Holiday Magic (East) 11-24-2022

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Dining Gift guide

Ideas to INSPIRE

Best bets

One-of-a-kind gift ideas

Matthew James, Valley Stream (516) 561-3080

Don’t buy an engagement ring until you’ve checked Matthew James prices. Their extraordinary collection spans timeless styles to the latest trends — solitaire engagement rings, vintage-inspired, halo designs and more. Honor the woman you love with an exceptional diamond engagement ring from the Vera Wang Love Collection. Crafted in 14K white gold, this ring features a 1/2 ct. oval-shaped diamond center stone bordered with a double frame of smaller round accent diamonds. Smaller oval-shaped framed diamonds flank this center stone, while additional round accent diamonds line the ring’s split shank. Set beneath the bezel of the center stone are two princess-cut blue sapphires, the signature of the collection.

Your neighborhood merchants are ready to entice shoppers with gifts for everyone on that list. When you shop local for the holidays, everybody wins: your giftees get something thoughtful and unique, local business gets a boost. To help you embrace the spirit of in-store shopping this season, here are some picks to get you started.

Emile’s Candy, Oceanside (516) 766-6602

Standard Thread, Merrick (516) 208-6537

If you are looking for that special shirt, look no further. Standard Thread is a new company started by textile designers who have been designing for major clothing brands since 1978. Now it’s their turn to shine. Their love and knowledge of fabric is evident in every shirt offered. Join them in experiencing the highest quality standard. Visit the shop to see our latest handcrafted flannels, and plan to come back as new designs will be coming soon. Treat that special someone — or yourself — to exclusive designs that are made to perfection.

Chocolates are always in season — especially at holiday time! Gift those on your list with a medium platter of a delectable array of milk and dark chocolate handcrafted creams, jellies, caramel, marshmallow, clusters, sponge, truffles and Emile’s most popular items (approximately 2 pounds). It’s artfully arranged by hand with cupped treats. Custom centerpiece trays are also available. Order in store only. platinum.

Hislon Jewelers, Merrick (516) 208-6194

A timeless statement set. Each of these pieces features a magnificent pear-shaped blue-green fancy lab-grown sapphire and an Asscher-cut fancy lab-grown sapphire. They are set in sterling silver bonded with platinum. Lab-grown sapphires have the exact same chemical, mineral, and optical properties as natural sapphires, which vary in color, texture, and pattern. Every effort is made to keep these fine lab-grown sapphire stone colors consistent. However, all lab-grown sapphires may not be exactly as shown on the website. Stones may appear lighter, or darker, or have natural variations.

Eight days of latkes

Traditional Hanukkah treats always have a place on the table

It will soon be time to feast on some luscious, crispy potato latkes. This holiday treat is more than a symbol of the miracle of Hanukkah, it offers a great opportunity to gather the family and friends in the kitchen and share in the spirit of the season. In fact, why not put a new twist on the latke tradition and fry up a bunch of different versions and judge which type is the best — think of it as a “Latke Top Chef” approach.

Traditional Latkes

Makes approximately 12 palm-sized latkes

• 4 medium potatoes

• 1 medium onion

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup matzah meal (flour or bread crumbs can be substituted)

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon each salt and black pepper (more or less to taste)

• vegetable oil

1. Shred the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Press out all excess liquid.(if using a food processor, use the chopping blade for 2 or 3 seconds after pressing out liquid to avoid stringy fly-aways). Add eggs and mix well. Add matzah meal gradually while mixing until the batter is doughy, not too dry. (you may not need the whole amount, depending on how well you drained the veggies). Add the baking powder, salt and pepper and mix well. (don’t taste the batter -- it’s really gross!). Don’t

worry if the batter turns a little orange; that will go away when it fries.

2. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to medium-high heat. Form the batter into thin patties about the size of your palm. Fry batter in oil. Be patient: this takes time, and too much flipping will burn the outside without cooking the inside. Flip when the bottom is golden brown.

3. Place finished latkes on paper towels to drain. Eat hot with sour cream or applesauce. They reheat OK in a microwave, but not in an oven unless you cook them just right.

4. If you’d like to try something a little different, add some bell peppers, parsley, carrots, celery, or other vegetables to the batter to make veggie latkes! You may need to add a third egg and some more matzah meal for this. For a zesty twist, add some diced jalepeño peppers to the batter! This should definitely be served with sour cream!

Hanukkah latkes and sufganiyot (the holiday’s deep-fried jelly doughnuts) are enduring, tasty holiday treats are always in style.

Tempting the foodie

From gadgets to specialty foods, these kitchen gifts bring a taste of togetherness

By Sharon Naylor Toris

Some people dream about jewelry as their holiday gift. Others dream about game systems and gaming chairs. And others dream about cheese. And charcuterie. And champagne. Delectable bites and sips that feel indulgent, for one or for a beloved group. The right gift for these folks may be a culinary adventure of new tastes and textures, such as a creamy brie with apricots and figs. A gourmet gift might transport you to another place and time, such as an Italian countryside alfresco lunch. It might check a big wish off your bucket list, such as enjoying a particular vintage of wine.

In Good Taste

A gourmet gift might be a wish come true. Or it may simply be some really fun-sounding jalapeno beer nuts. Let’s start with treats to enjoy.

Chocolates: Jennifer Lee, a food and wine marketer and Forbes Travel contributor (@TheJenius on Instagram and Twitter), points to “Socola Chocolate, founded by Vietnamese sisters, named one of the best chocolatiers in the country,” as a gift whose flavors she calls “playful and unique.”

Li-Lac Chocolates is the oldest chocolate house in Manhattan, a bit of history that could remind the recipient of their time spent in New York City. It’s a bit of time traveling in tiny chocolate treats.

Charcuterie: This is a buzzword for gourmet gifts now, with present packages and stocking stuffers consisting of summer sausages, slices of salami, cheeses, dips, olives and assorted crackers. Whatever you may see on charcuterie board-themed Pinterest pages, those ingredients (and a board to put them on, plus utensils) delight.

Seafood: Joy abounds when someone receives a shipment of fresh or frozen seafood such as lobster, shrimp or salmon. These may be lifelong favorites and they have the power to lift spirits when our current era’s budget pressures mean that lobster is off someone’s grocery list. You can bring it back to the table as a thoughtful and generous gift.

