Our Favorite New Year's Recipes

Happy New Year's from the FoodPair Team! Here's to a healthy and happy 2012 for you and yours!

On New Year's Eve, everyone likes to celebrate, so we've decided to feature New Year's recipes with some pop and style. Get things started with your favorite Champagne cocktail- we like ones with fresh fruit and juice in addition to a bit of the bubbly. For the rest of the meal we found an award-winning appetizer with candied bacon and apple-- after all, 2011 was the Year of Bacon in many circles. For our New Year's entree, we like baked & wrapped fish dish with vegetables. By baking the fish in parchment paper, each guest will get to unwrap their own delicious present. You can customize the dish with any fish you like (cod, halibut, salmon, snapper, sea bass, etc.), seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.).

We have over 800 recipes for Champagne to help you create inspired New Year's dishes. You can also use the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to select your favorite ingredients or recipe sites and browse from there. To help you get started, we selected 5 recipes to create your New Year's extravaganza.

Raspberry Champagne Cocktail
Celebrate New Year's in style with this tasty cocktail.
Ingredients: Champagne, Raspberry, Grenadine, Cassis

Party Mimosa
Get your party going with this fresh take on the classic mimosa.
Ingredients: Water, Champagne, Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate, Apricot-Mango Nectar, Pineapple Juice

Candied Bacon and Apple Canapes
Your guests will love this award-winning appetizer.
Ingredients: Pie Crust, Bacon, Egg, Apple, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Blue Cheese, Cayenne Powder, Cream Cheese, Sea Salt

Baked Fish Packets with Broccoli and Squash
Give everyone a main fish-dish wrapped like a present.
Ingredients: Garlic, Olive Oil, Shallot, Lemon Juice, Cod, Salt, Pepper, Seasonal Veggies (Broccoli, Squash), Fresh Herbs (Oregano, Basil)

Mandarin Champagne Sorbet
This sorbet works well as a light & flavorful dessert.
Ingredients: Champagne, Simple Syrup, Mandarin Orange, Orange Liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)


With New Years Eve right around the corner and these recipes in your repertoire, it's time to put that Champagne on ice!

If there are any themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight, post them in the comments or on our Facebook page. And while you're at it, Like us on Facebook for helpful food news, tips and recipes in your news feed.

Recipes for a Merry Christmas

Christmas is right around the corner, but it's not too late to plan a classic holiday feast for your friends and family. Christmas brings to mind comforting winter dishes with bursts of flavor and color from cranberries, persimmons and cherries.

The centerpiece of most Christmas meals is a holiday Ham, Turkey or Goose. Around that, we like complementary side dishes and sauces. Finish off your meal with a Christmas Trifle, Holiday Cookies and a little Chocolate-Peppermint Bark.

How can FoodPair help? For one, we have over a thousand recipes with the keyword "Christmas". You can also use the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to select ingredients such as Ham or Goose and browse from there. To help you get started, we selected 5 recipes to create your dinner for a very merry Christmas.

Baked Brie en Croute with Apple Compote
This elegant appetizer is delicious and easy to prepare.
Ingredients: Apple, Butter, Sugar, Brie, Water, Puff Pastry Dough, Egg, Plain Water Crackers, Ground Cardamom

Frisee Salad with Persimmons, Dates and Almonds
This flavorful holiday salad features persimmon and frisee.
Ingredients: Almond, Olive Oil, Leek, Date, Persimmon, White Wine Vinegar, Kosher Salt, Salad Greens

Glazed Ham with Mango Salsa
This ham has a sweet glaze and tropical salsa.
Ingredients: Honey, Mango, Red Onion, Mustard, Clove, Ham, Sugar, Soy, Pepper, Sherry, Lime Juice, Red Chili

Maple-Glazed Turkey with Gravy
You can't go wrong with a perfectly cooked and glazed turkey.
Ingredients: Turkey, Maple Syrup, Flour, Black Peppercorns, Malt Vinegar, Turkey Stock

Lemon Curb Trifle with Fresh Berries
Trifle is a classic and delicious layered dessert.
Ingredients: Egg, Mint, Butter, Sugar, Lemon, Whipped Cream, Pound Cake, Fresh Fruit, Grand Marnier (optional)


Now that you have the blueprint for a great Christmas meal, pick your favorite dishes and start cooking!

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, Like us on Facebook for helpful updates in your news feed.

