By Liz Berg on Nov 19, 2015 01:00 am
If you’re expecting company over the holidays for breakfast or brunch, this spectacular Smoked Salmon Platter is easy, impressive and utterly delicious!
Salmon Platter for a Crowd
With the holidays approaching (very quickly, in fact!), it’s nice to have an easy elegant breakfast or brunch idea in your back pocket. I’m a huge salmon lover and have made homemade gravlax more than once. But during this crazy season, I head to the market and pick up some roasted as well as smoked salmon to make this morning feast. Along with the salmon there are a few accoutrements that are imperative–capers, minced red onion, lemons, dill and either cream cheese or creme fraiche. Artfully arrange the salmon on a platter and make sure to pick up a variety of bagels and dark breads.
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By Liz Berg on Nov 17, 2015 05:00 am
As soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are done, I start thinking about baking Christmas Cookies. I tend to make the same 6-8 cookies each year along with fudge, toffee and peppermint bark. But I also like to shake things up a bit with at least one new holiday cookie! And I have a boatload of favorites from my blogger friends to share with you today!
Inspiration Galore!
My rule of thumb for holiday cookies is to have one sugary cookie, one chocolate, one peanut butter, one ginger, one nutty and one coconutty. Something for everyone. And they are ALL my favorites. But that doesn’t mean I ever stop looking for an improved recipe or a new twist to make my Christmas cookies even better. Plus I have an annual cookie exchange and that cookie recipe cannot be the same as one that I deliver to my friends and neighbors. That would be blasphemy!
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By Liz Berg on Nov 16, 2015 01:00 am
I bake numerous batches of cookies and make candy for my dear friends and neighbors during the holidays. I’m adding GODIVA gift boxes this year for an extra sweet holiday gift! This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and GODIVA, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia ##GiveGODIVA http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV
Chocolate Required
I love to package up my holiday goodies with cute boxes, coordinating gift tags and tissue paper. I add a variety of homemade sweets, but nearly half feature chocolate. I’m sure this doesn’t shock any of my loyal readers. But to shake things up, I’m tucking in some GODIVA gift boxes that I spotted in the Holiday section of my local Walmart. I nabbed some GODIVA Assorted Milk Chocolates gift boxes as well as some GODIVA Assorted Chocolate Caramels gift boxes (reserving one for me!) and also a few GODIVA Assorted Chocolates gift boxes. They make a sensational hostess or holiday gift, perfect for those on your list who are impossible to buy for. Their signature gold boxes will thrill your friends as everyone knows that GODIVA chocolates are the epitome of fine chocolates. These will definitely be on my holiday shopping list for years to come. I’d suggest you stock up, too! Visit Walmart this holiday season for GODIVA Chocolate Gift Boxes. Available in three 9PC varieties and also a 15PC Dark All-of-a-Kind. (while supplies last). 
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By Liz Berg on Nov 15, 2015 01:00 am
One of my friends requested another cooking “lesson” at my house. And I use the term “lesson” loosely. Out for lunch, we brainstormed till we decided on a crockpot theme. Instead of me doing all the cooking, I handed out recipes and assigned myself the Slow Cooker Apple Pecan Bread Pudding for dessert.
Crock Pot Extravaganza
We all had slow cookers, but most of them were just taking up prime real estate in our kitchens. I dusted mine off, cubed some cinnamon bread, apples and whipped up a custard. My crockpot was turned on at 7 AM and by 10 AM the house was filled with the aroma of cinnamon and spice. I gave a very brief presentation focusing on some pointers for the best results when using a crockpot or slow cooker:
- Choose a cut of meat that stands up to slow and moist cooking like a chuck roast, chicken thighs instead of breasts, or pork shoulder.
- Brown your meat first for an extra boost of flavor.
- Finish off your dish with fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon, some Parmesan or a drizzle of good olive oil to brighten the flavor.
- Keep the lid on your crockpot so no heat escapes. These dishes were designed to cook without stirring. The clear lid allows you to see how the dish is progressing.
- Cooking on low will take approximately twice the time to finish as cooking on low.
- Put hard veggies like carrots, potatoes in first, so they will cook through.
- Remove the skin from your chicken and trim any obvious excess fat from your meats so you don’t have an oil slick atop your finished dish.
Here are the dishes we sampled along with the tweaks to the recipes in parentheses:
Susan’s Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs (use turkey breast, seasoned bread crumbs, may substitute rehydrated and ground raisins for the brown sugar for a healthier option)
Sally’s BBQ Beef (may thicken sauce with a cornstarch slurry)
Jeannes’s Italian Beef (use only 1 package Italian dressing mix and add a sliced onion)
Shelli’s Chicken Enchilada Soup (may use bone in/skin on chicken breasts, canned tomatoes, frozen corn, omit heavy cream and cayenne)
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