Tastes Like TraditionFresh ideas for the holiday foods we love

Pop Goes the Turkey: Presentation Tips from the Pros

Bottoms Up: How to Pair Cocktails with Dinner

PartyAhead?

This Year Make it

Personal

Party On, Without

The Waste: Eco-Friendly Entertaining

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HOLIDAYS

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4HOW TO SErvE COCkTAILSAT DInnEr

6CHEAP, EASY AnD ECO, TOO! Throwing a party doesn’t have to be expen-sive or wasteful. Here are some simple tips to make a holiday shindig ‘green’ without spending a lot of green

8CAnDY IS DAnDYStart a sweet new tradition perfect for sharing and interacting. And it doesn’t taste so bad, either

125 FUn IDEAS TO PErSOnALIzEA PArTY Planning to gather family and friends atyour home this holiday season? A little fore-thought and creativity will make your party personal and special

14WHErE THE COOL kIDS EATEntertaining tips to help the little ones dine in style and have fun instead of feeling shunned

15HOW TO DJ A PArTY OnLInE

16FInISHInG TOUCH: PrESEnTATIOn TIPS FrOM THE PrOSThe same old turkey-and-potatoes meal doesn’t have to look spare. Here’s how to turn the basics into a blockbuster

18LET’S GO SLOWSlow cooking is perfect for the annual holi-day pot roast, but this year turn it up a notch

22nIBBLE On nOSTALGIAThe holidays wouldn’t be the holidays with-out these much loved, always served foods. And no, we aren’t talking about the stuffing

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If you serve cocktails with dinner, opt for champagne beforehand, says Cameron Bogue, a cocktails expert. Prepare a pitcher of cocktails or the base in advance so you’re not juggling bottles at the dinner table. Vary drink colors. Use liqueurs to tint drinks blue, green or red. Offer a variety of glass shapes. “You want them to appear different,” Bogue says.

For some added flair, try the following recipe for Chocolate and Cranberry Martini, used with permission from “Difford’s Encyclopedia of Cocktails: 2,600 Recipes” by Simon Difford (Firefly Books, 2009).

CHOCOLATE & CrAnBErrY MArTInI

ingredients2 shots Vanilla-infused Ketel One vodka1/2 shot White crème de cacao liqueur1/2 shot Noilly Prat dry vermouth1 shot Ocean Spray cranberry juice

glass: Martini

garnish Wipe rim with cacao liqueur and dust with cocoa powder.

methodShake all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled, rimmed glass.

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a hint of peppercorns; the sweet-tart tang of a Meyer lemon. That’s right. The before-dinner drinks are headed to the dining room table. Pairing food with mixed drinks is this season’s holiday trend, according to Colin Cowie, expert on wedding and event planning.

Why cocktails and courses? “It’s fun, differ-ent and can be creative,” says Cameron Bogue, mixologist at some of New York’s finest restau-rants. It can be inspired.” However, the goal isn’t to ply everyone with liquor, but to stimu-late the senses. To accomplish this, imagine the wine that’s traditionally served with the course. Then create a cocktail to emulate the wine’s characteristics, including acidity, body and fruitiness, says Bogue, who works with chef Daniel Boulud’s establishments.

He offers an example of an appetizer of vodka- and beet-cured salmon with a little dill. If Bogue were pairing that with wine, he’d choose sauvignon blanc, which is “bright, acidic, lighter bodied and a little oak.” Then think of a cocktail that embodies

those qualities. Bogue’s match is an Aviation, an elegant drink with gin, maraschino liqueur and lemon juice – and sometimes crème de violette. You can play with the reci-pe by adding garnishes or other spirits. Here’s the recipe:

Aviation Adapted from “The Essential Cocktail” by Dale DeGroff (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2008)

ingredients2 ounces gin3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice

methodCombine the gin, liqueur and lemon juice in a mixing glass with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Serves one

© CTW Features

DynamicDuoThis year’s tantalizing flavors aren’t exclusive to the dishes you prepare. The cocktails that accompany each course have their own special zing.

BEv BEnnETTCTW FEATURES

... Then Comes Cocktails

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Holiday Events 2011

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arriving at Pat Smith’s home for her holiday party, one might think her little tree, perched on a table and adorned with a delicate strand of lights, is an homage to “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” But actually, the little tree makes a big statement about Smith’s commitment to the environment. Buying and disposing of both real and artificial Christmas trees is wasteful, she says.

Her eco-friendly substitute is a potted Nor-folk Island pine that thrives year-round in a sunny room until Christmastime, when Smith moves it to a place of honor and drapes it with energy-efficient LED lights and hand-tied straw ornaments made of renewable materials.

Smith is a firm believer that holiday enter-taining need not be wasteful or expensive. She and other eco-conscious hosts share tips on how to throw a stylish, spirited party while saving money and protecting the environment.

kEEP IT SIMPLE “Not having a big fancy dinner and lots of prep-aration minimizes driving all over for food and party supplies,” says Smith, principal of OnTar-get Public Relations, Denver. For a gathering of close friends and family she suggests potluck or a big pot of hearty soup, salad and a simple, light dessert. The lack of excess “is a relief from an already indulgent, calorie-intensive holiday,” Smith says. “People are generally grateful not to be pressed with food.”

PAPEr Or PIxELS Some folks feel that sending e-mail invitations via www.evite.com is impersonal, but Andrea Woroch champions online invitation platforms because they’re fast, free and paperless. “Attend-ees can even arrange to carpool together through the invitation site,” saving on gas and emissions,

says Woroch, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based con-sumer finance expert by day and a party planner

by night.

