How you doin’? Before we opened Choclatique, our premium chocolate company, my go to chocolate was See’s for truffles and Hershey’s for cocoa.
 
During the cold weather of winter, hot cocoa requires no introduction. Here is my recipe for Perfect Hot Chocolate that will take the deep chill out of your bones. Try this quick and easy recipe using HERSHEY’S Cocoa to serve up to six friends or family members a cup of this comforting Perfect Hot Chocolate.
 
You can have the ultimate adult ski chalet treat in no time when you make a cup of this creamy and chocolaty delight with a shot or two of whisky. Hot chocolate is so good and with a shot of whiskey, it is so much better.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Yields:  6-6 oz. servings
 
Ingredients 
1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
1⁄4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa Powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄3 cup hot water
4 cups milk (1 quart)
3⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 large marshmallows
Whiskey of your choice
 
Directions

1. Mix the sugar,  Cocoa and salt in a medium saucepan; stir in the water.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes;
3. Add the milk; stir and heat until hot. Do not boil.
4. Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
5. Beat with whisk until foamy.
6. Portion out; add a shot of whiskey if using.
7. Top with a marshmallow.

Try one of the following variations with the vanilla extract:

•  1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
• 1⁄2 teaspoon of mint extract or 3 tablespoons of crushed hard peppermint candy.
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of powdered instant coffee.
• Or best of all, make it hard with a shot or two of whiskey.

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ChefSecret:  This is also a Perfect Hot Chocolate for teetotalers and kids under 21… just leave out the whiskey.
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Quip of the Day:  Q. Why did the hot chocolate go to school? A. To become a smart cookie!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Cocktail #HappyHour2025 #MerryChristmas #HotChocolate #HardHotChocolate #Hersheys #Marshmallow #CocoaPowder #Whiskey #HolidayHappyHour #Cheers #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
                                                                                         ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? I have a bona fide sweet tooth that cannot be restricted to a single month of the year, and my $1,000,000 Fudge slays it for the holidays.
 
I love that this recipe, which was first published in a previous Choclatique recipe collection, requires zero fiddly candy-making skills. It is made with dreamy marshmallow cream, chocolate morsels and bars, a little butter, and plenty of sugar. Each chewy square is studded with just enough nuts and colorful sprinkles to keep things interesting, while satisfying anyone’s bottomless chocolate craving. And it's so easy to make.
 
Just prepare a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with butter. Toast and chop the nuts and Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars. There's no real substitute for this brand of baking chocolate. It's available online at Walmart or Amazon, and some local supermarkets. It's worth the trouble to get it. I promise the fudge will taste like $1,000,000.
 
Ingredients 
12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels (I prefer Guittard)
12 ounces Baker’s German's sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
2 cups marshmallow cream (I prefer Kraft)
4-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces canned evaporated milk
2 cups coarsely toasted and chopped pecans or your favorite nut
1/4 cup colorful holiday sprinkles
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Butter a 9 X 13-inch baking dish pan.
3. Stir together the semisweet chocolate, Baker’s German's sweet chocolate and marshmallow cream in a large bowl.
4. Bring the sugar, salt, butter and evaporated milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat and simmer 7 minutes, stirring continuously.
5. Pour the hot syrup over the chocolate mixture and whip with a hand-held electric mixer until smooth and fluffy.
6. Fold in the nuts.
7. Pour into the prepared pan.
8. Sprinkle with colorful holiday sprinkles.
9. Let stand undisturbed at room temperature until firm, preferably overnight.
10. Cut the fudge into small squares and place in candy cups.
11. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks—it should last until New Years.

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ChefSecret:  Whipping the fudge with an electric mixer makes it extra light and airy.
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Quip of the Day:  Q. Who do you call when someone steals your chocolate? A. Fudge Judy.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
----------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#NoBakeDessert #Dessert #HolidayDesserts #ChristmasFudge #Fudge #BakersGermanSweetChocolate #GuittardSemiSweetChocolateMorsels #KraftMarshmallowCream #MerryChristmas #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                     ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

ow you doin’? Every New Years Eve Joan and I celebrate with several of our friends with a prime rib dinner cooked low and slow in my home electric oven and finished with a blast of heat for the juiciest, most flavorful, evenly cooked prime rib roast.
 
I worked for the Lawry’s company for 5 years and learned the secrets of making great prime rib dinners. We never used one of the ovens that pumps a lot of moisture into the meat. That steams the roast instead of roasting it.
 
