The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Can’t you just hear Andy Williams chirping in a wooly sweater? It is the most wonderful time of the year, and that happens to be my most favorite song of the season. “…parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow…” In a few minutes of joyful lyrics, the buttery voice captures the excitement brimming from the gift that is the holidays.

I wonder though, if I were to play the album backwards, if I could hear frenzy and craze in Mr. Williams’ voice. If I could hear from my favorite tune the madness that accompanies the joy — the zip of the sprint from store to store, the involuntary growl that peppers a search for parking, the clink of a lopsided grocery cart in a last-minute scramble for egg nog. I wonder if even ol’ Mr. Cool-as-a-Christmas-Cucumber Williams himself is a little frazzled right now.

It’s possible, right? Because even the most wonderful time of the year can be a little harried from moment to moment. So, in the moments when you happen to be hungry, hunker down for some (easy and delicious) home-cooking. Following are cookingwithcaitlin.com spins on some of your favorite freezer meals made even better with the addition of fresh and fool-proof. Eat them to charge your holiday battery before caroling out in the snow and last-minute grocery scrambling.

Butter-Basted Cherry Tomato Sauce

Bagel Pizza

(Salisbury-Inspired) Steak Sandwich Baked Catfish (Homemade Fish Sticks) with Homemade Tartar Sauce

Chicken Pot Pie Sandwiches

Brownie Batter Pudding

Bacon Brittle

Holiday Baking

No doubt you could smell the cinnamon in the air. You could hear the rumble of hot-from-the-oven tweets. Perhaps you even followed the trail of fruitcake crumbs to the hottest kitchen in the Twitterverse…it’s the tastiest social this side of the internet, Foodies’ Night In (#FNIchat). It happened on Monday (as it does every Monday), it was presented by OXO, and it was all about Holiday Baking. Suffice to say our measuring cups runneth over. Tap into the sweet sweet highlights in Easy Holiday Baking (A Big Bowl of Whipped Tweets). And make sure you tune in this coming Monday for an aromatic exchange on Spices.