Presenting! Store-bought puff pastry dough… the Alice in Wonderland of the bread world! Small or big… and everything in between, just like Alice!

Want a little nibble for your tea party? Make these Bacon Cheese Straws just 3 or 4 inches in size. Want something impressive to go across a salad plate? Twist and stretch these until they’re almost a foot long!

Best part: only three ingredients!

It’s very forgiving and can easily be twisted and shaped. Of course, it’s the Parmesan cheese and bacon that gives these straws their amazing flavor, but you are the one who creates the enchantment.

I added a little “hook” on the end to make them look like candy canes… something deliciously festive.

Big or small…who needs a pill to do either when you’ve got these on your plate? Alice would agree!

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clarified butter, also known as drawn butter, is unsalted butter that has had the milk solids and water removed from it… so all that is left is the golden yellow butter fat.
 

When I was a kid growing up in West Texas, we used to pick pomegranates off of trees, throw them to the ground to break them open, and eat the delicious seeds inside.

I know… raised by wolves, right? 

Seriously, pomegranates are my favorite winter fruit. They are bright and slightly acidic and add a punch to everything (oh, I get it, kind of like me!). Seriously. Seriously.

The downside to pomegranates is that they stain EVERYTHING. If you look at them, they’ll stain your eyeballs. That’s just their nature… trying to protect themselves from being thrown to the ground, broken open and eaten, I guess!

But I digress…

Here’s how to open a pomegranate. Your beautifully crisp white J. Crew shirt will never again be soiled by a drop of ruby-red color. Someday, you’ll thank me.

What’s the secret? A big bowl of water! Click here to find out how to open a pomegranate.

Whoo-hoo!! Of all the food holidays, this one is my favorite: National Nacho Day!

What’s wonderful about nachos is that there is no recipe… whatever you’ve got in the pantry or fridge will work. You don’t even need corn chips… I’ve seen nachos made with pita bread and cucumber slices. Heck, I once ate a Japanese Maki called the “Nacho Roll” loaded with jalapenos, sour cream, chorizo and seared tuna. Now that’s inventive.

For basic nachos, all you need to do is top corn chips with shredded cheese and microwave or heat in the oven until nice and melty. If you want a little heat, add fresh or pickled jalapeños or serrano peppers. Cooked ground beef, turkey or chicken will up the protein level. Sour cream, guacamole, chopped cilantro, sautéed onions and diced red or green peppers are excellent on top. It’s all up to you…that’s the beauty of nachos!

I’m going to get fancy, since this is such a special day: Sautéed Shrimp and Brie Nachos. I didn’t use jalapeños because I don’t want to mask the wonderful flavor of the shrimp and creamy Brie cheese. I added a dash of paprika for a little color and a hint of smokiness. You won’t need the oven to melt the cheese because the shrimp will be hot out of the pan.

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Los Americanos stole my holiday… but I’m not angry, I’m thrilled.

I’m talking about the “Day of the Dead,” of course. Or what in Latin America, and particularly in Mexico, is known as Dia de los Muertos. Traditionally, this holiday is celebrated on two days, November 1 and 2. For Latinos, it’s a time of prayer and reflection focused on remembering friends and family who are no longer with us.

When I was growing up in west Texas, every year on the day after Halloween, my parents would load up my nine brothers and sisters (Catholic + Hispanic = NINE) and head to the cemetery for lunch and a visit with the relatives. Relatives, mind you, who were dead.

I learned not to mention this to my predominately white classmates because, well, they wouldn’t have understood. It was the late ‘60s and racism was fairly rampant where I grew up. I wasn’t about to let them know that I was going to a graveyard for a picnic.

And then… things began to change.

Slowly at first… then, in a tidal wave. The Latino population of this country grew increasingly larger, and became more politically, commercially, and socially powerful. And, suddenly it seemed as if Latinos were EVERYWHERE.

Hispanic writers such as Pulitzer Prize-winner Oscar Hijuelos and Isabel Allende were falling off the bookshelves. Latino athletes, such as David “Big Papí” Ortiz and Pedro Martinez, were the new stars of baseball, America’s pastime. Bill Richardson ran for President! (Heck, it was even cool to have a bootie, like Jennifer Lopez!)

And the broader acceptance of Latinos and their culture has influenced everyone’s perception of Day of the Dead… which is both good and bad.

First, the bad. In this country, over the past 20 years or so, Day of the Dead has become a part of Halloween, and in the process, become a bit commercialized, too. I’ve seen Day of the Dead inspired costumes for children, Day of the Dead beer and even Day of the Dead rubber duckies (what?)! Occasionally it’s even incorrectly referred to as Mexican Halloween.

But don’t get me wrong… I’m more than happy to share the Day of the Dead, because it means that Americans are finally becoming more familiar with real Latino culture. (And that’s the “good.”)

Yes, I know the United States has been struggling with a huge Latino immigration issue. That’s not what I’m talking about right now.

I’m looking at what has happened with the Day of the Dead celebration as the gradual mainstreaming of Latino culture into the melting pot that is the United States. People now see sugar skulls and understand that it’s not creepy, but part of a Latino culture… even if they don’t quite get it.

So come on… glom on. That’s how we get past what divides us.