Using a low-and-slow cooking method minimizes the gray overcooked band, achieving a uniform medium-rare texture from center to edge. Reverse-searing at a high temperature right before serving creates a crisp, deeply browned crust without overcooking the interior. Resting for half an hour allows the juices to redistribute throughout the roast, ensuring full-on juiciness in every slice.
 
I must be honest with you, a four-bone cut of well-marbled prime beef rib is not inexpensive. When I buy a quality piece of beef—and, honestly, does beef get any better than prime rib?—I have a great motivation to not mess it up, as do, I imagine, most of you. This $200 roast must be perfectly cooked so you can enjoy it to the last morsel.
 
Start with bone-in, well-marbled beef. Bones don't add flavor, but they do regulate temperature, increasing the amount of tender, medium-rare beef you'll get in your finished roast. And, of course, you get to gnaw on those bones when you're done. Then play like Henry the VIII and through bones over your shoulder… but I digress.
 
The more marbling, the richer and more tender your beef will be. Though most guides recommend a pound per person when you're shopping for prime rib, this is for very hungry eaters; in reality, you'll most likely get away with three-quarters of a pound per person, or about one rib for every three people.
 
I like to season it well and season it early with just Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Taking that extra time is worth it. Prime rib has plenty of flavor on its own, so there's no real need to add much more than a good heavy sprinkling of seasoned salt. I ask my neighborhood butcher to carefully cut the bone from the roast and season the cut side and then truss it back together again. If properly planned, you should season your prime rib the day before (and up to four days ahead of) roasting, letting it sit on a rack in your fridge uncovered. This will allow time for the salt to penetrate and season more deeply while also drying the surface, which will lead to better browning during roasting.
 
I strongly believe that well-marbled prime rib is at its best when it's cooked to a minimum of medium rare, and preferably medium. Rare is great for lean cuts like tenderloin, which tend to get dry at higher temperatures, but for fatty, well-marbled cuts, you want to cook them at least to the point where the fat will start to soften and render, delivering flavor and juiciness to your mouth.
 
For the ultimate experience in prime rib, you'll want to use dry-aged beef—26 day dry aged beef. The aging process not only improves tenderness through the action of enzymes within the meat, but it also adds flavor through controlled bacterial action and the oxidation of fat. Well-aged prime rib will have a dense and meaty texture that's still incredibly tender, with a nutty, sweet aroma.
 
Whether you buy Prime or Select, fresh or dry-aged, corn-stuffed or grass-fed, if you don't cook it right, prime rib isn't going to be good. Here is my definition of perfection:

• The Perfect Prime Rib must have a deep brown, crisp, crackly, salty crust on its exterior.
• In the Perfect Prime Rib, the gradient at the interface between the brown crust and the perfectly medium-rare interior must be absolutely minimized (as in, you don't want a layer of gray, overcooked meat around the edges).
• The Perfect Prime Rib must retain as many juices as possible.
• The Perfect Prime Rib doesn’t require heavy or specialized equipment, including propane or oxy-acetylene torches, sous-vide machines, or C-vap ovens.
• When cooking beef to medium-rare, there are really only two temperatures that matter—200˚  low and slow cooking temperature, and 130°F for beef that’s medium rare—that’s hot but still pink, cooked but still moist and able to retain its juices. Any higher than that and muscle fibers start to rapidly shrink, forcing flavorful juices out of the meat, and into the bottom of the roasting pan.
• To achieve that beautifully browned and crispy exterior, remove the roast from the oven and let it set for 20 or 30 minutes. Raise the temperature of the oven to 500°F - 550°F. After the roast rests, place it back in the very hot oven for eight to ten minutes to brown it and develop a crisp brown exterior.

 
What you achieved will be nothing less than Prime Rib Perfection.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Roast time:  4 hours to 6 hours depending on weight of the prime rib
Rest time:  30 minutes
Sear time:  8 to 10 minutes
Yield:  Depending on the size of the prime rib
 
Ingredients 
1 standing rib roast (prime rib), 3 to 12-pounds
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper)
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Preheat an oven to lowest possible temperature setting, 225˚F.
3. Season the prime rib generously with Seasoned Salt.
4. Place the roast, with fat cap up, on a V-rack set in a large roasting pan, or on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Place it in the oven and cook until center of the roast registers 120˚-125°F on an instant-read thermometer for rare, 130°F for medium-rare, or 135°F for medium to medium-well. In a 150°F oven, this will take around 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours; in a 250°F oven, this will take 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
6. Remove from the oven, tent the roast with foil for 30 minutes or up to one hour.
7. Increase the temperature of the oven to 500° to 550°F.
8. When ready to serve, remove the foil tent and pop the prime rib back in the oven to sear for 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven, slice and serve and celebrate New Years Eve in fashion.