LOSE THE EnvELOPE If you prefer to send invitations the old-fashioned way, print them on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Send a postcard invitation instead of a card to save on paper and post-age, says event planner Meghan Andalman, owner of Lovebird Events in Chicago.

FOrGO THE FLOWErSTypically, “Cut flowers are grown with pesti-cides under less-than-sustainable circumstances”

and their importation raises ecological issues, says Los Angeles-based writer Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, who publishes an online magazine, EcoStiletto.com, about eco-friendly living. She likes to decorate with groupings of living plants that her guests can take home as party favors.

’TIS THE SEASOnDeck the halls with seasonal, plentiful items like evergreen boughs and holly. “Red apples, winter squashes, even pinecones look beautiful as cen-terpieces when placed in large glass bowls or vases,” Andalman says. For the ultimate eco-friendly feast, seasonality should extend to the

Cheap, Easy And Eco, Too! Throwing a party doesn’t have to be expensive or wasteful. Here, some simple tips to make a holiday shindig ‘green’ without spending a lot of green

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menu. “Support local businesses and reduce your carbon footprint by planning a menu around locally grown, in-season foods,” she adds.

DUST OFF THE CHInAUsing glassware and cloth napkins means more cleanup, but think of it in terms of cleaning a small space now as opposed to an overburdened planet later. “If you have to go disposable, use biodegradable veggie plastic from GreenWare or EarthShell,” Sarnoff suggests. If using plastic cups, have guests write their name on theirs with permanent marker so they don’t keep “los-ing” their drink and using new glasses. Make sure recycle bins for bottles and cans are located beside each trash can and are clearly marked so your guests will know to sort.

UnPLUGGED EnTErTAInMEnTDim or turn off overhead lighting and use eco-friendly, paraffin-free candles to save electricity and set the mood. Also consider hiring a piano player or a quartet to play acoustical music instead of using your stereo system, Andalman suggests.

ADOPT A YEAr-rOUnDCHrISTMAS TrEERather than buying a live tree every year or a fake one that will eventually end up in a landfill, consider raising an indoor potted evergreen that thrives year-round and does double-duty as a Christmas tree. Plus, it will grow right alongside you and your loved ones.

“Mine has grown a foot-and-a-half since I got it,” says Smith, who shares the following tips for adopting a tree of your own:

• Consult a local nursery for suitable species. Conifers look the most like miniature Christ-mas trees. Smith’s is a Norfolk Island pine.

• Choose a pot that is not so heavy you can’t move it at Christmastime and that also allows the tree and its root system room to grow. It’s possible to choose a color, such as a muted metallic or white, that enhances both everyday and Christmas décor, but that’s not necessary, since you’ll probably drape the base with a tree skirt just like a regular Christmas tree.

• When not decorated and displayed for Christmas, a Norfolk Island pine like Smith’s prefers a sunny room that’s free of drafts. In cer-tain regions, these trees will thrive outside in the summertime. Read up on how to care for roots and whether periodic re-potting is needed, because the roots need to grow and spread out in order for your tree to gain height.

• When it’s just a shorty, your tree will need to be elevated on a table if it’s intended to be a focal point. Conceal the table with fabric that drapes nicely.

• Ornaments must be lightweight, such as strung popcorn. And of course your tree topper can’t be too heavy or your tree will break or be forced into a backbend.

• Tell kids that while there’s not a lot of room for presents directly underneath the tree, they will get two stories, or levels, of gifts come Christmas day. Place small gifts on the tabletop and larger ones at the base of the table. You can even place one or two surprise gifts underneath the table drape and see how long it takes before they’re discovered.

© CTW Features

“red apples, winter squashes, even pinecones look beautiful as centerpieces when placed in

large glass bowls or vases.”

— Meghan andalMan, lovebird events

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For Nancy Siler’s children, making home-made candy was as integral to the holidays as tearing open the presents on Christmas morning.

“We loved the kitchen experience and the creativity of deciding whether we were going to make easy and quick clusters or mold some special iconic shapes in candy molds,” says Siler, vice president of consum-er affairs for Woodridge, Ill.-based Wilton, a popular food-crafting company. “It was fun to share the creations with family and

friends, especially the grandparents!”Creativity is also the allure for Anita

Chu, author of “Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable” (Quirk Books, 2009).

“As with all other homemade goods, you can control what goes into your homemade candy, which makes it that much more unique and special,” she says. “You can

come up with your own flavors and your own presentation for your candies. You can also avoid many of the preservatives and additives that go into mass-produced candy. There is a world of difference between fresh chocolate and butter and mass produced, prepackaged items.”

According to both Chu and Siler, people tend to be unnecessarily intimidated by the

candy-making process, which can be easy and rewarding if you start small and carry a big thermometer.

“Start small and practice. Many candies are surprisingly simple to make at home and require no more skill than mixing ingredi-ents together or melting chocolate,” Chu says. “Candies that require skill, like cook-ing sugar or tempering chocolate, can also

Candy is DandyStart a sweet new tradition perfectfor sharing and interacting. And it doesn’t taste half bad, either

MATTHEW M. F. MILLErCTW FEATURES

WILTOn EnTErPrISE & AnITA CHU

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be mastered with a little patience and prac-tice.”

Siler says that many of the tools needed for basic candy-making are already in your home.

“You can melt large amounts of choco-late or confectionery coating in the micro-wave, which is perfect for molding and dip-ping candies, cookies or pretzels,” she says. “Or mix in 1/2 cup of rice cereal, nuts, coconut or chocolate-covered candies with 1 cup of candy melts and drop onto a parch-ment-covered cookie sheet for clusters.”

The essential tools to get started are a candy thermometer that goes up to 400 degrees F (if you want to cook sugar), alu-minum baking sheets for lining up candies to cool and inexpensive plastic molds, if the agenda includes making molded chocolates or candies.

