Make Something You Have NEVER Made Before and Other Useful Tips for Entertaining

Every Christmas is the same for our family. We have assorted appetizers throughout the day and I make our classic dinner of a Standing Rib Roast, Green Bean Supreme (a savory, cheesy concoction), Strawberry Jello Salad, Roasted Potatoes and Cardamom Bread served with decoratively-shaped butter. For dessert, I always make my husband, Russell, homemade Fruit Mince Pie, his favorite. I also make something new for dessert every year. This year, I thought I would make Dorie Greenspan's Moka Dupont cake. It seems to be a French-style refrigerator cake of sorts. The cake will get assembled Christmas Eve night, so this year I am only baking the pie Christmas Day.

Christmas Day breakfast will consist of Stollen (I made in November) which involves a bit of hopeful breath-holding on my part. I also will be serving Eggs Benedict for dinner Christmas Eve. My husband Russell has been pouting about how long it has been since I made Eggs Benedict so in the spirit of Christmas and shutting him up, I will whip him up some Hollandaise Sauce. Russell will prepare the poached eggs and man the toaster and I will enlist one of our daughters to crisp the Canadian Bacon. Have you ever had Eggs Benedict? Well, if not, just know they should write songs or plays about it... A regally dressed actor would stand high above the audience and say something like, 'Eggs Benedict, Eggs Benedict. Where for art thou Eggs Benedict?' Then another regally dressed actor (in an apron) would appear and whisk eggs, butter and lemon together to woo his lady love. My family's love affair with this creamy, elegant dish goes back many years to when my mother-in-law gifted me with an American historical cookbook over 20 years ago. I, of course, tweaked that recipe to be my own, but there is something fun about making a challenging sauce that could curdle at any moment and then instead, creating a fluffy cloud of lemony goodness...

Maybe you will try making Eggs Benedict or Moka Dupont or a Fruit Mince Pie this year, something you have never made before. It spices up the holiday and adds a new element to your meal. Be adventurous in the kitchen and just have fun! Turn off the television. Get your family off the couch. Confiscate the phones. Get into your kitchen and make some memories that will last! Happy Holidays!