The holidays are all about celebratory moments, so we paired up with Simply Organic to find recipes you'll want to share with friends (and make again and again).

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A list, in no particular order, of what we like from a winter cocktail: spiced, citrusy, maybe creamy, and if not warm, then warming. No, not all together of course, but some combination of these attributes. And when you're looking for a drink to make for your holiday party (the one everyone looks forward to all season), you'll want to serve something your guests will like too.

Whether it's busy swirling in a punch bowl, straight up in a coupe, or just hanging out over a little ice, your signature drink should be something you'll proudly present to your friends (who will fawn over it), and have everyone merrier in the process. So here are 12 cocktails that will keep you in good company this holiday season (and probably other times of the year, too):

Bourbon to warm your belly.

Apple Peel Bourbon

Marian Bull

♥161+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Makes one large bottle of booze

• 1 1/2pounds apples, peeled
• One 750 milliliter bottle of bourbon
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves

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Kentucky Hot Toddy

Table9

♥348+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves one

• 1/4cup Fresh Squeezed Meyers Lemon Juice
• 1/2cup Fresh Squeezed Blood Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 1 Shot of Makers Mark Bourbon
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• Hot Water

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Punch perfect.

Hot Spiced Drunken Apple Cider

Cordelia

♥901+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves 8-10

• 1/2 gallon apple cider (I have used unfiltered)
• 3/4 bottle of gewurztraminer (or other white wine which is not too dry, or you can use even semi sweet one like Muscat)
• 4-5 sticks of cinnamon
• 4-5 cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nut meg
• 1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
• 3-4tablespoons honey (depends on how sweet the wine you're using)
• cup or so of fresh cranberrries (of cubes of apple if not in cranberry season)

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Holiday Milk Punch

Erika Kotite

♥178+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves 1

• 2teaspoons powdered sugar
• 2teaspoons water
• 2ounces brandy
• 1ounce aged rum
• 1/4cup whole milk
• 2tablespoons half-and-half or heavy cream
• Ice
• Ground nutmeg

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A holiday in paradise.

Rum Punch

Erik Lombardo

♥282+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves many (but double for a large group)

• 2cups rum
• 2cups strong black tea
• 1/2 cup demerara sugar
• 1/2cup lime juice
• Spices of your choice (see below)

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Zombie Cocktail

Samantha Weiss Hills

♥31+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves 2

For Donn's Mix:

• 1cup sugar
• 1cup water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

For the cocktail:

• 3ounces white rum (preferably Jamaican)
• 3ounces gold rum (preferably Puerto Rican)
• 2ounces dark rum (preferably 151-proof Demerara)
• 1/4teaspoon Pernod
• 1ounce Velvet Falernum
• 4ounces Donn's Mix (see above)
• 2teaspoons grenadine
• A few dashes Angostura bitters
• 3cups ice
• 2 sprigs fresh mint, for garnish

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Persimmon Mojitos

kangarhubarb

♥102+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves 1

Persimmon Syrup:

• Flesh of one ripe persimmon, seeds and skin removed
• 1/2cup brown sugar
• 1/2cup water
• 1pinch cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
• 1tablespoon vanilla extract

Persimmon Mojito

• 3-5 mint leaves
• 1pinch lime zest
• 1ounce lime juice
• 2ounces persimmon syrup
• 1ounce rum (I used a lightly spiced rum, but a white rum also works well here)
• 2ounces club soda (optional)

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'Nogs to go around.

Clyde Common's Better Eggnog

Kenzi Wilbur

♥80+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves many (makes about one gallon)

• 12 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups superfine sugar
• 12ounces añejo tequila
• 15ounces Amontillado sherry
• 36 ounces whole milk
• 24ounces heavy cream
• Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish

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Vegan Eggnog

Gena Hamshaw

♥93+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Makes 6 cups

• 3/4cup dry cashews, soaked overnight and drained (they'll plump up to about 1 cup as they soak)
• 2 Medjool dates, pitted, soaked overnight and drained
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 2cups water
• 1/3teaspoon (or 1/4 heaping teaspoon) salt
• 1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3cup maple syrup
• 1/3 to 1/2cups bourbon or rum to taste (optional)

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"Spirits" of the Holidays Eggnog

chef Lisa

♥19+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves a crowd

• 12 eggs, separated
• 3 1/2cups caster sugar
• 4cups heavy cream
• 2cups half-and-half
• 1tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2cups apple brandy
• 1cup light rum

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And one wild child.

Brown Butter Spiced Ale

sdebrango

♥231+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Serves 2

• 12ounces ale of your choice (my new favorite is pumpkin ale)
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
• 3tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4teaspoon nutmeg
• splashes brandy (about 1 tablespoon) per glass
• 1 Cinnamon stick for garnish

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The holidays are all about celebratory moments, so we paired up with Simply Organic to share recipes you'll want to make again and again. Find more seasonal inspiration for your table here.

You've probably noticed by now that we're really excited about our brand new brick-and-mortar retail location: The Food52 Holiday Market, which is a temporary pop-up shop in New York City! Starting today through December 20th, the doors are open to anyone who wants to shop some of our kitchen and home goods in person—just swing by the northwest corner of Union Square and say hello.

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We celebrated (because pulling off building a whole store in two days is worth cheers-ing to) with libations, a 4-piece jazz band, snacks, and friends. Here are some snapshots of the evening. We hope you stop by!

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The party people:

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All the food and drinks served are recipes from our site.

• The Virago, an herbacious, warming mix of Fernet Branca, Carpano Antica Formula, freshly squeezed lime juice, and ginger syrup.
• Rosemary Gin Cocktail, made with rosemary syrup, Martin Miller's Gin, and lemon.

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• Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs

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• Shrimp Burgers with Roasted Garlic-Orange Aioli

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• Crostini with Ricotta, Honey and Lemon Zest

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• Deep-Fried Stuffed Olives

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When crafting wizard Laura Kaesshaefer sent me a bag of disassembled and reconfigured clothespin crafts this summer, I was surprised at how artful—not to mention unrecognizable—they were. "The humble clothespin takes on a new life when disassembled!" she wrote, an action accomplished by just twisting the two halves until the metal clip springs off (some wiggling might be required). Stacked on their flat sides and glued back together, the pieces naturally take circular shapes, one loose and star-like and the other more tightly configured.

