Cook.

Cook whenever you can. Start simple like grilled cheese but think about things like the kinds of cheese, the types of bread, even how or if you cut the sandwich before serving. Do you add tomatoes? Onions? Pickles? Bacon? Or go with the traditional?

Use Recipes

There are amazing recipes out there from true chefs not just a "dad – with a pan" – and many of the recipes contained in here come in part from great chefs. NYT Cooking is a great website to consider but there are many. Google early and often. The more you cook, the less you’ll follow recipes making dishes your own but recipes are a great place to start.

Follow the Recipes

You guys always tease me about not using recipes. Of course I use recipes and have for years but after 30+ years, you just remember them. Sure you can make them yours, modify them and even create what you think is a new dish but all we cook and how we cook it is attributable to the great cooks and chefs that have influenced us from our parents or grandparents to Julia Child’s – “everything is better with butter”. Eventually you are cooking Baba Sue’s chuck roast with mashed potatoes or Pappy’s French Toast with Fried Hot Dogs. The recipes will become your own but the credit flows from all those who have cooked for us or who have shared their creations.

Learn a Bit About the Chemistry of Cooking

Learn what vinegar does in certain dishes. Learn what wine or vodka does to tomato sauce. Learn how the natural sugars of tomatoes, beets or onions can be caramelized and why. Experiment on those you love. They will forgive you!

Create a Fun Atmosphere in the Kitchen

Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington, a Michelin three star restaurant, plays chamber music in the kitchen. Dad – well a little country and a little red wine does it for me. The point is the kitchen should be fun. Fun makes you creative. It makes you smile and smiling while preparing a meal will help put smiles on the faces of your guests.

Ingredients

It matters not how talented you are in the kitchen; fresh, top shelf ingredients are key – unless you’re French, then you just cover everything with butter, cream and herbs and it tastes great! Seriously, locally sourced meats and fresh vegetables will make you a superstar. Think about it, would you want a rack of lamb raised in New Zealand, butchered, frozen and shipped so you could serve it months after it was fresh, or Jamison or Elysian Fields Farms lamb raised in Western PA and used by chefs like Thomas Keller at Per Se in NYC and The French Laundry in Napa? Always go with local butchered meats. It costs more but it’s worth it. Also make friends with your butcher.

Everyone should know a good doctor, a good lawyer and a good butcher!

So right now you’re saying, I get it dad, go fresh or go home, but what if I want to make a beautiful Bolognese sauce with a touch of cream in February? No fresh tomatoes. I get it too, thus my “top shelf” comment above. The only canned tomatoes I use for any tomato based sauce, from a Pomodoro sauce with fresh basil to Bolognese, are Pomodoro S. Manzano Dell’agro Sarnese- Nocerino D.O.P. Certified Tomatoes. Yes, a can is three times the cost of the others, but definitely worth it. So again, fresh and/or top shelf ingredients and don’t forget to give your butcher a Christmas present!

Appetizers, Wine and Cocktails

Think of your appetizers as an ice breaker or a warm-up while entertaining friends and family. It creates a central location to gather, usually the kitchen, to eat, sip and talk. As you know, I usually go with charcuterie (and not just because I like saying that word!), cheese, honey, olives and oils. It’s a simple – no cooking – only presentation. I include some other appetizer recipes below so you can mix it up. Regarding wine, there is good wine at any budget you just got to search for it by either reading up or finding a wine advisor at your local store. Pick a price point and stick with it. Go with both red and white. The old rules of meat means red and fish white have been thrown out. Buy, and drink what you like.

Pitchers of homemade cocktails can be pretty cool. Mojitos, Margaritas, even Manhattans, but know your guests – fancy cocktailing has faded a bit in favor of wine, tequila, vodka, gin or bourbon.

Table Settings

For a party, set up the night before. It makes things easier. For a simple family meal, wing it but wing it with candles. Votive candles are a simple added touch that adds warmth to a family dinner on a Tuesday. Throw some on the table, it makes a difference. For your dinner parties, flowers make every table better. Go with low arrangements so folks can still see and talk with each other. Also cards with questions at each setting creates a great conversation after dinner. Lots of cards out there… some are a bit racy, so know your group.