It’s a Wonderful Life
In this 1946 Frank Capra film, George Bailey has so many problems he is thinking about ending it all - and it's Christmas! As the angels discuss George, we see his life in flashback. As George is about to jump from a bridge, he ends up rescuing his guardian angel, Clarence - who then shows George what his town would have looked like if it hadn't been for all his good deeds over the years.
In the plotline, scenes with food are signposts; they signal a change in the direction of the story. Consider these scenes—Young George Bailey makes a sundae before learning a hard truth about Life. College-age George dines with dad before an ill-timed heart attack. Chicken Dinner to kickstart a marriage. Mary prepares dinner during George’s manic rage. Source
“Welcome home Mr. Bailey.”
The Scene: After the run on the bank, Mary falls into semi-poverty, we see him roasting chickens on a spit over a fireplace, operated by a string and a recoed player while rain leaks into the house. Sadly, this is his honeymoon. George being the standup guy he is however makes the best of it while his friends serenade them from below with “I love you truly”—turning this scene of despair to one of romance.
Fun Fact: The history of rotisserie chicken has ancient origins.
Paleolithic period
People tamed fire, threaded meat onto a wooden rod, and turned it in front of embers
Ancient civilizations
The Greeks would skewer whole animals onto spits and cook them over an open flame
Medieval and early modern kitchens
A servant, called a "spit boy" or "spit jack", would slowly turn the spit to cook meat for large households
Colonial New England
A child would twist strings that suspended the chicken in the hearth, causing it to spin for a few minutes
Modern Day
Grocery stores live CostCo still sell rotisserie chickens
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Perfect Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs
Sophisticated enough for a Sunday supper yet quick enough for Wednesday's dinner, this master recipe is all in the technique.
Ingredients
Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2¼ pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 475°
Season chicken with salt and pepper on all sides
Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes
Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer
Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving
Why This Recipe Works
Minimal ingredients, maximal taste!
Cooking the thighs skin side down in a cast-iron skillet renders out the fat and make the skin as crisp and, dare we say, delicious as bacon.
Pro Tips
This recipe requires bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or legs
“George Bailey, I’ll love you until the day I die.”
The Scene: Young George works at the local pharmacy/candy store. Mary sits waiting patiently for him after school. When he offers Mary chocolate and coconuts, she protests until he shares the story of where they come from. As he reaches down below the counter to make her mix, she quietly professes her love for him—a foreshadowing to their later teenaged and adult eternal romance
Fun Fact: The set for Bedford Falls was constructed in two months and was one of the longest sets that had ever been made for an American movie. It covered four acres of RKO's Encino Ranch. It included 75 stores and buildings, a main street, a factory district and a large residential and slum area. Main Street was 300 yards long--three whole city blocks. Source
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Sweet Dark Chocolate Coconut Bites
These are the sweetest, most wonderful friends, especially when trying to cut back on the refined sugar sweets and still trying to LOVE LIFE.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups flaked coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
A pinch of sea salt
4 ounces dark chocolate for topping
Directions
Pulse the coconut in a food processor until sticky crumbs form. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the mixture.
Mix the coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and sea salt. Stir in the coconut. Form the mixture into small balls by squeezing until a ball forms. The mixture will be crumbly, so it doesn’t work to put the mixture in your hands and roll it. You have to squeeze it. There will be a little bit of excess oil – that’s okay.
Once you have the balls rolled, refrigerate for 1 hour or so until they are firm. At this point, if you want, you should be able to take them out and re-roll them to get the shape just right since they’ll be firm and malleable.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved coconut and shake or stir constantly for a few minutes until the coconut is lightly browned and fragrant.
Melt the chocolate for a minute or so in the microwave. Stir it until it’s smooth. Dip each coconut ball in the chocolate and remove with a fork, letting excess chocolate drip off. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and top with the toasted coconut.
Freeze or refrigerate to set the chocolate.
Why This Recipe Works
No refined sugars
Best served from the fridge because they are soft enough to eat anytime!
