The following recipes are my family’s favorite finger foods to eat during the Holidays. Ina Garten’s Mustard and Gruyère Batons are my favorite. Cranberry Brie Tarts is my husband’s favorite. My Baked Brie is my son-in-law, Josh’s, personal favorite, and my Crab Cake Balls are my grandson, Aiden’s, preferred appetizer. Aiden loves crab. Ina Garten’s Mustard and Gruyère Batons In glancing through several Gruyère cheese stick recipes, I came upon Ina Garten’s recipe for Mustard and Gruyère...

This time of year we get so busy we often need a super simple recipe that we can prepare in 15 minutes. That is what I love about my Lemon Ricotta Pasta. Easy. Fast. Flavorful. When I had my food column, I subscribed to multiple food magazines to keep up with the latest trends. I still do. The newest issue of Cook’s Illustrated included a recipe for lemon pasta made with red Sichuan peppercorns. Interesting! Italian-Asian fusion. I had to try these peppercorns in my lemon pasta recipe. Red...

Pecan snowball cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and add a festive flair to Christmas cookie trays. If you haven’t made them before, they are super simple. I have read dozens of pecan snowball cookie recipes and have garnered a few tips. Pecan snowball cookies are made with finely chopped pecans. Toasting the nuts before chopping them is a must. While some recipes may not recommend this process, toasting the pecans enhances their sweet, buttery flavor. Once incorporated into the...