Meats: Similarly, many people appreciate a gourmet gift of steaks, ribs, burger, sausages and other meats.“My recommendations ... would be Stemple Creek Ranch, or Papa Wagyu,” says Lee. Her chef friends from “Top Chef” and Michelin-rated chefs use these brands. If you follow the

example of these experts, food items with a famous pedigree win the day.

Fruits and Vegetables: Consider making this gift from the best options in the farmers market, with freshness as the focus. Add in staples of fresh, crusty bread, herbs, farmer cheese, pie and assorted treats such as flowers and honey for a classic gift.

Bubbly, Beer and Spirits: Make it possible for your gift recipient to toast their happy occasions with the best bubbly around and show off their mixology skills with some cocktail magic. Or fill their man cave fridge with unique beer brands. Lee says of her top picks in champagne: “Iron Horse Vineyard’s Russian or Wedding Cuvee. Served from the White House to Buckingham Palace, they are perfect for celebrating.”

Take Your Pick

Gift cards to websites such as a single brand’s menu or Goldbelly’s collection of brands let your recipient pick out what they really want. If they haven’t had a key lime pie in forever, now is their time, with your gift’s help, and the key lime pie might come right from Key West. Gourmet gift cards allow you to give authenticity and thrill.

Final Touches

To complete the gift, think cheese knives, personalized cocktail napkins, ice cube molds and other accessories a foodie would love. Think sauces and dressings, boxes of baking mixes and gourmet crunchy snacks. Or pick a theme such as honey and get honey-flavored chips, crackers, dips and candies. With these tips, gourmet gifts are sure to please this holiday season.

Charcuterie boards are top options for gourmet gifts this year.

Holiday gifts baked with love

From the kitchen…

Nothing says “love” like fresh baked cookies and treats. This holiday season, give the gift of homemade goodness. and save time fighting the crowds in the stores and put less stress on your wallet.

Make It A Family “Bake”tivity

Get the whole family together and create a makeshift holiday workshop. Have one person measure all of the ingredients, another can mix everything together, and everyone can have fun decorating to favorite holiday tunes. It’s a great way to relax and spend some special time together.

A Gift That Keeps Giving Layer the dry ingredients of your favorite cookie recipe in glass jars. Attach copies of the recipe to the jars with bright ribbon bows and voila you’ve created thoughtful gifts and cheery holiday kitchen decor.

Refresh Holiday Favorites

Chocolate chip and gingerbread cookies are classics, but these Peppermint Mocha Chip Cookies might become a fast new favorite. Notes of crisp peppermint perfectly complement the flavors of coffee and semi-sweet chocolate morsels. Add a crushed peppermint to each cookie to create a beautiful and seasonal presentation. Or simply stick to the tried-and-true favorites. The choice is yours and either way, you’ll be creating a delicious present with special appeal.

Transfer chocolate mixture into a large mixer bowl; add sugar and beat until combined. Add coffee granules, vanilla extract and peppermint extract; beat just until combined. Beat in eggs. Add flour and baking powder, mixing until all is incorporated. Fold in remaining 2 cups chocolate morsels.

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart, using a medium size cookie scoop. Sprinkle each cookie with a little of the crushed peppermint candies.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set. Allow to cool for about 2 minutes on baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 36 cookies.

the edges. Remove the baking sheet to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes.

Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to racks and cool completely before frosting and decorating. Makes 12 to 50 cookies, depending on their size.

For Chocolate Dough: After the last third of flour has been added to the dough, mix in 1 ounce melted, slightly cooled unsweetened chocolate. Use your hands to knead in the chocolate.

For Colored Dough: Divide the dough into portions and use a toothpick to add food coloring paste (available at party supply stores) to each one. Knead until the color is evenly distributed. For a flavor surprise, omit the vanilla extract and add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract to the yellow dough, mint extract to the green dough, and strawberry extract to the red dough.

How to make it:

Cut out the dreidels from the rolledout dough and bake as directed (if you cant find a dreidel cookie cutter, make a pattern out of lightweight cardboard).

Dreidel Hanukkah Cookies

You can’t spin these dreidels, but you sure can gobble them up. The foundation of this recipe is the versatile dough that can be customized to create chocolate or colored cookies.

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• Dreidel-shaped cookie cutter

• Piping Bag

• Blue Frosting

Cookie dough:

Peppermint Mocha Chip Cookies

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 3 cups Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

• 3 teaspoons instant coffee

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract

• 3 large eggs

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 12 soft peppermint candies, crushed

Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease or line baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter and 1 cup chocolate morsels in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.

In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, stir in the egg, then the corn syrup and vanilla extract. One third at a time, add the flour mixture until thoroughly mixed.

Pat the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll. If it is too firm, soften at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Roll one disk of dough between two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap, 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top sheet and cut out the cookies with cookie cutters. Using a metal spatula, transfer the shapes to baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies start to brown lightly around

When cooled, pipe one of the four classic dreidel symbols on each cookie (either gimel, shin, nun, or hay) with blue frosting.

There’s always a reason to bake a fresh batch of cookies during the holidays, wheth er for a cookie exchange, a party, or for welcome homemade gift.

Get ‘em while you can

Hot toys to buy for the holidays

Children learn about themselves and the world by playing. They learn critical thinking skills, how to get along with others, self-esteem and motor skills, not to mention how to let their imagination and creativity run wild. As parents, the ideal toy is not one that will allow a child to check out but one that will challenge and benefit the child in a healthy way.

Toy experts predict that the hot toys this year are an eclectic mix of modern, techie items and variations on classic items. These examples are as mentally stimulating and educational as they are enjoyable.

Of course shopping for toys and most all holiday gifts this year comes with continued challenges, including record-high inflation creating price hikes across all toy categories and the still-present effects from the supply chain issues of 2021.

“We’re seeing inflation impacting the toy box. Getting your hands on hot toys this year means budgeting more dollars, plus shopping early to avoid the disappointment of a sold-out toy,” says Laurie Schacht, Chief Toy Officer, The Toy Insider. Data gathered by The Toy Insider shows consumers can expect to pay up to 15 percent more on toys and games this holiday season.

Here are the must-haves as compiled by The Toy Insider.

