Christmas Cookies 2023

All the bakers are no doubt baking, and everyone else is simply drooling over the bakery cases! It’s that time of year when we turn our eyes to treats, treats and more treats. Watch for new cookie recipes coming from The Food Channel!

All the bakers are no doubt baking, and everyone else is simply drooling over the bakery cases! It’s that time of year when we turn our eyes to treats, treats and more treats. Watch for new cookie recipes coming from The Food Channel!

How To Host a High Tea

We’re heading into a season of occasions-holiday after holiday. If you are looking for something to set your occasion off and make it memorable, think about hosting a High Tea or an Afternoon Tea. What’s the difference, you ask? For Americans, it’s …

We’re heading into a season of occasions—holiday after holiday. If you are looking for something to set your occasion off and make it memorable, think about hosting a High Tea or an Afternoon Tea.

What’s the difference, you ask? For Americans, it’s subtle. We tend to use it as a meal replacement, meaning we’ll skip traditional lunch and have a mid-afternoon tea with small sandwiches, pastries, and tea. Or, we’ll push it to an evening, after work, and include heartier sandwiches.

Officially, a high tea is served in the evening and may still proceed a late-evening meal. The good news is, you can do what you like—and one of the more popular ways to enjoy the ceremony around it is with friends, in the afternoon, as a special occasion.

Here’s a good definition, from British baking company Patisserie Valerie:

“Whilst they both include tea as a beverage, afternoon tea includes delicate pastries, little sandwiches, scones and cakes. Whereas high tea is typically a more wholesome meal of meat, potatoes and vegetables served after a long hard day at work.”

Now that we have that in mind, there are three tips that are helpful as you plan.


1. Table Settings
Think about where you will hold your tea. Garden settings are traditional, but weather-dependent. For an afternoon tea, the table and chairs are more casual in nature, although still set with lace and flowers. You can even have an afternoon tea in a comfortable room with low chairs and individual side tables. For some, a “high” tea translates literally into the use of high-backed chairs and a formal dining atmosphere.

The addition of the word “high” to the phrase “high tea” is believed to differentiate between the afternoon tea that is traditionally served on low, comfortable, parlor chairs or relaxing in the garden and the worker’s after-work high tea that is served at the table and seated on high back dining chairs. You can learn more by visiting The Spruce Eats.

For our event, we paired 1950s Wexford glassware with individual tea pots, tea strainers, and antique bone china tea cups and saucers. 


2. Menu
The food is what people come for, after all, so focus your attention on what you will serve. Make scones, preferably served with clotted or Devonshire cream. If you are a culinary mystery lover, you could even theme your scones with this scones recipe from the Hallmark series!

Serve cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad, and cream puffs. It’s ok to go store bought, too, especially with petit fours, croissants, and any other pastry or sweet of your choice. Add Jordan almonds, chocolate covered strawberries, cookies, and don’t forget the marmalade and jam for your croissants and scones!

3. Invitees
It’s a special occasion, so invite your friends, your family, or your neighbors. Treat the small children in your life, or surprise the teens. Use it to say thank you, welcome, or just “I appreciate you.” Whomever you include, they are sure to feel valued and honored.

  

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUP

Carrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZE

Apricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUPCarrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZEApricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

Made with American Lamb stew meat in your slow cooker, it's seasoned with chard, onion, garlic, cardamom and pepper. After cooking for a short time, you add squash, apple cider, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves to simmer for 6-8 hours. 
Cider-Braised Lamb Shoulder. Photo: American Lamb Board.

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUPCarrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZEApricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

Made with American Lamb stew meat in your slow cooker, it's seasoned with chard, onion, garlic, cardamom and pepper. After cooking for a short time, you add squash, apple cider, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves to simmer for 6-8 hours. 
Cider-Braised Lamb Shoulder. Photo: American Lamb Board.

The Flavors of Fall—Beyond Pumpkin and Pecan

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong-but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate. Natalia Y//Unsplash Tier …

The flavors of fall used to be cinnamon and nutmeg, mingled periodically with sage, toasted pecan, and of course, pumpkin. Have no fear, those flavors are still strong—but there’s much more to an increasingly global palate.

