Back to School Lunches

Back-to-school time means it’s back to being busy before, during and after school, so it’s time for parents and kids to create new routines. From early wake-up calls to shuttling kids to school and activities, ease the morning mayhem by incorporating a simple meal-planning strategy.

As a parent, look for fresh, make-ahead options your kids will enjoy. Serve up lunchbox love by mixing up the classic sandwich with a spin on sushi in this Bento Box Lunch recipe. It’s a creative way to deliver nutritious, wholesome ingredients that will make the whole lunchroom drool. Plus, it’s something you can take for lunch too.

No matter what meals you’re prepping, a store like ALDI can be your solution for packing tasty and better-for-you choices for lunches and on-the-go snacks. With high-quality ingredients at affordable prices, ALDI offers what you need to get ready for the days ahead.

For more recipes and meal prepping ideas, visit aldi.us.

Bento Box Lunch

Recipe courtesy of Chef Alyssa, ALDI Test Kitchen

Servings: 4

“Sushi Roll”:

4 slices SimplyNature Knock Your Sprouts Off Sprouted Low Sodium 7 Grain Bread
4 slices Lunch Mate Never Any! Turkey
1 teaspoon Burman’s Yellow Mustard
1/2 avocado, sliced
1 mini cucumber, cut into 3-inch-by-1/4-inch sticks

Quinoa Salad:

1 cup SimplyNature Organic Quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup Southern Grove Sliced Almonds
2 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated
1/4 cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries
3 bunches green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon Carlini Pure Olive Oil
Stonemill Iodized Salt, to taste
Stonemill Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Broccoli Salad:

1 large head broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup Southern Grove Sliced Almonds
1/4 cup Southern Grove Dried Cranberries
1 teaspoon Fusia Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Friendly Farms Vanilla Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Stonemill Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Cinnamon Apples:

1 Granny Smith apple, sliced
1 tablespoon Nature’s Nectar Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Stonemill Ground Cinnamon

To make “Sushi Roll”: Trim crust from bread. Using rolling pin, roll out bread slices to 1/8-inch thickness. Top with turkey, mustard, avocado and cucumber. Roll into cylinder, wrap with plastic wrap and cut in half.

To make Quinoa Salad: In medium bowl, combine quinoa, almonds, oranges, cranberries, green onions and olive oil; season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make Broccoli Salad: In medium bowl, combine broccoli, almonds, cranberries, soy sauce and yogurt; season to taste with pepper.

To make Cinnamon Apples: Toss apples with lemon juice and cinnamon. Place in sandwich bags and wrap tightly.

Organize equal amounts of “Sushi Rolls,” Quinoa Salad, Broccoli Salad and Cinnamon Apples in separate bento box compartments.

New Report Looks At The Impact Free Food At Work Has On Weight

CLEVELAND (WKRC) - A new report on eating at work says free food can really be a hidden health hazard, but there are ways to enjoy the parties without packing on the pounds.

It's hard to avoid the special snacks people bring in to work. Often they are a way to celebrate and share in something really good happening at work. It's such a kind gesture when someone at work brings in free breakfast food for the meeting or to celebrate a birthday, but a new report from nutrition specialists at the Cleveland Clinic says all those office treats are seriously expanding our waistlines.

A study on office eating was recently presented to the American Society for Nutrition. Researchers discovered people at work get an extra 1,322 calories a week, on average. Much of that appears to be from food that is less than ideal for maintaining a healthy diet and a healthy weight.

The study examined surveys of more than 5,000 working adults. It shows one in four of us get food at work -- most of it for free, which makes it hard to resist. In fact, researchers said free food accounts for more than 70 percent of all extra calories acquired at work.

As for how to deal with it, bring a healthy snack to an office event. If you want some of the other food choices, just be aware of what you're eating from the office snacks and reduce calories somewhere later in the day, if you can.

There's some thought, however, that you only have so much willpower, so you may be better off having a little bit rather than trying to avoid it and eating too much later.

Sardines Cooked With Escargot Butter Popular With Shoppers

Chef Koji Yamada has been working with the local supermarket Tsuruya in Ueda, Nagano Prefecture, to create healthy recipes for home cooking, which are distributed at all 33 stores of the supermarket in the prefecture.

