CHRISTMAS

Cioppino, a fisherman’s fish and shellfish stew from San Francisco, is easy to make, and absolutely delicious with the right ingredients. It has Dungeness crab (in season in the winter on the west coast), and usually shrimp, clams and/or mussels, and some firm white fish such as halibut or sea bass. It’s a Feast of the Seven Fishes, all in one bowl!

Note that cioppino is typically served with the shellfish still in their shells, making for somewhat messy eating. It’s a lot of fun for an informal gathering. Have plenty of napkins available and don’t wear white.

These chocolate crinkles are a holiday staple in winter, but are great any time of the year. Soft, devil’s food-like cakey cookies are rolled around in confectioner’s sugar. When they bake the dough rises and the chocolate dough peeks out in little crinkled fissures beneath the white sugar.

Crinkles are easy-peasy to throw together and make for a flashy addition to any cookie platter. A warning though: these cookies are so good and chocolaty they may not make the cocoa cravings go away. In fact, they might just make them worse.

If you want, you can jazzify these cookies in a number of ways. Add some cinnamon to confectioner's sugar. Roll the cookies around in colored sprinkles or sugars. For something a little more exotic, pulse the confectioner's sugar in a food processor with 2 teaspoons of Earl Grey, chai tea, or matcha powder.