Photo by Natalia Y on Unsplash
Natalia Y//Unsplash

Tier two ingredients include caramel, pomegranate, sweet potato, and honey. These are flavors we are already incorporating into our cooking on a regular basis, and they will be the flavors that evoke fall for our children for years to come.

For at least the last five years, we have been seeing more and more recipes featuring butternut squash, walnut, and stronger vegetable flavors such as Brussel Sprouts. More recently, emerging ingredients include maple, cardamom, harissa (a blend of hot chiles, garlic and more), ginger, and baharat (a blend of Middle Eastern spices).

Photo by Calum Lewis on Unsplash
Calum Lewis//Unsplash

Without question, our palates are handling hotter spices and are willing to be a bit more adventurous. We’re watching ghost pepper, more varieties of balsamic vinegar, and stronger flavors such as anise pop up in recipes and on cooking websites.

We’re also embracing flavors that tend to help even things out, like jicama and pear, plantain and pineapple and — have you noticed? — orange seems to be an ingredient in everything.

If you want to branch out and experience some of these flavors, consider one of the following recipes.

CARROT GINGER SOUPCarrot-Ginger-Soup

APRICOT SCONES WITH MAPLE-GINGER GLAZEApricot scones with maple ginger glaze

Brussels Sporuts Balsamic

Made with American Lamb stew meat in your slow cooker, it's seasoned with chard, onion, garlic, cardamom and pepper. After cooking for a short time, you add squash, apple cider, a cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cloves to simmer for 6-8 hours. 
Cider-Braised Lamb Shoulder. Photo: American Lamb Board.

Our Best Halloween Recipes: Pumpkin Pie, Cookies & Cocktails

Recipes plays a utilitarian role in Thanksgiving; we expect to have certain dishes – turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce – as a matter of historical tradition. But for Halloween, recipes get cloaked in gimmicks, a phenomenon that is not only tolerated …

Recipes plays a utilitarian role in Thanksgiving; we expect to have certain dishes — turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce — as a matter of historical tradition. But for Halloween, recipes get cloaked in gimmicks, a phenomenon that is not only tolerated but embraced. Scary Eye Cookies? Why sure! And you can pair them with Zombie Slime cocktails while you’re at it. Below, we round up some of our favorite Halloween recipes in three key categories: pumpkin, cookies, and cocktails.

Halloween Pumpkin Recipes

pumpkin-black-walnut-pie

Black Walnut Pumpkin Pie

cinnamon-swirl-pumpkin-cream-bread

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Cream Bread

spanish-pumpkin-and-bean-soup

Spanish Pumpkin & Bean Soup                    

 

Halloween Cookie Recipes

chewy-halloween-cookies-square-2

Chewy Halloween Monster Cookies

creepy eye cookies-square

Gluten-Free Scary Eye Cookies

monster-mash-cookies

Monster Mash Cookies

 

Halloween Cocktails

zombie-slime cocktail

Zombie Slime Cocktail

hi-res-bloodsucker

The Bloodsucker

halloween test tube shooters

Halloween Test Tube Shooters

 

What to Cook Now: Our Most Popular Video Recipes

Which recipes are most popular? The mix includes fried chicken, salsa, Cajun fries, pork chops, cocktails, cookies, and a vegan dish.

People always ask us: Which recipes are most popular? Well, we looked at the data (video views, site traffic, comments) and found a diverse mix that includes fried chicken, salsa, several sides, a souffle, potatoes, pork chops, cocktails, cookies, and an alternative vegan recipe of a popular seafood dish.

Louisiana Southern Fried Chicken

“Down south we do that double batter,” says chef Ace Champion, revealing some of the secrets behind this tasty fried chicken dish. The other keys? Buttermilk and a deep fryer set at 350. The best part? That crackling sound at 4:36.

See the recipe

Best Vegan Ceviche Recipe

Don’t like seafood? Won’t eat fish? Carolyn Scott-Hamilton demonstrates how to make vegan ceviche with mushrooms (oyster or portobello) and hearts of palm.

See the recipe

How to Make Salsa

What kind of tomatoes do you need? What else goes into salsa? And how can you preserve it in a jar for long-term storage? We’ve got the info in the video below.

See the recipe.

