Happy Holidays from Special Fork

By Sandy Hu

Special Fork bloggers will be on vacation beginning next week, to enable each of us to spend time with family and friends through the holidays. We’ll return January 2 with a look back at the best of Special Fork from 2011; all bloggers will return beginning January 9 with new recipes and fresh insights.

While there are no new blog postings, remember to check our database of recipes for your everyday cooking and holiday needs.

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“No Thank You” Bite

By Andrew Hunter

Several months ago I was at a dinner party at a loud restaurant with business associates when amongst the chatter, laughter and clamor of raucous conversation, I heard a husband quietly taking care of family business with his wife, “The boys did a good job with dinner tonight,” he said quietly, “except for Timmy who took a ‘no thank you’ bite and passed.”

I wondered what a “no thank you” bite could possibly be. So thanks to the Cronan family from Folsom, the Hunter boys now take no thank you bites whenever they turn up their noses at something. A no thank you bite is a simple but brilliant way to get your kids to at least try everything they’re served. If they take a bite and still don’t like it, then they don’t have to eat it. But our experience is that at least half the time our boys change their mind from no to yes after the no thank bite rule is enforced.

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Fun with Grapefruit

By Lori Powell

Grapefruit or Pomelo?

Well, the real difference is in the size of the fruit and the taste. The pomelo is the largest of the citrus fruits. It comes from Asia and is milder and sweeter than the grapefruit. It also has a much thicker rind than the grapefruit with a pale yellow flesh as opposed to a Ruby Red grapefruit that has a bright pink interior.

Pomelos are great for segmenting and eating just as it is but I do prefer the sprightly acidic flavor of grapefruit, especially the Ruby Red variety that is not only pretty to look at, but I believe is slightly sweeter than the regular kind. Ruby Red or regular grapefruit works well in both sweet and savory dishes.

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A Persian Feast

By Marilyn Hunter

Not every home cooked meal has to be eaten in our own home. Last night we went to our friend’s apartment for a Persian Feast. Her apartment is no ordinary place; rather it’s perched on a high floor of a skyscraper with spectacular views of the ocean, mountains and downtown city lights of Los Angeles.

Sweet spices, fragrant rice and roasted meats wafted down the elevator shaft for a delicious welcome long before we arrived on her floor. Persian meals are well-balanced affairs with salad, vegetables, piles of fresh herbs, pickles, walnuts, feta cheese and of course the famous rice dishes.

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Taking Leftover Turkey South of the Border

By Katie Barreira

It can be hard to gobble up all of those Thanksgiving leftovers. Well in Spanish, turkeys say gluglú gluglú and if you’re still picking your way through a holiday bird and just can’t bear the thought of another turkey sandwich, here’s a Mexican-inspired recipe that will have you gluglú-ing every last bite.

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