The best gifts are homemade from the heart. For Belinda Smith-Sullivan, a chef, author, and food entrepreneur in Trenton, South Carolina, “if I really want to show someone how important they are to me, I show that in the form of a handmade food gift.” Growing up, her family was “of very modest means, and…
Sweet and Savory Ideas for Homemade Food Gifts to Make for Your Loved Ones
Pecan Tassies
Makes 24 tassies For the Pastry 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1 cup all-purpose flour For the Filling 1 cup chopped pecans, divided 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1 large egg, room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract Pinch of kosher salt 1 cup packed light brown sugar Preheat oven…
Pear and Chai Masala Jam
Growing up, I loved pears. They were one of my favorite fruits apart from the quintessential Indian mangoes. The pears in India are quite different from the ones you get here in California. I was amazed by how many different varieties of pears there are in California, like the d’Anjou pear (green and red varieties),…
Rodney Scott’s Rib Rub
For years, I seasoned my ribs on the pit just like I seasoned my hogs. But when we opened in Charleston, I rethought the rib seasoning and developed this rub. The main difference between the rib rub and the hog seasoning is the light brown sugar. It’s not much sweetness. It’s just enough and that…
Pots de Creme: The Little Black Dress of Desserts
Pots de creme are my go-to dessert. I call them the little black dress of sweets: Not only are they timelessly appealing (who can say no to a terrine of silky rich chocolate?), but they can be kept simple and understated for easy eating or dressed up with a splash of celebratory sparkle. In addition…
What Do ‘Best Before,’ ‘Use By,’ and Other Dates on Food Products Really Mean?
No doubt, you’ve noticed that some food products come with dates and codes printed on them. And who isn’t noticing this more now as food costs are skyrocketing? Do those codes and dates mean the item must be consumed by that date or just sold by that date? What about canned or packaged goods that…
Missing Wines—and How to Find Them
Winemakers often are creative people who are happiest when they can experiment to see if they can improve on tradition. Such activities, as noble and as fascinating as they are, often lead to projects that are simply not commercial. This is where wine marketing people come into play. They are typically ultra-conservative types, so-called bean…
Better Than Boxed: Homemade Graham Crackers Are 100 Percent Worth It
The after-school program at my elementary school never served chips or cookies as snacks, deeming them junk food. It did, however, offer the same snack every day: graham crackers. At snack time, we lined up to grab a small carton of milk and pull one graham cracker out of its sleeve. The most exciting days…
Rice Pudding Is So Easy, You Could Make It in the Dark
I have a vivid memory of my mom making rice pudding for me during a power outage when I was a kid. It was a simple dessert that she could make on our little gas stove in the dark to fill the time until the lights came back on. If you’ve never had rice pudding…
Easy Entertaining: A Festive Fireside Dinner for 2
Amid the hullabaloo that is the Christmas season, a lovely idea is to have a respite—in other words, a pause in the grand celebrations—by planning an intimate, elegant dinner for two at home. I adore the idea of moveable feasts and have been known to set up the dinner table in very unexpected places, such…
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