Eating

Waste not, want not. Always remember and never forget: save your mushroom stems and cheese rinds. They make fantastic and really useful stocks. Free soup. Hot, steamy, aromatic and deeply delicious improvements for cold winter days.

Don't throw away those carrot ends and onion trimmings. Two minutes to stick 'em in a pot with some water - then let them simmer for an hour or two. You get a great soup - or a great way to enrich other dishes. Fragrant, deeply flavorful stock. Waste not, want not.

Don't throw away those bones and vegetable trimmings. Stick 'em in a pot with some water and let them simmer for a few hours. You get a great soup - for free. Maybe the best possible holiday leftover. Less than two minutes to put it all in a pot, add water and turn on the stove.

For maximum deliciousness, lusciousness and satisfaction. Totally deep, cheesy flavor. You could serve this for Christmas and everyone would be merry. This is craft mac & cheese. Handcrafted by you. Amazingly great.

There's a Christmas Eve tradition in France, in Provence: aioli monstre. The Grand Aioli. A monster feast of vegetables accompanied by huge bowls of aioli. Love the name. Love the idea. And now I love the meal.

Get out your egg beater and make this luscious, transporting dessert in 15 minutes. Chocolate Mousse. Rich flavor. Light texture. Like injecting fudge sauce with air bubbles. Unusually low calorie count. Even lower Glycemic Load. The Happiest Ending for your Holiday Feast.

The simplest and best thing you can do with a great chicken. Roast it. The savory feast finale: Garlic & Herb Roasted Christmas Chicken. A classic masterpiece that should be the big conversation piece. But, no, the table goes silent. Chew quietly.