Yamada, chef of Weisshorn, a restaurant located in Maruko Central Hospital in Ueda, comes up with three or four low-sodium recipes a month that feature in-season ingredients.

When Tsuruya approached him with the project, Yamada readily agreed to help, hoping to “be of use to the health and happiness of the local people.” The distribution of the recipes called “Ikiiki reshipi” (full-of-life recipes) began in the spring of 2015.

To date, the cooking procedures of around 140 dishes have been introduced on a postcard-size sheet along with the nutrient content, Yamada’s advice on cooking and comments by the nutritionists.

About 20,000 cards are printed each month, and all are said to be picked up by customers.

This month’s lineup includes such dishes as “Tomato sauce with clams and webfoot octopus cooked in a rice cooker” and “Japanese plum-flavored ice candy.”

Yamada takes the nutrition and sense of the season into consideration to create dishes that make up balanced meals.

The number of ingredients, seasonings and cooking utensils that are available for use has jumped during the past several decades. Yamada utilizes them and tries to restructure “home cooking of our time” by creating the recipes.

This week’s “sardines cooked with escargot butter” was also offered as a monthly recipe and proved popular with the shoppers. Since the sardines become steamed and roasted by the water contained in the newly harvested onion and the tomato, they turn out tender even without the use of a steam oven. The recipe also works with mackerel and horse mackerel.

Escargot butter is not butter that contains edible snails, but a kind mixed with herb vegetables that is used when cooking the escargot. The strong flavor goes well with the sardine innards.

“Have some baguette ready since it tastes delicious when soaked in the juice in the gratin dish,” says Yamada.

If you have an aversion to fish innards, remove them before cooking.

INGREDIENTS

(Serves two)

Ingredient A (100 grams salt-free butter, 10 grams anchovy paste or anchovy, 1 clove garlic, 40 grams onion, 10 grams parsley)

※This is an easy-to-make amount. (About half is used in this recipe.)

2 large sardines

1 ripe tomato

1 new onion (shin-tamanegi)

1 eggplant

40 grams mushroom

1 Tbsp breadcrumbs

METHOD

Make escargot butter by grating garlic, chopping onion and parsley. Warm butter to room temperature until soft. Mix Ingredient A well.

Remove gills and scales from sardines and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt.

Cut tomato and eggplant in 1-cm round slices. Slice new onion in rounds that are 7-mm thick. Cut mushrooms in half.

In a gratin dish that fits the sardines, lay vegetables and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Top with sardines and coat with half of escargot butter. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and cook in oven preheated to 200 degrees for about 20 minutes until done.

※Remaining escargot butter may be kept in the fridge or freezer and be used in many ways, such as applying on bread to be toasted or placing on mushrooms and shellfish and cooked in the oven.

“Just add weed” isn’t a recipe for good television

"Just add weed" seems to be the only idea for otherwise unrelated companies looking to capitalize on the U.S.’s growing, legal marijuana market. There are marijuana city tours, marijuana event planners, marijuana beauty products, and marijuana-friendly hotels, just to name a few, all capitalizing on the fun to be had in the new consequence-free world of cannabis consumption. Watching people consume marijuana, however, isn’t interesting in and of itself, something many friends of stoners already know. Unfortunately, that’s something Netflix hasn’t quite figured out with the release of Cooking on High, its latest cooking competition show, in which expert chefs create weed-infused dishes in the hopes of impressing their judges: unabashed stoners who are just happy to be there.

Most cooking shows are as fun to watch while high as any nature documentary or Law and Order: SVU episode. Cooking on High has all the basic ingredients (pun intended) of what could be a successful cooking competition show: affable hosts and judges, a bright, sleek set, and chefs with the ability to make eye-catching dishes.

There are distinct differences, though. The show’s resident cannabis expert Ngaio Bealum introduces a new cannabis strain each episode that will be used in the prepared dishes (though the process of turning flowers into weed oil or butter is never included, presumably for time and to save viewers from the long, boring process). After the judges consume the dishes, they are given a “THC Timeout” to allow the effects of the foods to take root, during which time they get a chance to speak directly to the camera about how high they are. (Unsurprisingly, many admit that they were already high when they arrived.)