0-2 years

• Fisher-Price DJ Bouncin’ Beats (Mattel)

• Level Up Gaming Chair (LeapFrog)

3-4 years

• Barbie Dreamhouse (Mattel)

Bluey Ultimate Lights & Sounds Playhouse (Moose Toys)

• Clean Sweep Learning Caddy (LeapFrog)

• CoComelon Boo Boo JJ Doll (Jazwares)

• Disney Encanto EZ Link Karaoke Machine (eKids)

• Disney Junior Alice’s Wonderland Bakery Alice Doll & Magical Oven Set (Just Play)

• Monster Jam Monster Garage (Spin Master)

• Play-Doh Kitchen Creations Ultimate Ice Cream Truck Playset (Hasbro)

5-7 years

• Addison Rae – Deluxe Music Fashion Doll (Bonkers Toys)

• Akedo Triple Strike Tag Team Arena (Moose Toys)

• L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. Fashion Show (MGA Entertainment)

• Magic Mixies Magical Crystal Ball (Moose Toys)

• RukusFX Motion-Controlled Music Mixer (Just Play)

• Squishmallows 16-inch Buddy Squad (Jazwares)

8+ years

• AirTitans Jurassic World Massive Attack T.Rex R/C (Jakks Pacific)

• LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Peach Starter Course (LEGO)

• Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo)

• Vital Hero (Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America)

The Toy Insider’s STEM 10

• Critter Creator Fossil Kit (Crayola)

• LEGO City Mars Spacecraft Exploration Missions (LEGO)

• Magic Adventures Microscope (LeapFrog)

• National Geographic Herb Garden Growing Kit (Blue Marble)

• Osmo Coding Starter Kit (Osmo)

• Pinxies Butterfly Hot Air Balloon (Luki Lab)

• Smart Chart Medical Kit (VTech)

• Switcheroo Coding Crew (Learning Resources)

• Trestle Tracks Deluxe (Fat Brain Toys)

• Ultra Bionic Blaster (Thames & Kosmos)

The Toy Insider’s 12 Under $20

• 5 Surprise Foodie Mini Brands (ZURU)

• Captivz Dominion Dino Surprise Egg (ToyMonster)

• CoComelon Pattern Party Game (Funko Games)

• Express My Feelings Journal (hand2mind)

• Fashion Fidgets (WowWee)

• Glow Fusion Marker Coloring Sets (Crayola)

• Kittens vs Gherkins (Cepia)

• Pixicade Pets (BitOGenius)

• Playfoam Naturals (Educational Insights)

• Pop It! Pro (Buffalo Games)

• Star Wars Micro Galaxy Starfighter Class (Jazwares)

• Tugl Cube (Fat Brain Toys)

Museum adventure

Give the gift of a holiday trip that is just as fun and rewarding as it is educational

By Polly Jamison

A trip to the museum can be more than a stroll through the halls and a trip to the gift shop. With some planning, your child can also enjoy the anticipation and lasting memories of a wonderful museum experience. But this is no last-minute present. Careful planning can make holiday experience full of memories that will last a lifetime.

Make It Personal

Choose a museum that piques a child’s interest in a new subject or builds on his or her existing understanding of a favorite subject. Natural history museums, aquariums, art and history museums with or without special children’s areas can expand an interested child’s experiences. Special events in living museums present exhibits and experiences of past and future days, which can excite, enlighten and inspire children to not only reflect back but look forward to the future.

In choosing the museum, whether close to home, or New York City, or as a destination experience on, for example, a family trip, carefully consider what you know of your child’s interests, learning ability and energy level. Plan for breaks, take along comfort items and decide whether this would be best as a visit with you and just one child or as a family.

Plan Ahead

See where the exhibits are located in order to time the length of your visit, considering the age of your child (and any grandparents who might be participating). You may want to focus on one or two areas of a very large museum for a more relaxing, in-depth visit, especially for younger children. For example, a natural history museum highlight could be the mammals, or ocean life, or dinosaurs, or a special traveling exhibit, and leave the rest for another visit.

Find out if children are allowed to carry small backpacks in the museum. Collect, or print out at home, brochures, handouts and postcards.

Check out the museum gift shop. Children love gift shops, but they can be expensive. To avoid disappointment, be sure to understand the monetary needs for a gift shop visit.

Consider picking up or ordering a DVD featuring the museum and/ or highlight exhibits. The brochures, stickers, pins, DVD and any other items collected or ordered online will go into an actual gift box for under the tree or by the menorah.

Make A Gift Box

Other than the experience itself, this is the most fun part of the preparation. Create a gift box presenting the museum visit as your gift, and include any or all of the following:

√ An invitation to the visit or museum event using the museum brochures, handouts, logo, etc.

√ A T-shirt to wear on visit day, either from the gift shop or handdecorated using iron-on decals, logos and letters from your local craft shop.

√ A coloring book about the museum and a new box of crayons. Everybody loves a new box of crayons!

√ A small, inexpensive toy, book, pamphlet or puzzle representing the museum.

√ A favorite theme-related snack, such as fish crackers, dinosaur fruit treats, teddy bear grahams or astronaut ice cream.

√ A journal or notebook and stickers for observations, questions and sketches. Design a pamphlet as a passport with places to attach stickers or stamps as you move through the exhibits. This is a fun way to help keep children on track.

√ A simple map of the museum and exhibits so the whole experience <checkmark Money for listening stations, experiential stations, feeding stations and the gift shop.

√ A small backpack, if allowed, to hold items needed for the museum adventure — water bottle, snack, instant camera, outdoor exhibit items such as sunglasses, hat, magnifying glass or binoculars, etc. If the museum doesn’t allow backpacks, it can still be used in the car.

Wrap the box and attach a gift tag with a sticker, sketch or short notation indicating the special surprise inside. Always keep a gift recipient guessing!

Want More?

Many museums now offer day camps, age-appropriate one- to two-hour exhibit experiences and even overnight sleepovers for adults and children. Check out local and state museums in your area. Very large regional and national museums such as the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., offer a wide range of experiences for family events with advance reservations.

All children enjoy the anticipation and experience of a shared event, and special mementos that remind them of their visit. A museum experience that builds brainpower and family bonds is worth every minute of your preparation to make it a success.

Create a gift box filled with creative tools that your kids can use to have a memorable day at the museum.

