After my last post on living on 1,500 calories a day, a lot of people asked, “But how do you do that during the holidays?”
The truth is, you don’t. At least, not if you like food and don’t want to ruin your holiday altogether. The trick to enjoying the festive food while dieting is to shift your focus: Try to maintain rather than lose.
Generally, we try to lose weight because we’re unhappy with something, whether it be our appearance, our health or our energy level. We diet so that we can get more out of life.
The irony is that most of us who diet also love food. Dieting is an attempt to maintain a balance between that love of food and a love of (quality) life. We decided to give up that bag of Cheetos so that we can spend more time running around with children or friends.
But the holidays mix together family and food in an inextricable way. How can you enjoy Christmas dinner if you can’t enjoy Aunt Mary’s famous candied yams? The holidays are a time when we look to reconnect with the people we care about and big part of that is bonding over food.
To not only survive but enjoy the holidays, try a few of these tactics:
• Plan your indulgences: You don’t need a glass of eggnog every night before bed, but feel free to have some at the company party. And when you know you have an event coming up, plan out your meals so that you’re not starving yourself, but are saving some calories for the party. (And that advice to have a snack before you go so that you don’t gorge yourself at the event — I find it never works. Even if I have a healthy bowl of chicken soup before the party, I still want to eat the cheese bread and cookies and I end up even more out of whack. Don’t go starving, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you won’t eat anything).
• Give cookies as gifts: I love to bake. Christmas, to me, is about Christmas cookies. But I certainly don’t need dozens of temptations around. My solution is to bake constantly throughout December, but to freeze most of what I make and put together plates of cookies to give as gifts.
• Take small portions: If you’re still hungry after your first platefull, take seconds of the lower calories dishes rather than stocking up on potatos and dressing.
• Be aware of your alcohol intake: Inhibitions diminish as you imbibe. A cream puff you would normally never touch seems like a good idea after a couple of glasses of wine. Also, remember that alcohol is high in calories and consider skipping a piece of pie if you want another drink.
• Don’t beat yourself up: It’s only a few weeks; chances are you won’t undo all your hard work in that short time. If you do gain a couple of pounds, remember that you know how to get it off again. It’s not the end of the world. And think of how much fun you had gaining it.

About six weeks ago, my cousin, a registered dietician, suggested that I try to boost my weight-loss efforts, which have been a struggle, by sticking to a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet. I won’t pretend I wasn’t dismayed to hear this. I’ve always been able to maintain my weight by exercising and eating a reasonable diet. I’ve never had to count calories.

But, determined to make progress, I decided to give it a try. I found two Web sites, Nutrition Data and Calorie King, to be helpful in determining the calorie counts for various foods.

The first week was difficult, but my stomach soon adjusted to smaller portions and my brain began to recognize portion sizes. An easy 300 calorie breakfast is a multigrain English muffin (150) with one egg (90), onions and peppers (12-15) and half a cup of milk (45). I gave up the butter (100 per tablespoon) and cheese (110 an ounce), and found I didn’t miss them. Occasionally I’ll mix it up by adding a tablespoon of Brummel & Brown spread (35) or a couple of tablespoons of salsa (10).

Lunch has stayed pretty steady with a can of Progresso soup (200-240, depending on the variety) and a piece of toast (110-130) or flat bread (110). It’s quick, it’s easy, and I don’t have to think about it. And if the soup has lots of beans in it, I’m full for the afternoon.

Dinner is where I allow some freedom. I make whatever moves me — pasta and meatballs, taco salad, meatloaf, roast chicken, even Hamburger Helper — and just measure out my portions to make sure I don’t go over my allowance.

Once I got down this routine, throwing in the occasional snack (a clementine is 35 calories; a bite-sized Peppermint Patty is 80), I began to figure out where I could splurge.

A glass of pinot grigio, for example, is 150 calories, while rum with Diet Coke is 116. Two homemade oatmeal raisin cookies comes to about 200. Even better, Jell-O instant pudding (fat free) is only 90 calories for half a package. That leaves room for whipped cream.

Counting calories is not a death sentence for indulgence. It just means a little extra planning and setting some priorities: dessert or a drink. Do you really need both?

When you talk about turkey, you have to talk about how to use the leftovers. Of course there are the classics, the bacon and turkey and avocado sandwiches, the turkey tetrazini casseroles, the open-face sandwiches with gravy.

For an exotic variation, try turkey tamales. They’re easy and they taste great.

At most local groceries these days, there is a Latin foods aisle and in that aisle you’ll find a bag of something called Masa. Most brands will say right on the bag that they can be used to make tamales. You may also be able to find corn husks in the Latin aisle; if not, try the Latin products store in Amenia that is next to the Freshtown shopping plaza. You should also pick up a jar of Dona Maria instant mole sauce.