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We dubbed the first a snowflake ornament (pictured above) and the latter a trivet (pictured below)—and then rounded the set of wintry crafts into a trio with an idea for a simple clothespin wreath (above, hanging). Since clothespins are mostly the same pale, unfinished color, we also experimented with tea-dying a batch to get an antiqued look.

We loved these crafts so much that we installed them at our pop-up! Here's how to put them all together in just a few minutes:

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What you'll need:

• Clothespins of all sizes (We used a variety between 2" and 5" long.)
• For antiquing: Black tea bags and a pot
• For snowflakes: Hot glue and twine
• For trivets and coasters: Wood glue and heavy books
• For wreath: Cardboard, a large mixing bowl, and a barely smaller mixing bowl

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How to antique clothespins:

Bring 4 or 5 tea bags to boil in a large pot of water, then turn off heat, dump in clothespins, and let steep overnight. Drain and rinse the clothespins before drying out. For a range of tints, steep some of your clothespins for longer and shorter amounts of time.

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How to make clothespin snowflake ornaments:

Dismantle all clothespins, discarding hardware. Dabbing a bit of hot glue between each piece, configure the halves in a snowflake shape by gluing the flat part of the "nose" of each piece to the back side of another. Continue until the circle is fully formed, then string a bit of twine through the center hole for hanging.

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How to make clothespin coasters and trivets:

Dismantle all clothespins, discarding hardware. Dabbing a bit of wood glue between each piece, stack the clothespins in a circle by pressing the flat part of the "tails" (that's the pointy side) together. Hold to dry for a few seconds before adding the next piece. Eventually the design will come full circle, then let it rest under a heavy stack of books to be sure it dries evenly.

Smaller clothespins will form coaster-sized rounds, while full-sized clothespins will make trivets.

How to make a clothespin wreath:

Using two mixing bowls, trace a pair of concentric circles about 2 inches apart on cardboard, then cut out the shape. Clip clothespins all around it to make a wreath, then hang with ribbon.

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Here are the snowflakes and the wreath installed at our pop-up! Many thanks to Laura for taking the simplest of objects, the humble clothespin, and using it as a building block for decorations we love.

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What are some other ideas for repurposing clothespins (or for what to do with the little metal hinges)? Share your ideas in the comments!

This week involved launching our pop-up Holiday Market in New York City and counting down to our upcoming Cookie Truck. Here's a list of some other things our editorial team loved this week:

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What's on your #happylist this week? Let everyone know in the comments.

We partnered with Blurb, a self-publishing platform for creating your own books, to share behind-the-scenes stories on Food52 photography and styling.  

Our prop closet isn't huge—in fact, it's not even a closet. It's three cabinets on one side of our test kitchen's island. But we could whittle the selection down even further to the props we call on for photo shoot after photo shoot.

 
Open one of those six doors and enter our "prop closet."

These are the MVPs—the pieces that, no matter the season or the dish or the feel we're going for, the food will probably look good on or with them. Sometimes, I try to go rogue—use a plate or cup I haven't used in a long time. And nearly every time, I switch it out for the same plates I'm sick of in the way I get sick of my mom's minestrone: It's so familiar, yet it will never ever get old.

We've picked out some of our prop all-stars to tell you a little about why they're so great and how they help us know what to look for when we're scouting for new props (maybe, hopefully, the tips will help you make pretty pictures, too).

Here are the props that get a lot of play, and for good reason (you might have seen them on the site once or twice):

Porcelain Paper Plates

• Where they came from: Each of the porcelain paper plates from our Shop are a little different—no two have the same amount of ridges on the rim. That's what makes them so whimsical and witty. They photograph well because they're not very shiny and their curves make a nice shadow.
• Why it has MVP status: We've shot breakfast, lunch, appetizers, dinner, and dessert on these plates, but because they're casual and have a homemade feel, they also work as prep plates. They fit right in on the dinner table and the kitchen counter.

Weck Asparagus Jar

• Where it came from: You can find Weck all over (thankfully); these asparagus jars are in our Shop (thankfully).
• Why it has MVP status: The jar has this in between size that makes it great as both a glass for drinking and a jar for holding jams, pickles—particularly pickled asparagus—and pantry ingredients like sugar or nuts. The little lip up top gives it a bit of personality but doesn't detract from seeing what's inside the jar. 

The Little Yellow Knife

• Where it comes from: The editors got this knife set at Whisk back when Food52 was working at General Assembly so that they could make themselves lunch and cheese plates. The rest of the set has disappeared along the way, but the yellow knife lives on.
• Why it has MVP status: This little paring knife is a muted color, the only kind of color you'd find on our props (we want to let the food shine first!). It's the right knife for communicating some light slicing or chopping—like citrus for a cocktail or fruit for breakfast. It looks especially good with lemons, for obvious reasons.

Scalloped Silver Tray

• Where it comes from: Kristen picked it up for a whopping $3 at a thrift store in Massachusetts. 
• Why it has MVP status: Despite its pricetag, the tray can look upscale and fancy—or casual and everyday. That's because it's not too shiny and the embellishment is subtle and not overly intricate.

Egg Coddlers

• Where it comes from: Egg coddlers and Food52 go way back. Amanda purchased one in Europe and many of the first photos on Food52 were shot in it (see the red pepper paste and lemon sponge cups below). Users kept writing in wanting to know where we bought it, so when we opened The Shop, we made sure to stock one.
• Why it has MVP status: You know a tool deserves an award when it's supposed to have one function (eggs) and is used for many, many other purposes. It's a natural at being a sugar dish, a jam jar, a bowl for dressing, and a holder of mousse and puddings. Its feet makes it look light and delicate, while the thick glass makes it utilitarian. Sometimes the lid makes an appearance, but really it's all about the bowl part for us.

