Blog Posts by Epicurious.com

Photo by Kimberly Sentner

By Kemp Minifie, Epicurious.com

Is there anything more restorative in the winter, more evocative of snowy evenings around the fire, more comforting in that "there, there" way, than a steaming mug-or bowl, if you're European-of hot chocolate?

Related: Easy Holiday Cocktail Party Bites

Drinking chocolate in a liquid form has come a long way since the Spanish conquistadors learned about a cold Aztec drink made from the cacao bean. But even before the Aztecs, pre-Columbian cultures more than 3,000 years ago were cultivating the plant and brewing a beerlike concoction from the pulp surrounding the beans. Later, the Mayans and Aztecs focused more on the cacao beans, pounding them to a paste with spices, chiles, and water-hot and with the addition of cornmeal for the Mayans, often cold for the Aztecs-which they then poured back and forth between vessels to create a froth that was the most prized part of the drink.

Chocolate didn't get sweetened or mixed with hot milk until it was brought

Photo by Lauren SalkeldBy Lauren Salkeld, Epicurious.com

Years ago, I accidentally bought cereal with flax seeds, and after pretty much spitting out the first spoonful, swore off flax in all its forms. According to our food dictionary, "this tiny seed contains several essential nutrients including calcium, iron, niacin, phosphorous, and vitamin E" and is "a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids." All good healthy things, but I decided flax tasted like metal, and was officially off limits.

See also: Easy Holiday Cocktail Party Bites

My flax-friendly conversion started with peanut butter. Of course: Add peanut butter to just about anything and I will like it. Flax-fortified peanut butters like the ones from Naturally More and Trader Joe's were all it took to open my eyes to flax. There's no metallic flavor. These butters are richer and earthier than ones without flax, and when there are whole seeds, they lend extra crunch and a pleasant chewiness. Now I only want peanut butter with flax, except when I want

Photo by CN Digital StudioBy Regina Schrambling, Epicurious.com

Way back before I started eating for a living, I remember a big editor at the New York Times telling me he and his wife would never eat at one of the most renowned restaurants in the city, even though it was very near their home, because she once spotted College Inn cans in the garbage. Any kitchen that cut corners on the foundation of so many sauces and soups was not to be trusted.

See also: Easy Holiday Cocktail Party Bites

Maybe, but going through the long, smelly, sloppy process of making my own stock this turkey season has me wondering if it's worth the bother. I would never resort to cans because that little clot of fat that bobs up when you open the lid is always so unsettling, as is the undeniably industrial taste. But I'm finding I use stock less and less.

And that reality sank in when I started my annual ritual of simmering the turkey carcass with aromatics to make gumbo. I wanted it ready for dinner, and the stock is usually the slow

By Tanya Steel, Epicurious.com

There are two words in the English language that set most of us quivering: fried food. For me it is a rare treat, but I always get more than my fill when I attend a friend's annual Hanukkah celebration. All year I look forward to the crispy latkes, succulent fritters, and filled doughnuts. (The oil commemorates the miracle of the Maccabees, in which one night's worth of lamp oil miraculously lasted for eight days.)

Related: Easy Holiday Cocktail Party Bites

She always makes several variations of latkes, including the classic latke, and potato-parmesan pancakes served with creamed-spinach dip, as well as jalapeno popper fritters with tomato salsa, and for dessert, chocolate hazelnut fritters, poached pear fritters (seen above), and the jelly doughnuts known as sufganiyot.

Like all cooking, once you know the basics, you can turn out just about anything, and frying is no exception. Here are the four frying rules for success:

Temperature Matters: The oil

Photo by GourmetBy Esther Sung, Epicurious.com

When it comes to traditional Christmas foods, it's hard to deny the cookie's rightful place at the holiday table. After all, cookies are Santa's snack of choice. For the rest of us, giving and receiving cookies is a delicious and inexpensive way to share the holiday spirit with friends and family. So why not make it even more fun by having a cookie swap party? A retro concept that's come full circle, the cookie exchange simply requires a host to invite guests, each of whom who bakes enough cookies to both share at the party and offer others to take home. For inspiration on hosting and participating in a holiday cookie exchange, we turned to Barbara Grunes, co-author of Very Merry Cookie Party: How to Plan and Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange (Chronicle Books). Grunes and her co-author, Virginia Van Vynckt, demonstrate just how easy this party concept is. With a little advance planning, everyone can walk away with beautiful edible presents.

Related: Easy

Photo by Fairchild ArchiveEdited by Megan O. Steintrager, Epicurious.com

Epicurious editors are no strangers to the temptations of the holiday season-an ever-growing period of time that stretches from before Halloween through New Year's Eve (and returns for the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day). As food writers and editors, our holiday season is even longer than the average person's: We conducted our Halloween Candy Taste Test in September and started developing Thanksgiving menus back then, too.

Related: Easy Holiday Cocktail Party Bites

Giving up great food isn't an option-eating is our job and passion-so over the years we have developed strategies to make sure our waistlines don't grow along with the festive season. Read on for tips on how to enjoy parties and celebratory meals like Thanksgiving without gaining weight (or having to chain yourself to an elliptical trainer and subsist on air-popped popcorn for a month or so).

Healthy Eating Tips for Holiday Parties & Dinners

Go for the Passed Hors d'Oeuvres

By Esther Sung, Epicurious.com

Potatoes are the most consumed vegetable in the United States-roughly 113 pounds per person in 2010-and they're quickly gaining popularity as the most popular food staple in the world, right behind rice.

Related: Easy Holiday Cocktail Party Bites

Clearly people don't love the spud because of its looks: Eye candy it's not, with its lumpy shape and bland coloring. Potatoes are also not superconvenient to eat, since they have to be cooked. But in their favor, potatoes are easy to grow and produce a large yield. They're nutritious-high in potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C, while sweet potatoes score high on vitamin A and beta-carotene. And then there's the taste. Cooked, the vegetable is transformed from something inedible into one of life's most delicious foods in the form of potato chips, gratins, gnocchi, hash, latkes, samosas, and pierogies. They're used in casseroles, soups, and salads, and can be baked, boiled, fried, and steamed, just to name a few ways to prep them. And unlike so many other types of produce, potatoes are reliably good year-round (although the availability of specific varieties may be seasonally dependent).

By Sara Bonisteel, Epicurious.com

A good Christmas cookie is a memory wrapped in wax paper. It conjures warm thoughts of holidays spent with loved ones and promises of new experiences yet to begin under the tinseled tree.

See also: The Rules of Regifting

We at Epicurious believe that just as you can never give or get too many presents, you can never have too many holiday cookie recipes in your recipe box. So, 10 editors of Epicurious and Gourmet Live swapped our most beloved family recipes, from Vanilla-Cherry Chocolate-Chip Cookies and red-and-green-sprinkled Santa's Whiskers to Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies and Pecan Pralines. Be sure to read our guide to cookie swaps for tips on hosting your own.

Below is our gift to you, 10 treasured recipes in this virtual Christmas cookie swap: