TIP OF THE DAY: Make A Cheese Christmas Tree

By the 18th century, candles lit up Christmas trees (how did they not set the place on fire? Engraving by John Whetten Ehninger published in 1870 in Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Image courtesy Wikimedia.   This tip is about making a cheese Christmas tree. But first, here’s the history of the Christmas tree, also called a…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Make A Cheese Christmas Tree”

TIP OF THE DAY: Uses For Cardamom

Green cardamom. Photo courtesy Suvir Saran | Indian Home Cooking.   Cardamom, a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), is a highly aromatic and flavorful spice from from a plant native to India and its northern neighbors, Bhutan and Nepal. The name derives from the Latin cardamomum and the Greek kardamon, which referred to a…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Uses For Cardamom”

RECIPE: Mistletoe Margarita, A Christmas & New Year’s Margarita Cocktail

The mistletoe plant has ovoid green leaves with small white berries. Why is it associated with Christmas? Here’s one explanation: The Druids of Britain (think Stonehenge), circa 100 C.E., thought that mistletoe had magic properties: a cure for disease, a fertility aid, protection from witches and so forth. In a special ceremony held in late…
Continue reading “RECIPE: Mistletoe Margarita, A Christmas & New Year’s Margarita Cocktail”

Holiday Cocktails To Use Up Spirits & A Cranberry Caipirinha Recipe

Do you find yourself with bottles of spirits you don’t use often: the Limoncello you bought on impulse, the cachaça you used once to make Caipirinhas, the saké you never get around to drinking with take-out sushi? Could you use the space they take up to store something else? Look for holiday cocktail recipes that…
Continue reading “Holiday Cocktails To Use Up Spirits & A Cranberry Caipirinha Recipe”

TIP OF THE DAY: Whip Up A Wassail Recipe

Yesterday we discussed that cup of good cheer, mulled wine, as a traditional Christmas drink. Today we present the other drink of holiday song, the wassail bowl (pronounced WOSS-ul). Wassail is an Anglo-Saxon term meaning “good health.” During the holiday season in merrie olde [medieval] England, a host would invite friends over for a celebratory…
Continue reading “TIP OF THE DAY: Whip Up A Wassail Recipe”