Porcelain Tea Saucers 

• Where it comes from: These wee saucers were designed by Art et Manufacture just for us. They were inspired by Downton Abbey, a show the maker adores.
• Why it has MVP status: They're just the right size for your tea cup, sure, but these saucers fit right in as a delicate plate for cheese, an appetizer, a breakfast pastry, or a slice of cake (or pie or galette or tart). It's also been known to moonlight as a candle holder. The dainty designs and impression add just a bit of flare, but not enough to make you forget about the food.

The Takeaways

• Thrift, flea, hunt all you want, but don't disregard the basics that can be picked up from your local Target or grocery store.
• Pick items that are versatile, that read "fancy" and "casual," "daytime" or "nighttime," or "summer" or "winter," depending on what else is going on.
• Something that you think has a solitary purpose can be used in other ways. Divorce the item from its purpose (a saucer from its tea cup, an egg coddler from its eggs) and think about the shape of it instead.
• Just about every food looks good on a white plate. 
• Shine is not typically your friend. It'll detract from the food when photographed. And, at the end of the day, it's all about the food—right?

Photos by James Ransom, Bobbi Lin, Mark Weinberg, and Rocky Luten.

Tell us: What items in your kitchen always make your food shine?  

In partnership with Blurb, a self-publishing platform for creatng your own books, we're sharing behind-the-scenes stories on Food52 photography and styling. Check out all of Blurb's book options here.

The results are in! Here are the recipes our community loved from Your Best Show-Stopping Holiday Main.

Once again, we want to give a big, big thanks to all of our volunteer recipe testers for your thoughtful comments and for helping us continue to strengthen our recipe recommendations. You can read the winning headnote and tester's comments by clicking through to the Community Picks recipes—the comments are at the top. And even if the recipe you tested wasn't chosen as a CP, please feel free to leave your testing notes in the recipe's comments section. Constructive criticism is always encouraged!

Community Picks (Tested and photographed by us!)

Pepper-Crusted Filets with Ricotta Gnocchi, Shiitakes & Brown Butter-Sage Sauce by Jenya | BlueGalley

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Spiced Buttermilk Roast Chicken by ieatthepeach

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Roasted Delicata Squash Stuffed with Autumn Farro and Orange-Thyme Tahini by danielle & rooting the sun

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Community Picks (Tested by you!)

Fall Herb Apple Porchetta

Garlic & Saffron Roasted Salmon

Sage & Nut-Stuffed Delicata Squash

We've always felt like we would get along with Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and many other books that address food systems and the American diet: He loves to cook, his idea of a good time is inviting friends over to cook with him, and he believes that many of the world's problems can be solved by getting into a kitchen.

When we attended the premiere of upcoming movie, an adaptation of his book, In Defense of Food, earlier this week, we were reminded of some of our favorite tenets—which he shared with us in a talk after the film. Here are ten of our favorite things he shared with us—and what we learned from them:

1. "When everyone was stuffing margarine down their throats, my mother was saying, 'One day, they're going to tell us that stuff is bad for us.'"

Throughout the evening, Pollan repeatedly warned against following health trends, using margarine as a prime example. Because of our fear of fats like butter, we replaced butter with low-fat margarine, before realizing that the trans fat margarine contains is even worse for for us than the natural fat in butter. History shows time and time again that it's always good to stick with the real stuff.

2. "You don't need to know what a nutrient is to be able to eat well."

Pollan is an advocate against nutritionism (not to be confused with nutrition), which he describes as an obsession with breaking food down to its biochemistry and consuming it according to the vitamins and nutrients it contains. He asked us, "Where else in your life do you need so much biochemistry to function?" Rather than counting the amino acids and vitamins in any given food, he simply suggests eating good food—especially lots of fruits and vegetables. He said, "As ordinary people, we don't need that vocabulary to eat well."

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3. "It's hard to make money selling simple foods."

One of Michael's most well-known tenets is to never eat anything you see advertised on television. While cereals and processed foods can change their labeling and marketing contains to fit whatever health trend is in vogue ("Low-fat! No sugar! Gluten-free!"), foods like fruits and vegetables don't have the budgets to market or the ability to change their labels to fit trends, despite the fact that they're the healthiest things in the grocery store. He said, "When fat was bad for you, the avocado just sat there the whole time—until it was finally decided that avocado fat is good again."

4. "Large-scale food marketing destroys real food culture."

Because large, mass-marketed brands have the largest budgets, their stories often overwrite other stories told by members of the food community (think of the poor avocado). Pollan said, "People building a positive food culture don't have the economic muscle to fight large brands. We're up against enormous odds—but I put faith in our storytelling as the way to build culture around real food."

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5. "GMOs are a huge disappointment."

When asked what he thought about GMOs, Pollan said that they aren't necessarily a threat to our health—the most important GMOs, like corn and soy, are going mostly to car fuel and animal feed, so they aren't dangerous to us. But, he said, "they've accomplished remarkably little besides consolidating company control. Does it contribute to public welfare? To the environment? To our health? The final answer is no, no, and no."

6. "The food movement has enough writers and chefs."

"There are some people who are never going to cook," he elaborated. And there need to be people in the healthy food movement who can help them by lobbying for healthier fast food options and higher taxes on high-sugar items like soda.

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7. "If you can afford organic, fantastic—but the first step is to move from processed food."

Yes, it's important to buy organic and grass-fed meat (it's healthier and supports better farming practices), but it isn't the most important thing. Pollan suggests buying the best food within your ability—and if that simply means moving away from processed foods to the real thing, organic or otherwise, that's a huge step in the right direction.

8. "You vote with your fork and you vote with your vote."

Just as important as making healthy choices for yourself is becoming involved in food policy. Michael explained that the way our agricultural system is set up now, the government subsidizes the building blocks of processed foods. "No question," Michael said, "We have to address policy and fight parts of the system that leads to obesity, which are not designed with the health of the public in mind."

Salad: A Safe Space for Playing with Your FoodBy Ali Slagle

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How to Make Any Grain Salad in 4 StepsBy Emily Horton

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9. "The dairy industry has done a good job convincing you that you wouldn't have bones without dairy."

