You've Got To Taste This
Delicious discoveries, tasty new products, must-cook recipes, and fun food finds
Thanksgiving is just weeks away! Take some time to plan your menus and think through table decorations for the big day.
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
With online ordering and digital pictures, sending Christmas cards has never been easier. We love tinyprints.com for their awesome designs and fast service!
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
When planning your usual weeknight meals, look for recipes that can be easily doubled and frozen to eat during the holiday rush.
Bonus: Check out our Make-Ahead guide. From appetizers to desserts to slow-cooker dishes and more, we've got you covered!
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
No time to hit the mall? Start browsing online for the perfect gift. Amazon.com has a great Gift Organizer feature that allows you to create gift idea lists for anyone and everyone!
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
If you'll be doing a lot of entertaining this year, buy chips, crackers, and cheese in bulk at warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's.
Bonus Tip: Check out our Favorite Chip and Dip recipes.
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
Stock up on holiday cooking essentials so you can whip up delicious dishes at a moment's notice. For ideas, check out the Holiday-Ready Pantry.
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
Inventory your gift wrapping supplies and take a few minutes today to pick up whatever you need: tape, extra scissors, wrapping paper, gift tags, etc.
Bonus Tip: Make gift wrapping fun by hosting a Gift-Wrapping Party for your girlfriends.
Come back every day until New Year's Eve for a customized tip guaranteed to make your holiday preparations even easier this year.
A "How to" on recycling your Halloween pumpkin.
Halloween is upon us. It seems like yesterday there were green leaves on the trees and kids running around the neighborhood all day in bare feet.
No more...
School bells rang and soon after maples, oaks, & poplars became golden and burgundy beauties.
Fall blew in & so did the leaves.
On a resent afternoon Pardis Stitt, James Beard award winning chef Frank Stitt's lovely wife, called on a whim
"Can you come judge a pumpkin contest?"
Without thinking I said "Of Course! What time & where?"
"Bottega 6 tonight?"...it was 3:00..."See you soon"
I arrived to a row of neatly carved & presented pumpkins. Each with a specific point of view & attention to detail that will make my paltry attempt of carving seem well....childish.
"Don't they look wonderful, each of our chef's carved one. The winner gets a Magnum of wine. It's for our 21st year here...Can you believe it?
Now which one is the best?"
"Let me take a look..." I said
"We are roasting the seeds for bar snacks."
Now that was a Foodimentary moment..reusing your pumpkin seeds.
Roasted Pumpkin Seed recipe below.
Chefs John Rolen & Daniel DiLella of Bottega Favorita
Chef Warren Weiss of Bottega Cafe'
Recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
| PREPARATION Take pumpkin seeds for your carving endeavor |
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Add salt to taste and bake at 250° until dry, stirring occasionally. I bake mine for about 15 to 30 minutes or until the start to turn a very light gold.
| Italian Spiced Pumpkin Seeds You can also spice them up by mixing: A few sprigs of fresh Rosemary, 5 tablespoons sugar ,1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, Pinch cayenne pepper or to taste, and 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil. Prepare seeds as above but line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl combine 3 tablespoons of the sugar and the salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. |
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Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add pumpkin seeds (after baked) and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook until sugar melts and the pumpkin seeds begin to caramelize, about 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer to bowl with spices and stir well to coat. Let cool. STORAGE & SERVING |
Enjoy your holiday!
If there are 3 things that my Italian-Catholic family does well, it is eat, celebrate, and keep traditions alive. Each year, we gather after Mass on Christmas Eve to eat my Mom's FABULOUS lasagna, as well as salad, and crusty rolls stuffed with Italian sausage purchased from a local Italian grocer. On Christmas morning, the immediate family opens gifts and eats cinnamon rolls and Sister Shubert's Sausage Wrap Rolls. For lunch, we gather with cousins to eat handmade/homemade tortellini soup (with homemade beef broth) along with turkey or ham (or sometimes both), TONS of different casseroles and sides, and of course, dessert. Needless to say, I'm at the gym bright and early on the 26th! Okay, that a lie...we eat leftovers and put away Christmas china on the 26th so maybe more like gym on the 27th.
Sometime around the middle of October, the family starts talking about plans to make and freeze as many recipes as possible so we aren't completely overwhelmed Christmas week. And every year, we do okay to get it done ahead of time although it never fails that we are still running around buying last-minute groceries, gathering to make a few hundred more tortellinis, or omitting a recipe from the menu altogether.
Considering that today is October 15, the conversations should be heating up soon as to who is to prepare what dish (Mom-lasagna, me-healthy dessert,Aunt Angie-filling for the tortellinis, Mana-snickerdoodles, etc.), how many pounds of Italian sausage and short ribs (for the broth) need to be ordered, who will be helping at our family store, Contri Brothers, to fill orders (I'm a pro basket maker and UPS shipper), and so on... This year, I'm also hoping to make goodies like cookies, mini bread loaves, and candy for my friends and coworkers. My goal is to have all of my gifts finished and frozen by November--we'll have to see how it goes...
Be on the lookout beginning November 1 for the MyRecipes Holiday Tip of the Day to help you too get a jump start on your holiday planning. We'll post a tip each day on our Facebook page, Twitter account, and You've-Got-To-Taste-This blog.
What are some tips and tricks that you like to do to get an early jump on the holidays? Any particular recipes that you like to make ahead and freeze?
Looking to make this Halloween memorable? In addition to your favorite store-bought candies (Snickers, anyone?), make Halloween treats to bring out the boo in you. Whether you need Halloween treats for the classroom, Halloween treats for trick or treaters, or Halloween party treats, we've got you covered! (Don't believe us? Check out our Halloween Bake Shop (left) to get you started!)
This year, skip the door-to-door madness and instead host a Kid-Friendly Halloween Block Party. From centerpiece to party favors, we've got the play-by-play game plan to make this year's fright night anything but scary! If an adult-friendly gathering is more your style, check out the Halloween Open House, the perfect party for a night when you're planning on a lot of coming and going of guests!
Get into the season with delicious Candy Apple Recipes. From Toffee Candy Apples to Candy-Coated Caramel Apples, we've got the toppings to make this season's favorite fruit even better.
Story time tends to get a little spooky this time of year, so get into the spirit of the holiday starting at dinner with our collection of Vampire-Proof Dishes. Instead of wearing a garland of garlic around your neck this year, prepare one of these tasty dishes instead.
If your Halloween party is more of a small gathering than the event of the year, browse our collection of Spooky Halloween Menus guaranteed to help you celebrate All Hallows Eve in great spirits. There are 13 for you to choose from, naturally.
Need more inspiration for the perfect Halloween party? Check out a few of our other spooky features:
No Tricks--Just Treats... Get into the fun of the season with these "not-too-scary" Halloween treat recipes.
Spooky Snacks & Devilish Drinks... Set out a fiendish spread of appetizers and beverages when you host the annual Halloween costume party.
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