Feuerzangenbowle is a traditional German alcoholic drink, often part of a Christmas or New Year’s Eve tradition. The name translates literally as “fire-tongs punch”, and is an old-time tradition of brewing mulled wine that is later enriched with rum and caramelized sugar.

In this Better TV segment, I show how to cut the chaos of holiday meal-time with easy steps, tips, and tools that anyone can use. Cut cooking time in half, but still enjoy all those classic home-made, family recipes that everyone loves and looks forward to for the holidays.

When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of turkeys – but not the ones you get in the grocery store. I think about wild turkeys, the ones that live in the hills above the town where I grew up. Also in this post: Healthy Thanksgiving Day Recipes

Smooth, fat free pumpkin puree is a dream when it comes to adding creaminess and moistness to desserts. Instead of using applesauce to lower fat content in desserts like cake, brownies, and soft cookies just substitute the same amount of pumpkin. Try layering pumpkin with your favorite non-fat yogurt or mixing it into low fat frozen yogurt.

I recently received an e-mail from a cupcake enthusiast. She was testing out my grapefruit cupcakes and casually mentioned that she created some yummy cupcakes of her own – “Every day is a cupcake day” But it’s ok to indulge here.

As part of the annual American Heart Association conference in New Orleans, several new studies have garnered attention – providing further evidence for something we all believe is true. In one such study, obese kids (and kids with high cholesterol) had arteries resembling those of an average 45-year-old. Not good.

Sesame seeds add a delicate crunch to these spicy treats. I like it when the cookies soften up as they are stored, but my husband is a crisp cookie fan, so I reheat them for a few minutes in a warm oven before serving the second day.

I grate or chop my veggies ahead of time to speed up the prep time on busy holiday mornings. You can even assemble this entire dish the night before cold and just pop it into the oven as your guests arrive.

Tart and sweet cranberry sauce adds color to any holiday meal. This mess-free recipe is a cinch to make and can be made up to three days in advance. Just refrigerate in an air-tight container.

Scalloped potatoes are one of my favorite fall and winter dishes. Just the smell of them transports me back to my Granny’s kitchen where she used to sit constantly slicing or grating something fresh for her home-cooked meals.

The holiday season is a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends and family, and to celebrate and share the big and small events of the year. If you love entertaining, but wonder how to pull it off smoothly, download my latest digital booklet on Healthy Holiday Entertaining with how-to tips and recipes for five holiday cookies...