Strategies to cut the cost of gifting

Impress your family and friends without breaking the bank

Can you feel the tug? It’s the strong pull of the culture that works hard to get the best of us this time of year, to get us to spend more than we should. The best way to counter that force is to have strategies in mind ahead of time, before we feel we have no choice but to give in one more time, one more season.

Consumable Gifts

If your social circle is anything like mine, your gift list is a fairly long one and includes at least some people who are difficult to buy for. The problem with hard-to-buy-for people is that any gift will end up in a closet or the donation box, and that just makes the whole endeavor a big, fat, expensive waste of time and money.

The best solution is to give consumable gifts that are meant to be used up and enjoyed. That’s a gift that delivers a message of love and joy that will remain with the recipient long after the gift has been consumed. That’s a winwin. You lose the guilt and anxiety that insists you must come up with the “perfect” gift that each recipient will treasure for a lifetime, and your recipient loses the obligation to like it, use it, wear it or display it.

Some of my best gifts over the years have been homemade: Madagascar vanilla extract, bacon onion jam, sweet pepper onion relish and freshly roasted Costa Rican coffee beans. Each of these gifts is pretty inexpensive and, although some of them do take some time, most are ridiculously simple to make.

If making a gift isn’t your style, give an edible gift of some kind: a nice bottle of wine, a couple bars of delicious chocolate, summer sausage and cheeses, gourmet popcorn and seasonings. There are so many edible gifts that people will sincerely appreciate.

Decorate In 1, 2, 3

If you have little time and even less money to dress the house for the holidays, no problem! Use what you have and concentrate on just these three areas:

The front door: Drape a garland intertwined with twinkle lights, hang a wreath and you’re done.

The table: Start with a tablecloth, runner, place mats — anything festive and beautiful. Add a big centerpiece. Set the table with the best things you own. Get out the china and crystal. Go all out and reset after every meal.

The mantel: Remove everything. Start with any kind of greens like pine, juniper or magnolia. Step outdoors and look around. If it’s green, it works! Add candles, ornaments, ribbon, cards and something red: Christmas balls, apples, pomegranates, candles or fabric. Note: If you do not have a mantel but you have a staircase, make that your third area of concentration.

Secret Santa/Hanukkah Harry

At some family holiday celebrations, everyone is expected to give a gift to everyone else, so the end result is that everyone has several cheap gifts while also feeling financially tapped out because of all of the gifts they are obligated to buy.

A much better approach is to adopt a gift exchange. Have everyone draw a name out of a hat of someone else in the exchange (or one designated person can do this for the group), then assign a financial limit. The end result is a lot of fun, unique gifts. Everyone spends less overall and everyone winds up with just one gift that they may actually really like.

Holiday Supplies

Wrapping paper, ribbon, bows and other holiday supplies are so stinking expensive

starting late November and into December. Never pay full price again with this one trick: Buy those kinds of items right after Christmas, when the stores put their wrapping paper, bows, tags and other such holiday items on steep discount in order to clear their stock.

Buy plenty for the following year then store it with all of your holiday decorations. But do one more thing: Make a note and write it in your calendar for November 2023 that will remind you what you bought, how much you bought and exactly where it is.

You will bless the day you decided to adopt this strategy. It won’t be this year but next.

Final Thoughts

There are so many clever little things you can do throughout December to save on the holiday season. These strategies, which only scratch the surface, are the ones I have used successfully to cut back on the costs of the holiday season without sacrificing the joy.

Hopefully, some of these moves will help you keep more of your money in your pocket or help you to direct it to areas that you find more fulfilling.

Holiday shopping is one of the easiest ways to throw your budget out the window. Between your kids, friends, colleagues, neighbors and more, your gift list can easily become longer than what your wallet can handle — especially now.

Perfectly pumpkin

Jazzed-up pumpkin pie recipes

By Kristen Castillo

Nothing says holiday dessert like pumpkin pie, but even this traditional recipe can get a little, well, boring. So jazz up this seasonal sweet with flavors raging from cream cheese to bourbon. These recipes are so tasty you may make more than one!

Pumpkin Pie Layered Cheesecake

Take your standard pumpkin pie and combine it with cream cheese for a delicious twist!

Graham cracker crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

• 1/3 cup butter, melted

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Cheesecake filling:

• 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup sour cream

• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325° F. For the crust, mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Press evenly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch springform pan.

For the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low after each until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Remove 1-cup batter to medium bowl; beat in pumpkin, flour and pumpkin pie spice until smooth. Stir vanilla into remaining plain batter. Pour half of the vanilla batter into crust. Gently pour pumpkin batter over top. Top with remaining vanilla batter. Bake 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stand in oven 2 hours or until cooled. Remove from oven. Refrigerate four hours or overnight. Run small knife around sides of pan to loosen crust; remove sides of pan. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

Pumped-Up Pumpkin Pie Bites

This recipe from author and celebrity chef, Devin Alexander combines whole-grain cereal with maple syrup, cinnamon, agave nectar and

other ingredients for a bite-size holiday treat.

Butter-flavored cooking spray

• 3/4 cup whole grain, crunchy, high-fiber, lowsugar cereal

• 2 tablespoons 100 percent pure maple syrup

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 8 large egg whites

• 1 can (15 ounces) solid pumpkin puree

• 3/4 cup agave nectar

• 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour

• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup “Cut the crap” whipped topping (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly mist an 11-by-7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with spray. Add the cereal to food processor fitted with chopping blade. Process for 15 to 20 seconds or until the cereal is crushed. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and add the maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix them until well-combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Gently press down on the cereal mixture, spreading it evenly across the bottom of the dish. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until slightly browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile, add the egg whites to a large mixing bowl. Using a sturdy whisk, lightly beat them until they bubble very slightly. Still using the whisk, stir in the pumpkin, agave and flour until well-combined. Stir in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and salt and continue mixing until well-combined. Pour the filling over the baked crust. Using a rubber spatula, spread it into an even layer.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Transfer the dish to a wire cooking rack,

allowing it to cool to room temperature. Carefully cut 32 pumpkin bites. Just before serving, top each bite with 1 teaspoon whipped topping, if desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Makes 16 servings.

“Cut the crap” whipped topping

• 3/4 cup light agave nectar

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Add water to a medium saucepan until about 1/4 full. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Off the heat, combine the agave, egg whites and cream of tartar in a large metal or heavy-duty glass mixing bowl (that fits atop your saucepan).