Many of the chefs specialize in making cannabis-infused meals and other edibles. One, chef Andrea Drummer, made a French onion soup in the fourth episode that put me on the lookout for the non-medicated recipe. But with its focus on judging dishes that, for viewers, are indistinguishable from their non-medicated counterparts, Cooking on High ends up as a boring exercise in testing the limits of cannabis on TV. The success of shows like Weeds, Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, High Maintenance, and Broad City illustrate that people are interested in shows that talk about the weed industry, incorporate celebrity weed lovers and marijuana-related popular culture, and generally comport themselves with a spacey vibe familiar to anyone who’s gotten a little too lost in the leaf. Meanwhile, Cooking on High only offers an obvious takeaway: Watching people you don’t know talk about being stoned isn’t fun for viewers, even if those viewers are themselves stoned.

The show’s creators get this, to a certain extent. The 12 episodes are no longer than 15 minutes each, and there are always only two dishes to deliberate on. The cast of rotating chefs and judges are all funny and personable enough that I didn’t completely mind giving the show a try, but for stoners and food-lovers alike, there’s not much there to earn your commitment. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the coming years, we see more and more of these Hail Mary attempts to capture the weed-consuming, TV-watching market. One day, there will be a stoner cooking show that captures our hearts.

Cook This Jowar Daliya Upma For A Nutritious Start To The Day

Looking for something wholesome and nutritious to start your day? Add a healthy twist to your breakfast with this delicious Jowar Upma cooked with lots of veggies. Gluten-free and high in protein, jowar or sorghum is a great alternative for wheat in this popular breakfast dish.

Upma may find its origins in the South Indian cuisine but it is a popular breakfast dish all across the country. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see it as a breakfast option on one of my recent international flights too! Usually upma is made either with wheat semolina or daliya, which is commonly referred to as broken wheat.

In this recipe, instead of wheat daliya, I have used jowar daliya. While broken wheat is also healthy, jowar daliya or split sorghum is gluten free, rich in fibre and full of vitamins and minerals. With loads of veggies, this upma gives a nourishing start to the day. You can add as many or as little vegetables to the dish. Choose seasonal vegetables of your choice. This recipe is also great to hide not-so-popular vegetables, especially with picky eaters. I also added some bottle gourd in my mix.

Jowar is also a high protein grain, making it a great choice for breakfast cereals. I also use the flour to make gluten-free jowar rotis. As the awareness about gluten-free grains is increasing, more and more traditional millet crops are coming back in the market, providing us with healthier choices. Bajra, jowar, and ragi are the most popular Indian millets.

Many people think it is difficult to cook with millets but there are easy millet recipes like Veg Millet Pulao, where I use little millets instead of rice or this upma recipe, where I have substituted wheat daliya with jowar daliya.

Jowar Daliya Upma

Preparation: 10 mins | Cooking Time: 15 mins, serves two

Ingredients

1 cup — Jowar daliya (soaked for 30 mins)
1tbsp — Oil
A pinch — Asafoetida (hing)
2tsp — Mustard seeds (rai)
1 — Dried red chilli
8-10 — Curry leaves
1 — Green chilli, chopped
1 inch — Ginger, chopped
2 — Green onions, sliced
1 — Capsicum, chopped
½ cup — Bottle gourd (lauki), chopped
½ cup — Green peas, boiled
2 — Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp — Turmeric powder
1 — Lime
Salt — To taste
Fresh coriander leaves — To garnish

Method

* Boil three cups of water in a deep pot. Drain the soaked jowar daliya and add salt to the boiling water. Mix, and let it cook on medium heat till the daliya is soft for about 10 minutes. The daliya will soak in most of the water and it will be a little wet and slushy.

* While the jowar is cooking, heat oil in a kadhai. Once the oil is hot add rai, hing, dried red chilli, and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.

* Add the green chilli, ginger and onion. Mix well and cook for a minute.

* Next add bottle gourd, capsicum. Mix and cook for five minutes, till the vegetables start to soften.

* Add the boiled peas, tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes.

* Add the boiled jowar daliya and lime juice.

* Mix well and cook everything together for another minute.

* Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Food: Seasonal Vegetables Give Pasta Salad Pop

A great pasta salad is a beautiful thing. It anchors a picnic, potluck or buffet with aplomb. It’s portable, flexible, and easily and often vegetarian.

One of the first things I made for my then-boyfriend’s (now husband’s) parents was a pasta salad, and for whatever reason, it won them over and became a most-requested dish.

Pasta salads are also such a nice way to play around with seasonal vegetables, so you can change things up all year. Spring and summer are peak moments to scoop up the great produce at the farmers market, grab a box of pasta, and quickly turn all of it into a crowd-pleasing and easy side or main dish. I tend to pack in the vegetables, and the results are beautiful and nicely tilted toward the healthy side.

In this recipe, the asparagus and sugar snap peas get a bit more tender and keep their bright green color after a quick simmer, and the best part is that you can add them right into the pasta at the end of the cooking time; that saves a step and an extra pot.

If you chop the leafy greens, they will blend into the salad more, but sometimes I like to leave them whole and have the whole thing be kind of a cross between a pasta salad and a regular salad.

You can make this salad ahead of time, up to one day. Ideally, leave the arugula, spinach and basil out and add them right before serving. Adding the greens at the last minute keeps them from getting wilted and darkening.

Also, hold off on the tomatoes: Tomatoes really should never see the inside of a refrigerator, and since you’ll have to refrigerate this salad to keep it fresh, tossing in the tomatoes at the very end will keep them from getting slightly mealy.

If you have made the salad ahead, let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes to take the chill off before serving, so the flavors all come shining through. Also, if you refrigerated the salad, the pasta will have absorbed the dressing a bit; add an extra drizzle of olive oil, and give it a toss to get it nice and glistening again.

Serves 8

1 pound dried spiral pasta (or cavatappi, ziti, fusilli or other salad-friendly shaped pasta)
2 cups (8 ounces) halved sugar snap peas
2 cups (1-inch pieces) asparagus
2 cups baby or roughly chopped arugula
2 cups baby or roughly chopped spinach
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), finely diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half, or quarters if larger
½ cup sliced scallions
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup chopped shallots
½ cup slivered fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 424 calories; 167 calories from fat; 19 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 4 mg cholesterol; 268 mg sodium; 53 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 11 g protein.

Heat a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions, but 1 minute before the pasta is tender, add the sugar snap peas and the asparagus. Cook for 1 minute, then drain the pasta and the vegetables and rinse under cold water. Drain well.

Place the pasta, sugar snap peas and asparagus in a bowl with the arugula, spinach, peppers, tomatoes and scallions.

In a small bowl or container, combine the olive oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, shallots, basil, salt and pepper. Pour this dressing over the pasta salad and toss well to combine. Add the Parmesan and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.

Bothell’s Poquitos Satisfies Even The Simplest Of Tastes

I’m still kicking myself for not trying the fried grasshoppers at Poquitos Bothell.

They’re pretty famous. Seattle Mariners fans will know what I’m talking about.

The Mexican restaurant made some national buzz when it sold 18,000 hoppers at Safeco Field just three days into the 2017 season. That’s more than Poquitos sells at it its Capitol Hill location in a year. The Mariners even imposed a per-game limit to keep them from selling out.

Owners James Weimann and Deming Maclise opened a second Poquitos on March 26 at the Junction in downtown Bothell.

Yes, the frenzy-inducing chapulines are on the menu for $4. And, yes, they come toasted with chili lime salt seasoning.

At the time, other choices on the menu lured me away.

I tried the crispy cheese quesadilla ($11), carnitas taco ($14.50), grilled corn ($6) and churros y cajeta, or caramel sauce ($8). I would have eaten more, but I have the stomach capacity of a small bird.

I joined Seattle Palate blogger Adria Saracino and her boyfriend, Dan Levine, at the U-shaped bar. We drank margaritas (my first ever), and shared our thoughts on the menu.

The corn had a smoky taste with a kick of spiciness. I would have been content if it was my entree for the evening.

All three of us agreed it was great.

“It was grilled and it had the char on it, which was really nice,” Saracino said.

The carnitas taco with lager-braised pork, avocado salsa, diced onion and cilantro was great, but not the best I’ve ever had. I thought it could have used some kind of sauce. Maybe I was still in a daze from the corn.

