Month: December 2022

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A recipe for Jamaican gizzada cookie bars that is loaded with coconut

A recipe for Jamaican gizzada cookie bars that is loaded with coconut

Jamaican Gizzada Cookie Bars

Active time:45 mins

Total time:1 hour 45 mins

Servings:Makes 20 bars (one 8-inch square slab)

Active time:45 mins

Total time:1 hour 45 mins

Servings:Makes 20 bars (one 8-inch square slab)

Comment

When I was diagnosed with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults, the first thing a dietitian told me was that I wouldn’t be able to eat baked goods much anymore. I’m pretty stubborn, so it led me to find alternatives that would allow room for sweet treats.

Learning to bake with sugar substitutes has become a joy, and making delicious, blood sugar-friendly recipes such as my Jamaican Gizzada Cookie Bars has always been important to me. I know firsthand that living with diabetes doesn’t mean a life of bland foods.

13 holiday cookie recipes to bring color and joy to the season

I grew up eating gizzada, and it was one of the first dessert recipes my mother taught me to bake. When she passed away a few months ago, I was grateful to be working on this recipe — it gave me a way to remember our times in the kitchen making these little pastries.

The aromas of coconut, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and butter filled my kitchen and instantly unlocked some core memories — like my mom at the stove making the filling and me on pastry duty at our kitchen island with messy fingers and a tiny face dusted in flour. My mom and I didn’t bake together often, but making gizzada is one of those memories from my childhood that I’ll cherish forever now.

In Jamaica, gizzada is also called a “pinch-me-round” because this spice-forward pastry is usually made with the filling baked in a tiny crimped pastry shell. But even nostalgia deserves a twist sometimes.

For this recipe, I swapped out the pastry shell in favor of a shortbread crust made with almond flour and all-purpose flour. The extra fat in the almond flour helps slow blood sugar spikes, but also makes for a crumbly and nutty shortbread.

As for the filling, the traditional is too good to change, but I did swap regular brown sugar for Truvia Sweet Complete, a stevia-based alternative. It lowers the sugar content for those watching blood glucose.

Jamaican Gizzada Cookie Bars

While this recipe is designed to be a better option for those with diabetes, it does contain some added sugar and carbohydrates. We have included the nutrition data to help you decide how it might fit into your diet. Please consult a medical professional for guidance if you have questions or concerns.

These cookies are quite sweet, so we cut them into small pieces.

Be sure to use unsweetened coconut or your filling will be unpleasantly sweet and you’ll greatly increase the sugar content.

Because of the almond flour in the shortbread, it’s important to wait for the bars to cool completely before slicing into them. This shortbread is hearty, but when warm, it’s delicate and crumbly.

Storage: Refrigerate the bars in an airtight container between layers of parchment for up to 1 month, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Where to Buy: Truvia Sweet Complete sugars are available at some grocery stores and online.

Want to save this recipe? Click the bookmark icon below the serving size at the top of this page, then go to Saved Stories in My Post.

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  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup (94 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (38 grams) confectioners’ sugar alternative, such as Truvia Sweet Complete or Swerve
  • Rounded 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 3/4 cup (86 grams) almond flour or meal
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick/85 grams) unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (6 ounces/170 grams) unsweetened shredded coconut (preferably not finely shredded)
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters/430 grams) cream of coconut, such as Coco Real brand
  • 1/2 cup (95 grams) packed brown sugar substitute, such as Truvia Sweet Complete or Swerve
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Make the shortbread: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish or pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line it with two crisscrossed pieces of parchment paper long enough to have a generous overhang on all sides.

Set a mesh sieve over the bowl of a stand mixer or, if using a hand mixer, a large bowl. Into it, sift together the all-purpose flour, confectioners’ sugar alternative and salt to remove any lumps. Whisk in the almond flour or meal and break up any clumps. Add the butter and vanilla. Using the paddle attachment of the stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat on low until the ingredients start to come together and resemble sand in texture, then increase the speed to medium and beat until the dough comes together in larger clumps, about 3 minutes.

Transfer the dough to the baking dish and press it into an even layer, pushing it slightly up the sides of the pan at the edges. Using the tines of a fork, dock the dough all over to allow any steam to escape. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden around the edges and mostly pale, but dry in the center.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack; keep the oven on.

