It’s one thing to spend time with your own family over the holidays, spending quality time with the in-laws is quite another. Topping the list of inconveniences is the inability to tell them what you really think of them. From your Father-in-Law’s corny jokes to your Mother-in-laws blue hair to the time you caught your brother-in-law modeling high heels. Perhaps even more annoying is the different style and tastes in food. Every family as their own arsenal of holiday recipes. Perhaps the most controversial of these is stuffing, or “dressing” as it is often called. So what’s the difference?

Stuffing is exactly like it sounds: a savory mixture of bread and herbs that are stuffed inside some form of meat. Dressing is essentially the same, the major difference being that it’s cooked separately, in some kind of baking dish. We all have our methods, but frankly, dressing is better. When executed correctly, it has a crisp, browned topping and a moist and flavorful center. Here is a recipe for Apple, Sausage, and Sage dressing. The sweetness of Fuji Apples are balanced with salty Italian sausage and tangy sourdough bread.

To prepare this delicious dressing, simply cube a loaf of sourdough bread. Toast it in the oven at 375 until the cubes are crisp but not yet golden. Remove and set aside. Brown 1lb of Italian, sweet or spicy sausage until fully cooked. Set aside. Then get started on your aromatics. Saute onions in olive oil and butter with a little thyme. Add celery, diced Fuji apples, onions, and a little chopped fresh sage. Then add more butter, and season with salt and pepper.

Once your flavorings have cooked, simply toss with bread cubes and add 2-2 1/2 cups chicken broth and one beaten egg. Check for seasoning and season well with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for about thirty minutes, covered, and then uncover and let bake or broil until top has turned golden brown.

You may not be able to choose your family, or your significant other’s family, but you CAN choose your stuffing…or dressing. Choose right people! Until next time…

Ingredients (Serves 10-12 fat people)

1 loaf sour dough bread (about 1lb) (cubed)

1 lb uncooked Italian sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion (diced)

1 tablespoon dried or fresh thyme

1/4 stick butter plus 1/4 stick more

2 fuji apples (diced)

2-3 stalk celery (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage plus 1 more

big handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon salt plus 1 more

freshly cracked black pepper

2- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 egg (beaten)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375. Begin by cubing bread into 1/2 inch pieces and toast in oven until crisp. Then begin browning sausage in batches, breaking up into about 1 inch sized pieces. Once sausage has browned, set aside and reserve. In same pot, cook 1 diced yellow onion in sausage drippings. Add thyme and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add 1/4 stick butter. Toss until melted and fold in chopped apples, celery, 1 tablespoon sage, and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and let cook for another few minutes before adding another 1/4 stick butter. Once apples, celery, and onions have softened, remove from heat.

Combine ingredients from cooking pot with bread cubes, mixing well. Fold in cooked sausage, chopped parsley, and 1 more tablespoon chopped sage. Measure out 2 cups chicken broth, and to that, add 1 beaten egg. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper and whisk until incorporated. Pour liquid over stuffing mixture and mix well. Season with extra salt and pepper.

Pour entire contents into a 9X13 baking dish with reasonably high sides. Then top with a few pads of butter, cover with foil, and bake in oven at 375 for about thirty minutes. Remove foil at this point and let bake on center or top rack (broil) until top is golden and crisped. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Thanksgiving is the time of year when families across the country come together to do one very sacred thing: BITCH. Emotions are scarred, verbal daggers are thrown, and someone will invariably get drunk and dig up the “past”. But isn’t that what family’s about? Buried resentment and deep-rooted guilt?

So if you’re the only “normal” person in your family, here are some tips to make it through Thanksgiving day:

1. Never look anyone directly in their eyes.

2. Excuse yourself to go to the restroom for long periods of time.

3. Refrain from commenting on anyone’s appearance. Good or Bad.

4. Keep glancing at your cell phone with a worried expression. You might need an “out”.

5. Drink heavily.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Eat, Drink, and don’t be surprised if cousin Mark is now cousin “Mary”! Enjoy the day with your family, friends, and loved ones. And take pictures of the crime scene.

