Even haggis naysayers will love this appetizing dish! Here in the United States, we don't really eat a lot of lamb, and we hardly ever eat liver. Now, I personally am very fond of both of those proteins, so it's not great surprise that I love haggis. Over in Scotland, haggis is served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper and as an appetizer.

Scotland's Finest Single malt Scotch whisky is a premium spirit produced in Scotland, at a single distillery, made exclusively from malted barley, using pot still distillation, and aged in oak casks for a minimum of three years. The name whisky comes from the Gaelic "uisce beatha", meaning "water of life". Most of the world spells the word the Scottish way, "Whisky".

Tatties and Neeps, for the win! The potato is the world's fourth most important crop, after rice, wheat and corn. It is the number one crop among non-grains. For a new world crop, native to the Andes in South America, the world has taken this tuber to heart. Part of its global popularity is its high nutritional value, and ease of cultivation.

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the pudding-race! The last time I visited Scotland, we stayed at an inn in the tiny village of Ardersier, population 1100 souls. The (only) pub in town, The Star Inn, has food so delicious, it was hard not to order one of everything on the menu. The chef even had a lamb liver special one night, just because he heard how much we like it, and can't find it easily here in the U.S..

Cullen Skink, made with Finnan Haddie Scotland; the land of my foremothers, and the home of my heart. Also home to some truly delicious food. If you have never been to the U.K. you might believe the old stories that say British food is over cooked and under seasoned. Based upon my several visits to Britain, Scotland and a single very cold morning at the airport in Dublin, I found the food to be superb.

January 8, 1815, the United States achieved its greatest land victory of the War of 1812 near New Orleans. If you are a youngster, you probably have never heard the song "The Battle of New Orleans", recorded by country artist Johnny Horton in 1959. Lucky you! Many years ago, I spent an endless week listening to my vocally challenged first husband sing the refrain at least 6 times a day while we were visiting New Orleans.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Bananas Foster Bread Pudding in a baby carriage. Bananas Foster, served tableside with a towering inferno of rum soaked flames, is not only a decadent dessert, but also a great bit of theatre. But what if you're throwing a party? I can't quite imagine preparing a dozen pans of flaming bananas for a crowd.

Today, we are still in New Orleans. At least in my heart! Down south, it's 70 degrees, and here it's hovering around freezing! But, we can still celebrate the taste of summer, even if we are covered with snow. Maque Choux is a Cajun/Creole dish that features that Native American staple, corn. The first time I made it for my Yankee husband, he asked about the name.

Whether you celebrate Twelfth Night on January 5th or 6th, or not at all, it's still the time we take down the Christmas décor. My mother and I are big fans of themes Christmas decorations. When I was little, we had our tree done up in a magical silver and blue color scheme. Much prettier, in my opinion, than my friends parents traditionally decorated trees.

My year is winding down with a whimper. Really, that's me whimpering. I've had the worst cold this last week. Not even exaggerating, this has been the worst cold I’ve had in decades! Since I’ve been out of commission, I’m afraid I wasn’t able to post about our New Year’s Eve recipes. But I thought I might tell you a little bit about it.

A delicious way to use some leftovers. The day after any holiday that revolves around food typically brings with it a fridge full over leftovers. One way I like to use these leftovers is in a potato hash. I don't really have a recipe for this; it's more like guidelines. Yes, that was a small nod towards POTC, sometimes I like to be a pirate in the kitchen.

My once and future holiday project. Once up a time, in the 1980's, when I was a newly minted adult, I embarked on an ambitious project to collect our favorite family recipes and put them together. I gathered together all the magazine clippings, handwritten recipes from my grandmothers, even the printed recipes from when my parents took a Chinese cooking class.

A South Carolina Favorite, with a Maryland Twist Christmas Eve dinner in the United States often features fish or seafood. When I was growing up, my mother would make Oyster Stew. Although a very simple dish and relatively easy to make, it has a richness that is undoubtedly festive. Other Christmas Eve seafood traditions date back to many of the Catholic European countries.

A yummy layered cookie featuring raspberry jam and almonds. These Viennese Triangles were one of the many holiday cookies we made every year when I was growing up. Mum and I would spend most of a weekend, togther in the kitchen churning out batch after batch of homemade sweetness. If memory serves me, I think we had a core list of nine or ten different cookies, and usually would tryout a new one every once in a while.

Triple Ginger Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting and Sprinkles. The holiday season is here! You still have time to make a few treats before the New Year and these gingerbread cookies have always been a holiday hit. We love to decorate them as much as we love to eat them, because this recipe doesn't skimp on the great ginger flavor.

Piccalilli is a sweet-tart pickled vegetable relish. It’s a wonderful way to preserve a multitude of late summer vegetables. This version notably incorporates a large amount of unripe tomatoes, which were usually harvested after the first frost. This recipe in particular is based on my grandmother’s, though I have updated it quite a bit. It's a bit simpler to make, and bit more zesty.

Varied parts of the U.S. have traditions regarding foods that are considered lucky if eaten on New Year’s Day. In my family, that means a big pot of black-eyed peas, served with cornbread and piccalilli relish. Today, I'm sharing our family favorite recipe for black-eyed peas, cooked with ham hocks. When I was growing up, our only choice was to start with dried beans.

I know we are all still working on the December holidays, but I wanted to get a head start on the first dinner of the New Year. Varied parts of the U.S. have traditions regarding foods that are considered lucky if eaten on New Year’s Day. In my family, that means a big pot of black-eyed peas, served with cornbread and piccalilli relish.

My favorite holiday dessert is my mother’s trifle. Her trifle is not the classic “Ye Olde English Trifle,” but even more delicious! She combines elements from Italy, Portugal and France for a uniquely delicious experience. But, before I tell you all her secrets, let’s discuss a few other layered desserts. The Scots have one called a Tipsy Laird, that’s made with Drambuie.

Cooking Around the Calendar with Elyza MacAlister I grew up in a food-loving family, so it’s no surprise that cooking is one of my hobbies. I’ve lived all over the U.S. and never get tired of discovering new types of regional cuisine. But not just our home cooking; I love food from all over the globe. In the coming year, I plan on sharing some of my favorite foods, as well as some of my favorite holiday dishes.