Remember, cooking is creative so have fun this holiday season.  Here’s my Holiday Cooking Rules for a “No Stress Holiday Meal”  You can check out my website for holiday menus and recipes.  Recipe is:  Holiday Bars

Rule #1   If you don’t have an ingredient, leave it out-don’t run back to the grocery–no one will know that your cornbread dressing was supposed to have mushrooms, or a cake needed nuts.  I always say if a chocolate soufflé falls, serve it as chocolate pudding with a smile.

Rule #2  Select recipes that don’t only cook in the oven…remember you will have a busy oven so select stove top recipes.

Rule #3   Plan your menu with time saving make ahead recipes to freeze. 

 Rule #4   Prepare what you are comfortable with and pick up or let people bring the rest…you don’t have to prepare every dish to have a memorable meal. 

a)      Order a cooked turkey and garnish with fresh parsley and crab apples to give it a personal touch. 

b)      If you don’t like to make desserts, order festive holiday cookies or pies from your  favorite bakery.

 Rule #5   Ambience: Create an easy centerpiece by filling a glass bowl with pomegranates or seasonal items—no need for expensive flowers.

 Rule #6  Use holiday themed paper goods or plastic plates to serve dessert-easy clean up.

 Rule#7:  Cook trim&TERRIFIC

Last minute fun holiday gift-get a copy of my new fun whimsical cookbook–includes Effortless Entertaining, Foods To Improve…. and the popular Diva Dermatology Chapter

Christmas Recipes with No Kitchen Stress

Holly appeared on QVC with her latest book Trim & Terrific Cookbook:More Than 500 Fast, Easy and Healthy Recipes.

QVC Set

QVC Spread

QVC Appearance Once Again February 2003

Holly’s NBC Weekend Today Show Appearance from her book, Trim & Terrific Meals On The Move: Rush Hour Recipes.

On Set

Today Show

Holly’s appearance on NBC’s Weekend Today Show July 2003

White Chocolate Bundt Cake

I am so excited to partner with Walmart to create easy, healthy, and affordable meals – all with one-stop shopping! Today I am an official cover girl (hahaha)featured on the www.walmart.com homepage. I use Walmart’s Great Value brand with all my testing and have been impressed with the quality of the ingredients and  the selection.  I always keep a well stocked pantry and the price point makes it more affordable to do so…gives me extra dollars to treat myself!  

On of my favorite products is the Great Value Black Bean and Corn Salsa–most people already know about it-I made the Hamburger Dip for the 30 people at my house this past weekend and used this salsa to add more pizzaz to the recipe.  I look forward to sharing more of my recipes with cooking videos on  www.walmart.com/greatvalue, all under $1 per serving!

Wait until you try these recipes:

One Step Macaroni and Cheese-one dish and no boiling noodles-time saver!
Easy Chicken I make this recipe when I need a quick and easy delcious meal
Pizza Rice-leftover rice-turn into another quick recipe with few ingredients
Yummy Yogurt White Chocolate Bundt Cake-indulgence and easy-my daughter Haley makes our favorite cakeall the time in college.

Working with Walmart-the BEST CAKE!!

I am Holly’s father, a laryngectomee (my larynx or voice box is removed), and I speak with an artificial larynx.  I have visited many throat cancer patients in the hospital after they had an operation where they lost their voice, and I always give the patients the Eating Well Through Cancer Cookbook. After I had my throat cancer operation I was very weak. I had to have cancer treatments for three months. I also had to have nutritional meals to gain back my strength.

I was very lucky to have a daughter who is a cookbook author. In order to get me through this crisis Holly would put nutritional recipes together, send them to my wife, and my wife would prepare the recipes for my dinner. Every morning I would have a nourishing breakfast. For lunch I would eat the leftovers from last night’s dinner. For dinner my wife would cook the new recipes that Holly would send every day.  

There was 78 patients going through cancer treatments with me.  I saw many of them lose lots of weight, some had to be fed through the stomach and many of them were hospitalized because they were too weak. I believe because of this attention to nutrition I was able to exercise every day and go to the golf course driving range and hit golf balls.  I was the only one in our group that did not lose weight and gained my strength back.

Holly took the nutritional recipes that she sent me as the basis for her cancer cookbook. She collaborated with a very knowledgeable nutritional oncologist and together they wrote their cancer cookbook. Every time I visit a throat cancer patient in the hospital I give them Eating Well Through Cancer.  The great comments I receive after their cancer treatments makes me understand why this is such an important cookbook that has sold over a half million copies.

I love sweets so Holly’s comforting, trim & terrific Easy Banana Bread really hits the spot!

My Larynx Cancer and Nutrition Experience