Author: Debbi Covington

When the temperature drops, few things hit the spot better than a big bowl of hearty soup! This week’s recipes showcase cream-based soups, chowders and bisques. Whether you’re looking for the perfect comfort food or a dish to complement a bigger meal, these thick creamy bowls will soothe the body and soul and are sublime to the last mouthful. (Note: Because of their creamy texture, these soups don’t freeze well, so enjoy them when you prepare them.)

January is a great time to invite a bunch of friends over for a relaxed late-morning brunch. It’s a fun way to bring together the best elements of a party – good food, good drinks and good friends. Whether you’re entertaining on a cold winter morning or spending a lazy Saturday morning in front of the fireplace, this simple but elegant brunch menu will have everyone clamoring for second helpings. These recipes prove that entertaining doesn’t have to be a grand production. You can make some of these dishes ahead or put them together the morning of the brunch without a lot of fuss. So go ahead and sleep late before enjoying a leisurely, feelgood brunch with some of your favorite people.

Have you ever dreamed of exploring Italy, visiting the cities and countryside, and eating as the Italians do? You have? Excellent! This week I’d like for you to join me on a culinary tour of some of Italy’s 20 distinct regions. No passport? No Problem. Just choose a recipe and start cooking. Imagine visiting Milan, where we’ll sample ossobuco, veal shanks simmered in a wine sauce. Next stop, romantic Venice for a taste of creamy risotto rice with peas. Then on to Tuscany where we’ll savor a delicious and fun way to enjoy day-old bread in a flavorful soup. And that’s just the beginning! Each region of Italy has its own culinary style, shaped by the climate, the geography and centuries of cooking. By cooking and sharing regional dishes, we can experience some of the color, flavor and tradition of Italy.

  Blow the horns, throw the confetti and pop the cork on 2011 in sparkling style! A time for reflection as well as for reveling, the turning of the year provides an opportunity to look back with satisfaction and ahead with hope.  Invite a few guests for a toast of bubbly and then sit down to a palate-pleasing meal.  In keeping with the “out with the old and in with the new” theme that the new year offers, this week’s recipes are a treasury of old favorites splashed with sizzling new flavors. Raise your glass and toast to good friends, good food and good luck!

Inviting friends over to celebrate is one of the greatest pleasures of the holiday season! If you’ve been dreaming of hosting a neighborhood Christmas party, take a tip from Santa Covington this year – make a list and check it twice! List-making will help you put the multitude of holiday chores and activities into perspective. And, these quick and easy recipes will keep your kitchen chores to a minimum. Invite your neighbors to a come-as-you-are Open House and plan a menu of easy-to-eat hors d’oeuvres. Stay low-key with the decorations, then dim the lights and add candles for sparkle. Ask your newest neighbor to pass the Rumaki, and recruit others to refill serving dishes and help with the clean up.  At the end of the evening, you’ll have new friends and a great sense of satisfaction. Merry Christmas!

Come on over, the drinks are on the house! Festive beverages — hot or cold, spirited or nonalcoholic – will enliven any holiday gathering of friends and family! What brings merriment better than a frothy glass of Southern Eggnog? What wards off Jack Frost quicker than a mug of Praline Coffee? Serve a cupful of Christmas cheer with these irresistible beverages. They’re perfect for any holiday party and can easily be doubled or tripled for large gatherings. With a generous splash of your favorite spirits, these festive party sippers will spread the warmth of the season like a fleece blanket. Cheers!

Throughout history, every society has celebrated the end of the harvest.  Many have set aside a day of thanks.  In 1941, Thanksgiving Day became a national holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.  It’s the one day of the year that we Americans can consume an abundance of food without a second thought about calories!  The recipes this week are all Thanksgiving side dishes.  Team a couple (or all) of them with a roasted turkey for a modern twist on a traditional Thanksgiving menu.  All you’ll need to add is a pumpkin pie topped with sweetened whipped cream for a grand finale.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Nothing compares with the aroma of freshly baked bread! All of this week’s recipes are for easy-to-prepare breads and muffins that are best when served warm. Some of my favorite serving suggestions include:  Cheesy Spinach Muffins with tomato soup, Praline Muffins and Cranberry Butter with a green salad, Herbed Parmesan Biscuits with spaghetti or pasta, Sour Cream Muffins with chicken salad, Peach Poppy Seed Muffins with spinach quiche, Black-Eyed Pea Cornbread with pork chops, and Miniature Buttermilk Biscuits with baked salmon. Happy baking!

Charlie Brown’s pal, Linus van Pelt, was right! There’s something incredible about pumpkins in the fall. Luckily, you don’t have to stay up all night in the pumpkin patch to find a great pumpkin recipe. Five fantastic ones are right here! Pumpkins are a great addition to salads, soups, entrees and desserts. When buying a pumpkin, keep in mind that pumpkins grown and harvested for jack-o’-lanterns have less edible flesh than cooking pumpkins. Look for varieties that have been raised specifically for cooking. Select small, round, plump pumpkins that are 2 to 5 pounds, heavy for their size and blemish-free.  Store pumpkins away from direct sunlight for up to a month or keep them chilled until ready to use. Scoop out the flesh for recipes and save the seeds for roasting.

 Eggplant is in season and it’s quite abundant at all of the farmers’ markets. This time of year they’re plump and firm and perfect! The eggplant (aka aubergine) is a member of the nightshade family. They’re very filling, supply few calories and contain virtually no fat. Their meaty texture makes eggplant a wonderful vegetarian main-dish choice.  When shopping, look for a well-rounded eggplant with a smooth and uniformly colored skin. Tan patches, scars or bruises on the skin indicate decay which will appear as discolorations in the flesh beneath. A good eggplant will feel fairly heavy, a light one may be woody. A medium-sized eggplant, 3 to 6-inches in diameter, is likely to be young, sweet and tender. Be sure to cook eggplant in a glass baking dish. Aluminum pans will cause them to discolor.