Some Quick Meals to Survive the Holiday Frenzy

By Sandy Hu

From Thanksgiving until the New Year, there are never enough hours in the day to get ready for the holidays.  While you’re trimming the tree, shopping for gifts, baking cookies and preparing to host parties, the daily cooking still must get done.

Special Fork, a mobile recipe website, was built to solve what to cook at 4 p.m. when you haven’t yet decided what’s for dinner.  While spur-of-the moment decision-making is fine most of the year, during the holiday frenzy, it’s good to have some quick meals in mind for the week so you can plan ahead and stock up on the ingredients you’ll need.

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Get a Jump-Start on Cooking your Thanksgiving Feast

By Lori Powell

So I’m still trying to remember to breathe… I am obsessed with helping everyone around me manage the greatest food holiday of the year that often requires jumping through not one, but several hoops, on so many levels.

If you haven’t read my prior post featuring my Thanksgiving tips, I suggest you start with that one. Today I am going to give you some tips on how to make ahead items on your menu and how to tackle the Thanksgiving feast.

Happy Turkey Day and remember, what happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen….

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Sugar Cookies for the Holidays -- Ready, Set, Bake!

By Allison Kociuruba

It doesn’t get more festive than decorating sugar cookies. It’s quick, fun and easy to do for almost any holiday or occasion.

Start with your favorite sugar cookie dough or this easy one from Elinor Klivans’ Big Fat Cookies cookbook, published by Chronicle Books.

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California Roast Turkey

By Andrew Hunter

The biggest Thanksgiving challenge for most people is getting over the psychological hurdle of cooking the big bird. Whenever a cooking project intimidates me I think to myself that it’s only food and then, how hard can it be? I also do a little extra homework before starting, like reading cookbooks, searching for instructional photos and making sure I have all the right ingredients in place.

I thought I would share my favorite turkey recipe with you this year. I like it because the results are delicious and it has very detailed instructions from opening the turkey to basting it while roasting and making the gravy. Don’t let the length of the recipe intimidate you. Instead print it out, read it two or three times, organize your ingredients and equipment, and enjoy yourself in the kitchen…just make sure you chill an extra bottle of Gewürztraminer for the “chef’s cooking wine.”

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One or Two Bites (but not today)

By Lori Powell

The biggest food holiday is almost here. Ten family members will be arriving at my house in Pennsylvania next Wednesday so I am in countdown mode.

Don’t get me wrong. I am super- excited but the love of it is in the planning and details. Not only will they be here for the big feast day but they will also be lodging at my house for several days.

I feel like Robert Irvine in Dinner: Impossible times four days. Do I even have enough bath towels for 11 people (counting myself of course)?

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