Beat on medium-high with an electric mixer fitted with beaters until well-blended. Place the bowl over the pot of boiling water. (Wear an oven mitt while holding the bowl over the heat, as it will get very hot). Beat for about 7 minutes, occasionally running the beaters around the sides of the bowl, until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl from the water and continue beating for 5 to 7 minutes more, rotating the bowl and scraping down the sides with the beaters, or until the mixture is thick, fluffy and has very stiff peaks. Makes about 6 cups.

Who says pie has to be sliced into wedges? Get creative with pumpkin pie bites.

Sip and be mery

Warm drink recipes for winding down or heating up the holiday

By DiAnne Crown

Cold winter holidays call for a comforting and festive cup of warmth to sip and share with friends or savor alone in a few precious quiet moments. Here are some international treats for just such occasions. Serve in tall mugs you can wrap your hands around.

Robin’s Wassail

• 1/2 gallon apple juice

• 1 quart cranberry juice

• 2 cups orange juice

• 1-2 teaspoons whole cloves

• 1-2 teaspoons whole allspice

• 2-3 cinnamon sticks

• Sugar to taste, approximately 3/4 cup Heat in crockpot, simmer and serve.

Cindy’s Russian Tea

“May you always drink it in good health and happiness.”

• 1 quart apple, orange, grapefruit or pineapple juice

• 1 quart strong tea

• 1 tablespoon whole cloves

• 3 cinnamon sticks

Combine juice (or 14-ounce frozen concentrate can plus water to make 1 quart) and heat. Add whole cloves and cinnamon sticks (loose or in a small cloth bag) while heating.

Jane’s Hot Cranberry Brew

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves

• 4 cinnamon sticks

• 2 quarts cranberry juice

• 4 1/2 cups water

Place sugar and spices in 30-cup electric coffee pot basket (on the coffee cycle) or a crockpot. Add juices and water. Serve hot.

Swedish Coffee

Source unknown, possibly from a vintage Pillsbury cookbook

• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• Orange peel strips

• Hot, strong coffee

• Whipped cream

Combine brown sugar and spices, mix well and place 1 teaspoon of mix in each serving cup. Add 1 strip of orange peel, fill cup

with coffee and top with whipped cream.

Brazilian Coffee

• 2 tablespoons instant cocoa mix

• Hot, strong coffee

• Cinnamon Stick

• Whipped cream

Place instant cocoa mix in each serving cup. Fill cup with hot, strong coffee. Stir with cinnamon stick. Top with whipped cream.

Coffee Grog

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 8 ounces brown sugar

• 4-5 ounces hot, strong coffee

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/4 teaspoon allspice, optional

• Pinch of salt

• Orange and lemon peel strips

Combine brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cloves and allspice to create Grog Mix. Cream butter in a separate cup. For each cup of coffee, gently heat 2 tablespoons of whipping cream together with 1 tablespoon Grog Mix. Add Grog Mix to butter. Add coffee. Serve with strips of orange and lemon peel in a preheated mug. Store extra in the refrigerator.

Viennese Coffee No.1

Fill each serving cup with hot, strong coffee. Stir in 1 teaspoon sugar. Top with

whipped cream. Sprinkle with nutmeg or chocolate curls.

Viennese Coffee No.2

Gently melt 4 ounces plain chocolate and stir in 4 tablespoons of light cream. Add 2 1/2 cups medium-dark roast coffee and whip until frothy. Serve with whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon and cocoa.

Enjoy these international brews with a delicious cookie.

Twinkling Ginger Stars

Source: Land O’Lakes

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 1 cup softened butter

• 1 egg

• 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup or molasses

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• Powdered sugar

Combine sugar and butter in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy (1-2 minutes). Add egg, corn syrup or molasses, and vanilla. Continue beating until well-mixed (1-2 minutes). Reduce speed to low. Add all remaining ingredients except powdered sugar. Beat until well mixed (1-2 minutes).

Divide dough into thirds. Shape each third into round ball and flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. Wrap in plastic food wrap. Refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours) or up to three days.

Heat oven to 375 F. Roll out one section of dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Keep remaining dough refrigerated. Cut with 2- to 3-inch star cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until set. Let stand 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely. Sift powdered sugar over cooled cookies.

Decadent drinks are the key to staying cozy throughout the season.

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Nick Biondo

Things we really want this season

Kids (and adults) remember time — not money — spent

By Mary Hunt

Do you remember the TV show “Supermarket Sweep”? Contestants had several minutes to fill grocery carts with as much stuff as possible. But the winner wasn’t determined by the quantity of stuff jammed into the cart but by the total monetary value at checkout. The contestant with the biggest tab won the game.

The strategy is simple: Pass up the lowvalue stuff and load up on what’s going to pay off big at the checkout. Smart contestants had a plan of action and knew exactly where to head the minute that clock started ticking.

The holidays are like that. Once the season begins, we start filling our “shopping carts.” We have lots of choices. What we choose will either pay off in terms of happiness, satisfaction and pleasant holiday memories, or we’ll get negative results of dissatisfaction and disappointment fueled by guilt, obligation and trying to meet others’ expectations. What we end up with when it’s all put away for another year will depend on the choices we make between now and then.

In their book “Unplug the Christmas Machine,” authors Jo Robinson and Jean C. Staeheli tell us that, while children may be quick to tell their parents they want designer clothes, the latest electronic gear and brandname toys for Christmas, here’s what they really want:

√ Relaxed and loving time with family

√ Realistic expectations about gifts

√ An evenly paced holiday season

√ Reliable family traditions

Underneath, I think that’s what adults want, too.

Just imagine how the holidays might look this year if we have the courage to hold each of our choices and holiday decisions against the measuring stick of the four things we really do want.

Relaxed And Loving Time With Family

If you’re looking for a big payoff in terms of happiness this holiday season, this is where you want to concentrate your efforts. That’s because experts tell us that happiness is the process of enjoying what you’re doing. Happiness is found in our relationships, our free time, our family and our lives.

The secret here is to schedule those blocks of family time in the same way you would an important meeting with a client or lunch with a friend. Write it on the calendar.

Find at least four places on your December calendar to enter something like “Family Time” or whatever makes sense to you. Do it now and do it in ink. It’s that important.