Milk and dairy are often at the center of food questions: Are we supposed to drink non-fat? Is full-fat the way to go? Are adults supposed to drink milk at all? Pollan said that you can get more calcium from spinach, but he still occasionally drinks milk, and when he does, it's full-fat. First, he said, "The more fat you take out of milk, the more sugar and lactose is leftover." Second, he said that when fat is skimmed from milk, it's re-sold to us as cheese (he noted that the when low-fat milk was in vogue, sales of cheese went up). He said, only half-joking, "They're getting paid twice for the fat, so I drink full-fat milk to only have to pay for it once."

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10. "Cooking is the solution."

Pollan said that the more he works on food issues, the more he is convinced that cooking is the solution to some of the largest food issues people face as individuals, like obesity and diet-related health issues. He said, "Cooking food yourself—nothing else you do will help more. Calories take care of themselves and it's also a political act; it supports farmers and creates equity between men and women. In the end, my one-word answer is always the same: cook." Here are 22 of our favorite quick weeknight meals to get you in the kitchen.

In Defense of Food will premiere on television on PBS on December 30th.

What are some of your favorite Michael Pollan quotes? Do you agree with him? Will you be watching the film? Tell us in the comments below!

We know it's going to impress us (and maybe you!), so we partnered with Sahale Snacks ® to see what some of our favorite creatives do during their in-between time. Today, see our photographer James Ransom set up for a shoot.

Our photographer James Ransom has been hanging around Food52 for almost 5 years, making our food look better than we could imagine—with just a good lens and natural light. And we've come a long way since that time. "When I started, we were shooting at Amanda's apartment once a week. Now we shoot almost every day. The new office allows for more shooting space, so we can build small room sets, or do two shoots at once," James says.

For James, the beginning of a shoot day sets the tone of the rest. "I can set up in 20 to 30 minutes. I have a basic setup that I start with and then adjust as needed," he explains. "Breaking down is a lot faster for some reason..."

More: Check out James' shoot day essentials here.

Shoot days are some of the most exciting and busy in the office—everyone's moving fast and collaborating, and James is helping us make it all happen. Editors direct the scene, and James lights and composes the shot. (His favorite food to shoot? Roasted vegetables!) Lucky for us, he's never phased; he's usually cracking jokes and sneaking snacks—and he's never far from an iced yerba mate tea. We wanted to share what a shoot day is like at Food52, so watch the video above and see what it's like to set up with James.

Video by Vacation

We partnered with Sahale Snacks ® to share how some of our favorite creatives never waste a moment during their in-between times to Snack Better®. See all of their nut mixes here.

There are bar crawls and taco crawls and even cupcake crawls, so why not cookie crawls? Why not cookie crawls around the world?

We've taken that sugar-drunk fantasy and made it a reality (a virtual reality, at least). Using our Cookies of the World map, illustrated by Jordan Sondler and populated with kooky, classic, and addictive recipes from our staff, friends, and community members, you can country hop, cookie-style.

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Click on the illustration (or on the legend below it) to find the story behind each recipe. Then, throw a globally-inspired party and make Filipino Polvóron, Nigerian Chin Chin, and British brandy snaps (all pictured right here!).

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And because we know there are even more cookies of the world, we want you to add your own recipes to the map, as well! On our editable Google map, you can drop a pin for birthplace of your own Food52 cookie recipes (or for your favorite cookie recipes from the Internet over!).

Here's how:

1. Click here to get an enlarged version in a new tab or window.
2. Enter a location in the search bar, then drop a pin for your cookie (you'll see a little green teardrop shape and an addition sign that says "Add to Map").
   
3. Copy and paste the link to the cookie recipe in the description.
   

This year's holiday cookie tin just got 46 times more exciting.

We've never wanted the weekend to go by so quickly. Because, starting Monday, there will be cookies. And not just any cookies, but our co-founders Amanda Hesser's and Merrill Stubbs's holiday cookies handed out (for free!) all over NYC from The Food52 Holiday Cookie Truck, thanks to Nielsen-Massey Vanillas.

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You might remember back in October when A&M asked for your help developing their recipes for a (mostly) friendly cookie showdown (here's a refresher, just in case). After lots of recipe testing and invented games of Cookie Tac Toe, two very good cookies emerged victorious: Amanda's Chewy Vanilla Spice Cookies with Chocolate Chunks (Vegan, too!) and Merrill's Soft Chocolate Almond Cherry Cookies.

And now, we're just 3 days away from Cookie Truck Week, when we're asking you to come eat free cookies and decide whether you're #TeamAmanda or #TeamMerrill. Who will take home the glory? Who will have all the cookie bragging rights? This is up to you.

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From December 7th to 13th, The Food52 Holiday Cookie Truck, brought to you by Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, will be driving around New York City, doling out lots of cookies, good cheer, and cofounder rivalry. Keep an eye on our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) and the cookie truck's page to find the truck—and the cookies.

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Before we see which way the cookie crumbles, though, we thought we'd show you a little light trash talk we've been seeing in our company chat room (what do you think—should we disqualify her?). Things are about to get serious (and sugary):

Jojo Feld: It's COOKIE TIME!

Amanda Hesser: subliminal messaging: #teamamanda #teamamanda #teamamanda

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Life moves pretty fast, as Ferris Bueller says. Here's a selection of our favorite stories from the site this week.

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Monday

• Your mantle never looked better.
• Hillary Reeves took us down the thumbprint cookie rabbit hole.
• The community came up with a few solutions for using up that last bit of molasses, and they are all pretty tasty.

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Tuesday

• The secrets to softening brown sugar were revealed.
• DIY candles for Hanukkah... and beyond!
• We found that there is nothing more delicious than homemade cannoli.
• Haven't found a project to tackle this season? Just reminding you that we reminded you that brewing beer is a great one.

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Wednesday

• We gave you a few ways to help reduce or prevent food waste in your own kitchen!
• Savory whipped cream was a thing. And it was delicious.
• #NSDL hit the roof!

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Thursday

• Lindsay-Jean put together a list of some truly phenomenal gifts that give back.
• Wine myths were busted.
• 1 Minute Meal profiled Dave Cook, author and photographer behind the blog Eating in Translation and he shared his love of the food of and around different cultural communities.