Chu also recommends using thin latex or cotton gloves, which allow candy makers to handle finished candies without leaving prints.

In these cash-strapped times, Siler says candy is an inexpensive, scrumptious pres-ent to share with loved ones.

“The holidays inspire gift-giving and sharing with family and friends. What bet-ter gift is there than to craft something with your own two hands?” Siler says. “Everyone loves to receive delicious homemade treats that come from the heart. It’s a personal touch that shows you took the time to cre-ate something special from your kitchen.”

One of this year’s emerging trends for candy making is the addition of sea salt to sweets.

“Sweet and salty is a nice combination,” Siler says. “Think about making chocolate-dipped potato chips and pretzels. If making truffles, a very small amount of a good quality, larger particle salt could be placed on top.”

Chu finds that sea salt pairs well with caramel. Its distinct tang contrasts with the rich sweetness of the caramel, giving more dimension to the buttery caramel flavor.

“Sea salt should be used as a highlight though, not simply substituted for regular salt in a recipe,” she says.

Chu says that another big trend is home-made marshmallows, in all sorts of flavors, as well as old classics jazzed up with modern ingredients, like peanut brittle with sea salt or chocolate bark with roasted cacao nibs

and pumpkin seeds.To give candy as a gift, Siler suggests

making the effort to select the right flavors, targeted to the person who is receiving the goodies. And since most people can’t resist the allure of candy, she says don’t worry about how long it will stay fresh.

“Most candies don’t last that long to worry about freshness, especially at the holi-days,” she says.

Chu agrees.“Anything with chocolate is always wel-

come. Candy is almost always made for gift-giving, so most candies are suitable as long as you give it away soon after making it, and let the recipient know to keep them cool, dry and covered.”

Chu’s favorite gift candies are chocolate covered nut clusters, caramel corn, chocolate bark and English toffee.

Cookie exchanges have long been a pop-ular activity around the holidays, but mak-ing candy can be a great way to bond with family and friends, and to get a nice array of sweets without spending the entire month cooking.

“Candy clubs are a great way to experi-ment with candy-making, especially as most recipes yield quite a few pieces, so it's easy to divide them up,” Chu says. “Dipping chocolates or forming nut clusters is a fun group activity. Taffy-pulling parties used to be a popular activity in Colonial days.”

And while candy-making isn’t kids stuff, many recipes are fun and easy for younger candy enthusiasts. Chu recommends cara-mel corn, chocolate-dipped pretzels, coco-nut haystacks, no-fail fudge and peanut but-ter balls, which all have just a few ingredi-ents. These are all relatively simple to assem-ble and provide children the satisfaction of creating their own candy.

© CTW Features

ingredients1 cup sugar1 cup heavy cream1/4 cup light corn syrup1 tablespoon unsalted but-

ter1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel1 tablespoon vanilla

extract

methodLine an 8-by-8 inch baking pan with a piece of parch-ment paper long enough to hang over the edges.

Butter the parchment well. Combine the sugar and

cream in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the corn syrup and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F. Add the butter and stir carefully to combine. Continue cooking mixture until it reaches 245 degrees F.

Remove from heat and

stir in salt and vanilla. Pour mixture into pan to cool and harden. Remove the cara-mel block from the pan and cut into squares using a sharp, well-oiled knife. Sprinkle a few grains of fleur de sel on top of the caramels before wrapping.

Yield: About 60 cara-mels

© CTW Features

Fleur de Sel Caramels

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From “Field Guide to Candy” by Anita Chu © 2009 Quirk Productions. Used with the permission of Quirk Books.

Halloween wouldn’t be com-plete without pumpkins and candy corn. Vary the colors for other holidays. You can make Indian corn (brown, orange and white), reindeer corn (red, green and white), and cupid corn (red, pink and white). Candy corn traditionalists eat each stripe of color one nibble at a time.

Candy-making notes: When forming the ropes of dough into one piece, lightly running a rolling pin over the top will help press the colors together.

ingredients 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup dry powdered milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 2/3 cup corn syrup 1/3 cup unsalted butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Food coloring, if desired

methodCombine confectioners sugar, powdered milk and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Combine sugar, corn syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasion-ally.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

Add the dry milk mixture to the saucepan and stir to com-bine. Let mixture rest for a few minutes until it is cool enough to handle.

Divide dough into 3 equal parts and place each portion in a bowl. Add coloring as desired.

Knead each portion of dough until the coloring is evenly distributed and the dough is smooth and stiff.

Roll each portion into a rope about 1/2 inch thick.

Place the three ropes of dough next to each other to form a long rectangle. Use a rolling pin to gently press them together.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into triangles and place on a baking sheet. Let set for about 1 hour.

Yield: About 80 pieces Storage: Store in an airtight

container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

© CTW Features

CandyCorn

From “Dulce: Desserts in the Latin-American Tradition” (Rizzoli, 2010)

ingredients1/3 cup granulated sugar1 cup honey1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise,

seeds scraped out and reserved (or 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

1 egg white1 pinch cream of tartar1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped

almonds1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped

cashewsAbout 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

methodIn a small saucepan over medium heat bring the granulated sugar, honey and vanilla bean and seeds (or extract) to a boil. Continue cook-ing, without stirring, until the temper-ature on a candy thermometer reaches 248 degrees F (the “soft ball” stage). If you don’t have a candy thermometer, scoop a bit of the sugar mixture onto a spoon and submerge it in a bowl of ice water for a few seconds. Grab the sugar with your fingertips. You should be able to form it into a small, soft ball. Remove the vanilla bean.

