Excerpts

Introduction The Holidays. Those two words can strike terror into the heart of just about anybody. Why? Because not only does it mean family and friends are coming to your home, which, depending on the family and friends, can mean you're going to have the beginning of a nervous breakdown, it means you have to cook for them. Now, if you're like me, you enjoy the chance to show off a bit. You wanna let 'em know that you can burn some pots. On the other hand, you want to enjoy the holidays as well. You probably took some time off, thinking you'd kick back and relax. Now you're thinking that your home is going to be sacked by the Visigoths. You will be spending hours in the kitchen preparing huge sides of roast mutton and great roasts of beef, while your guests gorge themselves at long wooden tables by the massive stone fireplace and Great Danes gnaw on the bones the gluttons toss aside. Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking of the Great Hall scene from Robin Hood when Errol Flynn tosses a dead deer at the feet of the Prince. Anyway, fear not, forsooth and verily. That is why you purchased this book. My merry band of thieves take from the time-rich and give to the time-poor. Forget about taxing recipes! But enough of the Robin Hood theme. I know what you're thinking. "Al, I don't need a cookbook for just Thanksgiving and Christmas! I entertain year-round!" Of course you do. This is a year-round holiday book, a book that can proudly sit out on your counter or under a small child to help him reach the table. Preferably one who's been potty trained. With this book, you can throw a party celebrating February 2nd, the day Punxsutawney Phil is hoisted from his burrow. I bet many is the time that you longed to rejoice on St. Lawrence's Day, feast of the patron Saint of barbecue, and now you can. Love to love Valentine's Day? We've got you covered. Ever hear of Boxing Day? Considering scaring up a party for Halloween? With these and so many other holidays in this book, you'll never be without an excuse to entertain. We've presented a menu for each holiday, starting with appetizers and moving on to main courses, sides, and desserts. We even have cool, refreshing beverages if the season calls for it, or hot, comforting drinks if that's what the calendar indicates. To accomplish this feat of cookbook derring-do, I had help. Marialisa Calta is a recipe writer par excellence and a darn good cook in her own right. We teamed up a couple of years ago for Al Roker's Big Bad Book of Barbecue. She took the recipes that I had gathered over the years from my own backyard cookouts, friends, and family and massaged them. Before I met Marialisa, my basic M.O. was a handful of this and a pinch of that. Measuring cup? We don' need no stinkin' measuring cup! Actually, we did. Otherwise, how would people know how much of what to use? So Marialisa refined the recipes and then, more importantly, tested them to make sure nobody keeled over. Since this book is a little more wide-ranging, we collaborated a lot more. We spent a lot of time talking about what kind of food I cooked and when, the holidays my family celebrates, and what we ate, both as kids and now as adults. Then we put together the menus and themes for the holidays. Some menus are direct throwbacks to childhood, and others reflect what we like to devour now. Still others represent what we'd like to set on the table. As you know when you cook for the holidays, it takes real skill to be able to come up with food that not only tastes good but is interesting and not a pain in the keester to make. While Marialisa and I were developing the recipes, we felt it was important to keep things as hassle-free as possible. In fact, this book is intended to help you actually enjoy yourself at your own holiday gatherings. This ain't America in the 1950s and 1960s. In those days, our mothers were mostly at home, taking care of the kids and making sure the family was well fed. It was hard to prepare for a holiday then, but it's even harder now, with both parents working and children whose after-school schedules can resemble the flow chart of a major corporation. Maybe you have your parties catered, complete with white-jacketed servers passing trays of canapés to your family and friends. But if you're like me, you and your significant other are running around like maniacs to get everything ready -- cook, set the table, make the drinks -- and visit with the people you invited and intended to be with in the first place. There was a time when I wanted to do everything. From appetizers to dessert, I had to be in control. And I was. I was also missing out on being at my own party, whether it was a brunch or a sit-down dinner. I've learned that being in control is a hassle. I have learned that my best, most fun parties are hassle-free. I don't have to make everything from scratch. I can purchase prepeeled garlic cloves. I can use bagged spinach or lettuce (I still wash it no matter what the bag says), and I have learned to appreciate ready-made pie crusts. And guess what? If I invite you over, don't ask, "Can I bring anything?" if you don't mean it. That's because I will take you up on it. See, that's using the hassle-free philosophy. If you make a better apple pie than I do, why would I waste time trying to make that pie when you can bring it? One less thing for me to do. My mother, Isabel Roker, worked miracles during the traditional holidays. With only one oven and a four-burner cooktop, she would churn out two meats, several vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a baked macaroni, effortlessly. Well, it seemed effortless. Now I know why she only weighs about 100 pounds. She was juggling pots, roasting pans, and baking dishes, putting the guy who spun the plates on the Ed Sullivan Show to shame. But my mother was no control freak; she would enlist us kids to help out. Potatoes to peel, green beans to cut, dishes to set out? She got us involved. Helping mom became part of our family tradition. Involving your family is the best hassle-free strategy of all. Not only does it give you a break, it allows you to spend time together. Remember...you don't have to do it all yourself. And so what if it isn't done exactly the way you'd do it? No one will know if you don't tell. Hassle-free, baby. From St. Patrick's Day to Halloween to the Fourth of July, we love any excuse to get together. You can take advantage of them all if you live by the hassle-free philosophy. This book is full of recipes, shortcuts, tips, and strategies that can make entertaining for any holiday as easy as possible. Do not fear the holidays. Together we can look at a holiday on the calendar and say, "Bring it on! Do your worst! I am ready for you." I do, however, draw the line at talking to your Aunt Millie, the one who's got the fuzzy lip thing going. You're on your own with her. Copyright (c) 2003 by Al Roker Excerpted from Al Roker's Hassle-Free Holiday Cookbook: More Than 125 Recipes for Family Celebrations All Year Long by Al Roker All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.