Menus – In Good Taste

A Christmas Eve Appetizer Menu

Maris Callahan — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 17:36:34 +0000

A simple Christmas Eve appetizer menu with small plates, snacks, bites – and a cocktail! – that is also perfect for any holiday party. Growing up, my family celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah. My mom is Jewish and my dad lapsed Catholic, but my parents wanted my brother and I to experience the best of both winter holidays. I remember picking Hanukkah presents out from under the Christmas tree and, on the rare occasions that Hanukkah and Christmas intersected, feeling doubly lucky that Santa had visited our house. Our holidays were also pretty non-denominational. We didn’t go to church or synagogue and celebrations generally meant an abundance of good food. On Christmas Eve, we would always have appetizers instead of a more traditional holiday meal. For the past two years, this is a tradition that Brad and I have picked up with his family. If you’re celebrating Christmas Eve with small plates, bites or snacks, here are some of my favorite recipes to add to a Christmas Eve appetizer menu. Christmas Eve Appetizer Menu Ina Garten’s Roasted Shrimp Cocktail from Barefoot Contessa Goat Cheese Pistachio Stuffed Dates French Quarter Cheese Spread from Creative Culinary Baked Brie en Croute Miniature Crab Cakes from Epicurious Turkey […]

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14 Insane Thanksgiving Side Dishes You Need to Make

Maris Callahan — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 18:55:54 +0000

Thanksgiving turkeys get a lot of hype, but really? It’s the side dishes that people look forward to all year. It’s the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the corn casserole and the cranberry sauce that people look forward to all year. While some people are traditionalists when it comes to the big meal, others like to mix it up and add fresh new Thanksgiving side dishes to the dinner table each year. If you’re among those who are looking to spice up your menu this holiday season, here are 14 of the most indulgent and creative dishes you can make this year. 1. Poutine Stuffing with Sausage and Cheese Curds This poutine stuffing is a fun twist on a fall classic. Perfect for Thanksgiving, it’s packed full of pork sausage and cheese curds and topped with a delicious poutine gravy. 2. Caramelized Onion and Bacon Mashed Potatoes If you’re looking to take your ‘taters to the next level, caramelized onions and bacon will add sweet and salty flavors into these creamy and delicious bacon mashed potatoes. 3. Mushroom Goat Cheese Galette It takes a few hours to pull this savory mushroom goat cheese galette together, but when you taste the tangy goat cheese and […]

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Fall-Themed Brunch Party & Sparkling Apple Cider Sangria

Maris Callahan — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 19:23:35 +0000

If you love to entertain, but want to do it within a conservative budget, a festive brunch party is a great way to play hostess without breaking the bank. With the holiday season approaching, a fall-themed brunch party is the best way to start a weekend day. I don’t consider brunch to be a B-list meal. In fact, if you do it right, weekend brunch can be the only meal you need to eat all day. You can eat sweet and savory foods together and you can drink cocktails before noon. What could be better? As we look ahead toward the holiday weekend, I’m going to hazard a guess at some point between now and the end of the year, you’ll spend a least one weekend morning skipping your usual “stay-in-bed-til-noon” routine in favor of preparing or attending a meal that is equal parts social and juuuust substantial enough to make you want to follow said meal with an immediate nap. The staples of any brunch party menu, whether you’re throwing the party or bringing a dish to a potluck, are pretty consistent: Something fresh, like a bright green salad with all of the seasonal fixings. In the fall, I like to toss mixed greens with walnuts, blue or […]

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37 Holiday Appetizers Perfect For Parties or Entertaining

Maris Callahan — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 20:46:30 +0000

As much as I love to cook a big holiday meal, there’s a lot to be said for a meal that consists entirely of hors d’oeuvres. Growing up, my family always had appetizers on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day we’d have a big breakfast and head to family friends’ for Christmas dinner. I thought our holiday appetizers tradition was unique until about five years ago. Since moving to Chicago, I started spending the holiday with local friends and families, and as it turns out, a lot of families share in the Christmas Eve appetizer tradition in lieu of making two big dinners on Christmas, and again on Christmas Eve. If you don’t have holiday hors d’oeuvres on Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve is right around the corner and happens to be a perfect opportunity for easy yet elegant holiday appetizers. Here are a few must-try holiday appetizers that have one thing in common: they all pair perfectly with champagne. Cheese Balls Cranberry Pecan Cheese Ball from Creme de la Crumb Cheddar Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball from Chef in Training Roasted Garlic Asiago Cheese Ball from Lemons for Lulu White Cheddar, Roasted Almond and Crispy Sage Cheese Ball from How Sweet Eats Bruschetta […]

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How To Host a Holiday Biscuit Bar Brunch

Maris Callahan — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 18:00:32 +0000

When I have guests visiting for the holidays, I think about making dinner reservations or trying out new recipes. I rarely think about brunch, which around the holidays usually means offering guests cold cereal or leftover Christmas cookies if they happen to wake up before noon. That will all change with this holiday biscuit bar brunch idea from Chicago’s own Home Chef. When I heard that Home Chef, a weekly meal delivery company based in Chicago, is making it easier to entertain during the holiday season, I was on board. Home Chef offers weekly deliveries of fresh, perfectly portioned ingredients and chef-designed recipes for people who want to eat better at home, but want to save a little time in the kitchen. I thought their main and side dishes sounded nice, but it was the Holiday Morning Biscuit Bar that really sounded like the most awesome thing on the planet, and I can now confirm that it very much is. For $13.90, you receive the ingredients and recipe to make a dozen+ biscuits plus three unique toppings to mix and match. The Asiago biscuits in less than 20 minutes, and you serve them alongside warm apple-cinnamon butter, rich cherry butter, and a sweet onion jam. (You could even get […]

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