Holiday SOS

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Slaving away for weeks prepping for your first holiday
meal? As the lucky ones learn sooner rather than later, it’s not
working harder – it’s working smarter that gets the job done right.
Why shouldn’t that apply to the upcoming holiday season? 

Hosting your first holiday feast can be intimidating. All the pressure of seamlessly
executing a complex meal in a timely manner can make even the
most experienced cook wish someone else would take over. No worries!
Armed with delicious, dependable recipes, time-saving tips and
wonderful wines for your guests, pulling it off seamlessly isn’t
as intricate as you might think. Who knows – even seasoned cooks
might pick up a few pointers. 

Keep the menu simple. Don’t feel abashed about buying store-bought items
to supplement the meal, as long as they are quality items. Source
a good local bakery for crusty rolls for the main course and a
fresh apple pie or creamy cheesecake for dessert. You may spend
a bit more, but you’ll save your sanity and, if you find good
sources, the store-bought items can be as good as homemade. Eventually,
as you build your skills, you’ll be able to branch out to making
more dishes from scratch. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Have your guests bring some dishes and
ask family members to lend a helping hand before the meal. It’s
important to create a feeling of involvement for everyone, especially
children. While you might not want them near the hot stove, they
can certainly be part of the festivities by drawing holiday pictures
to put on the refrigerator, setting and decorating the table,
or even making seasonal decorations. This homemade touch will
charm your guests – and save you time! 

Simplify your wine selection. Some wines need to be aged for so long you
won’t be taking a sip until 2018. When it comes to optimal food
pairing, oenophiles favor the wines from the Rioja region in Spain
for their unbeatable, consistent quality; in fact, they have long
agreed that Rioja wines are literally made for food. Thanks to
the Tempranillo grape, a smooth and delectable Spanish classic,
Riojas equally pair well with each course of your holiday feast.
Remember, Rioja wine is already aged in the bottle, so it is conveniently
ready to serve on the day of purchase. 

“As someone who often helps people choose wines, it’s especially
important to select holiday wines that will suit a variety of
tastes,” notes wine expert, journalist and Rioja spokesperson
Adrian Murcia. “Rioja offers really attractive fruit aromas
and flavors to those who might dig the big wines of California
or Australia, but also possesses a beautiful touch of Old World
elegance and soft-spoken seductiveness – qualities that are
absolutely essential to any food-loving wine.” For more
wine and food ideas, visit vibrantrioja.com. 

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Clik here to view.Affordable Rioja wines are widely available in the U.S. in the Spain section
of your wine store, including:

  

-Bodegas Beronia Crianza 2005 ($10) 

-Bodegas Faustino VII 2004 ($13) 

-Bodegas Breton Crianza 2004 ($15) 

-Bodegas Montecillo Gran Reserva 2001 ($25) 

-Bodegas LAN Viña Lanciano Reserva 2001 ($30) 

-Bodegas Barón de Ley Finca Monastario 2003
($45)  

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

Cajun Deep Fried Turkey 

Makes: 12 to 15 servings 

Wine suggestion: Pair with a Rioja red 

1 (15-pound) turkey 

Kosher salt and freshly 

ground black pepper 

Garlic salt 

Cajun seasoning 

4 to 5 gallons peanut or 

vegetable oil 

Deep-fry thermometer 

26 to 40 quart large pot 

High-pressure, outdoor 

propane cooker 

Thaw turkey completely. Clean out cavity, rinse and pat dry. Season
turkey with dry ingredients to taste. (For more flavor, season
the night before you cook.) 

Place cooker outside in an open space, away from the house. Never
use a turkey fryer indoors, in a garage or under a covered patio
due to potential fire hazard. Heat oil in pot (allow enough room
in pot for turkey to be placed, as too much oil will cause overflow),
bringing oil to at least 375°F. Immerse turkey in oil. Maintaining
at least 325°F throughout the cooking process, cook turkey
until golden brown, about 4 minutes per pound. 

 

  

Corn Bake 

Makes: 6 to 8 servings 

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole 

kernel corn, drained 

1 (14 3/4-ounce) can 

cream-style corn 

1 (8-ounce) package corn 

muffin mix 

1 cup sour cream

  

1 large egg 

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients.
Pour into greased 9 inches by 13 inches casserole dish. Bake for
45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven. Let stand
for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.  

 

  

Curry Pumpkin Soup 

Makes: 6 servings 

2 medium pumpkins 

(3 to 4 pounds) 

1 large pumpkin (for use as 

soup tureen) 

2 cups chicken broth 

1 cup water 

1/4 cup maple syrup 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

2 teaspoons curry powder 

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon ginger 

1 cup heavy cream 

Toasted pumpkin seeds, optional 

Crème fraiche or sour 

cream, optional 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut two medium pumpkins in half. Reserve large
pumpkin for use as soup tureen. Scoop out seeds and place skin-side
down on baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until soft.
Scoop out pumpkin flesh into food processor and puree until smooth.
Pour pureed pumpkin into saucepan and add chicken broth, water,
maple syrup and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer
and cook for 30 minutes.