While the syrup is cooking, soak the bowl and the whisk attachment

of an electric mixer in warm water and dry thoroughly. This will ensure that the egg whites gain enough vol-ume during beating. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the mixer to high speed and slowly and carefully add the hot syrup to the egg white mixture. Continue beating at high speed until the meringue becomes nice and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bowl no longer feels hot to the touch. Fold in the nuts.

Dust a work surface generously with confectioners sugar. Pour the warm nougat on top and cover it with more confectioners sugar. Knead it until it is fully coated with the sugar and no longer sticking to the surface of your hands, about 1 minute. Form the nougat into a large rectangle and, using a rolling pin dusted with more sugar, flatten it to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the nougat into 2-by-1-inch rectangles and transfer them to a container dusted with con-fectioners sugar. Once the candy has cooled completely, cover the container and store in a cool, dry spot.

© CTW Features

nougat Candy (Turrón) with Almonds & Cashews

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“the holiday season is all about giving,” says Katie Brown, home and gardening expert and host of “Katie Brown Workshop.” “When you throw a party and it’s full of unique touches, that is a great gift.” Take 5 steps forward in this year’s holiday party planning with these expert tips.

Step 1: You’re inviteD!An invitation sets the mood for a holiday gath-ering, says Heather Lapham Kuhn, owner of Truly Yours Custom Correspondence Design in Carmel, Ind.

Electronic invitations continue to increase in popularity. Leading online invitation and social event planning service Evite claims more than 22 million registered users, with more than 25,000 “Evites” sent each hour in 2009.

But Kuhn finds electronic invites too impersonal for holiday gatherings. “It’s per-fectly fine for a quick get-together, but receiving an invitation in the mail today is very special,” she says. “When people receive something that isn’t a bill or junk in their mailbox, they take notice – and that gets them excited.”

Plus, custom invites can help introduce a theme, motif or color scheme, Kuhn says. “Carry the idea from the first contact through the final note to really make an impact.”

Custom invites can be done the DIY route, or with the assistance of a designer, depending on the budget, Kuhn notes. For the latter, expect to pay from $3 to $25 each, depending on how simple or elaborate

the design. Mail invites four to six weeks in advance to ensure a place on guests’ busy holiday calendars.

STEP 2: FOOD FOr THOUGHTTraditional turkey and stuffing may seem like a tired menu offering, but infusing it with a fami-ly’s heritage can add a new twist. Guests appre-ciate a personal touch, says Dana Cox, chef instructor at Chicago-based Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts and owner of Old Stove Gourmet, a personal chef service.

“It’s something that means something to you individually,” Cox says. “People like sharing what’s important to you.”

Telling the history behind a dish’s tradi-tion while breaking bread with guests can inspire dinner conversation, Cox says. Feel free to have copies of not-so-secret family recipes on hand for guests who request them. “They can continue that story the next time they serve it,” she adds.

Another option is to update old family recipes with seasonal ingredients, or luxury ingredients not used daily. Cox’s version of green bean casserole – a fan favorite –includes a variety of wild mushrooms with a homemade béchamel cream sauce.

“It’s always a huge hit,” she says. “It’s that same flavor profile but upgraded with quality ingredients.”

STEP 3: DrESS THE TABLEA centerpiece is as important as the place settings and serving pieces, says Jennifer McGarigle, founder of Floral Art in Venice, Calif. “It makes the table festive, special.”

McGarigle believes many people stay away from centerpieces because of a precon-ceived notion of what they should be. “Today, not everyone wants the round cen-

terpiece with the candle in the middle,” she says.

Luckily, a traditional centerpiece isn’t nec-essary. McGarigle likes groupings of small, cylindrical glass vases with a single orchid blossom, leaf or floating candle on top. Vases nine inches tall make a presence without being intrusive. Create groupings of three or four on a long table, or a grid in the middle of a round one.

Miniature cypress trees also provide inter-est, come in varying sizes and, best of all, outlive the evening, she adds.

STEP 4: THAT’S EnTErTAInMEnTKatie Brown has fond memories of the pag-eants she, her sisters and friends would put on during her mother’s annual post-church Christmas Eve gathering. While adults cele-brated in her family’s Petoskey, Mich., home, the children spent a good portion of their eve-ning rehearsing.

“I felt like I was contributing to the whole festival of Christmas,” says Brown. One especially good year was when she played the Little Drummer Boy. “It just

5 Fun Ideas to Personalize a Party Planning to gather family and friends at home this holiday season? A little forethought and creativity will make the party personal and special

DArCI SMITHCTW FEATURES

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meant the world to me,” she adds. “Presents meant nothing.”

Such pageants set a “magical tone for the night,” Brown says, because all generations gathered to focus on a singular event. “It’s a beautiful moment in a holiday party,” she adds.

Advise guests of a pageant in the invita-tion, so children are prepared with ideas and an appropriate costume. Still, it’s best to have props, role ideas and costumes ready for kids to run with, Brown advises.

No children in attendance? Gather the adults together for a holiday-themed reading or recording, such as Clement Clarke Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas” – “some kind of moment where you all come together and celebrate the season,” Brown says.

STEP 5: DOn’T SEnD GUESTS AWAY EMPTY-HAnDED“A takeaway gift is part of the sharing, the

celebration of people in your life,” says Shai Tertner, lifestyle expert, event design-er and president of Shiraz Events, a pro-duction company with offices in New York City and Miami.

Plus, guests feel like hosts have invested in them, since they took the time to put a gift together, Tertner points out. “Give gifts that are a reflection of you and things you like and appreciate in your life,” he says.