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Friday

• We took a look at Felicia Campbell's The Food of Oman and liked (and couldn't wait to taste) what we saw.
• Bitten by the travel bug, we went a step further and rounded up 46 cookie recipes from around the world for the holidays.
• And jumping off of cookies, we couldn't resist Yossy Arefi's bites of orange flower-scented baklava.
• Even more cookies? You bet: We launched a seriously gorgeous—and community-sourced!—cookie map featuring 46 cookies from every corner of the world.

Tomorrow is the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights—and aside from the dreidel-playing, gelt-eating, and chanukiah-lighting, one of the most common (and most tasty) modes of observation is to fry, fry, fry. It's the miracle of oil, after all.

But don't let the next eight days be eight days of soggy (or scorched, or cold) latkes: Find yourself in these common latke problems—and then remedy them, making sure your latkes are living their best life.

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Problem: Potatoes are boring.

First of all, give the little guys another chance! Choose the right potato: Most people go for Yukon Gold potatoes, russet Burbanks, or a mix of the two. And second of all, latkes are so much more than grated potato. "Grated onion is a must," advises Micki Balder, one of our junior software engineers. Nearly any allium will do—go for onions, or leeks, chives, or scallions. Garlic’s a good add, too. Think about adding one onion or 2 leeks for every two large potatoes.

But don't just stop there! Switch it up by using sweet potatoes—or mix in grated persimmons! Make them with parsnips or carrots! Add spices like coarsely ground white peppercorns (like in this recipe); season generously with of salt. Or go crazy and add a little nutmeg, cumin, or paprika. While you're at it, add cheese! (Micki likes a little Parmesan in hers.)

And charlotte massik swears by not peeling the potatoes—the peels are where the flavor is, she says!

The oil you fry in will also affect the flavor: Choose canola if you want the potato flavor to shine, or coconut if you want a little sweetness (this is especially good with sweet potato latkes). Aargesi fries them in duck fat. And save a little bit of the previous batch’s oil to fry the next night’s latkes in—“Fresh oil doesn’t have the same depth of flavor or browning quality,” says Will Burbidge.

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Problem: I don’t want to go through the business of grating.

You can use a food processor instead of a box grater (though many, including our own Sarah Jampel, say that latkes just aren't the same without a little bit of your blood and/or knuckles in the grated potato mix). Or use mashed potatoes. They’re not quite the same as latkes, but if you’re really against grating, it’s a good way to achieve something similarly starchy and oily and delicious.

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Problem: I have never fried anything besides an egg and I am terrified.

You've got this. Use a heavy-bottomed pot or pan—like a wide pot (like a cocotte or Dutch oven) or a cast iron pan. Vessels with deeper sides will do you well, but aren't necessary. Tie on an apron to combat oil splatters. Ready your tongs and a plate or cooling rack lined with paper towels or newspaper (this is where you'll put the latkes when you pull them from the oil). And choose an oil with a high smoke point! Canola oil, peanut oil, or even coconut oil are great places to start—but you could also go for schmaltz or duck fat.

And you don't need that much oil—we're not deep-frying, here (save that for the sufganiyot!). An even coating of oil on the bottom of the pan is just right. Then, says louisez, wait until the edges of the latkes are brown until you flip them—and then flip them only once. (This will keep them from getting soggy.)

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Problem: My latkes are falling apart! They aren’t getting crispy! Help!

There could be a few issues at hand:

• If they're falling apart while you're shaping them, they either need a little more flour to hold them together (QueenSashy recommends saving the potato starch that gathers at the bottom of the liquid you squeeze out of the grated potatoes and mixing that back into the potato mix) or they're too wet and need to be wrung out again.
• Your latke mixture needs to have as little moisture in it as possible. This is crucially important. Too wet, and your latkes won’t hold their shape, won’t crisp up, and you won’t get that toasty brown exterior. Squeeze out as much as you can—twice, even: once after grating the potatoes and once as you’re forming the latkes. Here's how Niki does it: She lines her “salad spinner with paper towels or flour sack tea towel, dump[s] in the grated potatoes, and spin[s] away. Dry as a bone."
• Shape them well! First, use your hands to mix all the ingredients together—this will keep them fluffy (it helps get air in there and makes sure they're not too packed down)! Then use a tablespoon to make sure each latke is the same size; drop a tablespoon heaped with the potato mix into the hot oil and flatten it slightly. A too-thick latke will steam instead of getting crispy, and flattening will prevent this.
• Your oil needs to be hot! hot! hot! So make sure it is. You'll know it's ready when it's shimmering in the pan. Hot oil = crispy latkes.

Problem: I did all of that already, and they're still not as crispy as I want them to be.

Fair enough. Get them reeeeally crispy by adding matzo meal or, even better (though less traditional), panko bread crumbs, like in this recipe.

Kamileon recommends adding “a tiny dash of baking soda (like, 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon for the whole batch)” to promote more browning (and extra toasty, crunchy bits)!

Problem: I have a billion latkes to fry. How will they stay warm?

Just pop 'em in a 200° F or so oven while you make the rest. Try to keep them in one layer so that they’ll stay crispy.

Problem: I want to make them ahead of time—like, way ahead of time.

Fry up your latkes, then freeze them in one layer (you can store them in a plastic zip-top bag once they’re frozen). Twenty minutes before you’re ready to serve them, take them out of the freezer and reheat on a cookie sheet in the oven at 425° F oven until hot and crispy.

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Problem: I can’t just eat latkes.

Why not?! Well, actually, we like ours with lots of toppings, too: Start with the classics, sour cream and applesauce, and then up the ante. Spice the sour cream with chives, dill, or something spicy, like harissa, horseradish, curry powder or paste, or sriracha. Serve a pear sauce or apple butter in addition to applesauce. Set out smoked fish, caviar (!), and pickles (and not just cucumber ones—pickled shallots or beets would rock). A fried egg never did any harm, either.

What are your latke musts (and mustn'ts)? Share your wisdom in the comments.

