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The annual holiday party is coming up...and remember last year's incident with the mysterious brown dip? Let's make sure you're not THAT person this year.
Holiday Party & Potluck Appetizers
Walking into a party carrying these snacks? You'll have the same swagger as a mall Santa who knows he's rocking that velvet suit.
Artichoke hearts are an essential store-cupboard ingredient for me. This recipe is one of my favorites—delicious, quick, and simple to make, it's inspired by my mother. I always serve this at Christmastime, with toasted rosemary focaccia. It is rich, comforting, and everyone always wants the recipe.
This easy slow cooker cassoulet calls for beans, garlic, store-bought duck confit, and sausage, just like the traditional cassoulet recipe from France.
This butternut squash gratin is a lot like like a scalloped potato casserole except it's made with winter squash instead of spuds along with onions, garlic, butter, heavy cream, cheese, and bread crumbs. A simple--and simply elegant--side for Thanksgiving as well as a random weeknight.
Think of the most delicious hermit bar you ever ate, the moistest, chewiest, nicely spiced bar, with a crisp shiny top and dense center. Okay? This bar beats that one, we guarantee it. If you count molasses cookies, spice cake, or gingerbread—any of the old-fashioned, dark and spicy baked goods with their long international history—among your favorites, you’ll love these bars.
Think of these twice-baked potatoes as an easy mashed potato casserole loaded with bacon, Cheddar, sour cream, and chives. Talk about awesome game day grub or meals kids—heck, any of us—can't resist.
This wild rice with roasted chestnuts and cranberries is a healthy Thanksgiving side dish that also happens to be gluten-free. Made with dried fruits and chestnuts, it's ideal for holiday entertaining as it can be made in advance.
Who doesn’t love garlic bread? And this tear-and-share style is always a winner. I’ve written the recipe for 12 because it’s an easier quantity of dough to work with. What I like to do is make up both pans of bread, then whack one in the freezer, ready to bake another day—you won’t regret it.
These mac and cheese canapes, essentially baked mac and cheese bites, are made from macaroni and sharp Cheddar cheese and baked in mini-muffin tins. Perfect finger food for kids and adults. Cocktail party, anyone?
These IKEA Swedish meatballs, made with ground beef and pork, and served in a Dijon cream sauce, are the real deal, except you don't have to leave the house or walk through the store to enjoy them. Here's how to cook them.
Why, hello! Leite's Culinaria is the James Beard Award-winning site that helps home cooks and bakers put dinner on the table and laughs in the kitchen. Hungry for more? Join more than 30,000 food lovers and subscribe.
Hi Reader, Every time there’s a real winter storm—the kind with names, warnings, and that creeping sense of we might be here a while—The One makes the same thing. Blizzard Beef. No debate. No browsing. He reaches for a chuck roast like it’s a life preserver. It started years ago during a blizzard that shut everything down so thoroughly even the cats looked scared. He seasoned that roast aggressively, seared it hard, slid it into a pot with water, a reckless amount of Worcestershire sauce. I,...
Hi Reader, There are few things in life as reliable as pasta—and believe me, I’ve tested the theory.When I was younger (and delusional), I thought “weeknight dinner” meant something quick and light, like a salad or a responsible grain bowl. Then I met Wednesday. You know her—tired, cranky, wearing yesterday’s socks and whispering, “Feed me carbs or I’ll end you.”Back in the day, my mother could turn a pound of pasta and a can of tomatoes into an act of grace. The whole apartment would fill...
Hi Reader, Whenever the calendar flips to mid-January, my body stages a quiet protest. Too much cream. Too much butter. Too much “just one more slice.” I can practically hear my arteries sighing.That’s when I go coastal.Growing up, the ocean wasn’t just a backdrop—it was therapy. My family’s version of a cleanse didn’t involve green juice or kale; it was grilled sardines, lemony cod, or a bowl of seafood rice that smelled like sunlight on saltwater. Simple food that didn’t weigh you down or...
