One Great . . . really easy recipe

Before I take off for my own holiday, I was looking around for the first recipe I could offer for 2014. I won't be back until after Jan. 1, and you'll be embarking on your recipe resolutions by then.

So I thought of this recipe, from "The Can't Cook Book," by Jessica Seinfield (Artisan, 2013). If you know someone (or you are someone) who really thinks cooking is scary business, make 2014 the year you get over that. It's healthy - it's fresh, green broccoli tossed with almonds, lemon juice, feta cheese and pasta.

Who doesn't want to start the year eating like that? Life is better when you make dinner. And it doesn't have to be hard. I promise.

Greek Pasta
Adapted from "The Can't Cook Book," by Jessica Seinfeld.

1 bunch broccoli
8 ounces feta (2 cups, crumbled)
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 (16-ounce) box whole wheat or regular penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil

FILL a large pot with water to about an inch below the top. Place on the stove, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Place a colander in the sink. (To make the water boil faster, put a lid on it.)

CUT the broccoli into small florets, leaving a little stalk attached. Cut the florets in halves so it will be easier to eat. Place the broccoli in the calendar and rinse with cold water. Drain the feta if it's packed with water and crumble into a large bowl. Grate the yellow part of the lemon rind into the bowl. Add the oregano, red pepper and black pepper.

PLACE a small skillet on the stove and add the almonds. Turn the heat to medium. Shake or stir the almonds often so they don't burn and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until toasted and fragrant but not too brown. Remove from heat.

ADD the pasta to the boiling water. Set the time for 3 minutes less than the package directions call for. When the time goes off, add the broccoli to the water and continue cooking together for 3 minutes. Drain everything in the colander and add immediately to the large bowl. Sprinkle in the almonds and toss everything to combine. Drizzle in the oil. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice in. Toss again to cot. Season with salt to taste.

YIELD: 4 to 6 servings. 

A few more food events to round out the week

Tonight is the 12 Beers & Wines of Christmas, at 201 Central, the Harris Teeter offshot that carries beer, wine and food store with locations in Wesley Chapel and Huntersville. From 5 until 8 p.m., they'll have a complimentary tasting event of Christmas beers and wines. What are those? Guess you'll have to stop in to find out. The stores are at 13108 Eastfield Road in Huntersville, and 5939 Weddington Road in Wesley Chapel.

Saturday is a market day for the Davidson Farmer's Market. It's open 9 a.m. to noon, in the location behind Main Street in downtown Davidson. There's also a silent auction as part of the festivities.

The Matthews Community Farmers Market will have customed Dickens carolers tomorrow morning from 8:30 to 10 a.m. The Dickens, you say? Why yes, I did.

Have a good weekend.

One Great . . . no-work holiday party bite

Did I mention this is the Christmas when I have no kitchen? No oven, no refrigerator. We're living through an emergency house renovation thanks to a water leak, so December this year is a little different.  No tree, no lights, no decorations. Lots of dry wall dust.

And social obligations. Ohhh, I still have those. And that's a good thing, since some nights we've had to resort to buffet-grazing to feed ourselves. In my current kitchen-less state, I really can't do much beyond tearing open a bag of fancy nuts. I can bring the wine. I do that a lot.

And I gaze upon the good ideas of other people. That's how I spotted this brilliant holiday party nosh at a recent gathering. It's so simple, a person without a kitchen could almost do it. Almost.

Pepper Pimento Cheese Bites 

1 package mini phyllo cups
1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite pimento cheese
About 1/2 cup red pepper jelly

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Place the phyllo cups on a baking sheet. Fill each cup with about a teaspoon of pimento cheese. Place in the oven and bake about 8 minutes, just until the pimento cheese melts and the phyllo cups are lightly browned around the edges.

REMOVE from oven and cool briefly. Put a dab of pepper jelly on top of each one. Serve warm or at room temperature.

YIELD: About 15 cups.

Lupie's pork, a Crock-Pot feast and more cookies

Today in our food coverage:

Can you make an entire Christmas dinner in a slow cooker? Amy Dunn, who writes about bargains and thrifty living for the Raleigh News & Observer, decided to try. Yep, it worked, and today you get seven recipes that can be used for the party season. By the way, Amy is the mother of Observer business writer Andrew Dunn, so they both are smart with a buck.