Here's what you found at your local farmers market last week using the hashtag #F52farmstand.

Have you seen beautiful produce popping up at your local farmers market? Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #F52farmstand and the location it's from for a chance to be featured here next week!

We’ve got so much love for a steaming bowl of oatmeal. Cook up a batch and in no time you’ve got the ultimate blank canvas for a filling, healthy breakfast (or lunch...or dinner...) for the entire week ahead. The best part is that you can choose your own cast of characters—there are no limits! Craving a little sweetness? Just throw in some dried fruit and honey, and you’re good to go. Need a change of pace and a kick in the pants? Add some salt, olive oil, and a poached egg with a dab of hot sauce.

Barbara asked the community on the Hotline for their favorite ways to gussy up a bowl of oatmeal using inexpensive, seasonal, and healthy ingredients. As always, you came through with the best toppings and techniques for a better, more personalized bowl of oatmeal. Here's what you came up with:

The Sweet Route

• Nate Davis likes to garnish oatmeal with chopped apples, nuts, and cinnamon.
• Cookinginvictoria sautés apples or pears in butter and spices and then adds our personal favorite: Genius granola. And to finish? “A dollop of crème fraîche or Greek yogurt is unexpected and very tasty.”
• Nancy gets her inspiration from cookies and scones, suggesting toppings like butter, cream, nut butter, and chocolate chips.
• Maedl's perfect bowl includes cranberry sauce and some plain yogurt.
• AntoniaJames has a unique variation on the sweet route. Her mix-ins include: "almond butter, ground flaxseed, black rice, cooked quinoa, chopped dried apricots, toasted nuts, or Nekisia Davis' granola (just a fat pinch)".
• Trampledbygeese suggests adding dried fruit or trying an "oat-only oatmeal," made special by toasting the oats first before cooking them.
• Boulangere tosses in chia seeds at the end of the cooking time for some subtle crunch, and adds: “The zest of any citrus fruit is a heavenly addition as well.”

The Savory Route

• Nate Davis likes bacon and poached eggs on his oatmeal. (We think "healthy" means everything in moderation—sounds like Nate's with us.)
• Aargersi loves the poached egg approach, but adds a dash of hot sauce; she also recommends a kimchi and poached egg version.
• Klrcon dices and cooks up some butternut squash, spinach, and leeks for the oatmeal, and then tops it all with sage and nuts. 
• Barbara reminds us that oatmeal is lovely in its simplicity with her suggestion of butter, salt, and a bit of grated cheddar cheese.

What are your favorite oatmeal fixin's? Tell us in the comments!

Photos by James Ransom

Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, commemorates each of the eight days a one-day supply of oil lasted during the the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire, yet many casual American observers celebrate the holiday for just one night, often recognizing and fêting the miracle over a large family dinner on the first day of Hanukkah—this year, on December 6.

We love this tradition—and any that involves a large family dinner, for that matter—but for those looking to celebrate Hanukkah for the full eight nights, here are some crafts, games, and food to make to keep the celebration going:

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Night 1:

The first night of Hanukkah this year falls on a Sunday. If you have the day free, invite your family over to help you craft a chanukiah from scratch—it's simple enough that the little ones can jump in and help too!

Night 2:

Make a feast to last you through the week—with latkes and applesauce, jelly doughnuts (we can't guarantee these will last much longer than tomorrow at breakfast), and brisket.

Here's your menu:

Variegated Spiced LatkesBy Sagegreen

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Cranberry-Ginger Jam DonutsBy Yossy Arefi

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Nach Waxman's Brisket of BeefBy Genius Recipes

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Judy Rodgers' Roasted Applesauce (and Savory Apple Charlo...By Genius Recipes

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Night 3:

Food plays a huge role in all of our holiday celebrations, but considering how much you cooked last night, you probably don't need to make more tonight (though we'll never discourage that!). Take a break from the cooking tonight, enjoy the gift that is leftovers, and play a round of dreidel—who says it's just for kids? If you've never played or need a refresher, here's a helpful guide.

Night 4:

Break from tradition and swap out doughnuts for a recipe that actually pre-dates the doughnut tradition: zengoula. These crispy coils of dough, or, as we like to think of them, the original funnel cake, were made by Iraqi Jews centuries ago. This version is soaked in fresh lemon syrup—which is to say, we'll be doubling the recipe.

Zengoula with Lemon Syrup (Iraqi Funnel Cakes)

Alice Medrich

♥13+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Makes 8 servings

For the syrup:

• 2 to 3 lemons
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) water
• 1cup (200 grams) sugar

For the dough and for frying:

• 1 1/8teaspoons (1/2 package) active dry yeast
• 1 1/4cups (300 milliliters) warm water (100° F to 110° F), divided
• 1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4cup (95 grams) cornstarch
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2quarts mild oil with medium-high smoke point, such as grapeseed, sunflower, or avocado, for deep-frying

Night 5:

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Play with your latke—now is as good a time as any to perfect your latke recipe, and make it your own. The crispy potato pancakes are the perfect foundation for creating your own traditions. Use different types of potatoes (sweet potatoes!), add cheese, spices, and toppings. Here's a "Not Recipe" to get you started.

Night 6:

Make a challah tonight for the Sabbath (and turn it into brunch for tomorrow morning!). Here are a few recipes to get your challah-day rolling:

Jessica Fechtor's Five-Fold ChallahBy Genius Recipes

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Ima's ChallahBy Rivka

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Challah Bread Pudding with RaspberriesBy Kendra Vaculin

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French Toast Sticks By Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm

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Night 7:

Throw a latke party! Invite your friends over—the promise of crispy, fried potatoes will ensure they'll come running, no matter where you live—and follow some of these tips to make perfectly fried latkes for a crowd (without having to spend the entire evening over a vat of canola oil).

• Rid your potato mixture of as much moisture as possible so they fry quickly and crispy up perfectly.
• Pan-fry your latkes ahead of time, then freeze them on a baking sheet, and throw them in the oven when guests arrive.
• Tap guests in to help ease the burden of frying all the latkes yourself.

