Important News from Special Fork

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

For most of us, the single biggest decision we make every night is what to eat for dinner. Should we get takeout? Should we cook? And if we cook, what to cook!

That decision is usually made after 4 p.m.

When we founded Special Fork four years ago, we wanted to provide you with solutions: a database of curated recipes that would take no more than 30 minutes of time to prep (cooking may be extra). We created that database with recipes reviewed by Special Fork Food Editors, all experienced food professionals – chefs, magazine editors and recipe developers – who read through each recipe before approving it for our database.

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A Centerpiece for Christmas Dinner

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

One of the best things about making Christmas dinner is coming up with a different centerpiece for the table each year. As kids, I doubt my boys really appreciated the effort, but I enjoy this annual project. I continue to collect all the holiday issues of magazines, looking for design inspiration.

This year, I’m making Christmas trees from sheet moss, something I saw in one of the magazines a few years ago. These trees are easy to make but moss is messy – it will crumble on you – so make these trees in a place where you can clean up easily afterwards. I like the trees in their natural state for a woodland effect, but you can add embellishments if you like your trees fancier.

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Christmas Tamale Stuffing

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

When I was little I thought stuffing was gross because it was, you know, the guts. My big brother Tony convinced me by whispering, “Yep, Mom really does serve us guts, but don’t tell her I told you!”

Then one Thanksgiving, when Tony was at his girlfriend’s house, I had a revelation … and the truth was miraculously delicious. Since then I’ve made all sorts of stuffings with oysters and figs, roasted shallots and pancetta, sausage, leeks, fennel and roasted peppers, but never with gizzards.

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Let it Snow!

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

I adore Christmas but am not a fan of shopping at this time of the year. Crowds and long lines are just not my kind of fun. So I like to get into the holiday spirit by baking small gifts for others.

Last year, I made some cookies, small breads and individual bread puddings. However, this year is different because I just moved back to my house in the Hudson Valley from Pennsylvania this past week. Being surrounded by pillars of boxes that seem to not want to go away doesn’t exactly encourage one to spend days baking!

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A Simple Gingerbread Cake

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

This time of year, even folks who’ve never touched a skillet get the baking itch. And how can you resist? The smells of cinnamon, gingerbread, chocolate and everything pumpkin spice wafting in the air instantly make us happier and eager to fill our own homes with that feeling.

In that spirit of conviviality, I wanted to leave you newbie cooks with a ridiculously simple, exponentially more satisfying, and comforting cake for the holidays. I’m hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t love gingerbread, but maybe rolling out cookies or the heavy molasses flavor of dark gingerbreads isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

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