"holiday meals" news and stories

Ugh. Cauliflower.

I've tried to like it, but I just don't. And it's not like I hate vegetables. I even like the ones a lot of people don't like, such as yams and spinach and asparagus. But cauliflower...blah. I always get a little bummed when I'm in the store and I see a new frozen dinner that I might like, and for some reason they throw cauliflower in there. For a different color or something (it certainly can't be for the taste).

But for you cauliflower lovers, check out this recipe for Cauliflower Soup at The Boston Globe. It's not only warm and tasty (they say), but cauliflower is a good thing to eat after the holidays, when we're all trying to shed those extra pounds.

• What should your last meal of 2006 be? Why, french fries topped with cheese and gravy of course!
• Or maybe you'd like something a little more sophisticated.
• Don't just serve bread tonight, try some popovers.
• Yes, Boston has one of the top caviar producers in the country.
• 5 food critics pick their 5 favorite cookbooks of 2006.
• Spending New Year's Eve in Boston? The Globe has some ideas for First Night dining.
• This week's recipes: Candied Orange Rind, Crown Roast of Pork with Rice Pilaf, Carrot Cake, and Tourtiere.

• For many families, Christmas Eve means the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
• Some people don't drink alcohol with their meals.
• A quick guide to the many cookbooks released in 2006.
• How to pick the best knives for your kitchen needs.
• The history of Vanilla Caramels.
• Make some mac 'n cheese, but with a twist.
• The Globe taste tests several light microwave popcorn brands.
• This week's recipes: Onion Jam on Toast; Potato Gratin; Hazelnut Macaroon Domes; Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Sticks; and the Lavender Splash.

Two Hawaiian blogs - Ma'ona and Ono Kine Grindz have joined together to create a one off Virtual Vacation Contest.

The idea is to create a food dish you consumed while on a memorable holiday. It should be a dish you had for the first time while abroad. They ask that you blog about the dish with details of the discovery. How successful were you at recapturing the flavours and sensations that you encountered?

What makes this event more exciting is the promise that the best entry will win a hand-picked basket of Hawaiian food stuffs. Not sure that recreating a Cornish Pasty munched in a cold February drizzle in Fowey is really what they are looking for and I know for certain that my culinary skills will not measure up to recreating the delicious fish dishes we had at Rick Stein's place in Padstow either...

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