The gift need not be expensive: home-made nuts, a trio of olive oils, even a framed picture of the host and guest are all appropri-ate and touching offerings. Don’t forget pack-aging, which can be personalized with brand-ed stickers or cards, or wrapped in a favorite color guests will immediately associate with their host.

“It’s the thought that counts, but let it be a stylish thought,” Tertner says.

© CTW Features

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the kids’ table does not have to be the “land of exile” during holiday meals. In fact, with a few fun-focused ideas, the kids’ table can quickly become the spot where even the grownups want to sit.

Kids love identifying their spots at the table, so for place cards use a picture of the child, says Linda Kaye, a New York children’s event planner and founder of Birthday Bakers Party Makers. She also suggests having kids involved in creating them. “Let them pick out the pictures and cut them out,” she says.

Debbie Pollick, an event planner and owner of The Party Starts Here in Mission Vejo, Calif., likes taking red ornaments or plastic snowflakes and writing the kids’ names on them as place cards for the Christmas holiday. For another idea with the yuletide theme, try taking miniature stockings and using them as holders for the silverware and napkin or filling larger stockings with crafts to use and tying them on to the back of each chair. These could also have kids’ names on them, Pollick says.

To dress up the table, Kaye suggests a cornucopia of gourds, pumpkins and the like in a basket with some tissue and ribbon for a

lovely Thanksgiving centerpiece. As a bonus, give the kids a little direction and have them make it. Pollick notes that a cored-out apple makes a great candleholder and keeps in the spirit of the fall season. For the Christmas season, Kaye pictures a confectionary fantasy for dressing up the table “to give it that kind of magical, old-fashioned Christmas feeling,” she says.

The kids’ table should have functionality – as in, it should keep youngsters busy. Both Pollick and Kaye recommend offering some themed coloring pages and crayons, which can also be used as place mats (stickers also are use-ful here). Holiday crafts provide fun entertain-ment, and preparing the food itself in a kid-friendly manner is always a plus. “Use cookie cutters to cut sandwiches,” Pollick says. She also recommends putting their food on or in special themed plates or bowls and, if age-appropriate, using skewers. She believes that mini grilled cheese on a skewer for dipping in a warm mug of tomato soup is the perfect appetizer for all ages.

For dessert, let the kids decorate cookies or, better yet, sundaes. This is just another activity that can help prolong the adults’ meal because as Kaye notes: “Kids take a minute to eat.”

© CTW Features

Where the Cool kids EatTips to help the little ones dine in style

DAnA CArMAnCTW FEATURES

If On a Winter’s NightSting (Deutsche Grammophone, 2009) Genre: Adult Contemporary

Not So Silent Nightr.E.O. Speedwagon (Sony, 2010) Genre: ’80s pop

Celtic Thunder ChristmasCeltic Thunder (Celtic Thunder Limited, 2010) Genre: Traditional Irish

Christmas Comes AliveBrian Setzer Orchestra (Surfdog, 2010) Genre: Swing/Big Band

A Cherry Cherry Christmasneil Diamond (Columbia, 2009) Genre: Easy Listening

Christmas In the HeartBob Dylan (Sony, 2009) Genre: Folk/Rock

Midwinter GracesTori Amos (Universal Republic, 2009) Genre: Alternative

ChristmasClay Walker (Warner Bros., 2010) Genre: Country

© CTW Features

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a computer, a decent internet connection and speakers are all that’s needed to DJ a party this holiday season. It’s a great money-saving idea. Holiday web DJ’s can custom-ize their music and in some cases take requests! Here’s a guide on how to do the job with some of the top sites for music streaming.

PAnDOrAwww.pandora.com

Get started early on by customizing a holi-day Pandora station. It takes quite a few thumbs up and thumbs down ratings to truly tailor the station to your taste. Type in the name of your favorite artist followed by “holiday” and QuickMix it with one of the site’s pre-mixed stations like Rockin’ Holidays. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to search and play specific songs, but the site does a good job profiling tastes in music.

GrOOvESHArkwww.listen.grooveshark.com

It’s the world’s largest online music library, so you’re bound to find all of your favorite holiday tunes. Set up a playlist before the party and take individual requests during the festivities. Users can search for any song and discover new ones through the recommendation system “Grooveshark Radio.”

SPOTIFYwww.spotify.com

Incorporate a personal iTunes collection into the holiday mix with Spotify Open. Users get 20 free hours per month to access and stream music from this 8-million-track library.

All of these sites run the occasional audio ad, which can be annoying to guests. But an upgrade from any of these services would scrap the ads and unlock tons of other cool features for a fee that may still run less than DJ costs.

© CTW Features

DJing with the WebStream a personalized holiday playlist from a top online music database atyour party. It’s easy, fun and free

TAnIESHA rOBInSOnCTW FEATURES

Want to add some fresh sounds to the standard holiday fare. Try these updated holiday classics, perfect for rockin’ around the Christmas tree

Tomorrow’s Holiday Sounds Today

Pandora’s 48 million subscribers can choose from a library of more

than 700,000 songs.

every year it’s the same old song and dance – holiday meals that consist of the standard tur-key, stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberries. But with a little thinking outside the icebox, it’s possible to have a traditional dinner and a five-star presentation, too.

rEWrITE THE SCrIPTWant to serve the classic dishes, but avoid pre-paring them in a clichéd way?

“Even though a holiday like Thanksgiving is purely American, your plate needn’t be,” says

Molly Schemper, co-owner of Chicago-based FIG Catering.