Realistic Gift Expectations

No one can determine what this means for your specific situation. But it’s safe to say if your gift plans require you to go into debt, it’s not realistic. If it means 60 gifts per child, that’s not realistic. If it means feeling obligated to exchange gifts with all of your extended family, that too may be unrealistic for you this year.

Now is the right time to decide what is right for you and your family. Set boundaries when it comes to both giving and receiving gifts. Realistic gifts for you might be simple handmade gifts from your kitchen.

If you have very young children, arrange with other families to swap toys instead of everyone buying new ones this year. Clean them up and wrap them up, and the kids will be none the wiser.

Some families include service to others as part of their holiday gift-giving. Make coupon books that family members can redeem for

services such as car washing, making a favorite meal or cleaning the garage. Physical labor never goes out of style.

Evenly Paced Holiday Season

I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but it’s true: You’ve got to get organized. No matter how simple or complex your holidays, organization is the only way to keep things evenly paced.

Make meals ahead and freeze them. On those very busy days in mid-December, you’ll stay relaxed and stress-free knowing that dinner will be on the table just like usual. Your family is used to that, right?

You’re going to laugh because this idea is going to sound way too simple but so useful that it bears repeating: Get one envelope for each person on your gift list. Write that person’s name and the amount you plan to spend on the front. Put the cash in the envelope (or, if shopping online, purchase gift cards then treat them as cash to make online purchases). When an envelope empties, stop shopping.

Reliable Family Traditions

Traditions give families assurance that even in an uncertain and changing world, there are some things they can count on to be the same. Anything you do in the same way at the same time, year after year, counts as a tradition. Whatever it is, even if you’ve done it once but plan to do it again, it counts as a tradition.

Make a list of your family’s best traditions. Talk about them, treat them with a sense of respect and joy, and add to them. Repeat often and, in time, they will become trusted anchors in your lives.

Here’s the bottom line: What we really want — kids and adults — can’t be bought in a store. Sure, the gifts are fun and exciting, but they will soon fade. It’s the memories of times together and the family traditions we experience that will last a lifetime.

Baking together is one of many ways to make last ing holiday memories with your family.

Fit gifts

Ideas for the health- and fitness-minded

By Sharon Naylor

If you have a health- or fitness-minded person on your holiday gift list, it’s easy to choose a present that will be appreciated and used. Gift guru Laura Holmes says that when health and fitness are top priorities in a person’s life — as evidenced by weekend 5Ks, mountain biking treks, social media posts about healthy recipes, and yoga and spinning schedules — you can tap into one of the top gift-giving categories for health-minded people.

Holmes points to the following categories to help you select the perfect gifts:

Tech. ”There are so many cool tech tools to aid the fitness fan in setting her goals and tracking her successes. If she doesn’t already have a sleep and activity tracker, this is the perfect gift, as it gives her an overall view of what she’s accomplished every day,” says Holmes.

Fitness and sleep trackers are available as a wristband or a necklace that delivers daily data to an app, showing daily mileage, nutrition and even sleep patterns. You’ll even find “smart” water bottles that keep us hydrated on the go and remind us when we haven’t met our daily water goal. And would you believe there is a smartfork that lights up when the person holding it is eating too fast?

Cooking. Health-minded gift recipients know that wellness happens from the inside out, so consider health-themed cookbooks and cooking gadgets such as spiral vegetable peelers to help make meal preparation healthier. And small appliances such as yogurt-makers, blenders and even pizza stones help get home-cooked nutrition on the menu.

Deliveries. A monthly delivery of fresh fruit, veggies and herbs makes healthy cooking convenient, says Holmes, adding that if your recipient is ultra-healthy, she’ll probably prefer organic produce, so look into the company’s organic specifications before ordering these deliveries in weekly, monthly or quarterly packages.

Noise-canceling headphones or earbuds. Many athletes relish their workouts not only as opportunities to zero in on their fitness goals, but also as chances to block out distractions and clear their heads for an hour or two each day. Noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds effectively block out external noises, allowing athletes to direct all of their focus on their workouts and training sessions.

Home gym equipment. Pandemic-related gym closures turned athletes into their own personal trainers, and some may not want to return to local fitness facilities even now that they’ve safely reopened.

Home gym equipment can help athletes continue to build their own private home gyms, making items like kettle bells, dumbbells, weight benches, and resistance bands great items this holiday season.

goal. And holding can own gyms, great items this holiday season.

Yoga. Yoga is mainstream, and top yoga gifts include yoga mats, carryall bags, yoga blocks, and stylish clothing and grip yoga socks. Add in gift certificates to your recipient’s nearby yoga center, and your friend can personalize her practice even further, perhaps now having the funds to attend a special sunrise yoga or meditation class taught by a visiting notable yogi.

In addition to these four categories suggested by Holmes, consider some of the other hot fitness gifts this year:

Balance boards. Balance workouts also come in the form of balance boards, a.k.a. Indo boards: flat boards set atop a round middle piece. The exerciser then stands atop the board, balancing from side to side. On some Indo boards, yoga may also be practiced.

Jump-ropes. Jumping rope may remind the fitness buff of childhood play, but it’s a hard-core workout. And today there are cordless jump-ropes to add some tech to the workout.

Hands-free dog leash. This gift allows a dog to run alongside his owner, his leash clipped securely to this piece of gear.

Gift card to an alternative therapy session. This could be an aromatherapy session or an energy healing session with a licensed practitioner, or perhaps an adventure your health-minded gift recipient has been longing to experience.

Hiking supplies. Fitness-minded friends who hike or camp will enjoy new outdoor activity gear such as a hydration backpack or a personalized flask and carrier. Camping enthusiasts will know the intricacies of top-model camping gear, so if you’re not an experienced camper, a gift card to an outdoors store such as REI is a safe bet.

It’s never been easier to shop for the athlete in your life. A heightened focus on fitness ensures there’s something for every type of athlete on your holiday shopping list.

Happy ending

Everyone loves traditional holiday fare mom’s stuffing, grandma’s sugar cookies, or that best-kept secret recipe that keeps friends and family coming back for more. But where does tradition end and boring begin?

Small (think mini) desserts are all the rage these days. Here’s a version that puts a new spin on the age-old finale to the holiday meal the pie.