 

Maple Bourbon Pork Chops

How can you not love a cooking video that starts with a giant pour of bourbon into a pan? This Maple Bourbon Pork Chop recipe maintains a balance between salty and sweet.

See the recipe

 

How to Make a Tampa Bay Cuban Sandwich

This Tampa Bay Cuban Sandwich recipe video clocks in at under 1 minute long. What makes it Tampa Bay? We’re using salami, which is not usually in a Cuban sandwich.

See the recipe

90-Second Hasselback Potato

Chef Cari Martens demonstrates the ingenuity of this Hasselback Potato recipe; you slice the potato to create more surface area and then add seasoning. Where’s the name from? “Hasselback” was a restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, where this dish was first introduced in the 1940s.

See the recipe

How to Make Dill Pickles

This is an ideal recipe for newbies; the video employs the simple “cold pack” method. No piping hot foods and you can course correct if you don’t like how it’s turning out. End result: whole or spear dill pickles. The only downside: You’ll need to wait four to six weeks to eat ’em.

See the recipe

Crispy Oven Baked Cajun Fries

Chef Ace Champion grew up in Louisiana and has developed dozens of popular recipes on Food Channel. Here’s the full Crispy Oven-Baked Cajun Fries recipe. Forward to 1:23 if you just want to cut immediately to him pouring a massive amount of seasoning over his sliced potatoes. The final touch: sriracha ketchup.

See the recipe

Easiest Spinach Souffle

Believe it or not, this is one of Chef Roni Proter’s weeknight meals, which means it’s not super-hard or time-consuming (45 minutes bake time).

See the recipe

 

Diabetic-Friendly Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are for everyone, as they are diabetic-friendly and gluten-free, and still manage to have a rich and perfectly sweet flavor. Just five ingredients required.

See the recipe

 

15 Fantastic Gluten-Free Dishes: Apps, Mains, Sides, Desserts

We rounded up our best gluten-free recipes for soups, dips, donuts, pizza, pies, and more.

Once upon a time, gluten-free dishes were hard to find or else poor substitutes for “the real deal.” Those days are long gone, but you might be surprised to learn what can be made gluten-free these days. We rounded up some of our favorite gluten-free recipes for soups, dips, donuts, pizza, pies, tacos, and more.

The dishes below include the following appetizers, side dishes, main courses, and desserts.

 

Gluten-Free Maple Walnut Bread

MAPLE WALNUT BANANA BREAD by GlutenFree.FollowMe
MAPLE WALNUT BANANA BREAD by GlutenFree.FollowMe

Gluten-Free, Chocolate-Filled, Coconut-Crusted Pie

This recipe for creating a Nest Pie is shared by the Pie Queen of Bowling Green, Brie Golliher.
Nest Pie. Photo: Brie Golliher.

Gluten-free Quinoa Indian Mac and Cheese

From the Quinoa Mac and Cheese cookbook: "Enjoy this savory, Indian-style Mac and Cheese with grass-fed lamb kabobs, cucumbers with yogurt, and deliciously grilled turmeric cauliflower. Namast-asty!"
Indian Mac and Cheese from Vibrantly Delicious.

Gluten-Free Seasoned Popcorn

Gluten-Free Seasoned Popcorn.
Gluten-Free Seasoned Popcorn. Photo: Ashley Pettit.

Gluten-Free Patatas Bravas Hash Brown Potato Pizza

Patatas Bravas Hash Brown Crust Pizza by Idaho Potato
Patatas Bravas Hash Brown Crust Pizza by Idaho Potato

Gluten-Free Wild Rice and Water Chestnut Stuffing with Sausage

For this stuffing that’s anything but traditional, chef adds the wholesome flavor of all-natural pork sausage to a base of wild rice. The result is a savory, delicious, unique, gluten-free stuffing or side dish.
Wild Rice and Water Chestnut Stuffing With Sausage. Photo: Jones Dairy Farm.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Squares

The average slice of pumpkin pie can weigh in at 350 calories and 13 grams of fat. These Light Pumpkin Pie Squares get their body from lite organic tofu and weigh in at about half the calories with about 3 grams of fat.
Pumpkin pie squares with fresh whipped topping. Photo: The Fit Foodie.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Donuts