She recommends adding intrigue to a tradi-tional meal by using ingredients inspired by ethnic cuisines. For example, serve the turkey with a Mexican mole sauce made with chiles, tomatilloes, dried fruit, nuts and chocolate. Or, go all out with an Indian Spiced Turkey that’s been brined in yogurt and roasted with turmeric, coriander seeds and fenugreek. Pair it with Curried Mashed Potatoes with Peas (a take on the classic samosa filling) and apple

chutney. The chutney could work as a substitute for

cranberries, but if you can’t imagine the holidays without those little red balls, go cross-cultural and make the following version, a new favorite of Margo True, food editor for “Sunset” magazine: fresh cranberries simmered with sweet-tart pome-granate molasses from the Eastern Mediterranean. Look for this piquant syrup in the imported foods aisle.

Another scene-stealing option is to most of the meal on the grill. Schemper suggests grilled

iceberg lettuce wedge salad, orange and honey grilled sweet potatoes, grilled sourdough stuff-ing and grilled fruit with whipped cream to accompany grilled butterflied turkey.

Finally, a simple way to banish boredom from the table is to serve up a side dish that’s similar, but not the same. For example, instead of mashed potatoes, try a root vegetable gratin, says Brittany Baldwin, chef/owner of Portland Home Chef, Portland, Ore. Or instead of stuffing, serve savory bread pudding made with seasonal vegetable combinations like but-ternut squash cubes, thyme and chanterelle mushrooms, or brussels sprouts and radicchio with parmesan.

These dishes have the added benefit of pro-viding a satisfying and unique option for vege-tarians.

LET THE SUPPOrTInG ACTOrS STAnD OUTSometimes all it takes is a special beverage to turn a basic spread into something super chic.

Holiday meals usually involve children and teenagers, so creating a signature seasonal drink that can be made with or without alco-hol is fun and allows everyone to participate, says Schemper. Try an “add your own wine” roasted-fruit sangria made with dark fruit juic-es, or cranberry mimosas and mock-mosas fea-turing sparkling white grape juice and sweetened cranberry ice cubes.

True also likes serving a trio of fabulous hot drinks. “Our current favorite holiday sips are brandied hot chocolate, mulled wine with Triple Sec, cardamom and crystallized ginger and a warm apple pie cocktail, which tastes exactly like apple pie, only in liquid form.”

GIvE EvErY DISH A PrOP THAT POPSThink of garnishes and tableware as the ulti-mate accessory for a meal.

An ultra-creative way to garnish is to actually cook the decoration into the dish, says Baldwin. “Inlaying herbs beneath the skin of the bird makes for a beautiful presen-tation before carving and adds a lot of fla-vor.” To do it, carefully loosen the skin from the meat on the breast and insert whole sage leaves, thyme sprigs or rosemary in whatever pattern you prefer. After the bird cooks, the design will appear through the skin.

Another Baldwin garnish go-to is pink

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Finishing Touch: Presentation Tips from the ProsThe same old turkey-and-potatoes meal doesn’t have to look spare. Here’s how to turn the basics into a blockbuster

AnnA SACHSECTW FEATURES

ISTOCkPHOTO.COM

Get rave reviews by making a classic dish from scratch. Baldwin’s DIY rec-ipe for green bean casserole con-tains less salt and preservatives, and allows you to incorporate organic ingredients. Better yet, Baldwin says, “It’s very simple and much better tasting!”

Ingredients6 tablespoons unsalted butter1 medium onion, chopped1 pound mushrooms, chopped2 teaspoons salt1/2 teaspoon pepper1 1/2 pounds of green beans, either

frozen or fresh with the stems removed and sliced into small pieces

6 tablespoons flour2 cups milk8 ounces fried onion pieces

Method Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sauté chopped onions for 2 minutes in two tablespoons of the butter. Add mushrooms and cook for 8 minutes, then stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper and set aside.

Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and add flour, whisking until mixture begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk and continue whisking until mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining salt and pepper and pour mixture over beans.

Pour beans into a buttered 9x13 glass dish. Cover and cook on top shelf of oven until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Uncover and add onion pieces, cook another 30 seconds or until golden brown.Add garlic, wild mushrooms or bacon to this dish for a tasty twist.

© CTW Features

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peppercorns. Mild and a little sweet com-pared to white or black peppercorns, you can use them whole to add a speck of red without overpowering a dish. For an appe-tizer, she rolls a log of goat cheese in pink peppercorns and drizzles with garlic or cit-rus-flavored olive oil and serves with crack-ers.

For a sweeter accent, Schemper likes can-died ginger and citrus peels. To DIY it, chop peeled ginger and citrus peel and boil in water for one hour. Drain and boil in a simple sugar mixer (equal parts water and sugar) for another hour. Once removed, place pieces on a baking sheet covered with sugar, toss to dust and let dry. As a bonus,use the leftover ginger or citrus-infused syrup with dessert or in cocktails.

The right tableware can quickly lend char-acter to an event. Consider serving a trio of soups to guests in shot glasses, says True, or dole out individual little gravy pitchers, avail-able for less than $2 at some stores. Another solution for the gravy is to use that pretty tea-pot that usually collects dust, says Lisa Homa, a food stylist and recipe developer in New York City. “They’re the perfect vessel because there’s a top to keep in the heat, a spout for pouring, and they’re meant for hot liquids.”

Mix and match high and low china and glassware, and put those family heirlooms in the spotlight!

TrICk OUT THE SETFinally, décor also plays a part in the success of the final presentation.

Try embellishing the table with a beautiful log of sprouting blue oyster mushrooms from Far West Fungi (FarWestFungi.com), sprays of winter berries and leaves, or colorful winter fruits like persimmons, lemons and tangerines clustered near votive candles, says True. Bald-win likes inserting flowery vegetables such as brussels sprouts, purple cauliflower and baby turnips into holiday bouquets, with sprigs of kale, chard and mustard greens. And Schemper suggests using hollowed out pumpkins, acorn squash and dried gourds as candle holders or vases.

