ArcaMax

This sweet and swirly cinnamon-raisin babka is topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar streusel. Fresh orange juice and zest come through to give the flavor some added zing, which helps break up the sweetness and adds a nice bright flavor.

This recipe makes two loaves — keep one for yourself and gift the other! You’re sure to enjoy it in ...Read more

Desserts are always a fun treat, but during the holidays they often become more of a mainstay in our diet as we celebrate. When talking about dessert and healthy eating, often there’s a recommendation to have fruit for dessert. Fruit is a delicious way to get a variety of nutrients and should be eaten daily. However, there are times when you ...Read more

Recently I was organizing my menu for Hanukkah and thinking about how I could streamline making latkes for 10 people. I came up with making smashed potatoes that are brushed with oil (honoring the story of the oil lasting eight nights) and can be partially made ahead to avoid any last-minute hassles in the kitchen.

The potatoes ...Read more

Vegetarian meals prove welcome in the season of excess between holidays. Like meat-centered meals, the number one requirement for satisfaction is flavor. Plus, a variety of complementary textures and visual appeal.

To that end, a shallow bowl full of creamy polenta, topped with browned butternut squash and golden onions, seasoned with sweet ...Read more

For the past few holiday seasons, I’ve thrown a latke party for all of my friends. I make punch and unending trays of fried potato pancakes and cover my dining table in various toppings to mix and match. It’s one of my favorite gatherings of the year because everyone loves latkes and, essentially, I get to turn my table into one giant latke ...Read more

Look to the people who survive winters with only a few hours of sunlight each day for the coziest and most heart-warming holiday drinks. The answer, according to Germans, Swedes, Norwegians, Finns, and Danes? Mulled wine.

Here is a basic...Read more

Hints for Eating Mashed Potatoes on Holidays

When my husband and I are invited to Thanksgiving dinner he insists I bring mashed potatoes. He has to make sure there will be at least one bowl of mashed potatoes on the buffet. Borderline rude. I know, but he insists.

I want to give you low carb hints for eating mashed potatoes.

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I grew up in a very German area in eastern Wisconsin, and that meant plenty of beer, brats, pretzels, sauerkraut — and German potato salad.

The potato salad most frequently made by friends and family was a sweet, vinegary, bacon-spiked dish, often served warm, sometimes straight from the crock pot. It is delicious stuff, but I’ve only felt ...Read more

Here’s a simple and quick way to cook salmon fillet. Just place it under a broiler for 3 to 4 minutes. Tomatoes cook down to a thick sauce in about 5 minutes and add a colorful topping to the broiled salmon.

The spaghetti and zucchini are cooked together for the side dish.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Any type of pasta can be used instead of spaghetti. ...Read more

ST. LOUIS -- Cooking wasn’t a joy in Justine Doiron’s household when she was growing up. To an impressionable girl, it felt more like a punishment.

But whenever her parents went out for date night, she would sneak into the kitchen and bake a batch of cookies, which she would hide. Then she would scrupulously clean the kitchen until it was ...Read more

In my quest to find a high-protein, easy-to-make breakfast, I have discovered these Sandwich Bros. pita snacks.

Just grab one from the freezer, remove the plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for one minute. The pita tastes surprisingly fresh, and the abundant egg and cheese melt together to give plenty of flavor to the bread. Each one...Read more

Creamy and comforting, a good risotto doesn’t have to be complicated. It only takes a few ingredients — rice, broth, cheese and butter — to make one of Italy’s most iconic dishes.

In its most basic form, risotto can be an elegant backdrop for more complex dishes, like the famous osso buco, veal shanks braised in a rich sauce until ...Read more

As a kid, stuffed peppers were my favorite meal, each pepper a whimsical meal in itself. I drew on that association while developing a recipe for Chiles en Nogada in our newly released book “Chile, Clove, and Cardamom: A Gastronomic Journey Into the Fragrances and Flavors of Desert Cuisines,” co-authored with renowned ethnobotanist and ...Read more

Soup often comes to mind when summer gives way to sweater weather.

It's delicious, usually pretty easy to make, works well with whatever is lingering in your fridge and/or pantry, and warms both the body and soul as soon as a spoonful touches your lips.

Remember how a big bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle helped chase away a head cold when you...Read more