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ChefSecret:  The secret to perfect prime rib is to roast it first at a low temperature and then sear it in a very hot oven.
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Quip of the Day:  I’ve started investing in stocks; beef, chicken and vegetable.
One day I hope to be a bouillonaire.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, be kind and have a Happy New Year!

#Entrees #RoastPrimeRib #PrimeRib #LawrysSeasonedSalt #NYEveDinner #HappyNewYear #HeresTo2026 #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                                           ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? To me there are the three basic food groups—butter, garlic and chocolate. My Holiday Garlic Potatoes involves two of these silos—butter and garlic.
 
I start with minced garlic in a squeeze bottle made by Spice World. It has all the garlic flavor but with a sweeter note. I just can’t stop adding garlic to almost every dish that comes out of my kitchen. Whether it’s steak bites, chicken bites, garlic knots, or my new favorite—Holiday Garlic Potatoes. The flavor of toasty butter and sweet garlic is a big hit with everyone in my family for the holidays (or weekends or weekdays).
 
The texture of Holiday Garlic Potatoes is truly unique among all the ordinary potato recipes over the years. The outsides of these potatoes are seared until crispy brown, and their interiors are silky, creamy, and tender. After searing, bake the potatoes in the oven, absorbing tons of flavor from broth, butter and lots of garlic. I prefer to brown the butter because it adds lots of dark, caramelized color and flavor to the potatoes—it’s wonderful!
 
To prevent the garlic from scorching or burning, wait to add the garlic until the potatoes are fully seared. Briefly removing the seared potatoes from the skillet gives you plenty of room to sauté all of the garlic, then add the salt, pepper, and broth to create an aromatic braising liquid. Add the potatoes back to the pan to get basted with the broth, then bake in the oven until they’re cooked all the way through.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  50 minutes
Yield:  4 servings (this recipe can easily be doubled or even tripled)
 
Ingredients 
6 to 7 Yukon Gold potatoes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
8 tablespoons minced garlic (I prefer Spice World)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
fresh rosemary (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat parsley
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Preheat an oven to 400ºF.

To prepare the potatoes

1. Fill a medium bowl halfway with cool water.
2. Peel the potatoes and slice them into approximately 2-inch-thick rounds, adding them to the bowl of water as you go to prevent them from oxidizing.

To sear the potatoes

1. Heat a 10-inch oven-safe skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 1 minute.
2. Meanwhile, place the potatoes on a kitchen towel and pat them dry on all sides. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the preheated pan. After the butter has melted, add the potatoes in a single layer.
3. Sear the potatoes until well browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Using tongs or a pair of forks, flip the potatoes and sear on the other side until browned, about 5 minutes more.

To brown the garlic

1. Transfer the potatoes to a side dish.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter along with the garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté until the garlic is aromatic but not browned, about 1 minute.

To braise the potatoes and finish

1. Return the potatoes back to the skillet in a single layer.
2. Pour the broth over the potatoes. Use a spoon to baste the potatoes with the cooking liquid, making sure to spoon some bits of garlic on top of each slice of potato.
3. Transfer the pan to the oven.
4. Bake until the potatoes are tender in the middle and the broth has simmered off, leaving only butter in the skillet, 35 to 40 minutes.
5. Bast the potatoes again about halfway through the cooking time. Add some fresh rosemary if using. 
6. Test the potatoes for doneness with a paring knife: when it goes through a potato easily and with little resistance, they are ready.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and baste the potatoes with the garlic butter one last time.
8. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

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ChefSecret:  Yukon Gold is a waxy variety of potato. They do well with longer cook times than Russet potatoes.
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Quip of the Day:  In the late 1950, Russia decided to launch a satellite full of  potatoes into orbit. It was called spudnik.
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#SideDish #BraisedGarlicPotatoes #YukonGold #SpiceWorldGarlic #RoastedGarlic Potatoes #ChristmasDinner #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’?  My zucchini casserole is perfect for using up all that summer zucchini you’ve got in your freezer, or fresh zucchini from the market.
 
If you like potatoes au gratin, my zucchini casserole is like a green veggie version of the potatoes, but with a cheesier, creamier sauce. The combination of Swiss, Gruyere, and Brie cheeses make it rich and nutty. Most of the time to make this dish is hands-off, and it uses simple ingredients you’ll find at any grocery store.
 