Centerpieces inspired by nature are an easy way to remind everyone that, when it comes to holiday meals, the earth’s bounty is really what deserves our applause.

© CTW Features

Gourmet Green Bean Casserole

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the assortment of counter-clogging cookware you need to braise, bake or warm a holiday menu can be replaced by this year’s one must-have appliance: the slow cooker. This trusty tool, which cooks week-night chili or sloppy joes when time can’t be spared, works magic on elegant cuisine.

“It’s indispensable for entertaining,” says Sandra Lee, the Food Network star and best-selling cookbook author. “You can bake in it; you can use inexpensive beef cuts,” she adds.

The slow cooker’s makeover as a gour-met appliance isn’t surprising to devotees. However, even fans are amazed by its versa-tility and convenience.

Thanks to renewed interest in Julia Child’s cookbooks, braising is becoming popular. The method calls for cooking food in a small amount of liquid in a covered container over low heat for a long time. “A slow braise that you could do on the stovetop or in the oven, you can also do in a slow cooker,” says Michele Scicolone, author of “The Italian Slow Cooker” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010).

In fact, if you can put a dish in the oven to cook for three hours you can put it in a slow cooker instead, according to Betty Byrne, director of the consumer test kitchen for Hamilton Beach Brands.

A slow cooker is made for long-simmer-ing recipes, but temperamental dishes also fare surprisingly well. “I love making polen-ta as an accompaniment to pot roast,” Sci-colone says. “But it’s very fussy when you stand there and stir it. If you make it in a slow cooker it stays creamy.”

Even those cooks who prepare party foods the traditional way will find the advantages to the utensil. “Some people use the slow cooker simply for keeping food warm,” Byrne says. “They may not cook food in the slow cooker, but use it as a serv-ing piece [similar to a chafing dish].”

© CTW Features

Let’s Go SlowSlow cooking is perfect for the annual pot roast. This year, turn it up a notch

BEv BEnnETTCTW FEATURES

(Adapted from “The Italian Slow Cooker”)

ingredients1 large head garlic, separated into

cloves, peeled2 cups dry red wine1 (14-ounce) can Italian peeled

tomatoes with their juice, chopped1 (4-inch) sprig fresh rosemary or 1

tablespoon crushed, dried3 pounds bone-in beef shanks,

about 2 inches thick, trimmed Salt and freshly ground pepper to

tasteThick-sliced Italian bread

methodScatter garlic in large slow cooker. Add the wine, tomatoes and rose-mary. Place the beef shanks in the cooker and sprinkle with salt to taste and plenty of pepper. Cover and cook at low setting for 6 to 8 hours, or until beef is tender and falling off the bone. Skim and discard excess fat; correct seasoning.

Toast the bread and place 1 or 2 slices in each serving dish. Break the beef up with a spoon and ladle some of the beef, garlic and juices over the bread. Serve with the bones for the marrow. Makes 8 servings.

© CTW Features

Beef Shanks with red Wine and Tomatoes

Throw in the ingredients and walk away.

That’s the lure of the slow cooker. However, some enthusiasts are adding the extra step of browning foods, such as meat and onions on top of the stove, before slow cooking.

Browning turns meat an appealing rich color and gives meat an extra depth of flavor. Onions are caramelized and taste sweeter.

Almost half the cooks in a recent survey brown some foods first, according to Betty Byrne with Hamilton Beach

Brands. But do you need to make extra work for yourself?

In a side-by-side test of chicken cooked for six hours, Michele Scicolone couldn’t tell the difference in color or flavor between chicken that was first browned and chick-

en that was immediately placed in a slow cooker. “Brown first if you want to draw the fat out [of the meat],” says Scicolone, who isn’t browning as many foods as she once did.

© CTW Features

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Holiday 911:Even the most prepared hosts

and hostesses can’t plan for the truly unexpected events that threaten to sabotage an other-wise jolly holiday gathering. And when it comes to seasonal entertaining, the list of what could go wrong is even longer than Santa’s naughty list.

Where does one turn when mere hours before guests are due to arrive, the toilet elects to overflow onto your impeccably clean floor?

Who does one call when the turkey is stuffed and ready to bake but the preheated oven never rises above room tem-perature?

Don’t despair. These local businesses and service providers are on standby to get any party back on track in no time flat.

© CTW Features

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when guests are pushing away from the table satisfied by the extravagant dinner hosted, it’s easy to feel like the job is done.

But don’t stop there. Extend the pleasure of a festive holiday

meal with one more gesture.Taking a cue from a trend in fine-dining

establishments and at special events, send guests home with a special treat as a token of appreciation.

Giving people something memorable and delicious to take home is a delightful way to extend the experience, says Elizabeth Katz, an executive pastry chef in New York City.

It’s a gesture Katz encourages.A holiday food gift could provide a small

treat for the diner who was regretfully too full to eat dessert. A chocolate truffle, a rich chocolate brownie or a mouth-watering chocolate chip cookie will be a well-appreci-ated substitute.

That little morsel can also be a delightful breakfast reminder of the charming evening. Katz, who oversees the pastry departments

for the New York B.R. Guest Restaurants, offers some suggestions.

“At Ocean Grill on the Upper West Side we do muffins or teacake. We have a neigh-borhood clientele. Guests walk home and have their teacake the next day. It’s tradition,” Katz says.

On occasion she’s given guests a small box of cookies.

“They called to say it made them so happy to have a treat to look forward to,” Katz says.

Start a unique token tradition. Share the following rich, intensely flavored chocolate chip cookie with guests and head to the top of the desirable host list.