If you’ve ever been to dinner at Todd and Marie’s, with their fancy Viking stove and their bratty kids who look like fun-house versions of themselves, you’ve probably had Crostini. You’ve also probably heard it pronounced differently each time they’ve invited you over. If you ask them what’s in it, they’ll give you a blank look and serve you a martini. Crostini is the dish of choice for people who watch Food Network and like to try out fancy new words. But here’s the thing about Crostini: it’s the perfect appetizer.

Why? You might ask. That’s simple: take a piece of toasted bread, slap on a few sweet or savory toppings, serve it up with some wine, and suddenly you’re the one who served “Crostini” at your dinner party. Because let’s face it, there’s only ONE Todd and Marie, and everybody loves to hate them.

Often times, people attempt complicated dishes that end up failing in the process. But why bother when all anyone REALLY wants is some good crusty bread? Got a creamy topping to slather over it? Even better. That’s the method behind this dish.

To make the pesto, simply puree garlic, parsley, walnuts, and olive oil. Season with a little salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Then combine with goat cheese. Finally, brush thin slices of French baguette with olive oil and toast in the oven at 375 until just golden. Spread with your toppings and you’re done!

So the next time Todd and Marie come over for dinner, be cordial. Accept the over-priced bottle of wine they’ve brought. Ignore the fact that they never removed the price tag. Compliment Marie on her orange hair. “What a lovely shade,” you’ll say.  “Makes me think of Fall.”

Take a piece of that golden bread, with that pesto you’ve made from scratch, and offer them a “Crostino”.

“Cro-stee-NEE!” they’ll say, snidely, to which you’ll smugly reply, “Crostino. Crostini is the plural form.”

Ingredients

2 cups flat leaf parsley (rough chop)

2 cloves garlic (smashed)

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

fine sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

4 oz Chevre goat cheese

1 French Baguette (thinly sliced)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375. Over medium heat, dry roast walnuts in a small fry pan until golden and fragrant. Set aside. Smash two cloves garlic with blunt end of your knife and discard the peels. Add parsley, garlic, and walnuts to a small food processor. Stream in olive oil. Cover and process until a smooth paste is formed. Add parmesan cheese and check for seasonings. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Mix pesto with 4 oz goat cheese. Check for seasonings and reserve. Then thinly slice french baguette and brush with olive oil on both sides. Bake in oven until golden and toasted (5-8 min). Remove from oven and let cool before spreading with goat cheese mixture. Enjoy!

Hot chocolate is the quintessential winter drink, second only to bourbon. But when you need to be sober for things like “church” and “court”, it can be a satisfying substitute. When most people think of hot chocolate, they think of the Swiss Miss girl. When I think of hot chocolate, i think of vomit and Mexico. Weird, huh? Well it all dates back to sophomore year of high school, when my family went on a trip to Acapulco one winter and I had a peppermint hot chocolate two nights before. Oh innocuous hot chocolate with your yuletide cheer, how did I know I’d be throwing you up all over a table at the food court in Macy’s??? Needless to say, the first few days in Mexico were a bit shaky. Ofcourse I was too naive back then to know that my sickness had nothing to do with the hot chocolate, and everything to do with food poisoning from and unnamed restaurant downtown *cough*. Still, I avoided it for years.

Until now…

Mexican Hot Chocolate has been a popular drink for years, and I thought to myself, “what better way to reconcile my trauma then with fusing the two experiences together???”

If you’ve only ever made packaged hot chocolate, you’re missing out. Hot chocolate was made for bar chocolate, a mix of dark and milk, and let’s face it…a touch of cream. Although I made mine a little more “figure” friendly by blending half-and-half with 2% milk. Skim-milkers…i don’t want to know you.

Chocolate and Chili are made for each other. The heat of cayenne with the depth and sweetness of chocolate is delicious! And it’s so simple. All you have to do is heat up 3/4 of a cup of milk with 1/4 cup half & half and one stick of cinnamon. Throw in a little brown sugar, a dash of cayenne, and a splash of vanilla. Once the milk is steaming and just about to simmer, toss in your chopped dark and milk chocolate and whisk to incorporate.

Once the chocolate is completely dissolved, you’re done! See, who says you need alcohol to have a good…

Aw, who am I kidding? Add some bourbon if you like, you’ve had a hard week… day… morning! Until next time…

Ingredients (Serves One; can be doubled etc.)