Make the topping: While the shortbread bakes, in a wide skillet over medium heat, toast the shredded coconut, stirring often, until it turns a light golden color, 5 to 7 minutes. (Pay attention, as it can scorch quickly.) Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the cream of coconut, brown sugar substitute, butter, vanilla, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg, stirring until the sugar substitute dissolves. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the toasted coconut.

Pour the topping over the shortbread, spreading it in an even layer with an offset spatula. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly all over and fragrant. The filling will be slightly wobbly in the center but will set as it cools — better to under- than overbake, to keep the bars soft.

Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the slab can set. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and use the parchment overhang to transfer the square to a cutting board. Slice the bars into 16 to 20 pieces with a sharp knife and serve.

Calories: 221; Total Fat: 15 g; Saturated Fat: 11 g; Cholesterol: 12 mg; Sodium: 159 mg; Carbohydrates: 31 g; Dietary Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 13 g; Protein: 2 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

From Mila Clarke Buckley of the blog Hangry Woman.

Tested by Jim Webster and Becky Krystal; email questions to voraciously@washpost.com.

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The Best Kitchen Gadgets For Home Chefs Who Have Everything

The Best Kitchen Gadgets For Home Chefs Who Have Everything

Who doesn’t love new kitchen toys? This year gift the chef, baker or foodie in your life a gadget that’ll transform their cooking game for the better. There’s nothing like having exactly what you need when you need it — especially when it comes to cooking! From larger gadgets that will impress even the most esteemed chef to smaller, yet extremely useful gadgets that will round out any kitchen, here’s a list to help you with your holiday shopping.

PURE Juicer, PURE Chef Package

For your health conscious friend, check out this top-of-the-line juicer. PURE Juice features a sleek, minimalist design and a hydraulic two-stage juicing press, making it one of the most advanced on the market today. First, the 8-blade cutter extracts nutrients from the produce and fiber using its half-horse-powered motor. Next, the press applies 2.5 tons of pressure, ensuring every last drop of juice is squeezed out. Also worth noting is this juicer can offers multiple grids for produce, nut butter and baby food. This package includes a starter kit of all of all PURE’s juicing supplies for at least three to six months of juicing, as well as an apron, press cloth, press bag, and more.

Buy: Pure Chef Package, $2,595.00

Breville, The Barista Express

The Barista Express is Breville’s newest and most innovative espresso machine to date. This state-of-the-art machine is perfect for the caffeine addict in your life thanks to it’s ability to go from bean to espresso in under a minute. With its special Impress Puck System, the perfect dose of beans; precise temperature and water pressure; and amount of microfoam milk for impressive latte art is just a touch away. Plus it even has a self-correcting dosage system that will remember how you liked your coffee last. Enjoy this professional cafe machine in the comfort of your own home.

Buy: The Barista Express Impress, $899.95

Harry & David

Harry & David have a number of kitchen gadgets that any chef would love to add to their repertoire. This Garlic Baker is made with terra cotta and features a top handle shaped like a clove of garlic and can be used in both convection and microwave ovens. This White Marble Cheese Slicer gives you perfectly uniform cheese slices, perfect for making charcuterie and cheese boards. This slicer comes with a white and gray marble board and two extra slicing wires. This Apple Slicer, Corer, and Peeler can do anything with apples. It’s a handy tool that is made with cast aluminum and chrome-plated steel.

Buy: Harry & David® Garlic Baker, Harry & David® White Marble Cheese Slicer, Harry & David® Apple Slicer, Corer, and Peeler, all $29.99

Black Rain Pepper Mill

Freshly ground pepper is a necessity for so many recipes, so why not gift a high tech pepper mill to your favorite at-home chef? This high tech pepper mill from Black Rain is a one-hand, push button pepper mill that quickly dispenses fresh ground pepper, at the exact grind you want. With 5 preset settings, fine to extra coarse, enjoy the perfect amount of pepper every time.

Buy: Black Rain Pepper Mill, $149.00

Anova, Nano Sous Vide Precision Cooker

This cool kitchen gadget from Anova perfectly cooks anything from fish and veggies to pork and chicken (any anything else) perfectly thanks to its circulation of water at the exact temperature required to cook you ingredients just right. This style of cooking locks in flavor and moisture and uses precision to cook with exceptional results. Also, its small size makes it easy to store in any sized kitchen. It is easily attached to any stock pot or container.