© CTW Features

One for the roadSend guests home with a sweet little something

BEv BEnnETTCTW FEATURES

ISTOCkPHOTO.COM

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar2 cups flour1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon baking powder2 (3.5-ounce) bars milk chocolate

with toffee pieces (see note)1 cup coarsely chopped, salted,

roasted pecansCoarse salt

Combine butter, brown sugar and granulat-ed sugar in bowl of electric mixer. Beat at high speed until light and fluffy, scraping bowl down occasionally. Stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Add flour mixture to butter one-half cup at a time. Beat after each addition to blend in. Chop chocolate into bite-size pieces. Add choco-late and pecans to butter mixture.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide dough into 18 balls, about 3 tablespoons each. Place 9 on each bak-ing sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Flatten to 1/4-inch thickness with fork. Refrigerate cookies at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

Just before baking, sprinkle a small pinch of coarse salt over each cookie. Bake cookies one sheet at a time in pre-heated 325 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until cookies are set and golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven. Cool for five minutes; remove to wire rack and completely cool. Wrap cookies individ-ually in plastic wrap and add a ribbon. Makes 18 cookies.

Note: Look for milk chocolate with toffee pieces in natural food supermarkets and finer food stores. Green & Black’s Toffee is an excellent choice. If not available, use milk chocolate covered toffee. Chop and measure 1 1/3 cups.

If desired, bake cookies in advance, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil and freeze.

© CTW Features

Salt-Topped Chocolate, Toffee and PecanCookies

holidays at Audrey Wyatt’s house wouldn’t be the same without the Jell-O mold. And the mold itself is always the same: black cherry Jell-O with pineapple rings and banana slices in the center. Mandarin orang-es float inside.

This was Wyatt’s mother’s Jell-O mold, which she put out on the table for every hol-

iday – a tradition Wyatt has continued. Wyatt’s mother passed away before her chil-dren were born, so Wyatt, 49, of Phoenix, began making the same recipe as a way to have her mom “present in their celebra-tions.” She calls it “the Grandma Lea.”

These are the foods holidays are made of – the unique and special dishes that are

woven into the fabric of a family. “It’s a way to tell your story,” says Meg Cox, a Princeton, New Jersey-based traditions expert and author of “The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays & Everyday”(Running Press, 2003).

Like in Wyatt’s case, it’s also a way to keep lost loved ones close. “If you’ve lost somebody, it’s a wonderful way to honor that person,” Cox says. She notes that these food traditions also become a part of the family history and a way to celebrate family identity.

For Scott Duncan, 43, a kitchen designer in Bradenton, Fla., Christmas morning would not be complete without the “sausage roll” (a sausage and biscuit roulade). His grandmother started the tradition years ago and Duncan has continued it every year. “The 5 minutes it takes me to slice the roll

and get it in the oven turns out to be my own private moment to remember my grandparents on Christmas morning – usual-ly with a simultaneous smile and a tear,” Duncan says.

For each family, the traditions are differ-ent. They may be subtle things – the same sweet potato casserole or a local favorite. Sometimes you may not even realize that years have passed, the family has changed: these things remain. Or perhaps those tradi-tions are still yet to come – which is OK, says Cox. “Family is a living, breathing, changing thing,” she says, noting that traditions also change and it’s OK to create new ones or even change the old ones – so long as it’s not ruffling a whole bunch of feathers.

At Audrey Wyatt’s house, the Jell-O mold is non-negotiable. “The kids, now teens, would kill me if I didn’t make it,” she says.

© CTW Features

nibble on nostalgiaThe holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without these much-loved, always-served

foods. And no, we aren’t talking about the stuffing

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Ham is a beloved staple at the holiday table. For many families, it’s the same-old pre-sliced spi-ral cut year in, year out. Pork lovers, however, should consider the alternative – a DIY ham that will be juicier and more flavorful than anything that comes directly from your grocer’s ready-made section.

—Matthew M. F. Miller

now THAT’S a Pig!

DAnA CArMAnCTW FEATURES

CHrOnICLE BOOkS

Holiday Ham with Maple Syrup-Clove-Marmalade GlazeCourtesy “Stonewall Kitchen Winter Celebrations” (Chronicle Books, 2009) by Jonathan King, Jim Stott and Kathy Gunst

ingredients1 8- to 10-pound bone-in

smoked ham (sliced or unsliced)

2 tablespoons whole cloves2 large oranges1/2 cup maple syrup1/2 cup marmalade

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Trim the ham of any excess fat and place it flat side down on a rack in a large roasting pan. Using a small, sharp

knife, score the ham by mak-ing a grid pattern (1/4-inch deep) across the ham at 3/4-inch intervals. (If you’re using a sliced ham, you’ll only need to make one set of cuts, per-pendicular to the slices that are already there.) Poke the pointy ends of the cloves into the ham where the lines intersect, scattering any remaining cloves on the bot-tom of the pan.

Zest the oranges, and set the zest aside in a small saucepan for the glaze. Juice the oranges directly over the ham, straining the seeds, then cover the ham with foil and bake for 2 hours, turning the pan and basting with the pan juices once or twice dur-ing cooking.

Meanwhile, add the syrup and marmalade to the pan

with the zest and bring to a simmer over low heat, stir-ring. When the marmalade has melted, remove from the heat and set aside.

After 2 hours, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Remove the foil, pour the glaze evenly over the ham and bake another 30 minutes uncovered, or until nicely browned. Transfer the ham to a serving platter and let it sit 15 minutes before slicing. Serve warm, drizzled with pan juices.

Note: Look for smoked hams at specialty food shops and most good butchers, or in most supermarkets. You can also use a honey-cured ham, sliced or unsliced.

Serves 8 to 10, with left-overs

© CTW Features

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