holiday recipes – In Good Taste

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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Hoppin’ John Recipe

Maris Callahan — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 07:19:14 +0000

Last year, my friend Anita hosted an open house New Year’s Day party where her daughter, also a good friend of mine, made a big pot of Hoppin’ John, a simple black-eyed pea stew made with bacon, rice and banana peppers. Black eyed peas are said to bring upon good luck in the New Year. This was new to me, but from here out I think I’m going to make it a tradition: 2016 has been a great year for me. I know it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for a lot of people and I am the first one to agree: there is a lot of scary shit happening in the world. Pain is local though and I find myself practicing gratitude regularly — not just saying I’m grateful for what I have, but actually feeling it and believing it. Of course, I don’t owe it all to the Hoppin’ John. At the beginning of 2015 I was stuck in a big fat rut — unhappy running an all-consuming PR business, struggling financially, and overall feeling kind of lonely. My friend Kelley told me, as cliche as it is, that “life is a roller coaster, and sometimes you’re at the top and other […]

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Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

Maris Callahan — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 19:45:07 +0000

I know, I know. I’m sharing a cookie recipe after Christmas, right when the Internet is breathing a collective sigh of relief that cookie season is finally behind us and that it’s time to return to our regularly scheduled diets. I won’t lie, I have a yoga class scheduled this afternoon and I’m listening to non-Christmas music for the first time since Thanksgiving, so I appreciate the break. At the same time, I’m all for anything that will extend the festive Christmas spirit for a few more days and these ginger molasses cookies happen to fit the bill. There are so many things about the Christmas season that I wish were simply winter traditions. I’m all about the magic of Christmas and I realize it bears some pretty significant religious symbolism for a lot of people, but for me it’s about celebrating the people, places and experiences that you’re grateful for and celebrating the year. I love the music, the decorations, the excuse to bake (a lot) and eat (a lot) with loved ones. Even though the Christmas season is rooted in religion, there is a lot about the Christmas season that has brings out the good in people and I think that’s something to […]

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Salted Caramel Eggnog Punch

Maris Callahan — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 21:48:14 +0000

Eggnog: you love it or hate it. Around this time of year, it’s hard to step foot in a restaurant, bar or friend’s house without someone offering you a holiday spirited cocktail. From spiked apple cider to a classic Tom & Jerry to cranberry martinis, holiday cheer is plentiful in December, in more ways than one. I am a bit of an anomaly — I love eggnog, but generally find it too thick and cloying to drink more than a few sips, so making it from scratch is more effort than it’s worth. Brad isn’t much of a mixed drink guy — he drinks beer, wine and the most festive cocktail you’ll see him sipping is gin and tonic. Yet, every year in December I find myself drawn to fill my shopping cart with eggnog and use it in some of my favorite holiday recipes. Last year I made Iced Eggnog Cookies that were hugely popular in my office and this year, Chila ‘Orchata Cinnamon Cream Rum has been a game changer in my kitchen. Chila ‘Orchata mixes the richness of Puerto Rican rum, spice of cinnamon horchata and sweetness of Tahitian vanilla for a delicious result. Just the right […]

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Chocolate Strawberry Brownies

Maris Callahan — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 06:56:41 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SendSweetness #CollectiveBias Dark chocolate brownies dotted with fresh strawberries as well as M&M’s® Strawberry candies make for the perfect Valentine’s Day sweet treat. People assume that when you aren’t in a committed relationship, you must hate Valentine’s Day. Now, I hate the entire month of February, but that’s a story for another day. I’ve never been in a long-term committed relationship over Valentine’s Day, but that’s hardly the fault of February 14th. I like the idea of a day to celebrate love. Mostly though, I like the idea of a day to celebrate chocolate. My grandmother’s recipe for Cake Nor Candy brownies has always been one of my favorites to make from scratch. It’s easy, requires one bowl, no electric mixer and absolutely no one who has ever tried these brownies has done anything except rave about them. M&M’s® have always been one of my favorite candies, so when I saw M&M’s® Strawberry in the Valentine’s Day candy aisle, I knew that they would be the perfect way to give a favorite recipe an extra special twist for a day dedicated to heart shaped candy and […]

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