What’s for Dinner?

A newsletter for home chefs about food, cooking, and enjoyment of food

December 23, 2025

With the Christmas festivities rapidly approaching, I wanted to talk for a minute about the art of entertaining. As we all gather with the loved ones, the stress on those of us in the kitchen responsible for the feast can be overwhelming. My best advice is not to stress it. But easier said than done, right? Here is what I do that helps me a lot:

Break the meal down into manageable segments. Think the flow and how the food can support the flow, rather than the other way round. Starting with appetizers: they are designed to facilitate conversation, so serve something that’s easy to put together and is visually obvious, to appeal to all ages and tastes. I love a mixed platter with cheeses and meats and favorite spreads or dips.

Many of you asked for the recipe of hummus so I will sneak that in here since it’s so easy! It has just a handful of easy ingredients: a can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), ¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste), ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup (or more) freshly squeezed lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and 1 small clove of garlic, crushed. Blitz it all in a food processor for a minute and it’s done! You can add whatever you like to it for a flavor twist: some fried onions (my favorite!), roasted bell peppers, roasted nuts, spices of choice (curry or ras-el-hanut are both interesting variations). When serving, top up with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and dried spices, herbs, or nuts.

The main course: that’s where the main attention will be. In the winter, the best approach is to put something in the oven that will not require a lot of effort but will be a great centerpiece, say a roast of sorts. But I am sure you already got that covered. For the sides, I love some roasted veggies that are so easy to prepare, especially when the oven is already hot! Just peel and slice your veggies of choice (potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts, fennel, cauliflower, etc), drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and whatever you feel like (cumin seeds? Garam masala? A drizzle of honey and sesame seeds?) and roast on 400F for 20-30 minutes, flipping and checking for doneness periodically.

Note on the potatoes: the best way to roast them is to first boil them for a few minutes in salted water, then drain - making sure that all the water is gone, then drizzle with olive oil and seasoning of choice, and then roast. They will likely take longer than the rest of your veggies so I usually bake them separately and combine for the presentation.

FoodFirst Updates

The winter classes are selling out fast! There are a few spots left in Baking with Confidence courses and in some master chef classes. Check out the schedule!

A great news is also that FoodFirst is finally on google maps! If you took a class and would like to leave a review, please go here.