3/4 cup milk (preferably 2%)

1/4 cup half & half

about 1 oz milk chocolate (chopped)

about 1 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate (chopped)

1 small cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon lite brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

white sugar (to taste, if desired)

Method

Begin by heating milk and half & half in a small saucepan over medium temperature with one small cinnamon stick. Stir in brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and vanilla. Chop chocolate and reserve. Once milk is hot and steaming, (do not let boil), remove from heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate. Mix well until chocolate is melted and liquid is smooth. You may add white sugar to your taste. Enjoy!

We all have those moments when we don’t know what to make. Let me share mine. Recently, I was at my parents’ house ( aka the place that has clean linens and extra cash), and I was planning to cook for my Dad. I love cooking for my parents, mostly because they’re brutally honest. They’re the first ones to tell me when something is missing, or what I can do to correct it the next time. Sometimes I agree with them. We won’t talk about the times when I don’t.

I was just about to leave for the grocery store, menu in mind, when I remembered one very important twist: we weren’t supposed to eat meat. Here’s the thing about vegetarianism: it sucks. I’m all for vegetarian dishes: soups, roasted vegetables, pastas. But the moment you forcibly eliminate a major food group is the moment you crave it the most. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge people’s choices, so long as it’s a choice. Needless to say, I was pissed.

But religion should be respected. And so it was decided: on that day there would be no meat.  But what do you make when you’re craving the rich, hearty texture of meat???

The answer: something so fatty and rich that you’ve forgotten who meat even was. This is how corn and paneer makhani came to be. Makhani is a traditional Indian curry dish that’s famous for it’s rich, nutty, buttery sauce. It’s often served with chicken…*sigh*…but paneer is a worthy substitute.

Don’t know what Paneer is?

Paneer is an Indian cheese, made from milk and vinegar. It’s lauded for it’s chewy texture and inability to melt. I’ve always loved the combination of corn and cheese: in empanadas, in quesadillas, and now in curries. The sweetness of the corn goes really well with the richness and saltiness of the paneer. And here’s my secret for a great makhani sauce: add a little grated parmesan cheese.

Crazy, i know. But the best makhani sauces are those that have a rich and “cheesy” quality to them. Parmesan adds the perfect nutty flavor every good makhani should have.

So there you have it. When you can’t eat meat…eat cheese! And lots of it. I’m sure you’re wondering where the recipe is, but that’s the thing about impromptu dinners, they just sort of…happen. But don’t worry,  I’m sure I’ll make it again.  Until then…

I’m so used to making blended soups that it’s nice to try something simple for a change. But don’t be fooled, there’s nothing simple about the flavor. I used a few key ingredients such as cilantro stems and lime zest to really bump up the flavor.

Black bean soup can be a little boring and overdone at times. This is NOT your overpriced sandwich chain black bean soup *cough* *cough*. But by focusing on layering each flavor you can take a standard black bean soup, end up with something really satisfying.

The first step is to caramelize the onions. Toast some cumin seeds in a little canola oil and then fry the onions until fragrant and caramelized. Then add garlic, lime zest, cilantro stems, and chopped jalapeno. Fry for thirty seconds before adding the black beans and beginning to toss.

Season with two teaspoons of packaged taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, and freshly cracked black pepper. Then fold in a cup of tomato sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, and let cook for another two to three minutes. Add two cups of chicken broth and begin to stir. Bring to a simmer and let cook for another couple of minutes. Fold freshly chopped cilantro, green onions, and a  1/2 cup of shredded Mexican cheese blend, or whatever cheese you like. Season well with salt and pepper.

Upon serving, garnish with more shredded cheese, sour cream, and freshly chopped cilantro and green onions.