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Night 8:

Light the final candle on your DIY chanukiah, finish all your leftovers, and make yourself a giant jelly doughnut cake—then invite over everyone you know to have a slice.

Happy Hanukkah!

We've scoured the web for our favorite food blog posts, and now we're bringing them right to your desktop. It’s hard work, but someone has to do it.

Today: There are plenty of cookie recipes floating around at this time of year, but you can't subsist on cookies alone all weekend—so there's a bit of savory thrown in too (and steak—this author is craving a steak). 

• A filet that's a little bitter, a little sweet, and a lot of flavorful. Rare, please! (Chocolate+Marrow) 
• A savory galette with cheese and sausage to dip liberally in mustard. (Bread+Barrow) 
• Pasta is a failsafe delicious dinner, and this one is no exception. (Blogging Over Thyme)
• All that cooking tends to make me thirsty, so here's a whiskey cocktail (because it's the weekend, after all). (A Thought for Food) 

• Madeleines are the type of cookie you could definitely eat for breakfast, right? Right. (Manger) 
• As Elf points out, candy canes are a food group. So, this cookie is almost a holiday vegetable, sort of. (Beard and Bonnet) 
• If you can't eat cookies for breakfast, you can eat sticky date cinnamon buns instead. (Two Red Bowls) 
• And of course, what is winter without gingerbread? Frost as needed. (Cookie and Katie)

Which food blogs inspired you this week? Tell us in the comments below!

The holidays call for a boatload of butter, so we paired up with Organic Valley to share how to make a stockpile of its nuttier cousin.

Brown butter is the prima ballerina of butters. It tiptoes onto the stage and everyone's like, "Whoa, look at that. Look at that." Brown butter is a hole-in-one. It's a guaranteed slam dunk. I may or may not have crossed my sports references here, but you get the point: Brown butter is wonderful.

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Brown butter is what happens when you allow butter's milk solids to caramelize, and the step walks a fine line: Butter browns right before it burns. Those who've made brown butter and taken their eyes off the pan for five seconds know its testy nature, returning to black, burned bits.

More:Know your butter—clarified butter, that is.

Rest assured, though, making brown butter is easy as pie (seriously, look at this Brown Butter and Cheddar Apple Pie). And what's even more wonderful than the nutty, caramel-scented stuff itself is having brown butter on hand all the time. Yes, make-ahead brown butter is possible. Here's how:

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1. Make brown butter like in this video. Use one stick! Use two! Or even three! Start by melting butter over medium-low to low heat. A pan with a light-colored bottom will help you keep track of the butter's color. Make sure to swirl the pan occasionally to ensure even caramelization. Remove from heat.

2. For make-ahead, storable brown butter, pour the butter into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Mason or Weck jars work well for this. Let cool and place in the fridge, where it will re-solidify, or freeze it in ice cube trays for longer storage. If you've stored it in your fridge, use within one to two weeks, although brown butter never lasts that long in my house.

3. Use brown butter in place of butter in just about any recipe. You can add it to sauces, spoon it over steamed vegetables, or spread it onto toast or rolls. Or make an apple tart! Heck, this brown butter ice cream would make a slice of pie very happy.

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Now that you have all this brown butter just lying around, here's what you should make:

You're butter off savory.

Thomas Keller's Butternut Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, a...By Genius Recipes

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Brown Butter-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Arugula and BaconBy EmilyC

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Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown ButterBy Sarah Jampel

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Weeknight Pasta with Caramelized Cabbage, Sage Infused Br...By cookinginvictoria

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Or sweet (a.k.a. savory's butter half).

Brown Butter Cupcake BrowniesBy Phyllis Grant

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Brown Butter Candied Apple ClafoutisBy Amanda Hesser

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Paule Caillat's Brown Butter Tart CrustBy Genius Recipes

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Brown Butter BlondiesBy Phyllis Grant

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Mango-Lime Trifle with Brown Butter CakeBy JessicaBakes

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Roasted Pear Cake with Browned Butter GlazeBy Yossy Arefi

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The holidays call for a boatload of butter, so we paired up with Organic Valley to share how to make a stockpile of its nuttier cousin. Organic Valley uses all organic, pasture-raised dairy in its products; see them all here.

Even the most avid of coffee geeks get stuck in a rut—because once you find a maker that seems to work for you, why change it up? That's how I've always felt about my personal coffee-making dream team: an old glass-walled french press and a grinder I picked up at the hardware store. They make good coffee, there's no question about that, but this summer I tried using a real cold brewer from our Shop for the first time and it opened up a whole new world of morning miracles.

And since we at Food52 spend so much time sleuthing out the very best products for every kitchen task, we want to start sharing more of them. Here are 12 coffee gadgets from our Shop that will make your morning routine easier and your coffee better.

Better Grinders

Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder

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Hario Skerton Coffee Grinder

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• Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder

We use this electric grinder in the office. It has 40 settings between fine and coarse, grinds the beans quickly and pleasingly at the touch of a big button.

• Hario Skerton Coffee Grinder

For coffee drinkers who like hand-ground beans, this model from Hario (which means "The King of Glass" in Japanese) features ceramic conical burrs that make for an incredibly consistent grind, and its compact design is perfect for taking on the go. (You know you want better coffee on vacation.)

Pour Over Cup Toppers

Bee House Pour Over Dripper with 100 Filters

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Multi-Cup Porcelain Coffee Pour Over

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• Bee House Pour Over Dripper with 100 Filters

This single-serving pour over dripper makes the perfect single cup—just set it atop your mug, insert one of the included filters, fill with grounds, and pour hot water over.

• Multi-Cup Porcelain Coffee Pour Over

If you love pour overs but need more than a single cup, this larger version will hold enough grounds to pour over a pot's worth of coffee.

Pour Over Stands

Glass Handled Chemex Brewer with 100 Filters

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Brass & Walnut Pour Over Coffee Stand

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• Glass Handled Chemex Brewer with 100 Filters

With a streamlined design and 100 included filters, this Chemex is one of our favorite ways to make coffee. (If you want a lesson on using one precisely, here's a handy guide.)

