Holiday

I live in Seattle, but I am a New Yorker with roots in the Deep South — which is to say, I love pork and pastrami, mint juleps and Manischewitz, and chopped liver and sweet tea. The dearth of Jewish delis has affected me more than I thought it would, but I, at least, can find variations of my culinary desires, which tend to be pickles and matzo ball soup. For my mother, the situation is more dire; she longs for tongue and chopped liver, which are considerably more difficult to find.

As a kid, I really lucked out with Easter baskets. Since my dad was a single parent, a family friend took on the responsibility of making one for me and my sister and she always nailed it. There were plastic eggs filled with pastel-colored M&Ms and more jelly beans than I knew what to do with, as well as less common treats, like chocolates from the local candy shop.

Even if you’re not Jewish, chances are you’re familiar with some of the major holidays. There’s the dynamic duo of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah — aka the High Holy Days — which skew on the serious side, and Hanukkah has become a big deal for even the non-observant (because: Christmas). But my favorite calendar day of the year is one you might not have heard of.

So you’re hosting an upcoming holiday. That means you either … Want to. Drew the short straw. Were told you were hosting by your mother. No matter the reason, think of us as your online support system. We’re here to help you not only make a meal that people will still be talking about next year, but also ensure that you look like the consummate hostess. So no running around harried and sweating the whole day looking for extra seating and missing silverware. You can do this!

Once you’ve bought your turkey and all the fixings for a big Thanksgiving meal, shelling out more cash for table decor is probably the last thing you want or even can do. But you know that a pretty tablescape makes the food taste better. At the very least it can’t hurt, right?

So, you made a cake and it’s a real show-stopper. The only problem? Your guests won’t get to see it until the end of the night and then, before you know it, it’s gone. Well, no more, I say! Have your cake, gaze at it, and then eat it too. As an interior designer and stylist, I can’t help but think that how the food looks is just as important as how it tastes. It follows, then, that my absolute favorite culinary project is a big and beautiful well-frosted cake.

Whether you're shopping for someone who just got her first apartment or is already living in her fifth, there are some must-have items every home cook needs.

You can buy every single thing here (including multiples of one item!) for $163.

I give out no fewer than 40 gifts of cookies every holiday season. Every person on my husband’s side of the family gets one. My coworkers each get one. The super in my apartment building gets one. The list goes on. I know the holiday tin is the traditional vessel for gifting cookies, but with more than 10 years of cookie-gifting experience, I’ve decided there’s something a million times better: small cardboard treat boxes. Hear me out.

Because these goodies are more fun than a bottle of grocery store-bought ketchup.

What to get for the gal who's constantly making you (and everyone else) from-scratch dinners during the week, soup when you're sick, and goodies for every holiday?

The comfort that comes from a big bowl of macaroni and cheese can’t be beat. So forget granola and chocolate bark and give the gift of mac and cheese this holiday season. But don’t simply wrap up a box of Annie’s and call it a day — it’s the holidays, after all. This DIY kit is not only more festive, but it also cooks up to be a way better version of the usual boxed mixes.

If you haven’t already noticed, Mason jars continue to be everywhere, whether they’re used as a water glass or to transport your lunch salad. They also make for a rustic, practical, and affordable vessel for food gifts. Load them with granola, or pancake mix and consider that long list of gifts you need for family and friends taken care of.

Booze is always a good gift. "Nah, I have enough," said no drinker ever. Just make sure to buy her a bottle she doesn't already have.

We've never met a beverage dispenser we didn't like. And any hostess who throws parties (inside or out) will probably say the same thing.

These food-themed ornaments will look so much better on your tree than a bunch of boring metallic balls and frozen-in-time ice-skating figurines.

Starting a fire creates instant festive feels — that is, if you’re lucky enough to have a functional wood-burning fireplace. But those of us who can’t light up the logs (or have gas-powered flames) have to get crafty when we want that magical fire smell. Where to turn? Fortunately a bunch of companies have started to bottle that signature campfire-like scent.

Help your friend get #allthelikes with this sleek-yet-practical kitchen gear.

Every year, my friends and I come together to celebrate the new year in the Hudson Valley. There are eight of us in total, and this four-family sleepover is my very favorite event of the year. With delicious food, lots of downtime, and a chance to sit and talk for hours, it’s a perfect way to start each year feeling refreshed. As kids have entered into the equation — there are now six between us! — things have gotten a bit trickier.

Growing up, I had not one, not two, but three different holiday traditions. As a result, I dreamed of a life that looked a lot like Norman Rockwell’s famous painting, Freedom from Want: Family gathered, a fat brown turkey on the table, and ideally, fewer emotional complications for my kids than my own divorced childhood had delivered. But dreams don’t always come true, and sometimes they fail to encompass all the available — and wonderful — possibilities.

Now that you know the most important questions to ask yourself before mailing an edible gift, it’s time to tackle the part when you actually box them up. I have learned that there are very specific ways to wrap all types of food gifts to ensure they land in one piece with family and friends. Here’s what you need to know. Seal the jars: Jars of marmalade or bottles of syrup should be sealed tightly.

These cookbooks will be at home in the kitchen or sitting on a coffee table.

These books could be considered essential to the kind of cook who likes to deeply understand the hows and whys of cooking and baking.

So much time in the kitchen is about feeding our families and the occasional friends that we've invited over. That's where these five new cookbooks come in.

The party problem: Holiday punches get warm too quickly. The party trick: Use popsicle molds to make giant ice cubes. I don’t have a punch bowl for three reasons. For one, it’s not 1920. I also don’t have a ton of storage space and I don’t love how easy it is for other foods to fall into a wide-mouthed bowl of liquid. I’ve seen a deviled egg fall into a punch bowl before — and it’s not pretty!