There is entertaining, and there is entertaining. I hosted a formal cocktail party this past weekend for over 40 of my friends, with my event proving to be the latter. The dress code called for "sparkly attire", and I donned my mother's black velvet vintage couture dress, paired with big hair and lots of costume baubles! In keeping with a retro theme, I pulled out all of the stops, including a traditional Southern menu served in my mom's best silver. Here's a look at one of the hit recipes of the night — a cocktail meatball that needs no improvement. More

There is no resisting rugelach, no matter how nubbly or imperfectly rolled. They're buttery, flaky, and just the right amount of sweet. You can fill them with anything from ground nuts and honey to peanut butter and chocolate — the only real constant is using cream cheese to make a super-tender dough. Here's how you can make them at home. More

Fresh, warm cinnamon rolls are a special breakfast for the holidays (or any day), but who wants to wake up at 5 am to start the process of making them from scratch? Instead of reaching for canned rolls, try this technique from King Arthur Flour: parbake and freeze cinnamon rolls, then fully bake them just before serving. You'll have hot, homemade cinnamon rolls on the table in just 20 minutes. More

Frankly, I don't really understand the December cookie craze. If you ask me what my favorite Christmas cookie is, I'll tell you chocolate chip. Only chocolate chip. At least, that would have been my firm answer right up until last week when I discovered Regan Daley's butter-toffee crunch shortbread and had a change of heart. It was love at first bite, and it took everything in me not to hide in the pantry and devour the whole pan.

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There are only so many homemade cookies a person can eat before they go stale. But give the gift of homemade frozen cookie dough, and you've just guaranteed several weeks or months of freshly-baked cookie goodness for the recipient. More

This year my husband and I are spending time with both our families over the holidays, which means traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle to Boston and back again. Needless to say, we'll be spending a lot of time on airplanes, and not one of the flights includes a meal. Instead of relying on sad bags of mini pretzels or soggy airport sandwiches, I'll be packing a few of these whole wheat pockets. Stuffed with spiced lentils, kale and mashed roasted sweet potato, these sturdy vegan pastries freeze well and taste great hot or at room temperature, so whether you're sitting in your cubicle or cruising at 30,000 feet, you can have a wholesome meal ready whenever you are. More

Whether they are students, new parents, or friends with demanding jobs, you probably have a few loved ones who would appreciate the gift of healthy, homemade, energy-dense snacks that are easy to eat on the go. From a helpful step-by-step guide to making classic granola bars to a no-added-sugar, grain-free Larabar lookalike, these 6 recipes will have you well on your way to a big batch of high-energy snacks for gifting — or for keeping on hand to fuel you through the season ahead. More

When you cook a 22-pound turkey for Thanksgiving, leftovers are inevitable. The first round is devoured in a midnight dash to the fridge (straight from the Tupperware, no silverware required.) And then there's Friday's long-awaited turkey-cranberry panino, with a pile of green bean casserole on the side. Heaven. But my favorite meal of all—besides the main event, of course—is turkey noodle casserole. More

Chances are, if you've reached this site, you are planning on cooking at least part of your holiday meals from scratch. Many of you may even be going the whole shebang and cooking the entire meal, from the biscuits to cranberry sauce, on your own. But who says you can't fib a little on the timing? Read on for seven foods you can make now and freeze to save a few hours when you're cooking up a storm in a few weeks. More

Time seems to speed up this time of year as we near the holidays. In preparation, I like to make and freeze a big batch of Asian dumplings like these tofu and kimchi-filled Korean mandu. They're easy to heat up as a bite to eat between running to events and make a nice appetizer for guests, too. More