Holiday Recipes | DanaSlatkin.com

Scallion Pancakes with Sweet Soy Dipping Sauce (Gluten-free)

12/17/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Makes about 2 dozen small (about 3-inches in diameter) pancakes, or 6-8 servings It’s beginning to feel a lot like…get me to January 1. If you’re already over the holidays, you’re not alone. All the forced festivity, cloying crooning and nonstop consuming can start to grate on nerves. But in light of the heartbreaking tragedies in last week’s news, let’s count our blessings. In the final stretch to the finish of 2012, I get busy cooking. For those I love. For those who are suffering or struggling. For those who are no longer here to enjoy the holidays. One ritual I always look forward to: Chinese food on Christmas Eve. It’s practically a cultural imperative. Some years we head to our favorite local restaurant for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes, Holiday Recipes, In the Kitchen, Side Dish Recipes, Snack Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

Quinoa Vegetable Latkes (gluten-free)

12/04/2012 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Makes 12 3-inch latkes Pull out that cast iron pan, stockpile your potatoes and onions, arm yourself with oil. It’s latke time. This month I’m knee-deep in them. After pouring through shelves of Jewish cookbooks over the years, testing countless recipes and swimming in oil every December, I think I’ve finally managed to master the perfect latke. For the past decade or so, I’ve stuck with what works, a failproof formula that somehow manages to get raves every time. I have gradually made some minor tweaks to the recipe, adjusting the potato to onion ratio, adding zucchini, and honing the process down to a few steps. For you traditionalists, here is the recipe. But if you’re willing to stretch a little this year, I have a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes, Dairy-free, Gluten-Free Recipes, Holiday Recipes, In the Kitchen, Side Dish Recipes, Snack Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes

Date, Coconut and Walnut Balls

12/07/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Everyone’s supposed to love holiday cookies. And I do, really I do. I appreciate the artistry, the loving effort, and the sweet reminder to enjoy this festive season. But those little gems of butter and sugar stress me out. Knowing that I will never have the time to pipe icing around a gingerbread man or extrude sugar dough from a cookie press makes me sad, just sad. The good news is that if you adore the idea of giving and getting edible gifts like I do, there are plenty of solutions. Take these addictive date balls. Made in a snap from three ingredients, they are the kind of holiday confection I am thrilled to bestow or receive. I’ve experimented by varying the dried fruits — try prunes, figs, and apricots — … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Cranberry Couscous Stuffing

12/08/2010 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Announcing the winner of our November Stuffing Contest! Courtney Sanders of Burnsville, Minnesota writes: “What I love about this stuffing is that it is full of color and rich in flavor. I live in the Midwest, and it is great to feature local [ingredients] in this delicious, wholesome and festive stuffing.” Her advice? Always cook with the freshest ingredients from your state. Courtney’s recipe reads like a playlist of Fall’s greatest hits. I could almost smell the rich, savory flavors, brightened by tart apples and dried cranberries. Picture the jewel-like colors of cranberries, apples and fresh herbs gleaming on a holiday table. Yum. But stuffing always leaves me — well — stuffed. I’d … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes

Pumpkin Pie Champagne Cocktails with Toasted Marshmallows

11/16/2010 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

I am no mixologist. I don’t even drink much. But I love the ritual of cocktails. The name alone is enough to get me going. Offer me something that sounds mysterious or festive and I kick into party mode. Make it an alluring shade of the season, like autumn orange, pour it into a chilled flute, and I’m salivating. Add some bubbly and it’s impossible not to be in the mood for merriment. This cocktail covers all the bases. The color of an early sunset, with bubbles galore and a gooey marshmallow garnish, it’s the perfect way to kick off your Thanksgiving feast. Serve me one of these and I’m all yours. You had me at Pumpkin Pie. The Farmgirl’s got you covered for the holidays! For menus and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes

Perfect Potato-Zucchini Latkes

12/08/2009 By Dana Slatkin 1 Comment

This week is all about latkes. Lots of them. In addition to supplying three classroom holiday parties, I will be hosting back-to-back Hanukkah dinners. And latkes are always the main attraction. This time of year, my kitchen becomes richly and fragrantly layered in grease, comfort, and tradition. Making mountains of latkes need not be arduous, thanks to two modern-day conveniences. A food processor will grate the potatoes, onion and zucchini in less than a minute. And a freezer will keep the cooked latkes for weeks, even months (though you might have to bury them slyly to prevent pilfering). A few tips…only russet potatoes contain the necessary starch to hold the latkes together. I like to add zucchini for moisture (and a few extra vitamins), … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gluten-Free Recipes, Holiday Recipes

Cranberry Raspberry Relish

11/24/2009 By Dana Slatkin 1 Comment

The Thanksgiving meal is no child’s play. Expectations are high, everyone comes hungry, and it’s all about the food, right? Not really, but this is the week we eager hostesses turn into iron chefs. Vegetables are vigorously chopped, ovens are on full tilt for days, recipes are meticulously followed. When it comes to feeding 18 adoring yet ravenous guests, I am not messing around. I rely on road-tested recipes that work every time. This is one of them. It may not be the most inventive cranberry sauce, but it does have a lovely aromatic twist, and it requires only one pot, one burner, and less than 10 minutes of your precious time. Happy Thanksgiving, dear foodie friends. I am signing off until next week. May yours be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes

Dana’s Fluffy Matzah Balls

03/29/2009 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Every year around this time, I start worrying about matzah balls. Ten years ago, I took over the job of Passover host from my mother, and though I have always enjoyed the challenge of cooking the feast, the soup course was my nemesis. In my quest for those fluffy, fork-tender spheres that separate mediocre cooks from legendary ones, I tried dozens of recipes and tested every possible technique. Was it the schmaltz? The boxed mix? The seltzer water? This year, I finally conquered my fears. After polling a number of bubbies who happily revealed their tricks, I cobbled together what I hope is a fail-proof recipe. Give it a spin and let me know what you think. Just don’t ask me to tell you how I did it. Try Shutters’ Vegetarian … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Recipes