Buy: Nano Sous Vide Precision Cooker, $94.00

ROBAM R-Box CT763

This is a super gadget from Robam Living that any at-home chef would love to get creative with. This is a 20-in-1 steam oven that features an air fry function using a vortex cyclone technology; two baking modes, three levels of steam to cook with ranging from 185 degrees to 300 degrees F (great for healthy recipes) and so much more. It offers 30 preset recipes to get started with and even self cleans. Good to note? It comes in a selection of nice colors that include mint green and garnet red.

Buy: ROBAM R-Box CT763, $549.00

Banana Loca

This fun gadget is one you probably never knew you needed — the Banana Loca is a simple tool that cores and fills your bananas while in their peel to make a tasty treat. This new innovative kitchen gadget straightens a banana, cores it while still in the peel, and allows you to fill it with a variety of fillings like honey, jams and jellies, peanut butter and Nutella.

Buy: Banana Loca, $28.99

K-Café® SMART Single Serve Coffee Maker

For the at-home barista, gift them the K-Cafe Smart which is designed to craft everything from fancy coffee beverages to holiday cocktails. The K-Cafe Smart includes an upgraded Keurig app and offers new features like Cafe Creations with over 70 coffeehouse recipes to choose from and a built-in milk frother. With this high tech machine, you can also connect to WiFi and brew from anywhere with a Alexa or Google Home voice routine.

Buy: K-Café® SMART Single Serve Coffee Maker, $249.99

Countertop Pellet Grill

This gift from Halo is great for your friend with an outdoor kitchen or anyone who enjoys camping and tailgating with premium food. This is the world’s first battery powered pellet. It features 300 square inches of cooking space allowing you to masterfully sear, braise, bake, roast, smoke, and grill whatever you desire — all powered by wood pellets.

Buy: World’s First Battery Powered Pellet , $549.00

Airmega 150

This compact air purifier from Coway Airmega is ideal for small kitchen with poor ventilation. It purifies up to 214 square feet and features a three-stage filtration system that eliminates 99.97{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of particulates in the air. Whether you need to clear out smoke from an over broiled steak or burnt cake — or simply need to freshen the air — Airmega is what you need.

Buy: Airmega 150, $189.99

Cheese Fondue Set Party

Everyone loves cheese! Gift this BOSKA fondue set that serves enough delicious cheese for two to four people. This set includes a white ceramic pot, four fondue forks, a stainless-steel base and three tea lights to keep the melted cheese warm for a long time! Also good to note? The fondue pot and fondue forks are dishwasher-safe.

Buy: BOSKA Cheese Fondue Set Party, 25.4 fl oz, $32.99

Vinci Nitro Cold Brew

Gift the coffee lover in your life the gift of quality nitro cold brew right at home. Enjoy the creamy texture and vivacious flavor of nitro cold brew coffee with this Vinci Nitro Cold Brew that allows you to infuse Cold Brew Coffee with nitrogen (8g N2O cartridge) as it streams from the tap. Infusing cold brew coffee with nitrogen creates a velvety, smooth coffee with a slight sweet flavor and a rich, creamy foam.

Buy: Vinci Nitro Cold Brew, $149.99

Swiss Army Fruit Tool

This is a fruit multi-tool from Prepara that’s ideal for anyones kitchen. Equipped with seven different tools that each have their own specific function and encompassed in a compact body that doubles as a citrus reamer, this is the perfect swiss army knife for kitchen use. In this tool is a citrus zester, serrated fruit peeler, paring knife, strawberry huller/ cherry pitter and apple corer.

Buy: Swiss Army Fruit Tool ,$27.00

Pi Pizza Oven

Pi is a backyard pizza oven that features Dual Fuel capability (wood or gas, depending on your flavor presence) with Solo Stove’s Signature Airflow and Demi Dome Construction, allowing it to capture and maintain heat for the perfect pizza. Ideal for the pizza enthusiast, this oven also comes with a cordierite pizza stone and can make between 3-4 pizzas an hour.

Buy: Pi Pizza Oven, $399.00

Ninja™ CREAMi® Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Maker

Who wouldn’t love a machine that fulfills all your ice cream and frozen treat dreams? This 11-in-1 ice cream and frozen treat maker from Ninja can make everything from slushies and Italian ices to sorbet and gelatos. This elegant machine fits enough ice cream to feed a family and offers completely customizable treats for those who may have allergens and dietary restriction.

