JC grew up in Louisberg, Kansas, a small farming town with a population of 1,500. As a child, JC’s beloved mother taught him to bake. She’d always say, “dessert is a must,” and JC still carries on that tradition with gusto. By day, JC works as an auditor for Costco Wholesale, but he’s famous around Kansas City for his decadent desserts. When his partner developed Type B Lymphoma in 2012, JC stayed home to care for him. Baking once again was a source of comfort. Then, as his partner’s health improved, JC spent his free time donating homemade cookies and desserts around the community. JC’s now specializes in custom cakes and handcrafted macaroons. Every single day, he “accidentally” whips up extravagant desserts to share with loved ones, clients and his favorite charities. Follow JC on Instagram.
Two rival home shopping hosts are forced together while competing for a promotion. Along the way they find their on-air chemistry kindles an off-air spark. Stars Alexandra Breckenridge, Robert Buckley and Jackée Harry.
Influenced by his mom and grandmothers, cooking interested Ricky early in life. At age 11, he enrolled in cake decorating classes and knew instantly that this was going to be a lifelong passion. He worked his way up from bakery apprentice to Executive Pastry Chef, eventually becoming a Corporate Executive Chef at several posh hotels. As his skills and confidence blossomed, his creativity took flight, even fulfilling a lifelong dream of building a life-sized Gingerbread House! By day, Ricky works as a chef consultant, helping restaurateurs develop best practices. But, his whimsical culinary style and community involvement has made Ricky a local celebrity in Washington state where he lives with his partner Andrew and two adopted rescue dogs, Ponzu and Gandalf. Follow Ricky on Instagram.
Directions for turkey: To make marinade, combine ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy. To make turkey, preheat oven to 350° F. Clean out cavity of the turkey and rinse well, inside and out. Pat dry and place turkey in a large roasting pan. Pour the marinade over the turkey. Tie turkey legs together and cover tips with foil. Stuff cavity of turkey with lemon rinds and one bunch of poultry herbs. Place the second bunch of herbs in the roasting pan. Place turkey breast-side up in roasting pan. Insert thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Cover with foil and roast for 2 hours. After 2 hours, add chicken stock (or hot water) to the bottom of the pan. Stir to make gravy for basting. Baste turkey and roast turkey (uncovered) another 30 minutes and repeat basting process. Continue basting every 15 minutes until the thermometer reaches 160–165° F, approximately 3 to 4 hours. Remove turkey from oven and place on cutting board. Cover turkey well with foil to keep warm. Let it rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Keep the roasting pan with the pan juices to make chive gravy. Directions for gravy: Skim the fat from the Turkey with Marinade pan juices and discard. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the cooked bits. Add 1 cup of chicken broth, strain into a sauce pan, and add the rest of the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil. In a separate sauce pan, combine 1 ladle of the hot chicken broth and cornstarch. Stir until lumps are gone and then pour back into stock pot. Repeat five or six times until gravy has reached your desired thickness. Add dry sherry and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives and pomegranate seeds.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me . . . luscious little tarts filled with chocolate, caramel and pecans! If you make these with your kids, let them open the caramels. The anticipation will be part of the fun!
