Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from our home to yours! Hoping you had a terrific Thanksgiving celebration filled with great food, family, friends, and fun. I wish time would slow down so we could savor this wonderful season a little longer, but alas, it's going ahead at breakneck speed. And although it's busy, I've got plenty of recipes to help you feed your crew from everyday recipes to the holiday feast and New Year's Eve.

A Holiday Dinner That Delivers

When you are menu planning for a big holiday dinner or have special guests over and want to do something over the top, there is nothing like slow roasted beef tenderloin. It's a practically foolproof recipe that's sure to impress and taste delicious.

When buying the meat, I'll drive a little further and go to a good butcher to get just what I want - the center cut piece called the Chateaubriand. When you are spending this much you want to get the best. They do all of the trimming saving you the labor.

Have the butcher tie it if you don't know how (it's easy). Serve with an easy horseradish cream sauce (recipe in the post), French green beans, and mashed potatoes. Add a salad and you're good to go. Read all of the details on how in the post.

Speaking of Mashed Potatoes

Recently I made a 10 pound batch of white truffle mashed potatoes for a friend's birthday party (and for Thanksgiving). When I posted it on social I got lots of questions about how to make them, so here's what I do. See the post link for exact directions.

• Use russet potatoes, 8 ounces per person, peel them and cut into equal size pieces. Simmer until tender in salted water. Drain. Dry.
• Use a ricer for the fluffiest potatoes after simmering.
• Use just enough whole milk or half and half to loosen them up.
• Use white truffle butter, white truffle salt, and if you'd like, finish with some white truffle oil.

Mashed potatoes take a lot of butter, so if you do't want to break the bank, use unsalted regular butter and part white truffle butter. Here's my old recipe for mashed potatoes. You can leave the sour cream out, but all of the directions are my standard recipe. Any questions email me.

Staying Well While Traveling

Here's a 1 minute read with tips on how to stay well while traveling this holiday season. We've taken the recommended supplements for many years on a daily basis and they work! NAC is a pre-cursor to glutathione, the master antioxidant. It also supports detoxification and good respiratory function, both extra important when traveling and through the holidays. Another tip, stay hydrated.

An Easy Make-ahead Breakfast

Whether it's just the family or friends staying over, make these Greek yogurt parfaits the night ahead and let everyone help themselves. You can also set up a breakfast bar with yogurt, berries, nuts and seeds or my homemade maple roasted granola. Bags of the granola make great gifts too. Place some in cello gift bags and tie with a ribbon.

Good News for Red Meat Eaters

While studies have been linking red meat consumption to health problems like heart disease, stroke, and cancer for years, scientists at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) poured through decades of research on red meat consumption. Their findings mostly dispel any concerns about eating red meat. I'd add to that, buy quality beef, grass-fed and pasture-raised, for the best health benefits. Good news!

A Favor to Ask

If you've made any of my recipes, would you take a moment and please give them a star rating? It's on the recipe card area (and I hope they are 5 stars). The almighty Google likes them and I'm working hard to improve my site.

Signing off for now, stay healthy and happy cooking (and eating!). However I can be of help and support in your journey please let me know.

Have a fantastic Christmas and holiday season.

Sally