Buy: Deluxe 11-in-1 Ice Cream and Frozen Treat Maker, $249.99

Panasonic Bread Maker

Give the gift of freshly baked bread this holiday season with Panasonic! With this useful gadget, you can bake a variety of breads and baked goods, including gluten-free options, from the comfort of your own kitchen via customizable manual settings and 20 pre-set program. In addition to artisanal style kneading, it also features a raisin or but dispenser for just the right amount of added deliciousness to your breads. Loaves, pizza dough, cakes, and more await.

Buy: Panasonic Bread Maker, $299.99

8-in-1 Cast Iron Always Pan

This functional non-stick pan From Our Place is made of heirloom-quality, easy-to-care from enameled cast iron and comes in a variety of rich colors like dusty pink and grey-blue. Get this for your friend who’s constantly using too many pans — this 8-in-1 cast iron pan replaces eight piece of cookware (think frying pan, griddle, baking dish… etc.) and can be baked in up to 500 degrees Farenhite. With this beautiful pan you can pan fry, grill, sear, braise, fry, saute, roast, bake, broil, stew, serve and more.

Buy: Cast Iron Always Pan, $105.00

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19 Cooking Tips That Home Cooks Ignore In Their Kitchens

19 Cooking Tips That Home Cooks Ignore In Their Kitchens

The internet is full of cooking tips and hacks, but not all of them become tried-and-true habits for every cook. I learned that for myself when I asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the well-known pieces of cooking advice that they ignore in their own kitchens, and TBH, it made me reconsider some of the tips I consider to be “fact.”

These are some of the most surprising responses.

1.

“I always use salted butter in recipes, even when it calls for unsalted. I don’t get the point of using unsalted and then adding salt separately. Plus, if I want butter in the house for bread, I don’t want to have to buy two different kinds.”

2.

“I’ve never, in 45 years of life, run water over my chicken to clean it. That’s an easy way to spread germs all over your sink and kitchen. I’ve patted it dry so that slimy ick is gone, sure…but run it under running water? Nope. Cook your chicken to 165°F and anything on it will give up the ghost.”

3.

“I never, ever measure vanilla. I’m well aware that baking is chemistry and proportions matter, but nothing’s ever been hurt by having approximately triple the amount of vanilla in a recipe.”

4.

“Pouring the rendered fat away from ground beef. That’s where all the flavor is! Unless you’re using really cheap, really fatty beef, there’s no need to dump it down the drain.”

5.

“Slowly adding stock to risotto and standing and stirring it for ages. Some people claim they find it therapeutic, but I find it tedious. I just dump all the stock in and let it do its thing, and I’ve never made a bad risotto! I’m convinced the whole thing is a myth.”

6.

“I press down on my burgers on the grill to get those nice grill marks and keep them flat. It does NOT make them dry, I swear!”

7.

“Bringing eggs to room temperature before baking with them. I understand the reasoning, but seriously, when has this ever made a difference in taste or texture?”

8.

“Sifting flour isn’t always necessary, and the lumps usually come out when you combine it with your wet ingredients anyway. I just use a whisk to blend it together, and I’ve never encountered any ‘lumpy’ flour in my baked goods.”

9.

“I don’t mind ‘crowding the pan’ when cooking mushrooms. Yes, it’s true the mushrooms will steam instead of brown, but that’s only at first! If I walk away for a bit, the water will eventually evaporate and the mushrooms will, in fact, brown. It’s my lazy-mom method to cooking because who the hell has time to do ‘batches?’ My pan is as crowded as my schedule.”

10.

“I was a certified executive chef for 15 years and I never once salted my pasta water. There is a ton of sodium that naturally occurs in most food that you serve with pasta and if you season your food and sauce correctly, there’s no need to salt the water.”

11.

“I always rinse my cooked pasta. Chefs will claim that if you rinse your pasta, the sauce won’t stick to it well. That may be true in a restaurant environment where sauces aren’t cooked long enough to thicken properly, but not in a home kitchen. My grandparents were from Italy and they rinsed their pasta. If you make your sauce properly, it’ll stick.”

12.

“I live in Colorado and I have never once followed the ‘high altitude’ cooking instructions crap. Things may take a bit longer to boil and yeasted baked goods definitely take a bit longer to rise, but for everything else, from baked goods to rice, I’ve never followed the high-altitude directions. Most of it says ‘one more egg,’ ‘more water,’ ‘more oil.’ Meh, I’ve noticed nothing different in terms of taste and texture.”

