(Reposted from Dec. 3, 2010) LAST NIGHT -- and mostly out of sheer curiosity -- I made the Figgy Pudding of Christmas carol fame. I'll admit the recipe I adapted (from Dorie Greenspan) is not an easy one; it involves 18 ingredients, and also a half-hour of prep time. Make that one hour of prep if you stop to take photographs along the way, as I did. But I think the final product, pictured up top, is well worth the time. For Figgy Pudding is spicy-fruity-boozey-delicious. Furthermore, you get to flame this dessert at the table. Now that's fun! Read more » Christmas
Figgy Pudding
December 20, 2011
(Reposted from Dec. 3, 2010) LAST NIGHT -- and mostly out of sheer curiosity -- I made the Figgy Pudding of Christmas carol fame. I'll admit the recipe I adapted (from Dorie Greenspan) is not an easy one; it involves 18 ingredients, and also a half-hour of prep time. Make that one hour of prep if you stop to take photographs along the way, as I did. But I think the final product, pictured up top, is well worth the time. For Figgy Pudding is spicy-fruity-boozey-delicious. Furthermore, you get to flame this dessert at the table. Now that's fun! Read more » Recipe: Eggnog
December 14, 2011
WHEN SIX FRIENDS ARRIVE FOR DINNER ON SATURDAY, we will honor the season with the perfect December cocktail: eggnog. Here's my recipe for this creamy, bourbon-y, nutmeg-scented ambrosia: Read more » The Poinsettia Has A Future
December 8, 2011
THE POINSETTIA which on December 1 offers us the merriest of season’s greetings is all too likely by January 1 to suggest only gruesome possibilities for the coming year. Yet this need not be so. Indeed, this Euphorbia pulcherrima can, with care, be an excellent year-round companion, one which is worth coaxing into bloom each winter. The following program has never failed me: Read more » Pickled Paperwhites (Narcissus grandiflora)
October 18, 2011
WHO WANTS TO SPEND THE WINTER MONTHS without the colorful companionship of Narcissus grandiflora? Not me! These “paperwhites” make a cheerful display in the various window gardens here, and lend sweet fragrance among scentless cyclamens, ferns, and African violets. I force the bulbs in pebbles and water, and keep the flowering stems from falling over… Read more »
Pillow Cookies
December 23, 2010
WHEN READER KATHLEEN — who is known around these parts as “Katreader” — sent me her grandmother’s recipe for Pillow Cookies, I knew I’d have to try them. These offer a delicious surprise in every bite: a dollop of sweet jam, concealed between layers of delightfully-tender cream cheese cookie dough. Turns out they are as… Read more »
Christmas Decorations: 2010 Edition
December 19, 2010
MY PASSION FOR HOLIDAY-DECORATING began in 1963, when I made the Santa ornament pictured up top (an ornament, perhaps, that only one’s mother could love). Today I’ve traded in my construction paper, crayons and yarn for “grown-up” things like African violets, fresh fruit and evergreen boughs. These make splendid contributions to the Christmas spirit here… Read more »
Terry’s Tea Cakes
December 16, 2010
SOMETIMES the same holiday-confection can travel under a variety of aliases. Take, for example, the dainty round cakes pictured up top. You might know these as Russian Tea Cakes, Scandinavian Tea Cakes, or even as Mexican Wedding Cakes. Because mine were made from a recipe that reader Terry Corum sent in, I will forever know… Read more »
