Holiday Cooking | DanaSlatkin.com

December Cooking Contest

11/29/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

One of my favorite writers, Adam Gopnik, quips in The Table Comes First: “What goes on the table has never mattered as much to our lives as what goes on around the table….” But as we all know, what we eat is a matter close to our hearts. How do you like to spend the last days of the year? Do you prepare a decadent feast or get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions? Tell us what you will be cooking as you bid a sweet or savory farewell to 2011. To enter, send in your recipe here, along with a blurb about what makes it delectable, by December 30th. All recipes will be acknowledged, tested and tasted. The winning recipe will be featured on this website, and the winner will receive some of our coolest kitchen … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking Contest

Vegetarian Tamale Pot Pie

11/08/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Everyone knows I don’t do turkey. I guess the idea of eating a big proud bird just has never appealed to me. When I was 10 years old, I decided my plate of gooey sweet potatoes, glimmering cranberries and perky green beans was just a whole lot more colorful and exciting. But to a lot of die-hards, a Thanksgiving meal without turkey is like a birthday without candles. And I’m not in the business of spoiling anyone’s fun. After all, a host’s job is to please. So whether your peeps are turkey-lovers or meatless mavens, here’s my holiday cooking advice: prepare a few traditional dishes, try a few new twists, and have delicious options for folks in both camps. Last year, even my carnivorous crowd went for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Vegetarian Recipes

November Cooking Contest – Holiday Gifts

11/04/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

The season of giving has begun, so fire up those stoves! I love to give homemade treats over the holidays — a jar of my Tofu Bolognese Sauce or Pumpkin Butter or a loaf of Spiced Whole Grain Banana Bread tied with twine. What is your favorite edible offering? Tell us how you give the gift of food — whether it’s baked, stewed, simmered, or just wrapped with a bow. To enter, send in your recipe here, along with a blurb about what makes it delectable, by November 29th. All recipes will be acknowledged, tested and tasted. The winning recipe will be featured on this website, and the winner will receive some of our coolest kitchen swag! I may even share your recipe with my students at my next cooking class, Holiday Baking and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking Contest

Cauliflower Cheddar Beer Soup with Cornbread Croutons

10/26/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

The holiday games have begun. I know because I was in a store yesterday buying my kid fangs for Halloween, when some all-too-jolly Christmas music wafted into my ears. Not to be a cantankerous grouch or anything. Actually, I really do love this time of year — the refreshing chill in the air, the warm smells of cloves and casseroles, the cozy nights and twinkling lights. But the sound of jingle bells in October can only mean one thing…time to get ready for the Thanksgiving feast. Though I collect ideas and try new recipes all year long, now is the time my kitchen turns into a test lab. Anyone who walks in must take a bite of whatever is on the counter and give me their honest opinion. The rejects are tossed, the tastes are tallied, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Soup Recipes

May Cooking Contest

05/03/2011 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

How do you like your salsa? Smooth or chunky, spicy or just a bit sassy? Share your salsa recipe with our readers and you could win an autographed copy of my cookbook, Summertime Anytime, along with a surprise cooking utensil! To enter, send in your recipe, along with a blurb about what makes it scrumptious, by May 31st. All recipes will be acknowledged, tested and tasted. The winning recipe will be featured here on this website! Photo credit: tastespotting.com … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cooking Contest

Warm Brie-Stuffed Dates

12/28/2010 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Who’s your date for New Year’s Eve? Mine’s warm, sweet, luscious, and rich. Completely irresistible, in fact. But I’m happy to share, and there will be plenty to go around. Trust me, one bite hot out of the oven and you’ll be swooning like me. I’m talking about a caramelized organic Medjool date, filled with creamy oozy Brie that will have you licking your fingers for every last drop. It’s without question my favorite match of the year. Pop the dates in the oven just before company arrives for the easiest hors d’oeuvre ever. Or serve them as an unexpected dessert. Whether you’re kicking off the New Year solo or in good company, this is one date you really don’t want to miss. Happy, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes

Easy Tarte Tatin

12/21/2010 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

Most of my friends are thrilled to get a vacation from cooking. Their idea of blissful liberation is dining out every meal, the farther away from their stoves the better. Not so for this urban farmgirl. For me, the best family holiday involves simply a kitchen relocation. Who needs room service when you have a minibar and coffee maker? On a rainy day in Maui, I cooked up this cheerful dessert in the toaster oven at our rental. All you need is a heavy skillet and some very easy-to-find ingredients. But the end result is anything but basic. What I love about this thick, juicy tart is that it’s all about the fruit. Choose large, firm apples (pears are delectable, too) and quarter them into ample wedges so they won’t turn to mush … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dessert Recipes

Spiced Whole Wheat Banana Applesauce Bread

12/01/2010 By Dana Slatkin Leave a Comment

How was your Thanksgiving? Have you had time to reflect on the bountiful feast? Revel in the relaxation of the long weekend? Drink in those special family moments? Of course you haven’t. Because the minute the leftover turkey is polished off, the retailers are all over us to start our holiday shopping. Black Friday, Cyber Monday…the pressure to purchase kicks into high gear this month. I know I’m not helping out our economy but, by December, I am all shopped out. The idea of braving a mall or navigating the morass of online retail gives me an uneasy wave of dread. So instead, I’ll get baking. It’s what warms my home during the winter months and, during the holidays it’s my antidote to acquisitiveness. This … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breakfast and Brunch Recipes