp edge, the key to safety.
Are you attached to your knife? Is a good knife worth the investment for you?
To find out more about knives, check out the following websites: Choosing a cooking knife
Good Housekeeping’s Best Kitchen Knife Guide
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Are you choosing warehouse shopping over supermarkets?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When pinching pennies there are two approaches to shopping. Hitting the warehouse stores to “buy big”, or, getting just what you need week-by-week at the supermarket.
For me, I have to weigh the greater initial outlay of cash when I buy in bulk. If I impulse buy at the supermarket, it’s usually just a few dollars. When I impulse buy at Sam’s its usually double or triple that. Unfortunately a lot of times when I go to the warehouses, my eyes are bigger than my cupboards and those “hard to resist” bargains take forever to use up. Hopefully the expenditure will be recouped over the course of the next weeks, but often it isn’t.
Case in point, I found myself at Sam’s Club just before Thanksgiving and got swept away with bargains on cranberries. I put two bags of fresh berries in my cart knowing the prices would be better than at the supermarket. I ended up only needing a fraction of them after choosing my recipe and discovering a hidden surplus in my freezer from last year. I also picked up a gigantic package of craisins to make homemade granola to use as holiday gifts. After reading the comments to my blog on homemade teacher gifts, and learning how undesirable they are, I have decided against it… but now have enough craisins to last a lifetime.
Can you limit yourself to buying just what you need? Is it worth it to you to spend more upfront to save in the future or are better off keeping a consistent expenditure week to week?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Holidays
What age can kids really start cooking?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today I am starting a cooking class for some of my son’s 5th grade classmates. I promised one of the parents, who has triplets and hates to cook, that I would teach her kids how to make dinner for them.
Although my 5th grader, Jack, is incredibly adept in the kitchen (far more so than my 8th grader) I wonder how far to let the kids go. While Jack is an expert omelet maker and has skilled knife techniques, I am sure some of these kids have never been near a stove or maneuvered anything more than a bread knife. When their parents say they “like to cook” it usually actually translates to “likes to make chocolate chip cookies.”
While I obviously will use extreme caution while directing them at cutting and stove top use, and I have picked recipes that avoid much of that, never the less, I still am concerned that some parent’s vision of safety is more restrictive than mine.
About what age do you think is appropriate for kids to learn how to use a sharp knife by themselves? What about cooking in a hot skillet, or transferring things too and from the oven? While most agree kids should be made welcome in the kitchen with age appropriate tasks, I wonder, when do you feel kids can actually begin to cook for themselves as long as an adult is nearby?
Here’s a great link to encourage you to get your kids cooking. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/health/09well.html
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Are you opting for homemade gifts this holiday?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As “room mom” for both my kid’s classes, one of my jobs is to organize contributions for the teacher’s holiday “gift.”
In past years, most parents have preferred pooling cash to save them the effort of buying yet another holiday gift. But this year, many parents are telling me they are going back to making homemade gifts to save money. Most are planning to bake cookies or other treats.
I know in the past I have done gift cards for specialist teachers and for the leaders of my kid’s extra curricular activities, but after calculating how much that adds up to, I too am taking the homemade goodie route.
I am trying to find things besides plain cookies though, since they’re probably getting so many of those. I think for the healthy crowd, I’m going with homemade granola. Some friends did great cheese crackers one year and I might try something savory like that as an alternative too.
Are you doing homemade or store-bought gifts for teachers and other school, or afterschool, personnel? If so, what are you making? Do you have any good alternatives to cookies?
Permalink | Comments (26) | Post your comment | Categories: Holidays, Saving money
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