Blue Ribbon Raisin Apple Hand Held Pies

Raisin apple filling:

• 1 1/2 cups chopped tart apples

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 tablespoons water

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 3/4 cup California raisins

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• Pinch ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Blue ribbon pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening

• 4-5 tablespoons cold water

• Egg wash (1 egg mixed with a pinch of salt)

For filling, combine apples, brown sugar, water, lemon juice and raisins in 2-quart saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until apples are just tender. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt and spices together well, and add liquid from cooking apples to make slurry. Then, add all to pan with apples and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and butter. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile for pastry, measure flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon into large bowl and with pastry blender, fork or two knives, cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing after each addition until flour is moist and dough just holds together. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead together and shape into flattened disk. Divide into 4 equal pieces; wrap

A new twist on a traditional holiday recipe

separately in plastic wrap or wax paper and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry dough, one piece at a time, and cut each piece into 4 small rounds with 3 1/2- or 4-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 scant tablespoon filling just below center on each piece; moisten edges and fold over, sealing edges with fork. Arrange on baking sheet and prick tops of each handheld pie in several places with fork or cut one small slit with sharp knife. Beat 1 egg with pinch of salt for egg wash and brush onto pies. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and serve. Makes 16 individual pies.

That sweet finish to the holiday meal doesn’t have to be over the top. Think small for an impressive yet inspired treat.

Nature’s way

Great ideas for the gardeners among us

Shower the gardeners in your life with the tools they need to grow beautiful and delicious things. Whether your recipient already has a green thumb or is just thinking about starting a new hobby, there are some great gift ideas out there for every level of gardening interest and skill.

Herb and Vegetable Cookbook

Everyone gets stumped from time-to-time when planning meals or figuring out how best to incorporate a fresh harvest into tonight’s dinner. Consider gifting a little inspiration. Any vegetable gardener will appreciate a great cookbook that focuses on cooking with fresh herbs and vegetables.

‘There are many options — from cookbooks that focus on vegetable side dishes to vegetarian ones where veggie main dishes take center stage.

Bring the Outdoors In

Why only grow tasty vegetables and beautiful flowers part of the year? For the year-round enthusiast, consider an indoor garden. For example, The Miracle-Gro AeroGarden is a soil-free garden that grows herbs, vegetables, salad greens and flowers five times faster than plants grown in soil. Because it uses advanced hydroponics to create an ideal environment for healthy growth, your gift recipient won’t need expertise for a successful garden to thrive.

Plants grown in an Aerogarden receive an ideal balance of water, air and liquid nutrients packed with calcium, iron, magnesium and other key minerals. It also features a control panel to tell you when to add water, eliminating some of the trickier guesswork.

Foodies and health enthusiasts will also be pleased to know that many of the seeds provided are heirloom varieties, and the company sources organic seeds when possible

Feed the Birds

Help your favorite gardener attract pollinators and add a touch of beauty to the garden with a unique bird feeder. The birds attracted by the feeder will do more than bring beauty to the recipient’s garden — they can help cross pollinate plants and flowers, as well.

If you’re crafty, consider making it yourself, or use an online marketplace to find a unique, hand-crafted or vintage treasure. And if your recipient is crafty, consider giving him or her a do-it-yourself feeder or birdhouse kit.

This holiday season, skip the generic presents and be a bit more thoughtful. For friends and family, there are plenty of ways you can support a new or lifelong, year-round gardening habit.

You can’t go wrong with a bird feeder for the garden obsessed in your life.

‘Tis the season

Expert tips for seamless hosting

As we immerse ourselves in the busy holiday season, a foolproof plan is essential for throwing an unforgettable party everyone will be talking about. Whether it’s a casual weekend brunch, formal sit-down dinner or a glitzy cocktail party, you want to make sure the atmosphere is set, and that you’re party ready.

Interior designer and artistic advisor to LG Studio appliances, Nate Berkus, is not just a design guru but also an expert party planner and host.

“The key to minimizing stress during the holiday entertaining season is to keep things simple, and be as prepared as possible,” Berkus says. ”Making sure everyone, including the host, is relaxed and enjoying themselves is the most important element of a good party. Whether it’s the food, the decor and anything in between, nothing should feel uptight or over-complicated.”

Berkus shares his best holiday entertaining tips — from the festive to the practical and, of course, always stylish.

It’s OK to leave the cooking to someone else

Don’t let the fact that you don’t like to cook stop you from throwing a festive holiday get together. Call your favorite restaurant and have them cater it. Decant the dishes on to beautiful plates, platters and bowls. No one will know you ordered in — unless you want to tell them!

Make sure your kitchen is ready

Fact: the kitchen ends up becoming command central at any party. Guests love to congregate there, despite your best efforts otherwise. Embrace the fact that people will

gather at your kitchen island, and make it part of the party, whether it’s setting up a food or drink station or adding in extra seating. Nothing feels more familiar and welcoming than a kitchen, especially during the holidays.

If you’re planning on doing some kitchen renovation or need to replace an appliance, it’s also important to make smart choices when it comes to your appliances, so they can do your work for you — and look good doing it.

Prepare as much as you can in advance

When you entertain, you want to be able to greet each and every guest as they arrive, and be a part of the party. Have your holiday cocktail already mixed and ready to go, the wine open and the sparkling water set up at a bar where guests can help themselves.

Every horizontal space is an opportunity, so use trays, side tables and your kitchen island to set up food stations. You want your guests to feel at home.

Stick to a neutral color scheme

People think they have to reach for traditional red and green decor, but the truth is it’s much easier to work with a neutral palette. Use natural materials like woven baskets and mats, and layer in metallic accents.

Things like brass candle holders and napkin rings will instantly up the glam factor. Pull greenery from the garden, and finish off your tablescape with candles.

Mix up the seating chart

If you’re doing a sit down dinner, change things up by seating the host in the middle of the table, rather than at the end, and plan out who sits around them. Your goal is to have people get to know each other, and spark unexpected connections and conversations.

And nothing is chicer than a beautifully prepared place card at each setting. Your guests can also take it with them, as a small memento from the night.

Think chic, and best of all, easy, when it comes to your holiday gathering.

Wine and food

Complement the flavors at your holiday table with these perfect pairings

By Dan Berger

Excluding breakfast, I consider a meal without a glass of wine to be a missed opportunity. I think of wine as an enhancement of food and a simple way to improve almost all victuals.