Yes, it’s a cream sauce, but it also has plenty of vegetables and goes great with roasted turkey, prime rib, or whatever you’re serving this year. This recipe requires a good amount of zucchini. Three or four to be exact!
 
The term “au gratin” is widely recognized in culinary circles and among food enthusiasts, referring to a dish topped with a crust of cheese, breadcrumbs, or both, and then baked or broiled until golden brown and crispy. However, the origins of this cooking technique and its name are less commonly known.
 
The concept of au gratin cooking has its roots in medieval European cuisine, particularly in the regions that are now France and Italy. During this period, cooks would often top dishes with a mixture of cheese, breadcrumbs and spices to add flavor and texture. However, the modern version of au gratin, as we know it today, is more closely associated with French cuisine, where it became a staple technique in many traditional French recipes.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  45 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 Servings
 
Ingredients 
3 pounds zucchini, sliced or cubed
4 large beaten eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 pound cubed Monterey jack cheese,
1/2 pound cubed medium sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup herbed/flavored breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan prep

Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Preheat an oven to 350° F. 
3. Cube or slice the zucchini and steam until just barely tender. 
4. Plunge the zucchini into ice cold water to stop the cooking process and set the color. Drain thoroughly.
5. Combine the eggs, milk, parsley, cheeses, salt and baking powder. 
6. Add the zucchini to the egg mix and mix well. 
7. Transfer the mixture to a buttered casserole dish that has been dusted with half the breadcrumbs. 
8. Sprinkle the top with the remaining breadcrumbs and dot with butter. 
9. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through and lightly browned.

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ChefSecret:  Make clean up a breeze by using a foil liner in the baking pan.
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Quip of the Day:  Q. How do zucchinis stay in shape? A. They play squash!
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.
 
#SideDish #ZucchiniAuGratin #Zucchini #MontereyJackCheese #ChristmasDinner #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
                                                                         ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? I’m a cookie guy! I love cookies. I have 4 cookie jars on my kitchen counter filled to the brim. And for those who are curious I do not weigh 400 pounds. I do get disturbed then I see we are running out and never want to be caught in a cookie famine.
 
This time of year, I need to move away from my chocolate chip, chocolate crinkle, peanut butter and granola cookies and make way for holiday varieties. My Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe is the standard in my household. This is the best sugar cookie recipe and the only one I use when I want colorful, decorated cookies.
 
Whenever you gift these cookies for someone, be sure to bring along several copies of the recipe—you will be asked for it—people will demand it!  These cookies can be as simple or artistic as your talent allows.
 
I make my colorful icings with confectioners' sugar and milk (see ChefSecret below). I make it fairly thin, so I can "paint" the icing on the cookies with a pastry or small paint brush. I make the frosting thin enough to spread easily but not so thin that it just makes your cookies wet and runs off.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  6-8 mins
Cooling and decorating time:  1 hour
Yield:  60 cookies
 
Ingredients 
2 cups granulated sugar
3 sticks softened butter
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Beat the sugar and softened butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt.
5. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
6. Preheat an oven to 400° F.
7. Lightly dust a work surface with flour.
8. Roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
9. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter.
10. Place the cut cookies 1-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
11. Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
12.  Carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before decorating.

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ChefSecret:  For the decorating icing, start with a ratio of 1:1 milk to powdered sugar. Adjust from there... if you need to be a little thinner, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time. If you need it to be thicker, add more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Make a batch, separate into bowls and add color as desired. 

I like to add a little extra flavoring to the frosting—vanilla and almond extracts are just two of the best options.
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Quip of the Day:  Did you hear about the baker who tried to start an online bakery but accidentally deleted all her cookies?
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#Baking #Dessert #HolidayDesserts #ChristmasCookies #RolledSugarCookies #DecoratedChristmasCookies #MerryChristmas #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                              ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? Growing up in my house we celebrated some Holidays with a traditional turkey feast—green salad, whipped potatoes and giblet gravy, sweet potatoes souffle, green beans, and, and, and...
 
My mother always seemed to forget something that she would spot when she was restocking the refrigerator with leftovers, that’s when she discovered she forgot to put out the cranberry sauce. Just for the record, her cranberries were a can of Libby gelatinous cranberry sauce. Hardly anything I would even consider to serve today. As a kid I just couldn't understand why something so beautiful didn't taste like berry pie filling instead of a can of red sour Jell-O.
 
Cranberries are tart and need sugar to balance their tartness. But even with sugar, the tartness comes through. As an adult, I have come to love My Cranberry Sauce.
 