Soups & Stews to Warm your Winter

With winter in full swing we're constantly looking for ways to help you stay warm and healthy. The first thing that came to mind was a post with flavorful and easy to prepare soups and stews. Why? Because when we're feeling cold, we make soup. And when we're feeling a little bit sick, we also make soup.

Soups & stews are warm and comforting and a cold winter night. Nearly every country and culture has a favorite soup, like chowder in the Northeastern US, onion soup in France, coconut soup in Thailand, and chicken soup in nearly every country from New York to Beijing.

With one click of the Soups and Stews box in our Course Filter, FoodPair will show you over 20,000 soup recipes. To help you navigate through a river of recipes, we took charge of the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine and handpicked 5 recipes featuring some of the best soups and stews from across the globe.

Savory Beef Stew
This hearty stew gains a unique flavor from cranberry juice.
Ingredients: flour, lean beef, bacon, onion, cranberry juice, beef broth, clove, bay leaf, marjoram, thyme, garlic powder, carrot, potato, frozen peas

Scallop Chowder with Bacon
Try this delicious chowder with fresh scallops and smoky bacon.
Ingredients: sea scallops, bacon, frozen onion, boiling potato, flour, whole milk, frozen mixed vegetables, thyme, salt, pepper

Easy French Onion Soup
We love French onion soup, especially when it's easy to prepare.
Ingredients: unsalted butter, olive oil, yellow onion, sugar, salt, flour, beef stock, dry white wine, pepper, French bread, garlic, Gruyere

Chinese Chicken Soup
Chicken soup, like this Chinese version, always makes us feel better.
Ingredients: sesame oil, turmeric, ginger, chile paste, chicken breast, chicken broth, sugar, soy, celery, ramen, lettuce, green onion

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup (Tom Ka Gai)
Tom Ka Gai is a traditional and delicious Thai soup everyone will love.
Ingredients: galangal or ginger, fresh cilantro, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, fish sauce, lime, coconut milk, chicken breast, red chile


Now you have all the knowledge you need to beat the winter back with hearty soups and stews.

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, Like us on Facebook for helpful updates in your news feed.

How to Cook with Citrus this Winter

Winter has arrived. That means shorter days and colder weather everywhere you look. Luckily, we found one way to brighten your day and wake up your taste buds: by cooking with citrus. Once you learn how to cook with citrus, you'll see how a squeeze of orange, lemon or lime makes salad dressing and seafood dishes come alive. In fact, a spritz of citrus is almost always a good idea because the acid helps cut through the richness of many popular dishes.

But wait, there's more! Citrus fruits are loaded with Vitamin C, which can help fight the cold and flu plus give you more energy. Many people enjoy eating a fresh grapefruit for breakfast, others like oranges as a snack. Then, don't forget to use fresh lemons and limes to flavor your dinner entrees.

Oranges are peaking in freshness right now and a quick search reveals that FoodPair has nearly 35,000 recipes with orange, covering 9 varieties. Here's a tip, use our Smart Ingredient feature to select a specific type of orange, like Seville or Orange Zest, or search them all by selecting Orange. To help you get started with a citrus-filled menu we used the FoodPair Recipe Search Engine to find some great salads, main dishes and desserts using citrus.

Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad
This light salad is loaded with citrus flavor.
Ingredients: Arugula, Olive Oil, Shallot, Lemon Juice, Navel Orange, Orange Zest, Orange Juice, Fennel, Dried Tarragon, Dijon Mustard, Salt, Canola Oil

Orange and Beet Salad
Oranges are a great complement to earthy beets.
Ingredients: Beets, Navel Oranges, Arugula, Red Onion, Walnuts, White Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Dried Mustard, Salt, Pepper

Roasted Lemon-Herb Chicken
Lemon juice adds flavor and keeps the chicken moist.
Ingredients: Chicken, Lemon Juice, Basil, Olive Oil, Parsley, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt, Oregano

Cardamom Citrus Fruit Salad
Using honey balances this tart citrus fruit salad.
Ingredients: Ruby Pink Grapefruit, Navel Oranges, Honey, Lime or Lemon Juice, Ground Cardamom


Enjoy! If you liked this post, share it with your friends!

Any other favorite themes, ingredients or dishes you'd like us to highlight? Post them in the comments section or on our Facebook page! And while you're at it, "Like" us on Facebook for helpful updates in your news feed.