DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Secrets To The Juiciest Thanksgiving Turkey   It can seem like a daunting task to roast a turkey! I know I was a little panicked when I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner. I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted the turkey to steal the show. (I knew the sides would take care of themselves.) After consulting my gigantic stack of cookbooks and foodie magazines, I felt prepared. As I slid the roasting pan into the oven, I wiped my hands on my apron and said, “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be!” Follow these tips and you’ll be saying the same thing!   Plus, you and your guests will be enjoying the juiciest Thanksgiving turkey ever. THAWING Before we start, there are several different kinds of turkeys available — self-basting, kosher, and natural. You’ll find these fresh or frozen. (Note: some turkeys are partially frozen and still labeled “fresh.”) In this tutorial, I’m using a fresh, all-natural, free range turkey....

Luscious, creamy New York style cheesecake with a crumbly Oreo cookie crust and topped with fresh strawberries drizzled with a strawberry glaze. Cheesecake is my son-in-law’s favorite dessert. For his birthday my daughter asked me to help her bake a fantastic cheesecake. We brainstormed ideas and decided since gorgeous, sweet California strawberries are now at the market, to make strawberry cheesecake. However, we didn’t want just an ordinary strawberry cheesecake, we wanted it to look spectacular. So we paired it with an Oreo cookie crust, left the berries whole, arranged them artfully on top of the cake, then drizzle the berries with a fresh strawberry glaze. To make an extraordinary cheesecake, we baked it at a lower temperature in a water bath. It took a little longer to bake that way, but the result was fantastic, super smooth and cream. It didn’t crack, get too brown on top, or dried out on the edges. It was beautiful! And yes, I did move my coffee tab...