“I don’t understand them” said Holger, for his first five years in America. “Why do people get so excited about eggs cut in half”, he pondered. Then one day he found a recipe that included the other great mystery, Miracle Whip. Here’s his recipe for Potluck Deviled Eggs:

Eggs (2 per person)

Miracle Whip

Dijon mustard (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Bring water to boil, add the eggs, cover and boil for approx 10-12 minutes

Remove eggs from water and immediately rinse with cold water or put in a bowl with ice water to cool

Remove shells and cut eggs in half lengthwise

Remove the yolk from each egg, put into a bowl and add Miracle Whip (approximately 2 teaspoons per egg). It is easiest to combine the yolks and Miracle Whip with a hand mixer but it can also be done with a fork (albeit clumpier)

Add more Miracle Whip until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper. Optional - substitute part of Miracle Whip with Dijon mustard.

Pipe mixture into eggs and they are ready to serve

Decorate eggs with smoked paprika

1 lb butternut squash peeled or Kabocha pumpkin unpeeled cut in 1" pieces

1 onion chopped

2 garlic cloves chopped

Slice of fresh ginger (optional)

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Salt, pepper, nutmeg

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

Optional toppings:

Roasted pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seed oil

Croutons

Put pumpkin, onion, garlic and ginger into a pot, add the stock and wine. Season with salt/pepper/nutmeg and let simmer on low heat for 25 minutes

Slowly stir in the cream

Puree the soup and let simmer for another 8 minutes

Add toppings if desired and serve

For the Base:

1 1/4 cups flour

3 tablespoons cornstarch

4 oz butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

pinch of baking soda

1 lb plums 

For the Streusel:

7 tablespoons flour

2 1/2 oz butter 

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla to taste

Mix all ingredients for base and knead into a dough. 

Line bottom of a spring form with parchment paper. spread dough in spring form with your hand and form an approx 1" rim

half or quarter the plums depending on size and arrange on base

 Max all ingredients for Streusel and knead together. Spread on top of plums. The Streusel amount is generous and can be adjusted to taste. 

Bake at 350deg for 35-40min

Best served with whipped cream...

Been thinking about going deeper into the more eclectic offerings in orange wine? Here are a couple suggestions from our friends at DomaineLA - perfectly Eclectic and Chill: 

Judith Beck Mish Mash - Burgenland Austria - It's the holidays and you want something fun and a little different. As people turn to more textured and tannic wines and the weather gets colder, its nice to have a white that provides a bit of that tannin while also giving fruit too. The wine is a maceration (orange) of a bunch of different grape varietals that yield some savory notes while bright fruit abounds.

Silvio Messana Bianco - Tuscany Italy - The holidays can be long and drawn out affairs and sometimes, you need to have a drink in hand that isn't going to get you drunk after a glass or two. It's a marathon, not a sprint, after all. Enter: an unfiltered Trebbiano from Tuscany from one of our favorite producers. This wine sees 5 days of maceration before being pressed off the skins. It is not a full on orange wine. The maceration, instead, provides a bit of texture to stand up to the zippy citrus notes. 

Our friends at Wavy Wines like to brighten up meals with sparkling wine for the holiday season: 

Bringing friends and family together during the holidays for us is about creating an environment or experience rather than just about the food. It can be achieved with the simplest ingredients and always begins with a bottle of bubbles. Pet-nat is a naturally sparkling wine that's unpretentious and nearly too easy to drink. This style is light and unpolished, with nothing added. Holiday times can be wild, don’t overthink, always cook one thing you grew up eating, and don’t forget the bubbles. Your guests will enjoy themselves if you are.

Try these suggestions to bring some bubbly to your table: 

Wavy 'NRG' - A spritely pet-nat of macerated old vine Palomino with cool climate Redwood Valley Chardonnay. Notes of underripe bartlett pear matched with deep minerality and a touch of salinity. Very reminiscent of Spanish Cava without oak.

Wavy 'Sunshine' - As the name suggests this bright pet-nat of Chardonnay is extremely easy and fun to drink. Beautiful and foamy, notes of green apple, Asian pear, and quintessential Chardonnay minerality pop out of the glass.

Our friends at DomaineLA suggest these chilled wines that fit well even in cooler weather and deliver on the relaxed and easy feel of our Calming Neutral look.

La Ferme de Jeanne Chardonnay - Bugey France - Some might think that picking Chardonnay during the holidays is a little too cliche. Some might even scoff at Chardonnay in general. This will change everyone's mind. From high altitude vineyards in Bugey, the grapes see vinification and aging in fiberglass tanks - no oak anywhere. What results is a laser focused wine with beautiful fresh acidity that helps cut through the fattiest of holiday meals. 

Les Lunes Cosmic Blend - $24 - Mendocino, California - When the holidays, and relatives, get to be a bit much, you want to find a quiet moment to yourself to calm the nerves. For us, that's a juicy chilled red with just the right amount of tannin to add a bit of weight. Les Lunes' Cosmic Blend is a Bordeaux inspired blend made for the drinker that doesn't want Bordeaux. It starts with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but is brightened with a rose of Zinfandel and a little bit of Chardonnay. Perfect for you and only you!