Stress-Reducing Secret No. 7: Just Give (and you’ll get back in multiples)

The fact is, cooking, the kitchen and hosting food-related get-togethers involve a lot of gambling. . . . I think all the potential pitfalls really lead back to the one biggest fear every host has: What if no one has fun at my get-together? Isn’t that the worst: thinking that people might leave and walk back to their cars, whispering in confidence about how they’ll be sure to have a “prior engagement” next time around?

Stress-Reducing Secret No. 6: Remember the Health Benefits of Wine

You’ve heard all the news about a glass of red wine being good for the heart. Find out how it can also be good for the kitchen!

Stress-Reducing Secret No. 5: Put the Party Before Perfection

I’ve hosted countless holiday fests. Many of those were less fun than they could have been for one simple reason: I had a vision that “good” hostesses always had everything done in advance, so when the guests arrived everything would be calm, everyone could sit down to a conversation-rich happy hour, and then a [...]

Mary’s on Fox 31–Quick Tricks for Fast Gourmet Green Beans

We all know that Thanksgiving can be a huge undertaking. To keep from getting overwhelmed, it’s nice to plan a couple dishes on the simpler side. This recipe incorporates four tricks for easy, gourmet flair.

Kitchen Coach on TV–Whips Together an Appetizer with a Difference

Kitchen Coach Mary Collette is doing a Holiday Cooking series for Fox 31 in Denver. Her first appearance was last Friday, November 21, when she and host Ken Clark made an appetizer tray featuring a Rosemary Yam Butter appetizer Tray. Yum.

Stress-Reducing Secret No. 4: Go Casual—with Diamonds

Women know all about this strategy. You don’t feel like getting all dressed up for a party so you throw on a tried and true comfort outfit and add some razzle and dazzle with a great necklace, scarf, belt or shoes—or one of each. Good news: You can do the same thing with a recipe. Here are three basic techniques:

Holiday Stress-Reducing Secret No. 3: Take a Trial Run

“What could possibly go wrong?” That’s what you may be thinking when choosing a new recipe for your holiday meal. Don’t make your holiday guests your cooking guinea pigs! Do a trial run of any new dishes you plan to make and you’ll feel a lot more confident–and less stressed–when cooking them on the big day.

Holiday Stress-Reducing Secret No. 2: Steer Clear of Holiday Shoppers

Fighting crowds of frenetic shoppers can zap the magic right out of your holiday buying. So avoid last-minute shopping–which is easy enough if you took the first Stress-Reducing Secret to heart and planned out your holiday meals in advance.

The Denver Post Quotes The Kitchen Dahla Blog

Last week, The Denver Post’s Food section quoted us in an article by Kristen Browning-Blas:
“Dealing with kitchen phobias head on“
Here’s the intro:
Now that our political fears have been allayed or amplified (depending on whom you voted for), let’s put the attack ads behind us and face our kitchen phobias.
When I asked you to tell me [...]

Putting the Comfort and Joy Back Into Holiday Meals

Isn’t it amazing how the holidays bring out the worst in us—especially family gatherings? No wonder they make such perfect fodder for movies! In the spirit of happier and saner holiday gatherings, here are some secrets (seven, to be exact) for toning down the stress around one of the biggest stressors of all: holiday meal making.