Warm spiced caramel topped the churros, which were tasty and sweet.

But it was the quesadilla that stole my heart.

The flour tortilla, griddled to a crispy texture, was loaded with grilled chicken and melted Monterey and Asadero cheese. Topped with Pico de gallo and cilantro, it felt like the quesadilla was melting in my mouth.

I tapped out on the food, but Saracino and Levine tried everything from nachos ($13) to the carne asada ($29). The latter came with a 14-ounce grilled boneless ribeye steak, roasted tomato-guajillo-chipotle sauce, guacamole and onion rings.

“The carne asada plate was both impressive to look at and had tender meat,” Saracino said.

The meats and produce come from farms in the Seattle area, including Local Roots and Mad Hatcher. Maclise said the menu leans toward the healthier side of Mexican food.

I was in the mood for Mexican as soon as I walked in the door. The 5,000 square-foot space brims with Spanish colonial aesthetics. The lobby featured tinted glass from Mexico City.

“When we open a restaurant, we go and travel to that country,” Weimann said. “We went and we bought a bunch of things and brought them back.”

Those familiar with the Capitol Hill location will recognize Talavera tiled archways above the dining areas. Woodwork, ironwork and chandeliers are also nice on the eyes. It felt modern and rustic at the same time. The building itself is brand new with 17-foot-high ceilings — 6 feet higher than the Capitol Hill restaurant, built in 1912.

But don’t let your eyes stray for too long. You’ll miss the delicious food right in front of you.

Weekend Recipe: Quinoa With Roasted Pumpkin, Zucchini and Basil Pesto

When I cook dinners at home, I often like to enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s probably the main reason why I like to double this particular recipe, so I have a grab-and-go healthy meal over the next few days and I don’t have to fuss too much in the kitchen.

I love that I can easily adapt the vegetables I use based on the season. Combinations such as roasted pumpkin and zucchini or asparagus and fresh peas work really well, and then all you have to do is fold through a little quinoa and serve with a generous spoonful of basil pesto.

Quinoa can be prepared very quickly, contains protein and is gluten free. If you’re struggling to create the perfect pot, however, you can see my tips on how to cook quinoa perfectly, every time. Any leftover quinoa can be used in your breakfast porridge or mixed with tinned tuna, lemon and herbs for an irresistible tuna tabouli salad. This recipe is from my cookbook Purely Delicious.

INGREDIENTS

600 g / 21 oz pumpkin, cut into large chunks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 red onion, cut into wedges
6 zucchini, sliced
1 cup warm cooked quinoa
1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons pesto (see recipe below)
Feta cheese to serve (optional)
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 200°C
Combine pumpkin and red onion and drizzle with a little olive oil then season with sea salt
Roast for 30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender
Roast zucchini on a separate tray for 10 – 15 minutes with a little olive oil then remove all the vegetables from the oven once ready
Gently fold through the quinoa, zucchini, parsley, lemon juice and a spoonful of pesto
Serve on its own or garnished with a little feta and enjoy.

TO MAKE THE PESTO combine 2 bunches of basil with a generous handful of baby spinach leaves or rocket (arugula) leaves, 1 clove raw garlic, 30 g roasted walnuts, 4 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a blender or food processor. Season with black pepper and sea salt then blend until smooth. Taste and adjust according to your palate, adding more olive oil or lemon juice if required. Pesto will keep for one week in the fridge and can be used for salads, vegetables and soup recipes.

NOTES + INSPIRATION: Add a handful of pumpkin seeds or walnuts for texture and a protein boost.

Readers’ Choice 2018: Best Deli: Kinder’s Meats, Deli And BBQ

You can’t have delicious without deli. Or delightful for that matter.

Of course Kinder’s Meats, Deli and BBQ is renowned for their barbecue but epicurean Daily Republic readers have enhanced and heightened their praise of Kinder’s cuisine by bestowing upon it the additional recognition of also being their favorite deli.

Delicatessens debuted in Germany during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th century. Kinder’s is not kosher, but tastes almost as if it is. If you are a first-timer, you will definitely return to Kinder’s. The pricing is fair and the portions are deliciously generous.