My Holiday Cranberry Sauce comes together in just 20 minutes and uses only three main ingredients. You will never have to resort to a can of Libby’s again… unless that’s your choice. The best part is that it tastes phenomenal and you can prepare it ahead of time since it thickens by itself beautifully as it cools in the fridge. I also like to add some toasted pecans, orange zest and holiday spices.
 
Cranberries are absolutely perfect with turkey… sort of like lemons and chicken. Something about the flavors, they're just made for each other. Which is why it is so good to spread over turkey in your leftover turkey sandwiches.
 
You can make this cranberry sauce up to 1 week before serving.
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Cook time:  15 minutes
Yield:  8 servings (2 1/2 cups)
 
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup orange juice
1 12-ounce package (4 cups) fresh cranberries
1/4 cup toasted rough chopped  pecans
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse them thoroughly. Pick out and discard any damaged or bruised cranberries.
3. Put the water, orange juice and sugar in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
4. Add the cranberries to the pot and return to a boil.
5. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.
6. Once the cranberries have burst you can leave the cranberry sauce as it is, or dress it up with chopped pecans, orange zest and cinnamon.
7. Remove the pot from heat. Let cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a bowl to chill in the refrigerator.
8. The cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

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ChefSecret:  Put a Post-it on the refrigerator door reminding you there is a bowl of cranberry sauce inside.
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Quip of the Day:  What did the cranberry sauce say to the dessert table? “I’m the berry best, hands down!”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to [email protected]. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/perspectives-on-food
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to  Feeding America, Tunnel to Towers, Union Rescue Mission and/or American Red Cross.

#SideDish #CranberrySauce #Cranberries #ForgottenSideDishes #MerryChristmas #HolidayRecipes #Recipes2025 #URM #T2T #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #SamaritansPurse #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 
 
                                                                                ©PERSPECTIVES/The Consulting Group, LLC, 2025

How you doin’? When Joan and I were the cohosts of The Food Show on ABC we developed a Holiday Cookie Exchange for our audience. You’ve got to remember… this was before the internet and if people wanted to participate, they had to send in their recipes via snail mail! We published a book with all the recipes and each participant received one.
 
When the listener recipes were received, they were reviewed by our executive research and development team and turned over to the chefs in the Perspectives’ Kitchen to test bake. It was a fun time in the kitchen for all with Christmas Carols playing and a big tree off in the corner—everyone couldn’t help but get into the holiday spirit.

This recipe is an old family heirloom recipe that was made by my mother. I got this recipe from my brother, Roy, and have rewritten it pretty much the way it was originally received from her old friend, Amy Gollins. I cleaned it up a little bit to make it more understandable.
 
As a kid, I watched my mother make this recipe and I even helped roll them out many times. I seem to remember she sometimes added sour cream to the dough, sometimes cream cheese and on one occasion some soapy dish water! It didn’t make any difference to her; she still baked them.
 
Prep time:  1 hour
Chill/proof time:  8 to 10 hours
Bake time:  15-20 minutes
Yield:  3 dozen Rugelach
 
Ingredients 
1/2 pound butter
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup half & half
2 (0.25-ounce) packets of yeast
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
 
Cinnamon-Sugar Ratio
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cinnamon
 
Directions

1. Read the recipe all the way through before starting. Measure all ingredients and have at your side.
2. Mix the butter with the egg yolks.
3. Gently warm the half & half.
4. Dissolve the yeast in the warm half & half.
5. Add 1 tablespoon sugar to the eggs and butter mixture.
6. Add the half and half/yeast mixture.
7. Add in the flour until just mixed. Do not overmix.
8. Roll the dough into a ball.
9. Divide the ball into 4 pieces and roll each smaller ball before flattening them into a round disk.
10. Wrap each dough disk with food film.
11. Place the dough disks in the refrigerator overnight.
12. Preheat an oven to 350⁰F.
13. Coat your baking pan with shortening.
14. Spread a board with cinnamon-sugar.
15. Roll out the dough and spread with more cinnamon sugar.
16. Roll each ball into a flat circle and cut into 6 triangle pieces.
17. Starting with the wide end of the triangle, roll each piece up so that the point is on top. Place it onto the baking pan.
18. Bake the Rugelach for 15-20 minutes.
19. Remove them from the sheet pan while the Rugelach are still hot to prevent them from sticking.

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ChefSecret:  Not included in the original recipe… mom would whip up 6 egg whites with a cup of sugar and slather that onto the rolled-out dough before cutting and rolling into cookies.  She would let the dough rise for 20 minutes, baking them for 25 minutes until done. Feel free to add nuts, mini chocolate chips, even some jam to your taste.
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