13.

“I cook pretty much all the time and I never let the oven entirely preheat — unless I’m making baked goods like cookies or cakes. I don’t have the patience for it and for most things you’re cooking, it’s really not that important.”

14.

“I almost always disregard cooking times in recipes. Timing is more like a guideline than an actual rule! Your stove and oven are not calibrated the same way as the recipe’s author. Use your senses to tell when something is done. You can see if the chicken is golden brown, you can hear if the oil you put your veggies in is hot enough, and you can smell if the garlic is fragrant. Trusting yourself in the kitchen is a chef’s best tool!”

15.

“I cook every day, and I ignore expiration dates 99.9{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889} of the time. In most cases (especially foods like dairy or meat), you can tell by sight, smell, or texture if an ingredient is still good. Ingredients are usually fine past their expiration dates, so why waste them unless they’ve actually turned?”

16.

“People still have this old, racist idea in their head (from old anti-Asian propaganda) that MSG is bad. It is not any less healthy than any salt and it tastes amazing! If you don’t use it, grab a shaker of Accent the next time you are shopping for spices and give it a try.”

17.

“When I’m cooking pasta, I only fill the pot with enough water so that my noodles will barely be fully covered. Catch me never filling up all six cups of water when making a package of Kraft mac ‘n’ cheese.”

18.

“I ignore the common advice that fresh herbs are always better. This isn’t always true. A lot of times they can be either overpowering or don’t come through at all!”

19.

“I generally don’t mix wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls when recipes call for it. I mix up the wet ingredients, then pour in the flour and other dry ingredients, then mix it all together. I’ve never noticed a difference between when I do it that way or the ‘right’ way if I’m being perfectly honest.”

What’s a piece of cooking advice that you always ignore in your own kitchen? Sound off in the comments. 👇

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‘Green’ Mediterranean diet burns fat even faster: study

‘Green’ Mediterranean diet burns fat even faster: study

Adhering to the “green” Mediterranean diet allows burn up fat three periods more rapidly than regular wholesome taking in, a new examine reveals.

Research published in the BMC Medicine journal uncovered that taking in a plant-based Mediterranean eating plan authorized the physique to melt away a perilous type of overall body body fat at triple the level in comparison to all those on a normally “healthy” diet regime.

People who consumed the diet for 18 months observed their visceral fat ranges minimized by 14{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889}, as opposed to a command team who ate a regular balanced diet program and only saw their excess fat ranges lessened by just 4.5{d2b09b03d44633acb673e8080360919f91e60962656af8ade0305d5d8b7e4889}. And a traditional Med diet plan done half as perfectly as its meat-free of charge counterpart.

Visceral extra fat is the form that wraps around critical organs in the stomach, and is more very likely than other fat to elevate your threat for major health-related issues, which include heart ailment, Alzheimer’s and kind 2 diabetes. This sort of fats is what usually presents somebody a beer stomach, but is observed in thin folks as nicely.

Investigate indicates that getting rid of visceral extra fat need to be the aim in excess weight loss, and additional indicative of well being than a personal’s total body weight or the circumference of their midsection.

Beautiful vector mediterranean diet image in a modern authentic style isolated on a light blue background.
The Mediterranean and inexperienced Mediterranean eating plans had been observed to support body weight loss and midsection circumferences but the environmentally friendly Mediterranean diet plan doubled the visceral body fat decline.
Getty Photographs/iStockphoto

A Mediterranean food plan — which is superior in fat and proteins but minimal in carbs — is touted as an in general wholesome diet regime and grow to be progressively well known for its coronary heart wellbeing gains.

Plant-based mostly food items, this kind of as whole grains, veggies and legumes are the foundation of the diet regime with olive oil staying the main supply of added body fat, but the environmentally friendly Mediterranean diet plan puts an more emphasis on the greens.

The 18-month study, executed by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, enlisted 294 individuals who averaged to be 51 yrs previous and deemed clinically overweight. Scientists divided the participants into a few teams at random, guiding them through a “healthy” eating plan, a Mediterranean diet or a green Mediterranean diet regime.

