Use our time-wise ideas to help you streamline your holiday cooking so you'll have more time to spend with family and friends.

Ingredients and Garnishes

Follow our helpful hints while creating something special in the kitchen.

Convenient Ingredients to Have on Hand

• Nonstick spray coating. Forget the mess of greasing pans.
• Seasoning blends. One sprinkle adds a dose of good taste. Try Italian and pasta seasonings, Cajun seasoning, pepper blends, fajita seasoning, pumpkin pie spice, and five-spice powder.
• Minced garlic. Buy it in a jar and give thanks; 1/2 teaspoon bullet equals 1 clove.

Herbs, Appetizers, and Cookies

Help with Herbs
You can't beat the flavor of fresh herbs. But when fresh herbs aren't available or you're too busy to clean and snip them, dried herbs make convenient stand-ins. Substitute dried herbs for fresh (and vice versa) by using 1 teaspoon dried mild-flavor herb (basil, mint, oregano, and savory) for 1 tablespoon snipped fresh herb.

For stronger-flavored herbs, such as dillweed, marjoram, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme, use 1/2 teaspoon dried herb for each tablespoon of fresh. If you're adding a ground form of a dried herb, use even less.

Impromptu Appetizers

• Layer three ingredients -- olives, marinated feta cheese cubes, and marinated artichoke hearts - in a stemware glass dish.
• Cut a Brie round into five wedges. Top each wedge with kumquat slices, champagne grapes, edible flowers, and sprigs of herbs.