The Holiday Feast By The Handful

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“I absolutely love people who adore food, I mean really enjoy it. Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything!”

Julia knew how to capture the essence of a party in her food-thought.

She loved holiday parties because she could taste anything without filling herself with everything. The joy she realized wasn’t in piling on the food—it was in the wonderful freedom of savoring bite after bite after bite after bite, a cameo of little stars on one plate. “I will take three or four cashews,” she once said, “but no more and never a whole bowlful. It gives me ample taste and still leaves room for other possibilities!” That was her secret: flavor in abundance, volume in restraint, effect magnified by focus.

And that’s where we begin.

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THE HOLIDAY TASTING PLATE

Julia’s plate––above––is designed for pure celebration.

• A half-slice of warm fruitcake, buttered
Enough richness to savor the spice, the warmth, the candied fruit…and never forget Julia’s love affair with butter!

• Two walnuts, two cashews, two macadamias
A crackle of salt, a whisper of natural fats, the comforting crunch of a holiday nut bowl—Julia’s philosophy in miniature.

• A single cocktail shrimp or a scallop
Perfect, briny Oceania.

• One broccoli floret or a bell pepper ring or 2 carrot sticks with a crown of ranch
Even on a small plate, bright colors taste like victory.

• One chicken wing
Not a platter. Not a pile. One perfect, savory punctuation mark.

• One slice of salami or prosciutto, one cube of cheese, one cracker – the world’s most adorable charcuterie board

• One beef or venison spiced stick
A nostalgic nod to rural, country gatherings: rustic, hearty and simply real.

• One stuffed mushroom
Rich. Cheesy. Garlicky. The holiday’s most indulgent bite…worth it.

• A small cup of eggnog or spiced cider
Enough to taste the warming melds of the season’s flavor without drowning in a Big Gulp.

• One glass of wine, beer, cocktail, champagne…two, tops
For vividly enhancing the scene, the people––and your place––in all of it.

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THE TRUE GIFT OF THIS PLATE

It doesn’t weigh you down.
It frees you.

You stroll away after all the goodbye hugs and handshakes, down a snowy driveway or street, smiling. Your spirit is light and your palate utterly enthralled by variety, sated by spice, by sweet, by richness…and by the warmth of shared food. Your stomach? Comfortable. Content. Ready to enjoy the memories of the party on the drive or the walk home, instead of surviving the aftermath. Tomorrow, you’ll be ready to do it again, because you’ll be fresh and without a hangover that could kill a Yak.

This year—just maybe—you’ll notice gratitude in a new way.

• • For the hands that prepared it

• • For the traditions that shaped it

• • For the small bites that surprised you in their power

• • For being reminded of where you’ve been, and where you’re going

• • For the people still sitting at your table, in your home, in your wonderful life

Moderation isn’t about restriction.
It’s about experiencing more with less.
It’s about choosing presence over excess.
It’s about approaching the holiday table the way Julia Child did,
With joy, curiosity, and a humble––even tearful––reverence for flavor itself.

Take Julia with you this holiday season, and remember that the biggest moments are enjoyed in small bites, as a quiet reminder that even the smallest of portions hold the biggest blessings.

From all of us at SpokenFood.com, may this time of year be joyful, generous in spirit, and rich in flavor for all of you.

Happy Holidays… 

🔥 🎀 ❄️ 🎄 ❄️ 🎀 🎄 🎀 ❄️🎄 🎀 

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–Images of Julia Child originated and adapted by SpokenFood.com using AI