Common Duckweed
Duckweed (Wolffia globosa) is large in protein, iron, B12, natural vitamins, minerals and polyphenols.
Getty Illustrations or photos/iStockphoto

People on the eco-friendly Mediterranean eating plan have been instructed to forgo crimson meat and poultry and consume day by day 3 to 4 cups of inexperienced tea, and a duckweed (Wolffia globosa) shake — which is significant in protein, iron, B12, natural vitamins, minerals and polyphenols — to substitute meat ingestion.

Both of those groups adhering to the Mediterranean eating plans had calorie limits of 1,400 energy a working day for gals, and 1,800 a working day for guys, and ate fewer than 40 grams of carbs a working day for the initially two months, ahead of getting lifted to 80 grams.

Those people on a general “healthy” diet plan were not supplied rigid calorie counts.

All members were being supplied 90-moment nourishment lessons just about every 7 days for the first thirty day period and then after a thirty day period for the subsequent five and questioned to do cardio and resistance schooling three to 4 times a week for 45 to 60 minutes.

In the stop, the research located that although the Mediterranean and eco-friendly Mediterranean meal plans lead to participants viewing related bodyweight reduction and midsection circumferences, the eco-friendly Mediterranean eating plan doubled the visceral excess fat loss. And the visceral body fat decline was tripled in comparison to the “healthy” eating plan.

It also concluded that bigger dietary consumption of eco-friendly tea, walnuts and duckweed, paired with with reduced purple meat consumption, ended up considerably similar to greater visceral fats reduction.

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Recipes for your holiday cocktail party

Recipes for your holiday cocktail party

“Later, I bought half the restaurant, then we sold it to Canoe. But my education was the Patio by the River, Peter Kump’s Cooking School in New York City, and Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. So that’s about as Southern and French as it gets.”

ExploreMake-ahead recipes for easy holiday entertaining

In the introduction to “Occasions to Celebrate,” Hitz digs through old family photos, and savors magic moments, dining and traveling with his mother, Caroline Bryans Sauls, and his stepfather, Robert Shaw.

“I went deep into my family in the second and third books, and there seems to be an appetite for that,” he said. “People like them. I liked them. Had they not been my family, they still would be really interesting people. It was an exciting time, and an unusual time.”

Fast-forward to March 2020, and Hitz was in Atlanta, again, for “five days on business.” But he writes that he “ended up staying solidly in a hotel for most of the global pandemic, the longest period of time I had ever spent anywhere in my entire life.”

“My first book took 32 years,” Hitz noted. “My second book took six years, and this one took me a year-and-a-half. I was there. I had nothing to do, so I went to work every day, and wrote this book living at the St. Regis.”

ExploreA head start for hosts: Recipes for a totally do-ahead holiday gathering

Asked for the secret to cooking and entertaining, he didn’t hesitate.

“The biggest secret to entertaining, and being a successful host is to do everything ahead of time, make a huge effort, and then when the guests come, never stop smiling,” Hitz said. “That’s the formula. Oh, and turn the lights down, light some candles, and never run out of wine.”

RECIPES

Altogether, these recipes selected from Alex Hitz’s new cookbook “Occasions to Celebrate” make for an easy way to entertain during the holidays. You can double or triple the ingredients for bigger gatherings. Just add your favorite beer, wine or batched cocktails to ring in the season.

Artichoke Heart Skewers

“Any easier and they would make themselves,” Hitz remarked about this artichoke appetizer. There will be leftover dill vinaigrette and Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Use them on salads or to marinate other vegetables. “Put it on a Reebok and it will be delicious,” joked Hitz.

Remove the artichoke hearts from the heat, let them cool slightly, thread each one on a skewer, arrange the skewers on a platter, and serve.

Recipes from “Occasions to Celebrate: Cooking and Entertaining With Style” by Alex Hitz (Rizzoli, $45).

Essential Dill Vinaigrette

Per tablespoon: 92 calories (percent of calories from fat, 99), trace protein, trace carbohydrates, trace fiber, 10 grams total fat (2 grams saturated), no cholesterol, 109 milligrams sodium.

Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

Mary Louise’s Country Pate

Serve this easy, savory pate on toasted baguette rounds topped with cornichons and sliced mission figs.

Mini Croque-Monsieurs

“I mean, come on,” Hitz proclaimed. “They are just so addictive.”

Super-Decadent Butterscotch Bourbon Blondies

Hitz recommends Maker’s Mark or Wild Turkey for this bourbon-based recipe.

ExploreThe ultimate guide to metro Atlanta food halls

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