Pistachio brittle, cocktail parties on a budget, and gift guides in this past week's most popular posts. Read on for the top ten.

15. A Cocktail Party for 20 for Just $140
14. Memories of Christmas Breakfast Strata (and a Recipe)
13. What Do You Only Eat At Restaurants (or Only at Home)?
12. Five Tips for Flawless, Fabulous Cheese Plate Construction
11. Roundup: The Kitchn's Holiday 2009 Gift Guides

One note: We left the giveaways out of this lineup, as they are rather popular (i.e. blow everything else away!) but boring. Who wants to click through a roundup of giveaways, especially when they're over?

10. 5 Quick Rise Bread Recipes & 5 Ways To Make Them Better

9. Sprouted Spaghetti Squash: Is It OK To Eat?

8. Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Why Use Both?

7. Love Me Tender: 15 Braises from The Kitchn

6. Kitchen Tour: Veronique and Thierry's French Kitchen

5. 10 Tips To Make Your Dishwasher Run Better

4. More DIY Gift Ideas: Best Recipes in a Jar

3. Perfect Cups: How To Make Coffee Without a Coffee Maker

2. A Holiday Cookie for Everyone: 25 New Recipes to Try

1. Salted Pistachio Brittle (Better Than Christmas Cookies!)

Previous Hot Posts: Ultra-Cheesy Pasta, Kitchen Bloopers, and Casseroles: Most popular posts published December 4-10, 2009