TIP OF THE DAY: Deluxe Hot Chocolate

It’s a perfect weekend to snuggle up with homemade hot chocolate. Photo courtesy Recchiuti Confections. We love those luxury, super-rich hot chocolates that can cost up to $25 a box—and we gave some of them as holiday gifts. Here’s the scoop: Some of these top-tier products are simply chopped up bits of fine chocolate. You…
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GIFTS: Our Favorite Holiday Gift ~ Landy XO Cognac

Santa was generous and thoughtul. After all, what can you give to a food editor, aside from a trainer who shows up at the office (no time to get to the gym) and a spa cuisine personal chef to offset the far-from-spa calories we consume all day on the job? Now we have something in…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Toasty Panettone

Panettone photo by Gabriel T. / SXC. Did you get a panettone for Christmas? Panettone, a medieval Italian Christmas yeast bread dotted with candied lemon peel, orange peel and raisins, is the Italian version of fruitcake—a popular Christmas gift. Panettone is tall, dome-shaped and airy (some say fluffy), in contrast to the other famous Christmas…
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RECIPE: And A Partridge In A Cheese Tree

Perhaps there’s still time to rearrange your cheese tray into a Christmas tree. All you need are cubes of cheese (the tree in the photo uses different flavors of Cabot Cheddar), grape tomatoes and some fresh thyme. The star on the top of the tree is a carved mushroom cap. If you don’t have the…
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TIP OF THE DAY: “Great Wall” Alcohol-Free Cocktail

It can look great and taste great without any alcohol. Instead of relegating non-drinking guests to an evening of mineral water, create a special alcohol-free cocktail menu to make their evening more festive. One option is a “Great Wall,” a combination of brewed jasmine tea and ginger ale. 1. Brew a pot of jasmine tea…
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