Follow the instructions on the bag (usually they tell you to mix a cup-and-a-half of broth or water with a cup of masa; then knead the mixture and let it sit for a few minutes).

Soak 10 corn husks in warm water until they’re soft and pliant.

If you can find it, get some undyed raffia (it looks like straw but you can tie it like ribbon), which is sold at most craft stores. Otherwise, you should be fine with some twine or kitchen string.

Have on hand about 2 cups of turkey chopped into small bits; a can of refried beans; hot sauce.

With wet hands, scoop up about 1/4 cup of masa and flatten it out into a rectangle in the center of a corn husk. Spread some beans down the center of the masa, leaving 1/4 inch at the top and bottom of the dough. Sprinkle a few drops of hot sauce on the beans. Sprinkle turkey bits all along the beans. Fold the masa up and over the filling and press the masa together so that all the filling is encased in dough. Then roll the corn husk tightly around the dough. Tie it at the top and bottom.

As long as you don’t make more than 10 of these at a time, it’s kind of fun. If you try to make more, be sure you’re seated comfortably, and maybe have an engrossing movie on a nearby television.

Once the tamales are done, you can refrigerate or freeze them. Or you can cook them right away. I like to put them in a steamer basket on top of a substantial amount of water. It takes 30 to 40 minutes for them to steam through. If you freeze them, don’t defrost them before you cook them. Put them right into the steamer.

Once you take them out of the steamer, let them sit for a couple minutes to give the masa time to solidify, so it unwraps easily from the husks.

Serve with mole sauce (or a fresh salsa) and a green salad.

The only reason to talk about turkey after Thanksgiving is that there’s probably a good chance you’ll make one again at Christmas. If that’s your plan I have the secret to turkey success: plastics.

Yes, those plastic oven bags really work. I tried one last weekend after two people recommended them to me. The results were amazing and I can only scratch my head and wonder why everyone in the world doesn’t use them.

The first question you’ll ask is: Does the skin get brown? The answer is Perfectly. I used a Butterball turkey from Freshtown in Amenia, just a standard supermarket model and I have never had such a gorgeously lacquered holiday bird in my life. It looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.

The other questions I’ll answer by telling you what I did and how it worked.

I used a Reynolds oven bag, turkey size, and added a teaspoon of flour to the bag before putting in the bird, just like the box said to do.

I made all my stuffing and then cleaned and stuffed the bird. I shoved a ton of fresh herbs under the turkey’s skin, and thought about adding some bacon to the skin but got lazy and decided not to at the last minute.

I preheated the oven to 350 degrees (the instructions specify that you must not use the bags in an oven that’s any hotter than 350) and then put the turkey in the bag (which was easy; the bags are huge). I did not use any metal rods to truss my bird or close up the cavities; I actually used white thread and just sewed it up, but you don’t have to do the same thing. I closed the bag with the little plastic tab that comes in the box. I didn’t put any carrots, onions, celery or anything else in the bag.

I put the turkey in a roasting pan in the oven at 10:30 a.m. and by 3 (or was it 3:30?) my 15 pound bird was fragrant and gorgeous. I did not baste. I did not add broth. I think I turned the roasting pan once. And when I took it out of the oven I found that the bag was about two inches deep in rich, golden turkey juices that wouuld have roasted away had the bag not been there to capture them.

The only slight difficulty that I had was that the bag (which had the texture of Japanese rice paper after all that roasting) stuck to the bottom of the turkey a little. It was not especially hard to get it off, however. It took minimal effort.

I removed the turkey to a platter and removed the stuffing, as instructed by the health department. I poured the juices into a jar and popped them in the fridge. I didn’t have to use them to deglaze the pan and make gravy because… there were no little bits of skin or stuffing baked onto the pan.

Yes, that’s right: All I had to do to clean my turkey roasting pan was rinse it with a little water.

Then I let the turkey sit for three hours until we were ready to eat. And even after all that time, it was STILL the moistest, tenderest turkey I have EVER eaten. We’re still eating leftovers five days later and even the leftovers are moist and succulent.

So, if you’re thinking turkey for Christmas, think Reynolds Oven Bags. We’re thinking about ham for New Years, and I’m thinking: Reynolds Oven Bags. Think how nice it will be for the ham glaze to bake itself onto the oven bag instead of the sides of the oven. That would be a great way to start the new year.

Many cooks who can flambe, french and butterfly with ease find pie crusts to be completely unmanageable. I can’t flambe, french, butterfly or even make an acceptable omelette, but I think I’ve found a way to make a reliable and delicious crust.