These Pumpkin Spice Donuts are incredibly simple and so delicious, even for those who don't consider themselves the best 'bakers'! These donuts are also a healthier alternative than those made with a standard cake mix. Baking the donuts, instead of frying them, creates less mess. This is especially important if you're cooking up these sweet treats with your kids and family.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts by Roni Proter

Gluten-Free Pecan-Roasted Beet Dip with Sage

This vegan and gluten-free Pecan Roasted Beet Dip with Sage is pureed with sage and pecans for a warm, flavorful side dish. Serve with crackers, toasted bread or vegetables.
Pecan Roasted Beet Dip with Sage by American Pecan Council

Gluten-Free Green Pea and Edamame Dip

These 13 plant-based and vegetarian dishes and appetizers are still packed with all of the big taste necessary to fuel you through supporting your team with no regrets the next morning! So dig in, relax and enjoy.
Green Pea Edamame Hummus via Ritual Wellness curated by Project Juice

Gluten Free Fish Tacos

Gluten Free Fish Tacos

Vegan Chickpea Spaghetti

Simple Vegan Chickpea Spaghetti//Explore Cuisine
Simple Vegan Chickpea Spaghetti//Explore Cuisine

Gluten-Free Granola

Mesciua (Garbanzo bean Soup)

Mesciua

Food TikTokers You Should Know: The Crazy Comedian Vintage Recipe Tester

It’s not unusual to find people on TikTok or Instagram putting old recipes to the test – often with great trepidation. It is unusual to find someone who combines the zinging one-liners of Rodney Dangerfield with the oddball charisma of Ed Grimley …

It’s not unusual to find people on TikTok or Instagram putting old recipes to the test — often with great trepidation. It is unusual to find someone who combines the zinging one-liners of Rodney Dangerfield with the oddball charisma of Ed Grimley (Martin Short circa 1984) or Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens circa 1983). 

Meet B. Dylan Hollis, a man who may not need much introduction based on the size of his followings: He has 8.2 million TikTok followers, 1.1 million subscribers on Youtube, and 396,000 followers on Instagram (no recipe testing here, just pics and videos, sometimes playing the accordion). His recipe-testing videos are universally short and generally follow the same template:

  • screaming recitation of the recipe name and era when it was created
  • joke about said name of dish or concept
  • jiggling pompadour a la Conan O’Brien
  • incredulity when reading certain ingredients
  • sour face when tasting the abomination he’s made

But Hollis is not just making fun of old recipes. He clearly knows his subject; he’s finding these arcane recipes somewhere (he collects them apparently) and he’s genuinely taking the time to test them out, one by one  — since 2020 as far as we can tell. It’s hard to deny his charisma; his eyebrows have a life of their own, the double entendres fly, and the pace is rapid-fire.

Below, I’ve selected three recipes that demonstrate his skills. You’ll get the idea 10 seconds into any of them. But I bet you’ll click to see a second one too.

 

Who: B. Dylan Hollis

https://www.tiktok.com/@bdylanhollis

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkEssvZ2uu_ntlIGy64GIg

https://www.instagram.com/bdylanhollis/

 

What: Vintage Recipes

 

Jellied Meatloaf from 1931

@bdylanhollis

What could go wrong? #baking #vintage #cooking #jello

♬ original sound – B. Dylan Hollis

0:08 “Who’s mooing now,” he screams at a pan of ground beef.

0:18 “You know what stings more than a knife Mr. Onion? Rejection!”

0:51 “It’s a cat food recipe!”

 

Ration Cake from 1942

@bdylanhollis

I have no words for what came out of the oven #baking #vintage #cooking #cake

♬ original sound – B. Dylan Hollis

0:02So it’s the ‘40s and we don’t have any butter, sugar, milk or eggs and we need to bake a cake!”

0:29Looks like barbecue sauce, smells of death.”

0:54 The sour face he makes at the end of many of his videos.

 

Water Pie from 1929

@bdylanhollis

Hands down the worst so far #vintage #baking #cooking #recipe

♬ original sound – B. Dylan Hollis

0:02 “Can you make a pie with 4 ingredients? Yes, I could also eat my mattress.”

0:21 “Add 3 gills of water… is this written for a fish?”

0:36Finished a bit early… like my ex.”