Pan-Roasted Winter Fruits

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Yukon Gold potatoes are included in this trio of winter fruits because their flesh is slightly sweeter than other potatoes. The combination of potatoes, apples, pears and chestnuts roasted in butter and olive oil produces a side dish that’s both sweet and savory and a perfect accompaniment to your holiday meal. Marilyn and I have been making it during the holidays for years.

The boys think it’s strange to take perfectly crisp and cool apples and pears and make them soft and warm. I understand their logic but think they’ll grow into the idea as their tastes mature.

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Souped up Canned Chicken Noodle

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

It never fails that whenever you add the word, “holiday,” on top of your usual activities, a cold or worse seems to be lurking around the corner. I've heard that the flu season is well under way and that this is a very virulent strain…oh great, just what we need!

Some of us think we are super human and can juggle everything without any reckoning. But when your body starts to talk to you, listen. It’s saying, slow down. And if that doesn't work, your body will just take control and put on the brakes… possibly rendering you bedridden with an ailment.

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What to do with Broccolini

By Katie Barreira
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

While picking up a bunch of broccolini at the farmers’ market, a fellow shopper asked me how to go about preparing the bright green veg. She had seen a recipe that called for par-cooking the slender stalks in a pot of boiling, salted water before plunging them into an ice bath – a culinary technique known as blanching and shocking. It seemed like a big production for a little vegetable. Was it really necessary? My answer: not necessarily.

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Special Fork’s Holiday Gift Guide

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

As a family of food lovers, specialty food and kitchen tools often make their way into our Christmas stockings or under the tree.

Steve and I already have a well-equipped kitchen but Steve is a serious amateur cook. So the boys and I give him cookbooks or high-end kitchen tools for Christmas.

Dave and his wife Lynn are fairly recently married and are still building their “batterie de cuisine.” Last year one of the presents we gave Dave was a Le Creuset Dutch oven – the larger ones are so expensive, it’s nice to get one for a gift.

Chris lives in a tiny apartment in Queens in New York. He’d rather figure work-arounds than stock the appropriate tools, so even the pop-up colander was returned after Christmas. He’d as soon drain his pasta using a pot cover. Still, Chris is the most likely one to slip foodstuffs into our stockings. Traveling for work or vacation, he brings back treasures, such as canned French foie gras or Hungarian paprika for us.

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Party Ideas for Newbies

Special Fork celebrates Entertaining Week. Stay tuned for party tips and recipes from our Special Fork bloggers all week long. This week also kicks off our annual holiday kitchen tools sweepstakes. Please check our Facebook page to learn about the tools we've selected for the sweepstakes and how you can enter to win our prize package (estimated retail value: $122).

By David Hu
A new video for Video Friday

Especially during the holidays, when friends drop by unexpectedly, it’s nice to have a nibble or two on hand. Even beginning cooks can make Honey Crystal Almonds, which takes nominal time to prep and cook, and you’ll be all set to welcome company before you know it.

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