The recipe I use isn’t actually for pie crust (I know, it’s cheating, but sometimes cheating works). It comes from the Williams Sonoma “Mexican” cookbook and is actually a dough for empanadas. With the addition of a bit of sugar, it’s easy to work and tastes flakey, light and buttery.

Before the instructions: a tip that I probably learned from Martha Stewart. After you make a few pie crusts, you begin to understand what a proper crust is supposed to feel like. You can tell if it’s too dry (which means it will break while you’re rolling it) or too moist (which means it will stick to the rolling pin, and then break while you’re rolling it).

You know you have the perfect combination of fats and flour when the dough peels easily off the sides of your mixing bowl without crumbling in your hands.

It should feel like it’s going to stick just until the moment that it peels away and forms a nice fat little ball of dough. If it sticks to the bowl and you have to scrape it off the sides, add a teaspoon or so of flour and mix it in fast and with a few decisive movements of your hand; overworked pie dough has the texture of plywood. If it’s too crumbly and doesn’t want to make a nice ball, add a teaspoon of water and mix it in fast.

Sometimes these little additions are necessary because of variables such as the humidity in the air or the amount of fat in your butter. It’s not a big deal so don’t get nervous. Just don’t add a LOT of water or a lot of flour to correct your problem. If you need to add more than a teaspoon or two, something is probably deeply wrong and you should scrap your dough and start over.

I know, I promised this would be easy, and it will be.

The last thing to know before you begin (this is the Martha Stewart part): once the dough peels nicely off the sides of the bowl, it should form a nice smooth ball that feels as smooth and pliant as a baby’s bottom (a nice clean one, with a little dusting of powder on it).

Here goes:
Bring 1 cup butter (as with most pastries, butter with a high fat content brings the best results) and 6 ounces of cream cheese to room temperature. Cream them together in a big bowl. You’ll be tempted to use your food processor but don’t do it; the ingredients are so sticky that they’ll just clump up on your blades. Use your hands. It’ll be messy but not horrible. And if once you add the flour, you’ll see: the fats should peel right off your fingers.

Stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour and a pinch of sea salt. Work the dough with your hands until it holds together and forms a nice smooth ball — and then stop working it. Your crust will get hard if you work it too long and hard.

Wrap it in plastic wrap and crush it into a flat round disc. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

This dough works well with all kinds of fillings but it also makes a perfect rustic apple tart: Take a bunch of apples, all different kinds (northern spy is considered the best pie apple, but I also mix in macouns, and anything else that looks fairly crisp and flavorful). Peel them, remove the seeds and cut them into thin slices. Mix with sugar (I go light on the sugar, but you can add 1/2 a cup or more for 10 apples if you like it sweet; or skip the sugar and just use a quarter cup of maple syrup instead), cinnamon, maybe a little candied ginger, walnuts, raisins.

Mix the ingredients together and let them sit for 10 minutes or so until their flavors meld.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Roll out your dough on a flat board or a clean counter. I don’t use flour when I roll out because it makes the dough harden up. Instead, I put a layer of plastic wrap over and under the dough as I roll.

Once again, remember what Martha Stewart said: you want to roll gently and firmly out from the center to the edge in a continuous motion. Don’t vigorously run the roller back and forth.

Put a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet. Lay your crust, which should be about 1/8 inch thick, out on the parchment. Don’t worry about trimming the edges so they’re perfect and round (you’ll see why in a minute).

Pile the apples into the center of the dough. Don’t worry if the pile is fairly high, but be sure you leave at least two inches of unencumbered crust around the edges.

Dot the top of the apples with about 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces.

Bring the edges of the crust up and around the apples, folding the corners in.

Beat one egg with a teaspoon or so of water and brush the mixture onto the outside of your pie crust.

This all bakes up nicely in my oven in about 15 minutes, but I have a hot fast oven. Keep an eye on your crust and when it’s golden brown, take it out. Serve it right away, or leave it for up to 24 hours.

Good luck! And let me know how this recipe worked for you.

My daughter may not have noticed how much Halloween candy I’ve been snitching from her, but my thighs and waist certainly have. When I tried to shrug on my blue jeans this a.m., I found that they had gone from comfortably snug to just plain snug.

Happily, they were being pulled on over my swim suit. Today, after a two-month hiatus, I headed back to the wonderful pool at The Hotchkiss School, which is open to the community several days a week. The pool has been getting crowded lately (so I’m not going to tell you when to come; if you want to swim, you’ll have to figure out the times on your own), which is good on the one hand because it means the swim program is a success and will continue; but it points out to all us swimmers how spoiled we’ve become — we can’t stand the thought of actually having to share a lane.

