Neat Ideas from Other Foodies

 With all the crazy baking hype happening on the foodie side of the 'net, it's hard to decide what to make now, and what to make later, when life is calm again. I like to laze my way through old stacks of holiday mags, and re-read classic entertaining cookbooks, too; the other day I pulled The Silver Palate Good Times off the shelf and enjoyed it all over, letting it set little sparks in the cooking cave of my brain. Great way to spend some downtime if you don't start pressuring yourself as many of us do, come November.

 Don't go crazy overthinking it! Pick one or two stellar new items to make; get it done, then move on if you like.

 My tea bread, here, is a must for December.

 BUT-- here are a few great links from other blogs or sites, to give you a fresh outlook.

Beautifully shaped dinner rolls, enhanced with some of the seasonal fruit that they resemble. This neat take on a harvest presentation can also be applied to any fairly firm yeast bread recipe you are comfortable making. Cheese bread comes to mind, as does a fruity stollen dough, brushed with cream and sprinkled with orange or gold sugars to further "pumpkinise" the look.

 http://www.beyondkimchee.com/pumpkin-dinner-rolls/


 Here's a link to a gorgeously cool, but simple to make, fizzy drink for any party or special night, from The Cocktail Lady-- she's been on a quest to find the perfect drink for lo these past 269 days, and here, she just may have found it.

 http://cocktail365.blogspot.com/2012/11/bubbles-blue.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+aYearOfCocktails+%28%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0A+Year+of+Cocktails%29


This is a link to a fine, more warming drink. We'll just have to get past the blog title, because it's a neat blog: http://spoonforkbacon.com/2012/11/honeycrisp-bourbon-spiced-cider/


 And to go with the drinks, a trippy little dip that won't bloat you with high salt content, and is a bit different than the usual, from Sodium Girl: http://www.sodiumgirl.com/im-back-broccoli-dip/#comment-9060

Or, some spicy-sweet nuts that blow away prepared nut mixes, from Food and Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sweet-and-spicy-sesame-walnuts


 Then some beautiful vegetables that could MAKE the feast, in a twist on the standard recipe, from epicurious. They include two ways to serve. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Green-Bean-Casserole-360809

And a spicy little number that throws out the usual cauliflower notions, from Cooking Light. Interesting, colorful, and tasty: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/baked-italian-style-cauliflower-50400000116797/


Different dessert dreams? How about these pretty, pale pear-pops spiked with Riesling? These could freshen everyone up after a dense meal, and still leave room for a thin slice of pie. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/riesling-pear-pops


 Thinking of what you could do to shake up those traditional guests, now, aren't you?

 Peace in your planning, 
                        Mari