Pro Tips
While this recipe calls for microwaved chocolate, I prefer to use the double-boiler method, albeit a bit more intensive
Prepare the double boiler—Fill a saucepan with 1–2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. Then, place a slightly smaller, heat-safe bowl on top of the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is dry and there's a gap of about 3 inches between the water and the bottom of the bowl
Add the chocolate—Cut the chocolate into small, uniform pieces so it melts at the same rate. Add the chocolate to the bowl.
Melt the chocolate—Place the double boiler over low to medium heat and stir the chocolate frequently. Don't let the chocolate's temperature exceed 115°F, or it could become grainy and scorched. You can also add another ingredient, like butter or cream, at the beginning of the melting process
Finish—Once the chocolate is mostly melted, remove the bowl from the double boiler and stir off heat until the remaining chocolate is smooth. Wipe off any water or condensation from the bottom of the bowl with a towel
“I’ve got it! Mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon, and light on the cloves”
The Scene: While drowning his woes at a bar, adult George sits next to Clarence who can’t make up his order. At first, he orders “Flaming Rum Punch” and, after the bartender gives him a glare, changes it to mulled wine.
Fun Fact: Cinnamon and wine have anti-inflammatory properties that may help with conditions like arthritis and colds and flu; while cloves may help with digestion, gut motility and has local anesthetic properties.
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Mulled Wine With Cinnamon and Cloves
Also known as glühwein, vino caliente, glögg, vin brulé, bisschopswijn, vin chaud, candola, vinho quente…or literally a hundred other names, depending on where in the world life may find you. Needless to say, it seems like just about everyone in the world loves some hot wine.
Ingredients
1 (750 ml) bottle of dry red wine
1/4 cup brandy (or orange liqueur)
1 orange, sliced into rounds (also peeled, if you would like a less-bitter drink)
8 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar, honey, or maple syrup to taste (or your desired sweetener)
optional garnishes: citrus slices (orange, lemon and/or lime), extra cinnamon sticks, extra star anise
Directions
Combine ingredients. Add wine, brandy, orange slices, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, and 2 tablespoons sweetener to a large saucepan. Stir briefly to combine
Simmer. Cook the mulled wine on medium-high heat until it just barely reaches a simmer. (Avoid letting it bubble — you don’t want to boil off the alcohol.) Reduce heat to low, cover, and let the wine simmer for at least 15 minutes or up to 3 hours
Strain. Using a fine mesh strainer, remove and discard the orange slices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise. Give the mulled wine a taste, and stir in extra sweetener if needed.
Serve. Serve warm in heatproof mugs, topped with your favorite garnishes
Why This Recipe Works
Homemade mulled wine is just about the easiest recipe ever for winter and holiday entertaining. Truly. It literally just takes about 5 minutes to prep and can be made either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker. It’s easy to scale anywhere from a “date night” to two…up to big holiday parties with dozens. It’s totally customizable with your favorite spices and liqueurs. And it’s guaranteed to make your home smell absolutely amazing and warm everyone up on a chilly winter night.
Pro Tips
No need to splurge on a pricey bottle of wine—a mid-range bottle of dry red wine will do. (Or if you’re making a big batch, this is a great recipe to break out a nicer boxed wine too!) The best wine for mulled wine will be fruity and full-bodied, so that it can withstand the heat and not have its flavor completely drowned out by the aromatics. I recommend looking for a bottle of Zinfandel, Merlot, Grenache
Similar to sangria, it’s also traditional to spike your mulled wine with an extra bit of liqueur. Brandy is the traditional choice, but Cointreau (or another orange liqueur) or tawny port are also delicious alternatives.
Use fresh oranges: One of which we will slice and mull in the wine, one of which you can slice and use as a garnish if you’d like. (Edit: To minimize bitterness, I recommend peeling the orange before simmering it in the wine.)
love the making mulled wine with cinnamon sticks, but you could whisk in some ground cinnamon if that’s what you have on hand.
Mulling spices vary in mulled wine from country to country, but whole cloves and star anise are my favorites, plus perhaps a few cardamom pods.
Feel free to add your favorite sweetener to taste. Sugar is classic, but I prefer to naturally sweeten mine with either maple syrup or honey.