  

While the soup is cooking, cut the top off the large pumpkin to
create the serving bowl. The hole should be wide enough to fit
a ladle. Hollow out seeds, checking for holes and lining with
plastic, if necessary. Remove soup from heat and stir in heavy
cream. Pour soup into large pumpkin and serve garnished with toasted
pumpkin seeds and crème fraiche. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

(turkey photo credit)
Digital Vision/Lisa Peardon/Getty Images 

 

 (

wine photo credit)
Lifesize/Maren Caruso/Getty Images  

 

 

 

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Family Features®  

Whether you are crafty or not, creating personalized and professional
gifts this holiday season is simple. All it takes is a few photos,
clips of your favorite home movies and a pinch of do-it-yourself
digital magic to make memorable gifts the whole family will
treasure.

  

 

 

 

Picture Perfect

  

Digital cameras take great photos. Instead of sharing one
or two framed photos as a gift, share dozens with a digital
frame. It is possible to upload hundreds of photos to the frame,
producing a virtual photo gallery. 

-Wireless digital photo frames, such as the Samsung SPF-85V
and SPF-105V, sync directly with Windows Live Spaces and update
any new photos to the frame automatically, so there is no need
for a memory card. 

-Windows-based PCs work beautifully with many types of digital
cameras and provide users with a step-by-step process for saving,
editing and organizing photos. 

You can also turn photos into other shareable gifts. 

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Photo Books

  

Self-publish the story of a vacation, a baby’s first year
or favorite family memories with a hardbound photo book. At
SmileBooks.com, create a custom book with pictures and captions.
It’s simple to download the free software, create the layout
and then place an order. 

 

 

Calendars

  

Create an entire year of smiles with a photo calendar.
Online sites enable you to design calendars that showcase the
grandkids or celebrate the family tree with photos and images
from the past. Or customize your calendar with birthday and
anniversary reminders – and even place a photo of the birthday
girl on her birth date to ensure it won’t be missed. 

 

 

Accessories

  

Show off your photos on mugs, mouse pads, T-shirts, purses,
totes and stationery. It’s easy to upload pictures to online
sharing sites and put an image on just about any accessory imaginable. 

 

 

Works of Art

  

Your little one’s artwork is priceless. Make sure these creations
last forever by scanning each piece and uploading it to your
PC. 

-For two-dimensional artwork, such as drawings, paintings or construction
paper creations, you’ll need to scan them on a flatbed scanner. 

-Once they are scanned, you can import and manage the images. 

-For three-dimensional creations, you’ll need to take a photo. Put the artwork on a
flat surface in a room with lots of natural light. If possible,
mount the camera on a tripod and shoot straight down. (You’ll
usually get a better image without a flash.) If you have to
shoot at an angle, try to avoid flare, shadows and reflections. 

Movies

  

Believe it or not, you can make a digital movie – even
if all you have is video tape footage. Both Windows Vista Home
Premium and Ultimate allow you to use DVD Maker to burn home
videos to a DVD-Video disc. Edit the footage and add music with
software such as Windows Movie Maker to produce a gift friends
and family can enjoy while relaxing at home. 

Another way to share your movies is to visit a video-sharing Web site.
Upload your creation and e-mail the link to as many people as
you want, or post it to your blog. 

 

Other Ideas

  

You can use your computer to create other kinds of gifts,
too. 

“The computer can be a great creative resource,” says
Microsoft Corp. spokesperson Danielle Adams, savvy mom and crafter.
“I’m not a digital wizard, but I’ve been able to make some
very special gifts with just a few clicks.” 

 

Adams recommends the following:

  

-Let the kids turn their school pictures and artwork into
holiday cards or ornaments to share with family. 

-Use recipe card templates to save family favorites. Print them
and put them in recipe holders so that everyone knows just how
to make Mom’s famous spaghetti. 

-Create a family cookbook, complete with photos, recipes and
stories about the food and the people who made it. You can share
your cookbook online or have it printed in a hardbound photo
book. 

Making your own digital gifts is not just a budget saver, it’s
a memory saver. Unique holiday gifts are just a few clicks away. 

Stay connected even when you’re far apart

  

Just because the whole family can’t get together, it doesn’t
mean you can’t share the holidays with each other. 

With Windows Live, you can stay in close contact in several
different ways: 

-Let everyone in on the holiday fun through Web-based e-mail
and easy photo sharing via your computer or phone. 

-Compare gift ideas and share funny stories instantly with Messenger.
You can chat in text, hear their voices on a PC call or see
each other in video.* 

-Create a family holiday blog. Keep everyone current on your
holiday activities, share photos and post video for the whole
family to see. 

For more information on the services listed above, visit www.windowslive.com. 

*To place a PC-to-PC call, both users must have Windows Live
Messenger installed, a compatible microphone and speakers or
a headset, and Internet access. (A webcam and broadband are
required for video.) 

(credit family and snowman photo)

  

Digital Vision/Jochen Sand/Getty Images

 

 

(credit illustration)
IZA Stock/ST Leng/Getty Images