(Photographs by Ray Kachatorian. Copyright 2010 by Weldon Owen Inc. and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.)
Desserts
Dazzling holiday cookie recipes
Our collection of holiday cookie recipes has something for everyone.
Quick doughnuts for Hanukkah
Here’s a method that skips the yeast, and swaps the jelly filling for a dipping sauce.
Secrets to a perfect pie crust
Pastry chef Tiffany MacIsaac shares a few tips, from good butter to a pre-cooked filling.
Chocolate cookies for holiday baking
Whether you like your cookies with a chocolate dough or studded with chocolate morsels, you’ll find these recipes enticing.
Sugar cookie recipes for holiday baking
Whether you’re in search of a basic or jazzed-up sugar cookie, our Recipe Finder has the answer.
Upstart bakers tap into childhood memories with Whisked!
Two Washington bloggers combine forces to sell cookies, pies and cakes with a retro twist at a farmers market and online.
The chocolate bar has been raised
Sourced: David Hagedorn finds out what goes into confections made by two area companies.
Holiday Cookies
Our 2011 recipe collection is coming soon! For now, take a look at our top cookies of 2010.
Decorating & Entertaining
PHOTOS: White House decks the halls
“Shine, Give, Share” is theme, but dog is Christmas star at the White House.
Fresh decor for elegant holiday
How the owner of home furnishings shop And George decorates her own home for the holidays.
Preparing a feast for the eyes
House Calls’ Holiday Edition shows how to get your dining room ready for a party.
Time to deck the hallways
House Calls’ Holiday Edition shows how to give your hallways some holiday cheer.
A warm holiday welcome
House Calls’ Holiday Edition shows how to deck out your front door for the holidays.
Three fears of holiday hosting
Is it the money, the space or the intimidation factor that’s keeping you from entertaining? All three? Oh, dear, read on.
Deck the hall: Christmas decorating advice
Where to find a tree, how to safely string lights and more resources for holiday preparation.
Holiday hosting fears: My home is too small
The apartment is too small! The tree is too big! Everyone will be tripping over presents!
Meet the Crafts Contest judge
Advice and ideas on holiday crafts from an art professor at the Corcoran, who is also a judge in the Post’s contest.
In Your Glass
Stocking a bar for holiday parties
Modestly priced options and a range of cocktail possibilities for the holidays, from Spirits columnist Jason Wilson.
Spirits: Savory, seasonal cocktails
Maggie Savarino’s book is as hip and unique as its author, who offers great recipes meant to be altered.
Beer, like they used to make it
Craft brewers find a growing market for re-creating flavors of the past.
Sparkling wine on a budget, for the holidays and beyond
To find deals on high-quality sparkling wine, look at originas both usual and unexpected.
No-fail holiday cocktails
Jason Wilson has recommendations to calm the annual kerfuffle over what to drink when the guests arrive for Thanksgiving.
Holiday season is Champagne season, too
Sommelier Ramon Narvaez is making sure you have plenty of bubbles this season.
Brews in the monastic tradition
They’re not technically Trappist, but the brews Sierra Nevada is making with California monks bear all the marks.
Wine: Beaujolais, beyond nouveau
Dave McIntyre recommends getting to know a wider range of this underappreciated region.
Celebrating in Washington
Five options for Christmas Day dining
You can deck the halls with General Tso’s from your family’s go-to Chinese take-out if you like, but there are plenty of other flavors to pick from on Christmas Day.
Where to find the best winter cocktails
As temperatures fall, we recommend the area’s top hot toddies, eggnogs and spiked ciders.
Tom Sietsema’s holiday splurges for every budget
Just because you’re scrimping and saving for the holidays doesn’t mean you can’t afford a little self-indulgence.
Deck the hall: Christmas decorating advice
Where to find a tree, how to safely string lights and more resources for holiday preparation.
On Your Table
Easy Christmas recipes: Prime rib, standing rib roasts and baked ham
For a memorable main course, try one of these recipes that require little prep.
New Year’s Eve: An intimate dinner for friends
A meal for guests should feel fancy but not fussy; seasonal but not cloyingly holiday-themed.
Raising turkey, from yard to table
Two DIY-ers take on the challenge of nurturing Thanksgiving’s main course, starting as chicks.
Faux meat for a Thanksgiving feast
Our panel put six vegan products to the test, with surprising results.
From Hawaii, a kalua turkey
Using an oven, a father and daughter re-create the taste of the bird that Hawaiians cook slowly underground.
B. Smith wants you to spice up your Thanksgiving table
The restaurateur and fine living expert, B. Smith offers us a few tips on ways to give your turkey a flavor boost and your side dishes an extra savory kick.
Thanksgiving by the hearth
Lessons learned from the 19th century inform the holiday cooking of Maryland farmer Sally Waltz.
The lighter side of Thanksgiving
A kosher, dairy-free menu inspired by West Coast living and Sephardic influences.
Add some smoke to your Thanksgiving side dishes
Corn bread gets smoky flavors from andouille, while sweet potatoes and broccoli rabe take their turns over the fire. The result: a lazy man’s holiday.
Videos: Holiday Food and Entertaining
WATCH: DIY holiday cookie tree
Learn how to create a showstopping, edible 3-D Christmas tree.
Elsewhere in Lifestyle
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