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Austria is known for delicious pastries and with Valentine’s Day approaching there is one dessert which is extraordinary – the Salzburger Nockerl! It is made with twice as many egg whites than egg yolks. The egg whites are whipped as a meringue, with sugar, and lemon zest is added to the yolks, prior to folding all together. A dash of flour is added. This fluffy cloud of Austrian delight is baked briefly, dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry sauce. My, oh my – Valentine’s never tasted so tastefully sweet! May all of your Valentine wishes come true. © Kelly McBride Loft

It’s time to roar back into action – as we in welcome in the Year of the Tiger on February 1! The Lunar New Year is always fun to celebrate and the theme concepts are endless, as each year corresponds with a specific animal. So this year tiger up your décor with tiger striped napkins paired with a black tablecloth. A ceramic tiger centerpiece would be ideal, surrounded by bamboo. I’m recommending that this year’s menu start with spring rolls served on a flooded plate of tiger orange sweet and sour sauce. Add thin lines of balsamic vinegar to the sauce, running the back side of knife through it to create a tiger stripe pattern. The second course showcases magnificently with Tiger Prawns served with Tiger Sauce, paired steamed vegetables including oriental baby corn. The theme is carried through dessert with Tiger Butter Fudge, which is fudge swirled with peanut butter to resemble a tiger pattern! Whole oranges and red envelopes filled with money are part of the tradition. Life is worth celebrating…just don’t forget the chopsticks for this party! © Kelly McBride Loft

We seek garden delights, as winter deepens. Try my Zucchini Roulade to brighten your dining experience. First, slice thoroughly washed zucchini lengthwise. Briefly sauté each slice. Pat those dry. Spread a portion of ricotta cheese on one side of each zucchini strip. Then, roll each zucchini strip, individually, to stand up with the green edge showing. The yield will be multiple roulades. In a heat-proof dish, to serve family-style or in individual au gratin baking dishes, carefully place the roulades, upright. Then, make a lovely Alfredo sauce by adding Parmesan cheese to a basic beurre blanc sauce. Ladle the Alfredo sauce over each roulade and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serve hot and just prior to serving, add a generous clump of a fresh herb bouquet to the serving dish. This is wholesome and enticing entrée, which welcomes the gardener’s selection on a bleak, cold winter’s evening. © Kelly McBride Loft

Are you tired of classic hamburgers? Try a chopped sirloin steak. Prepare and shape the chopped sirloin into patties, with salt and pepper. Sear and finish the sirloin “steaks” by topping each with sautéed sliced mushrooms, sauteed shallots and then topped with Swiss cheese or blue cheese. These can be broiled or cooked in the skillet. Pair the chopped steak(s) with pomme frites made with an air fryer for a delicious meal! © Kelly McBride Loft

Spice it up and make the most of your 2022 budget by creating a family chicken goulash night. Your flavoring selections make the difference, with a combination of paprika and Cayenne pepper. The night before, dip raw chicken pieces in olive oil and then dip the chicken, to marinate, in 3 parts paprika and 1 part Cayenne pepper. Then, dip with chicken in flour. Marinate the coated chicken overnight to let the flavorings adhere well. Sear and bake the chicken, when ready to serve. Pair the chicken with cooked dumpling noodles, with a sauce begun with seared bell peppers, chopped onions, tomato sauce, and smoked paprika. I like to add a touch of sugar to the sauce before adding the cooked dumpling noodles. It’s a variation of Chicken Paprika that can feed several or provide leftovers. Open the curtains and heat up the stove with intent, setting the pace for 2022! © Kelly McBride Loft

All of us wish for good health in 2022 and dietary considerations are a good place to start. Continue to ring in the New Year with a rice ring, filled with fresh stir-fried vegetables! Steamed rice works best, as it will mold to the shape of the ring to hold its shape. Since you want to serve it hot, plate the ring in a heat resistant dish. Also, individual rice rings are impacting and work well, too. You will need a wok pan to make this dish. For the stir-fry, prep the vegetables in advance to save cooking time. Wash and diagonally slice carrots, celery, and yellow squash. Broccoli florets work well, also. Bok choy holds up well in a wok and it provides a dark leafy taste and color to your vegetable mix. Snow peas are an additional “pop” of variety, just be sure to remove the string on the leaf in advance. Only use a small amount of oil on high heat. Begin with the vegetables that require the longest cooking time such as the carrots. The vegetables are cooked in short amount of time, reaching the brightest color enhancement. Fresh ginger can be added at the end of the last toss to develop the flavor. The sauce of your choice can be mixed and tossed with the vegetables, or served on the side. Another option is to provide a selection of sauces for your family. Favorite concepts include sweet and sour sauce, any vinaigrette sauce, any citrus sauce, or soy sauce glaze. Ladle the cooked vegetables to the center of the rice ring. The rice ring, with these outstanding vegetables, will send a resounding message that 2022 is most special as you and your family gather ‘round your table. © Kelly McBride Loft

