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I have never been subjected to this at an ordinary dinner party. Holiday behavior and expectations are different for both hosts and guests.

I lost 15 pounds.

Hanger steak

I always dry-brine, usually with a paste of salt, pepper, sweet paprika, pimenton, crushed garlic and butter, olive oil, goose fat or duck fat. I also use this to roast chicken. Even a couple of hours will add flavor and help make the skin crisp. With this paste, no basting is necessary, or desirable. The skin will be crisp and delectable.

Not too sweet cranberry sauce:

Blanch three 3-inch strips of zest from two large navel oranges for one minute and mince. Peel the oranges, cut them into quarters and add to a bag of cranberries along with the zest and whirl in the food processor until very finely chopped. Remove from processor and add 3/4 cup honey and 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger. Allow to macerate for at least one day.

My Melitta doesn't sit in the back of the cupboard. It's been in steady use for decades -- long before the current fad took hold. After much trial and error, I settled on Oren's Daily Roast Sumatra Mandeling ground on #4, and pour a pre-measured amount of water directly out of an electric kettle that I take off its stand when the water starts boiling, somewhat before it would stop of its own accord. I use Trader Joe's brown paper filters with the cone, and pour the water in a slow circle to wet the grounds. Then I add a bit more and finally pour in the remaining water, again in a circle. The result: a perfect cup of coffee.

Apple pie. Fennel ice cream. Not together.

I butterfly the chicken by cutting out the backbone and pressing hard on the breastbone, so that it it relatively flat and cooks evenly, avoiding the problem of overcooked white meat and undercooked dark meat.

I rub the bird generously with a past of crushed garlic, salt, pimenton, sweet paprika, and either olive oil, duck fat or goose fat. The chicken is cooked in a 375 F. oven on a jelly-roll pan. I may or may not have put it on top of a few lemon slices. It's done with the skin is an appealing brown and crackling crisp --- from 45 minutes to a little over an hour, depending on the size of the bird. Transfer to a serving plate or carving board, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into pieces -- quarters or smaller -- with poultry shears or knife.

The only disadvantage of this method is that you don't get a classic presentation. No one will care when they realize that they all have a perfectly done piece of chicken with parchment-like skin. Carving is much, much easier and less risky when the bird has been butterflied. If you manage to remove the wishbone before cooking, so much the gbetter.

I've been told to add choucroute garnie and brisket.

Why not just slice raclette or fontina with a cheese plane and got right down to the eating?

I grew up on DeLorenzo's (Hudson St.) and I can tell you that it was even better before the fire that led to the replacement of the old coal oven.

Cider is the perfect drink with Indian food for non-beer drinkers, and even they may change their minds after giving it a try.

I still remember a fabulous apple tart that I had in Amsterdam maybe 15 years ago.