www.roanoke.com

Many countries have their own version of the American fruitcake, and I say that lightly because some of these versions bear little resemblance in appearance or flavor to the American fruitcake -- in fact, they are technically breads instead. I would put the Italian panettone and the German stollen (pictured) in that category.

I've long been familiar with the panettone because it is one of my mom's favorite Christmas treats. Panettone [pan-uh-tonee] is a sweet yeast bread made with pine nuts, citron and raisins and flavored with anise. It's always baked in a tall, straight-sided mold. You've probably seen them for sale in gourmet food shops and other specialty stores; they usually come in a box with a string handle.

To be quite honest, I never knew what was the big deal with the panettone (sorry, Ma). I think it's a bit dry and flaky. But mom enjoys it with coffee in the mornings, I think.

Read more »

My sister's mother-in-law, Alice, is the Christmas cookie queen. For as long as Kim has been with her husband, I can remember hearing about the many varieties of cookies Alice bakes every year. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I even get a few leftovers when Sis gets home for Christmas.

There are little fruit fold overs, miniature pecan pies, molasses cookies and more. Her secret: she starts baking early and freezes the goodies so all she has to do is pull them out when company comes.

Because I currently have two giant tubs of Christmas cookies in my kitchen, I'm seriously considering freezing a couple dozen so they'll still be fresh next week. But they are all different kinds -- some frosted, some not; some with raisins, some with chips, some with coconut. I wondered if some cookies freeze better than others.

Thanks to a Web site called Cookie Club Recipes, I now know. See below the jump for their cookie freezing tips. And if you have any advice, feel free to contribute it!

Read more »

I've received a call or two from readers who are interested in knowing what restaurants will be open on Christmas Day. I'm told that we will shortly be running a big advertisement containing this information, but thanks to the ad rep, Jeremy, I have a list right now that I can share with you guys.

I'm afraid the list is a little short and heavy on the Asian cuisine. But hey, if it was good enough for the family in "A Christmas Story," it's good enough for me!

Open Christmas Day:

Hotel Roanoke (booked)
Inn at Virginia Tech (Preston's)
Cracker Barrel
Golden Corral
IHOP
Denny's
Szechuan
Ichiban
Sakura

If anyone knows of other places that will be open, please let me know so I can pass those along to readers. Thanks!

Well, everyone says eggnog is one of those things people either love or hate. I happen to love it, and the holiday season just isn't perfect until I've had at least one glass of the thick, creamy stuff with a shake of nutmeg on top. I have not ever made eggnog myself, however. The hubby is a 'nog-hater, so I just buy a small carton for myself and usually throw some of it down the drain after the New Year.

Because the most prominent ingredient in eggnog is - gasp! - eggs, it was no surprise that the Virginia Egg Council chose to send out some eggnog recipes for the holiday season. There's "Classic Cooked Eggnog," of course, but what really caught my eye was the Eggnog Pie. They want you to make your own homemade eggnog for this recipe, but I don't see why you couldn't just sub in the store bought stuff. It also includes cheesecake- and vanilla-flavored pudding, vanilla wafers and rum extract. Yum.

Below the jump, I'll share the recipes for Eggnog Pie and Classic Cooked Eggnog. While we're at it, let's take a tally -- do you LOVE eggnog or do you HATE it?

Read more »

How many journalists does it take to build a gingerbread house? If the pictures over on the So Salem blog are any indication, it takes a whole roomful.

Unfortunately, even with that many hands ready to help, the So Salem gingerbread house (which was created as an entry for Salem's Gingerbread Festival) suffered a natural disaster: the roof caved in. They're blaming it on Santa; saying he landed on the roof in a sled so heavy with gifts (and his own fat butt) that he caused the roof to cave.

It's a shame, too, because what a fine gingerbread house it is otherwise. Note the marshmallow snowman, the candy trees, the peppermint window panes. Somebody (an elf tells me it was mostly So Salem reporter Miranda Adkins) went to a lot of trouble on that place before Santa rolled in and ruined it all. You can still see his little hat poking up out of the destruction.

Now, instead of having "Salem" emblazoned on the side of the house in green frosting, I'm afraid we're going to have to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency (the North Pole branch, of course), to come in with the blaze orange spray paint and mark this sucker for demolition. I'll help out -- I'll take the cookie tree off their hands.

Well, anyone who tries to make a gingerbread house gets an "A" for effort in my book. I've never done it myself, so I don't have any idea what might have gone wrong. If anyone has tips for the team, post them here or over on the So Salem blog.

All this speculation about White House chefs has me thinking about what it would be like to cook in a kitchen like that. Then again, what is it like to eat in a kitchen like that?

I haven't seen the First Kitchen, but I can't imagine that it's cozy. Can the kids run in and put their elbows on the counter and beg for a cookie? Would it be a stainless steel counter in a huge, commercially bright kitchen?