Ring in the New Year with creativity! Take a classic and reinvent it for a New Year refresh. Make ham cups to hold cooked black-eyed peas. Take a standard muffin cup pan, and spray each cup in the pan with non-stick spray. Insert and press a thinly sliced sandwich cut ham into each of the muffin cups. Bake the slices of ham, in the cupcake pan, for 20 minutes. This will form and set the shape of the ham cups. Then, fill each of the ham cups with cooked black-eyed peas, when ready to serve. Other alternatives to rejuvenate 2022’s New Year’s meal include offering Brussels Sprouts instead of cabbage. Eggs Benedict is a favorite but try omelets or seafood crepes to kick start 2022. Our New Year’s Brunch, this year, will offer a variety of multi-colored fruit parfaits for dessert vs. the ornate heavy sugar concepts from December’s indulgence. Another one of my favorites is to create a garden floral-scape on the surface of cornbread, prior to baking. Essentially, the cornbread become your “canvas” to utilize sliced vegetables and herbs to arrange in the shape of flowers and a conceptual garden delight. Once baked, the design is set into the bread. This picturesque presentation will invigorate and inspire a grand kick start to 2022 and this will inspire your family to keep the spark of creativity lit for all to enjoy! © Kelly McBride Loft

There are many family traditions and favorites for the celebration during Christmas Dinner. Significantly, remember the reason for the season. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is bonding and exciting. Research your personal heritage for inspiration. British Beef Wellington and Yorkshire Pudding reach a high note for many. Millions participate in Las Posadas and a feast after the midnight procession. The main course and dessert selection(s) are a significant dining focus. Other entrée favorites include roasted ham, goose, pheasant, duck, and even chicken. For desserts, I recommend several to create a pastry display. Lift an intriguing selection of pies onto pedestals to stagger the height, along with offering a delightful variety. English Trifle, small meringue Pavlovas, tiny Rum Cakes, and Pots de Crème meet the need for merriment. Plan and shop early, as the Chef du Cuisine needs to enjoy the moment, too! May this Christmas be your most memorable. © Kelly McBride Loft

You’ve been invited to a family holiday pot luck dinner – make it sheet pans to the rescue. Sheet pans offer a great style for feeding the needs of a large gathering. You can cook your sheet pan food choice directly on the pan, remove it from the oven, then place it directly onto the protected table. This oven to table concept makes it efficient. As another option, I like to precook the entrée selections when the entrée is travelling to another home. A sheet pan creates an opportunity to focus on the presentation, too, while also being table-ready to re-heat in the designated host/hostess’ home without a mess. For the family pot luck dinner that is not in your home, first, prepare Chicken Marsala with flatten chicken breasts and also Steak Diane with thinly sliced beef tenderloin. When completed, set a row of the Chicken Marsala and then a row of the Steak Diane onto the sheet pan and repeat. Pour the corresponding sauce onto each of the proteins, in thin lines down the rows. Decorate the sheet pan with clusters of fresh rosemary dotted with cherry tomatoes throughout the chicken and beef. If there is room on the sheet pan, artfully add very small boiled new potatoes to complete the dining expectation. Cover with foil wrap to travel and heat the sheet pan in the host/hostess’ home. When bringing a sheet pan or dish to a pot luck dinner, always bring your serving utensil(s), too, since the hostess will be too busy to locate this for you. With entrées completed and no mess for the host/hostess, you get the shining star for taste, flavor, and bringing the no fuss main course! Now, isn’t that Merry – © Kelly McBride Loft

We all deserve a treat and Christmastime is the perfect time to turn your kitchen production into elf-like magic. Try my Peppermint Chocolate Covered Cherries for the ultimate gifting treat, if you can keep your family from eating the goodies, first… You will need Maraschino cherries with stems, milk chocolate for melting, and peppermint candy. First, in a sturdy plastic bag, finely crush the peppermint candy to coat the chocolate covered cherries. In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate. Empty the cherry jar onto paper towels and pat the cherries dry so that the chocolate adheres to the cherries. One at a time, dip the cherries in the chocolate, then the peppermint crunch until all are covered. Box up the holiday treats for gift giving and the let the happy moments begin! © Kelly McBride Loft