How do you open and eat a pomegranate? It's surprising how many of us are intimidated by one of the world's oldest and most popular fruits. In my column, I tried to take some of the mystery out of it. And in another "by the way," did you know you can grow pomegranates in North Carolina?

Fans of Lupie's can celebrate: For her column You Asked For It, Robin Domeier got the recipe for the slow-roasted pork with jalapeno sauce. You'll definitely want to save this recipe for use all winter.

Star anise and anise: What's the difference? I answered that one in this week's Q&A.

My fellow Observer writers and I will be signing books Thursday in The Observer lobby, if you want to drop by between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.: Get the details on that along with news in the Charlotte Wine & Food Weekend and new hours for Tupelo Honey's new Charlotte location.

Helen Schwab has news about a new Fort Mill restaurant, Flipside, with ties to Upstream and Mimosa.

Are nuts a good idea for your diet? Suzanne Havala Hobbs helps you figure that out.

If you had trouble with one of last week's Christmas cookie recipes and would like a corrected copy, we have them here, along with the full slide show of recipes. My apologies for that.

And more:
From-scratch chocolate pudding. 
Pork in Port Wine.
Decorate a Cookie Tree.
A Shortcut Cookie for the Holidays.

Texas Pete releases its own sriracha sauce

You can stop worrying about that rumored shortage of Huy Fong sriracha sauce after the shutdown of the plant in California: T.W. Garner Food Co. of Winston-Salem is riding to the rescue with Cha! by Texas Pete.

Yep, Pete is going Southeast as in Asia. T.W. Garner announced the release of the sauce Dec. 17. Cha! will be sold at national and regional stores that already carry Texas Pete brands. The company describes is as "a fiery blend of heat and sweet" that has been in development for more than a year.

That came long before the current worries about a shortage of Huy Fong sriracha, but Steve DeCorte, general manager of sales for T.W. Garner, says the company developed the sauce with the rabid fans of sriracha in mind.  Texas Pete is the third biggest hot sauce brand in the country.

Holiday shopping with a local-food angle

Remember, all this holiday fa-la-la-la-laderol will be over in January. While you still have time, here are two options if you're looking for something local and food-like:

The Atherton Market, 2104 South Blvd. in South End, is stocked with special foods from around the area, including Taste of the South gift baskets from Honest Harvest, or you can gather things from around the market and have them put together as a gift basket at Queen City Pantry or Cardais Gourmet. Queen City Pantry and the Food Hub also will be open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, in case you suddenly realize you just haven't found the right thing for a passionate cook or eater.

The 7th Street Market, 224 E. 7th St., has increased its holiday foods and food gifts through Dec. 21. The Meat & Seafood Co. has special holiday items, including new charcuterie offerings and Kurobuta ham. Plus you can see Nutcrackers on Parade, nutcrackers decorated by art students at Central Piedmont Community College. Market hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (some vendors) Sundays. )If you park in 7th Street Station, remember to take your parking ticket in to get stamped.)

One Great . . . kids' baking activity

Decorating cookies with the kids is fun, for sure. It's also messy, chaotic and sometimes a little frustrating. Most little kids just want to get straight to the frosting part and skip the mixing, cutting and baking part.

When Betty Crocker did a Google Hangout recently on holiday entertaining ideas, this project caught my eye. Cute as it can be, and just the thing for holiday parties with lots of kids. You can go the cookie mix route if you just want a fun, fast activity, or you could adapt it to your favorite homemade ingredients.

Put out the baked trees, a bunch of green frosting and a bowls of colorful candy and let the kids go to town. Even the big kids - the ones a few decades beyond 21 - will like this one.

DIY Cookie Tree

From Betty Crocker.

1 pouch sugar cookie mix
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 egg
Green food coloring
1 container white icing, such as Betty Crocker Fluffy White Icing
Candies and sprinkles for decorating

HEAT oven to 375 degrees. Line a 15-by-10-by-1-inch pan with foil.

STIR together the cookie mix, butter and egg to form a soft dough. With moistened fingers, press the dough into the lined baking pan. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut out a tree shape. (Use extra baked cookie to cut out a star for the top of the tree and presents to put around the bottom, if you like.)

STIR food coloring into the frosting to create the color you like. Frost the tree, then use candies to decorate it.