Kinder’s deli sandwiches feature fresh ingredients, expertly crafted to create a good time between two slices of fabulous bread.

The array of sandwiches at Kinder’s are popular, especially at noontime. Philly cheese steak one day, chicken club the next. Fridays feature a decadent filet mignon sandwich while the week wraps up with a tasty, remarkably moist New York steak sandwich. Or you can just go hog-wild anytime and indulge yourself in a double bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings.

If your deli sandwich hankerings are inclined toward vegetarian, Kinder’s features a meat-free gourmet sandwich with cream cheese, walnuts, spinach, sliced cucumbers, tomato, lettuce, green and red bell peppers – all served up on whole wheat bread.

Fans of Kinder’s can also partake in their favorite Kinder’s flavors by taking home a variety of barbecue sauces that are available online, as well in the eateries or at select premium retail outlets.

The owners of Kinder’s and the staff are welcoming and they make sure your dining experience plays out in a fresh and clean setting. And Kinder’s has plenty of ample and free parking for its guests.

Kinder’s has 13 locations in Northern California and Nevada and has been dishing up delicious food for more than 70 years. Kinder’s has been serving up bodacious and audacious barbecue in Fairfield since shortly after the turn of this century and barbecue and deli aficionados have been elated ever since.

Jim Burridge, who owns Kinder’s with his wife Rebecca, said he was pleased with this year’s double win: Kinder’s also won in the Best BBQ category.

“I want to thank our customers,” he said.

Recipe: Secretly Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1¼ cups chocolate chips

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon canola or other neutral-flavored oil

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1.In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

2.In a second bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars. Blend in oil and water until very smooth, stirring briskly for at least 2 minutes to ensure the mixture is well-combined.

3.Stir dry ingredients into sugar-oil mixture until just combined and no streaks of flour are visible. Do not overmix. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4.The next day, heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5.Scoop dough into 18 balls and place on baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Bay Area Bites’ Guide to Winter Recipe Favorites

Sure, we all love a cranberry & rosemary white “Christmas” sangria during the winter. But don’t just make drinks January. Even though the weather’s turn cold and rainy, you can still make delicious, fresh, home-cooked meals too.

We’ve picked out some of our favorite winter recipes, from prime rib to soufflé, and some comfort food classics, like homemade mac and cheese. Try out one of these warm and toasty dishes this winter.

Slow-Roasted Beef Prime Rib Roast

To create the ultimate steakhouse dinner, make this prime rib roast with the jus (a well-seasoned, light gravy) along with Yorkshire puddings and creamed spinach.

Butternut Sformato with Crunchy Winter Endive and Shaved Fennel Salad

A sformato is kind of like a soufflé-like pudding or flan, lightened by egg whites, and often savory. It is incredibly versatile and can be made from any sort of cooked and pureed vegetables, or even cheese such as ricotta, or pasta or rice. Despite it’s elegant name, it is really a very simple dish to prepare.

Rich Spinach and Gruyere Soufflé

If you can whip an egg white, you have absolutely no reason to be intimidated by a soufflé. Rich, creamy, and extra cheesy, don’t hesitate to serve these as part of a stunning holiday feast, or even as a light lunch for a special gathering.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dried Cranberries, Toasted Hazelnuts, and Orange Zest

While our brussels sprouts with bacon and gruyère might be one of our most popular recipes, there are other tasty ways to cook this classic vegetable. Roasted until caramelized with a crisp golden-brown exterior, these little cabbages are then tossed with sweet-tart cranberries, toasty hazelnuts, and just enough orange zest to add a bit of zing.

Root Vegetable Mash

Forget mashed potatoes; this is all about mashed root veggies. This lovely trio of roots–celery root (celeriac), parsnips, and russet potatoes–brings nuance and depth to a side that can range from lumpy and bland to overwhelmingly rich. It feels special, and interesting.

Homemade Mac and Cheese

Typically, you would serve this as a main dish with plenty of steamed or roasted veggies alongside. But it also works as a side dish to roasted or barbecued meats. You can easily double this recipe for a crowd, and if you want to get fancy, divide the mixture between individual ramekins so everyone gets their own special portion.