• Brass & Walnut Pour Over Coffee Stand

Adjustable to the height of any mug and equipped with a Japanese-made glass dripper, this industrial-inspired pour over stand won our hearts for its hand-crafted good looks—and the fact that it makes an epic cup of coffee.

Better-than-Classic Makers

Double-Walled French Press

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KONE Brewing System

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• Double-Walled French Press

With two walls of stainless steel, these brushed finish french presses keep your coffee hot for longer (we use them for serving brew at events) and are available in any size to suit your caffeine needs: 8-, 23-, 36-, or 44-ounce sizes.

• KONE Brewing System

Cast in ceramic by a Portland design studio, this all-in-one brewing system was designed around the reusable KONE filter (made from stainless steel mesh that allows more oils to steep, creating a fuller bodied coffee without that burned taste). Top the pot with an included lid when your brew is ready.

Specialty Makers

Coffee Cold Brewer

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ROK Espresso Maker

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• Coffee Cold Brewer

With an adjustable drip rate, this glassy cold brewer can produce 20 ounces of supercharged cold coffee (that's less bitter and acidic than a traditional cup) in as little as 4 hours. Fill it with grounds and water and stick it in the fridge before bed, or make a big batch to last you a couple weeks.

• Rok Espresso Maker

Most espresso machines are unnecessarily bulky, so they either take up all your precious counter space or have to be hidden somewhere inconvenient. Enter: ROK's super svelte hand-press. Since it doesn't use electricity, it makes good espresso possible anywhere.

On the Go Assistance

Insulated Travel Thermoses

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Stumptown Voyager Travel Coffee Kit

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• Insulated Travel Thermoses

A little bit retro and a lot helpful, these streamlined thermoses (available in cream or fire engine red, and a large and small size) have a cap that doubles as a cup. They'll keep your hot drinks hot for up to 8 hours, and your cold drinks cool for 16.

• Stumptown Voyager Travel Coffee Kit

It's such a bummer to finally get away—only to find you are way too far from a good cup of coffee. Enter this amazing kit, which includes a Snow Peak coffee drip designed for easy storage, a mini Porlex Manual Burr Grinder, a cute and lightweight enamel mug, Hair Bender blend beans, and a Carpenter's Pencil to keep brewing notes.

The lie that is Turkish delight, an intergalactic cocktail, and Starbucks' (good) coffee strategy.

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Here are 6 of our favorite things we read (and watched) this week:

• How C.S. Lewis lead us all to believe that Turkish Delight is much more delicious than it really is. [Atlas Obscura]
• In the universe of intergalactic cocktails, the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster reigns. [Eater]
• Hold the shaking the stirring—serve your cocktails at room temperature. [The New York Times]

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• For Starbucks, the future of their brand is (not surprisingly?) really, really good coffee. [Grub Street]
• What Brits talk about when they talk about pudding. [Atlas Obscura]
• The best Scandinavian candy (that isn't black licorice). [Saveur]

Did you read (or see) anything worth sharing this week? Tell us in the comments below!

Every Sunday, we round up our favorite food reads (podcasts, and videos) from the week, so you can sit back with that cup of coffee and settle in to catch up on what's happening in the world of food.

Growing up, I always took Hanukkah latkes for granted. We ate them every Hanukkah and I never realized how lucky I was to have my mother’s every year—they were delicious; crispy on the outside, with a creamy potato center. My mother had a big electric skillet that she used for frying large batches, which was always taken out of the back of the cupboard and plugged in for such special occasions. She'd place the skillet on the island in the middle of our kitchen, and I would stand next to the counter to help, watching each batch of latkes carefully as they browned. We ate them the super-traditional, quintessential way, with applesauce and sour cream—the same way my Ashkenazi family ate them in Poland and Russia before they came to the US.

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In 2000, I met my husband: a Sephardic Jew whose mother was a Greek immigrant. The ongoing joke was that if we were to be married, two avid food-lovers who were passionate about our family’s heirloom recipes, our kitchen would bring a hodgepodge of different dishes passed down from both of our lineages—the foods of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews are very dissimilar. Although I have not found these differences to be so significant, it is true that the foods we grew up on were very different.

Where Shabbat dinner at my own home would be centered on a roast chicken, my husband’s family ate sautéed fish, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Feta and olives were ever-present, and to my family, those ingredients were special foods from Greece as opposed to everyday staples. The differences in cuisine lent themselves to an ongoing joke, all in good fun, between my husband and I that boiled down to, “The food of my people versus the food of your people.” While I would joke about why my family’s roast chicken trumped a sautéed fish at Shabbat, I personally loved being part of two cultures whose foods were both equally delicious. Despite the banter, one dish remained a constant given—one that we both loved the same way—my mother’s latkes. I made them for many years during the beginning of our marriage. They were familiar and traditional for both of us.

Sweet Potato Parsnip Latkes with Feta and LeeksBy deensiebat

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Scallion Potato Pancakes with Vinegar CreamBy Silly Apron

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Fast-forward several years ahead to one year that my husband and I decided to have a Hanukkah party, which we called Latkes and Vodka. I wanted to make latkes, but really wanted to make my own recipe this time, so I tested out varieties; crisp and thin, then pillowy and thick.

Finally, I found a winning combination: a balance of a crispy exterior with a slightly-dense potato interior. They quickly became my favorite, served with applesauce and sour cream (a nod to my mother) or drenched with the braising sauce from brisket. My mother passed away in 2012 and, although I now make a hybrid latke for Hanukkah, I still think of her when I make them. I always make too many latkes but, anyone who knows me well knows I have an ulterior motive: Leftover latkes with a fried egg for breakfast the next morning!

Jenn Louis' Latkes

Jenn Louis

♥1+Save▴View Full Recipe 

Makes 16

For the latkes:

• 3pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3tablespoons matzo meal
• 1teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 eggs
• 3 cups olive oil
• Sour cream, to serve

For the pear sauce:

• 5 pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 6tablespoons sugar
• Vanilla pod
• Nutmeg, to taste
• 1 orange, zest only
• Salt, to taste

Do you have any traditional holiday recipes you've adapted? What will you be making for Hanukkah this year?