Thanksgiving isn’t thanksgiving without a revitalization of the leftovers. Try my Turkey Enchiladas for a new twist on leftover turkey or chicken… and to kick start your holiday season. First, debone and breakup the pieces of cooked, chilled poultry. Reserve. Lightly pan fry in oil white corn tortillas. This flavors and softens the tortillas. In a bowl, mix one 16 oz. jar of mild Salsa Verde with a little less than one 16 oz. tub of sour cream. Now, assemble the enchiladas. Roll the prepared turkey or chicken in the softened tortillas and line up the tortillas in a baking dish. Top the rolled enchiladas with the green salsa/sour cream mixture and top that with your favorite light-colored cheese. I prefer Swiss cheese. Bake at 350⁰F until thoroughly heated – what a treat with south of the border flavoring. Just in time to step-it-up and spice-it-up for the holidays! © Kelly McBride Loft

Thanksgiving is near and, yes, we really do love the fuss because we love our family. There are alternatives to turkey baking concepts that can be a less stressful. Try purchasing just the turkey breast, with the breast cage bones in tact. Marinate the properly chilled breast overnight in a mixture of soy sauce, orange marmalade, a dash of molasses, 2 tiny cans of pineapple juice, salt, and pepper. When ready to bake the whole turkey breast, use a large Dutch oven. Place the turkey breast (not the marinate) in the middle of the Dutch oven. Insert a peeled, but whole orange in the cavity. Dust the bird with dashes of sage, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Around the sides, fill the Dutch oven to a quarter full level of a mixture of ¾ portion of chicken broth, 2 tiny cans of pineapple juice, 2 celery sticks, and some dried apricots. Top the breast with fresh whole herb leaves, noting that the design of the herbs will be incrusted onto the entrée. Cover the dish with foil and then put the Dutch oven lid on. Bake at 400⁰ for 2.5 hours or until thoroughly cooked. It’s an unexpected holiday treat with seasonal impact and adds new meaning to turkey trustgiving! Have a save holiday. © Kelly McBride Loft

Creativity at the table is easy and can be found in your cupboard on any given day… cornflakes. A fun and fast recipe is to marinate chicken tenders in a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Then, dip the chicken tenders in sour cream which is to be mixed with a dash of onion powder and a dash of cream to thin the batter. Then, roll the tenders in cornflake cereal. Bake at 350⁰ for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked. The cornflakes add texture, flavor and a crusty appeal. There are always surprises and real chicken nuggets in unusual places, if you know how to cook. © Kelly McBride Loft

There is camaraderie when snapping fresh green beans around the kitchen table with family. I grew up with happy memories of doing this with my grandparents and every time I see fresh green beans available in the market, I think of them. Green beans can brighten any plating design or buffet spread. The most important thing is to remove the “string” that binds the bean. It is impossible to digest and youngsters can even choke on it. Green beans have many varieties and are great when steamed, sauteed, stir-fried, boiled with ham bits, or added to a casserole.

If you are offering your clan chilled selections and crowd pleaser is made with 2 cans of drained Italian green beans (or French cut green beans), to 1 can of drained peas. In a bowl with a lid, pre-mix olive oil with balsamic vinegar with a dash of sugar, salt, and pepper. Place the drained green beans and peas into this mixture. Then, add 1 jar of drained, diced pimentos. Add finely sliced or diced celery. Put the lid on and shake vigorously. Chill completely and serve shaken and chilled. Happy memories generally include a connection to the family kitchen. Think of that when raising youngsters – that fast, accelerated food may pass up the happiest of times. © Kelly McBride Loft

O’Lantern your Halloween with a butterscotch trifle and your guests will say, “Oh, how cute!” Since trifle bowls are clear, the design that shows through the glass is based on your creativity. Triangle eyes can be made with cut strawberries and a prominent smile can be made from blueberries. Fill the alternating layers of the autumn trifle with butterscotch pudding, angel food cake or pumpkin bread, and whipping cream. Included layers of stewed and drained apples to add to the autumn flavors. As you fill the layers, set in the classic Jack smile…with so much to be happy about as we know the seasons are changing. © Kelly McBride Loft