I'm just glad the pedigree and style of a kitchen isn't necessarily related to the quality of the food. With my Paleolithic-era knotty pine cabinets and my unintentionally knotty fake wood grain countertops, it's a wonder I can make a sandwich. But it is cozy.

Read more »

Frequent blog reader Brandi Robertson sent me a wonderful e-mail this morning about an experience she had on her way to work:

This morning while I was in the drive thru line at Starbucks-Tower's location I ordered my Grande hazelnut hot chocolate because I have now become an addict. I pulled up to the window and the barista informed me that the car in front of me had already paid for my cup and wanted to tell me Happy Thanksgiving. He had no idea who it was. I was stunned...what a simple way to really make someone's day...so I said, well let me go ahead and pay for the person behind me. Now there was a really long line and I wonder how far back the generosity went.

So needless to say the person in the Red Blazer really started my holiday season and I hope the Grande mocha with no whip and chocolate chip cookie is feeling as excited as I am.

I was also hoping if at anytime you could ask your readers what random acts they have gave or received it would get everyone excited about this generous season.

After hearing Brandi's story, I got curious and called that particular Starbucks store. The employees informed me that they did indeed remember that string of generosity in the drive-thru lane this morning. It lasted for 5 or 6 cars, they said. Now, we may never know what sparked Red Blazer Person to do that. Regardless, it started a brief chain-reaction that probably started off people's days on a sweet note.

Has anything like this ever happened to any of you?

I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a reader named Susan who is looking for a little foodie advice. Here's what she wrote:

I'm new to the area, having lived in the Western half of the country for 30+ years. We moved into a house in Salem last year and have reaped a bountiful harvest of all sorts of fruits and nuts.

... I was hoping you might look into what the heck I could do with chestnuts. I actually got to them before the squirrels this year and have a whole box full of them.

Well, Susan, besides chestnut dressing and roasted chestnuts, I can honestly say I don't know. My own personal experience with chestnuts has not been positive. I don't really enjoy their flavor and I spent too many seasons puncturing my hands through the gloves trying to remove the darn husks from my yard after the squirrels had their way with them.

But "Food Lover's Companion" says they can be roasted, boiled, pureed, preserved and candied; used in desserts or savory sides. You should store unshelled chestnuts in a cool, dry place and refrigerate shelled ones in a covered container, the book said. I also came across a whole Web site about cooking with chestnuts that offers up recipes for soups, breads, desserts and even a sweetened chestnut puree.

If someone brought me a Chocolate Chestnut Tart (recipe below), I might be convinced to rethink my dislike of this ingredient. Does anyone out there have a great chestnut recipe?

Read more »

We always thought Mrs. Claus just stayed at home, ironing her husband's red suit and bringing his slippers to the fireplace when he got home from a hard day at work, right? Of course, it is to be assumed that she's a great cook, considering how jolly and round the Clauses both are. But did you know that she's actually making money off her recipe collection using a clever mass e-mail technique?

I'm not even sure if Santa knows about this. Maybe she's doing it and saving up all her money so she can buy her OWN sleigh and reindeer crew. Whatever the story, many of you probably remember receiving an e-mail forward around this time last year that contained a huge list of cookies. Each and every cookie name was a live link that took you to a recipe for that cookie online. I believe we talked about it and marveled over the genius of the idea.

This year, the same kind of e-mail is going out, but it contains a list of cakes. When I clicked on each cake name, it took me to a recipe. And this year I notice it always takes me to the same Web site, www.northpole.com.

Read more »

...and what have I done?
Well, I have cooked. And eaten. And drank. And fed people. And then started cooking again.
I have baked sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, macadamia nut cookies and date cookies.
I have feasted on London broil, cocktail shrimp, pad Thai, crab dip, meatballs, miniature egg rolls, lobster amandine, pistachio-crusted salmon, chicken piccata, breakfast casseroles and much more.
I have torn open boxes of Frango chocolates and cans of piroulines; crates of tiny, liquor-filled chocolate bottles and bags of Belgian candy; pillowy sacks of brownie mix and pancake mix.
I have stocked my kitchen with cooking-themed gifts -- a pink spatula, a digital thermometer, a tea pot, a tea ball, a fridge magnet with measurement breakdowns, a tiny frying pan for melting butter or browning nuts.
About 10 days (and probably 10 pounds) later, I wonder which dish, which candy, which gift I treasure the most. But it isn't any of those tangible things. Instead, it was the chance to laugh with my dad over a plate of Thai food and to get in the kitchen with my mom and cook up a big meal like we used to.
Food would be nothing without fellowship. That's what the holidays always teach me.
But I cannot ignore the dishes I learned to make and the joy of eating them, too. Surprisingly, when I thought back on my Christmas holiday, I found that the easiest, most simple dish I learned to make was my favorite. And the most subtly sweet cookie I learned to make tasted the very best.
Here are my top two recipes of the holiday season. If you aren't tired of cooking yet, give them a try! And please write in and share your own culinary experiences this holiday season. Which recipe are you most likely to make again before next Christmas?

Read more »