This morning there actually weren’t that many people in the water, which was warmer and more pleasant than usual (a reflection of the weather, perhaps). Several new faces were there,  which is nice. In the locker room we chatted about how hard it is to stay fit in winter and how lucky we are to have the pool.

One woman said she worries about being seen in a swimsuit, which is a complaint you often hear from women: I don’t want to look out of shape while I’m trying to get in shape. Maybe men say the same thing; I’m not in their locker room to hear it, though.  We reminded her that, at the pool, everyone is in a swimsuit and pretty much everyone is over 40. The pool is a great equalizer.

The pool is also a great relaxer, which is the reason I crave my time there. I shot into the water this morning and let two months of accumulated anxiety pull me along at high speed for 35 trips up and back the length of the pool.

By the time I got out of the water, I was still feeling overly energetic. At least now it was positive energy.

‘Tis the season when The Lakeville Journal staff begins to talk and think obsessively about food (well, more obsessively than normal). In this week’s issue (on newstands Nov. 13), you’ll be introduced to a new multi-grain oatmeal being marketed by Holly’s Place, a Salisbury restaurant; you’ll meet Vanity Fair writer (and Lakeville resident) David Kamp, whose new book is “The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation;” and you’ll learn why cranberries are a nutritious and refreshing addition to the heavy, creamy foods we normally find on the autumn table.

In next week’s edition (due out on Nov. 22, right in time for Thanksgiving), health writer Peggy O’Brien will talk about stuffing (or do you say dressing?), and whether it’s okay to ignore the health department warnings about cooking it inside the bird. Naturopathic doctor Richard Malik (a Lakeville Journal columnist with a practice on Main Street in Lakeville village) will talk about a subject that weighs heavy on all our minds after the annual harvest meal: digestion.

There are some excellent books about food and restaurants at the bookstore these days, and nearly all of them have at least one really smart cooking tip hidden inside.

“My Life in France” by Julia Child (and her nephew, Cornwall native Alex Prud’Homme) finally taught me (after 17 years of marriage) how to make fluffy scrambled eggs for my husband’s breakfast. The trick: just lightly beat the eggs (and some salt ‘n peppa) before pouring them into a hot (not sizzling) skillet. Let the eggs set for a moment. THEN stir in the cream.

While reading Bill Buford’s “Heat,” which describes his journey into the inferno of Mario Battali’s kitchen, I learned how to make creamy polenta. I always used to take the polenta off the stovetop as soon as the liquid evaporated, for fear it would turn dry and crunchy, and then burn. Buford learned from Battali’s staff that the trick is to let the liquid evaporate, then keep the pot cooking on low for an hour or so (!), stirring very occasionally. It was a leap of faith for me, but I leapt — and found that this technique works well even with the quick-cook stuff.

Got any favorite cooking shortcuts? Share them with our readers here at Salty Plums by posting comments!

A nice surprise at the refurbished Taro’s in Milllerton: an astonishingly good lemon cake. It’s a golden layer cake with a creamy bit of frosting up top and some crunchy embellishments along the spine. Between the layers is a pudding-like lemon curd and — this is my favorite part — there is lemon ice cream. Totally delicious.
In Salty Plums, we hope to spotlight favorite bites at local restaurants. We hope you’ll share some of yours with us from time to time.

Sometimes I can read the first line of a recipe and know I need take it no further. A particularly clear-cut warning appears in one of my favorite Chinese cookbooks. It reads: “First, kill the turtle.”
But similar warnings show up in more ordinary publications, too. In a recent issue of “Saveur” a recipe starts with the instruction to open all the windows.
No way. I’ll go out for my tea-smoked duck.
Still, many recipes, though tricky, like hollandaise for example, are worth it. Julia Child’s recipe requires good eggs, a refined butter and an understanding that if the sauce turns it can be, 1. fixed, or 2, tossed and started over.
Now I am not one to cut corners. Yes. During my ill-spent youth I spent three days on a cassoulet to impress Tony’s parents with my culinary zeal. And I made sauce Espagnol after a lunch at Lutece. Once.The real thing. But there are times when it would be nice to make an easy, authentic, unscary hollandaise, and just enough for me.
Which is why I love M.F.K. Fisher. Not only did she shelve a suitor who failed to recognize the sublime qualities of her curried lamb, she wrote about an elderly woman who could make fool-proof hollandaise, in just the right amount for herself.
The recipe is from “With Bold Knife and Fork,” a delightful book, and it’s titled Madge Dresser’s Hollandaise for One:

1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup butter
dash cayenne
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all together in a custard cup placed in hot, never boiling, water while cooking the rest of the meal — the asparagus, for instance. Stir with a chop stick occasionally as it thickens. No beating. No worries. Delicious hollandaise. — Marsden Epworth