Not every wine has to be great. Sometimes, a simple glass of simple wine is just fine. And though making the proper food and wine pairing is fun, it’s by no means necessary.

In fact, I don’t believe in rigid rules when it comes to wine and food pairing. For me, there is one rigid rule I live by: wine with food beats the alternative, which is food without any wine.

The old food/wine rules were designed with simplicity in mind. Sure,“white wine with fish, red wine with meat” can work, but not always. Like baked halibut with lemon butter. But what about halibut in a dark red-wine reduction sauce seasoned with tarragon and thyme? A medium-weight red would be better.

Want rules? Let’s start with some basics.

Either a complement or a contrast should be considered. A complementing wine should have flavors that are not incompatible with the main dish; a contrasting wine could well be a tart wine with a rich creamy dish.

The dominant flavors in the main dish are usually matched to the wine, so roasted lamb leg with rosemary traditionally would be matched with older red Bordeaux and its slightly gamey or earthy complexity. But the rosemary is in play, so a very ripe, youthful zinfandel could also work.

Beef isn’t always prepared the same. A medium pinot noir best complements rare prime rib, but if you’re having a rump roast covered in herbs and garlic, a shiraz might be better. The roast’s exterior will have a load of flavors including pepper.

Keep in mind the other dishes on the

table. When preparing a turkey with sage dressing, herbal wines may do best, such as cabernet or pinot noir. But at Thanksgiving, remember the other dishes typically on the table: cranberry sauce (sweet), yams (sweet) and even raisins in the dressing.

Since the sweetness in the dishes will make some reds taste sour, try Beaujolais or zinfandel. Also, consider an Extra Dry sparkling wine, with its slight sweetness.

In doubt? California sparkling wine and quality dry rose wines are all-purpose matches for a wide variety of cuisines. Rose really is an all-purpose wine, especially when one person at the table is eating seafood, another is having steak and others are vegetarians. Grenache and sangiovese are popular grapes making stylish rose wines these days. Think about seasonings and temperature. With Asian foods, keep in mind the heat (peppers and other spices) and the sweetness (especially if fruit is used in the preparation). If the main dish is either sweet or hot, choose an off-dry wine, preferably with lower alcohol, such as a German riesling.

With salty foods, pick an off-dry wine with flowery character, such as a gewurztraminer. Chilled dishes usually have less overt flavors, so a delicate wine would work well. Try a pinot

gris or pinot blanc from Alsace or from the Alto Adige of Italy.

Don’t try to match wine with foods containing noticeable amounts of vinegar, such as salads. For salads with cream dressings, try sauvignon blanc.

Most soups gain added interest with a tiny splash of a dry or off-dry sherry. And serving sherry alongside soup is an elegant accompaniment.

Of all the systems pairing wines with foods, I still like my No. 1 rule best: dinner without wine is dreary.

Wine Of The Week

Nonvintage Fre Red Blend, California “Alcohol Removed” ($6): Making any wine without any alcohol is an extremely difficult task, and it is far more difficult to make a red than a white. This zero-alcohol wine is relatively tasty, particularly if it is reasonably well chilled.

The aroma is typical of an inexpensive red, and the residual sugar that was intentionally left in the wine helps with the texture that the alcohol would have provided had it been there. Chilling it helps the structural balance, allowing it to work nicely with various foods.

Pairing food and wine is more about your guests than yourself. You don’t want to be a culinary nar cissist. On the other hand, you can’t assume just because you like a pairing, then everyone else will, too.

What’s on the outside counts too

Has gift wrapping become a lost art?

Have we become a society that is too busy for gift wrap? When the holidays come around in full force, or even a birthday for that matter, where do most people turn? To the ultra-convenient gift bag, that’s where.

Gift bags have largely taken over at most stores, where rows and rows of gift bags in all shapes and sizes are not uncommon.

It’s true that wrapping paper seems to make a rebound come the holiday season, when stores begin to devote aisles of space to holiday supplies. But even when shiny foils and smiling Santas and glittery menorahs beckon, many people still choose gift bags.

Gift bags do have many advantages. They are easily portable, generally inexpensive and come in some very clever designs. They’re also touted as a “green” product because they can be reused.

But there are plenty of people who feel that the elimination of intricately wrapped presents takes some of the magic out of the holidays. Carefully wrapped gifts show that a person put in time and effort to present a gift in a way that is sentimental and personal.

Although it may take mere minutes to pry away the paper and find a treasure inside, there’s something to be said for paperwrapped gifts. It means the gift-giver sat down, pondered the paper design and carefully chose the bow or ribbon with the recipient in mind.

Before you eschew wrapping paper for a gift bag this holiday season, think about all of the advantages to spending some time and reacquainting yourself with the art of gift wrapping. Here are some reasons to save the gift bag for another time.

Wrapping can be green, too. Wrapping paper can be reused if it is carefully removed from a gift. You also can create your own wrapping paper by decorating brown postal paper with a rubber stamp or having children color their own special murals. Don’t overlook newsprint as wrapping as well.

Paper is more cost-effective. You are bound to get more bang for your wrapping buck by choosing wrapping paper. Although there are scores of low-priced gift bags, often the quality isn’t the same, and the handles could tear after one or two uses. Wrapping paper per inch is definitely more affordable than gift bags, particularly when purchased on sale.

Wrapping paper lets you be creative. Cover a box with a patchwork of different paper scraps, choose to stagger colors of paper with boxes towered one on top of another or tie on the biggest bow you can find.

Paper is traditional. Look back to the classic stories of yuletide and you are bound to find images of Santa Claus pulling wrapped boxes out of his enormous gift sack. Also

think about how department stores used to (and some still do) offer complimentary gift wrapping.

Wrapped gifts travel better. When carrying your bounty of gifts to friends and family, carefully wrapped boxes tend to stand up to travel better than gift bags. No one wants to receive a gift bag that has been wrinkled and crushed into some amorphous shape. Plus, wilted tissue paper can be off-putting.

There’s something magical about wrapping paper. The anticipation, the drama, the build-up to peeling aside wrapping paper and revealing the gift has brought smiles to children’s (and adults’) faces for generations. It is hard to improve on something that has been successful for years and years.

Many people have turned their backs on wrapped gifts in favor of gift bags. However, there’s some thing to be said for intricately wrapped presents that add excitement to the holiday season.