DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This buttery brittle features candied orange peel, walnuts, and cashews for a bright twist on toffee. Orange and Nut Toffee ingredients 1 Candied Orange Peel, recipe below, or purchased candied orange peel, coarsely chopped 2/3 cup   coarsely chopped cashews 2/3 cup   coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 1 cup   butter 1 cup   sugar 3 tablespoons   water 1 tablespoon   light-colored corn syrup directions 1. Prepare candied orange peel, set aside. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over edges of pan. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cashews and 1/3 cup walnuts in pan. Set aside. 2. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over low heat. Stir in sugar, water, and corn syrup. Bring to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Avoid splashing side of saucepan. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thermometer registers 290 degrees F, (soft-crack

The Battle of the Oranges  is a carnival and festival in the Northern Italian city of Ivrea, which includes a tradition of throwing of oranges between organized groups. It is the largest food fight in Italy. History of the Festival     The festival's origins are somewhat unclear. A popular account has it that it commemorates the city's defiance against the city's tyrant, who is either a member of the Ranieri family or a conflation of the 12th century Ranieri di Biandrate and 13th century Marquis William VII of Montferrat. This tyrant attempted to rape a young commoner (often specified as a miller's daughter) on the eve of her wedding, supposedly exercising the (possibly fictional)  droit de segneur . His plan backfired when the young woman instead decaptated the tyrant, after which the populace stormed and burned the palace. Each year, a young girl is chosen to play the part of Violetta, the defiant young woman.     Every year the citizens re

A nyone who's ever baked five dozen cupcakes for their child's school, Christmas cookies for a crowd, or (heaven help us) a wedding cake knows that in many ways, the average home kitchen isn't designed for a big-batch, nearly professional baker. We turned to experts for their suggestions about the ultimate kitchen layout, tools, and equipment for committed bakers.    When Alex Hitz, baking enthusiast and founder of  the Beverly Hills Kitchen , a line of frozen Southern meals sold on HSN, opted to step back from the restaurant business and reinvent his career some years ago, the change also inspired a vision of another sort of makeover: the ideal baker's kitchen. Over time, Hitz developed a template that other avid bakers can follow to create their own.    "Having had a restaurant kitchen, I knew what a dream home kitchen would be," says Hitz, whose favorite things to bake include biscuits, yeast rolls, and "a lot of Southern desserts, like