Ingredients (2 large servings; 4 small)

1 15 oz can black beans

1 large yellow onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 jalapeno (minced)

handful cilantro stems (minced)

zest of 1 lime

2 teaspoons prepared taco seasoning

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup canned tomato sauce

1 teaspoon white sugar

2 cups vegetable broth

fine sea salt (to taste)– about a teaspoon or more

freshly cracked black pepper

juice of one lime

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 green onion (chopped)

handful cilantro (chopped)

1 tablespoon sour cream

Method

Begin by draining and rinsing 1 can of black beans in a colander. Reserve. Prepare onions, garlic, lime, cilantro stems, and jalapenos. In a medium-sized pot, over medium-high heat, heat up 2 tablespoons of oil and a teaspoon of cumin seeds. Once cumin seeds begin to sputter, add chopped onions and season with a pinch of salt. Fry until golden and caramelized. Then reduce heat to medium temperature and fold in aromatics: garlic, lime zest, cilantro stems, and jalapenos. Fry for about a minute before adding black beans. Then season with two teaspoons of taco seasoning and toss. After another minute, pour in tomato sauce and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Toss well and cook for 2 minutes. Then add vegetable broth and let simmer for 3-5 minutes. Check for seasonings and season well with salt and pepper. Then fold in 1/2 cup shredded cheese, green onions, cilantro, and sour cream. Add the juice of one lime. Mix well and remove from heat. Check for seasonings before serving. You may garnish with extra cheese and green onions. Enjoy!

Part Mexican, part Indian, part Chinese. I call them: “global tacos”. Chili-chicken tacos combine Indo-Chinese chicken with corn tortillas and a zesty cilantro-lime cream sauce. Start by seasoning and marinating chicken with yogurt and a blend of spices: cumin, smoked paprika, garam masala, and cayenne pepper.

Coat Chicken with flour, salt, and pepper. Then, in a separate bowl, mix together yogurt, mayonnaise, and spices to form the marinade. Then pour mixture over the chicken and marinate for a couple hours before roasting in the oven at 375. Once chicken has cooked, set aside and begin frying bell peppers, onions, ginger, garlic, and jalapenos.

Garnish chicken with fresh chopped cilantro and reserve. To make the cilantro-lime cream sauce, simply combine yogurt, mayonnaise, the zest of one lime and a handful of chopped cilantro in a food processor. Season with a pinch of salt and process until pale green color is achieved. Then transfer to a bowl and fold in sour cream.

Assemble tacos by placing chicken mixture down the center of tortillas and topping with cilantro-lime cream sauce and fresh cilantro. You may add pico de gallo or whatever other topics you like as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon salt

black pepper

2 tablespoons flour

Ingredients for Marinade:

1 heaping tablespoon yogurt

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1/2 inch ginger (grated)

Ingredients for Stir-Fry:

2 cloves garlic (rough chop)

1 inch ginger (rough chop)

1/2 large yellow onion (sliced)

1 green pepper (sliced)

1 jalapeno pepper (sliced)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1-2 tablespoons soy sauce or to taste

handful cilantro

Ingredients for Cilantro-Lime Sauce:

2 heaping tablespoons yogurt

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

zest of 1 lime

pinch salt

handful cilantro

2 tablespoons sour cream

Method

Begin by cutting chicken into large chunks. Set aside in a large bowl.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper and coat with two tablespoons flour. Mix until well coated. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon, mayonnaise, 2 cloves minced garlic and grated ginger, and all of the spices. Transfer marinade to chicken and coat well. Let marinate for about 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice onion and green pepper and set aside. Roughly chop 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 inch ginger and reserve. Once oven is heated, bake marinated chicken on a greased cookie sheet for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Once chicken is cooked, let cool and cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Set aside for later. Heat up 2 tablespoons oil at medium-high temperature in a wok and begin frying peppers. Fry for about 2-3 minutes before adding onions. Fry for another 2-3 minutes until peppers and onions have softened. Reduce heat to medium. Then add ginger, garlic, and jalapenos. Fry for a minute before adding ketchup and soy sauce. At the last minute, fold in the chicken and toss to coat. Remove from heat and fold in chopped cilantro.

To make cilantro-lime sauce, simply combine yogurt, mayonnaise, lime zest and cilantro and pulse in a food processor until cilantro is broken down and sauce is pale green in color. Transfer to a bowl and add sour cream and a pinch of salt. Mix well.

Assemble tacos by placing chicken down the center and topping with sauce and fresh cilantro.

*Note: You may want to top tacos with pico de gallo or pickled red cabbage or anything else you like! Enjoy!