There's a lot about the holidays that can seem slightly less than authentic, and those cartons of eggnog that have appeared at the supermarket are a prime example. But eggnog is made with uncooked eggs, which could make you sick. So the nice thing about those cartons of eggnog is that they're pasteurized for safety.

Still, there's nothing particularly authentic about pouring your cup of holiday nog straight out of a carton. And there's nothing particularly culinary about it, either. From a culinary standpoint, if you want to experience it for real, you should try making it yourself at least once. This holiday eggnog recipe is made with fresh eggs, half and half, bourbon, brandy and just a hint of ground nutmeg.

But do remember safety. You should use pasteurized eggs when making eggnog from scratch. If you can't find pasteurized eggs at the store, you can actually pasteurize your own egg yolks at home in the microwave. It's a simple procedure, and while it should be followed carefully, it's definitely not rocket science. Enjoy this festive and delicious eggnog recipe.

Roasting and baking are forms of dry-heat cooking that use hot, dry air to cook food. Like other dry-heat cooking methods, roasting and baking brown the surface of the food, which in turn develops complex flavors and aromas.

Though the words "roasting" and "baking" are frequently used interchangeably, some chefs distinguish between the two based on temperature, with roasting implying greater heat and thus faster and more pronounced browning than baking. Others may prefer to use the word roasting specifically for meats, poultry and vegetables, but use the term baking for fish and other seafood. Still others use baking to refer only to pastries and dessert items.

But whatever the case, both words describe a method of cooking an item by enveloping it in hot, dry air, generally inside an oven and at temperatures of at least 300°F — and often much hotter. Read more about roasting and baking.

When you think of a casserole, you might think of some 1950s artifact, made with a can of cream of mushroom soup and topped with crispy onions (also from a can).

Indeed, the 1950s brought us a number of enduring culinary traditions, like fruit salads made with Jell-o, deviled eggs, and of course, the mashed potato volcano.

Now, of all of these dubious culinary innovations, it's really the casserole that deserves a chance to rehabilitate itself — like some wayward teen who fell in with the wrong crowd. And obviously, foremost among those bad influences is that canned cream of mushroom soup.

But the '50s were all about convenience — and there's nothing wrong with that. If you can save time by using something from a can, I say, go for it. And yet, something in our culinary DNA seems to reject the notion of using canned cream of mushroom soup as a base for, well, anything.

Fortunately, you don't have to. Instead, do this:

1. Make béchamel sauce.
2. Sauté mushrooms.
3. Combine.
4. Use the resulting mixture in place of canned cream of mushroom soup.

The steps above will serve you well for any casserole recipe that calls for cream of mushroom soup. You'll enjoy all that 1950s comfort while maintaining your 2000s culinary integrity.

So here's the scenario: It's the day before Thanksgiving. Your local grocery store has been picked clean and there isn't a box of "stuffing mix" to be found within a twenty-mile radius. Do you panic? Sob? Skip Thanksgiving altogether?

Hardly. Remember, store-bought stuffing consists of nothing but seasoned cubes of bread. You still have to melt butter, sauté veggies, add stock — basically, everything. If you're going to do all that, why not cut up your own bread, too, and make stuffing from scratch?

Check out this basic stuffing recipe. If you can make toast, you can make your own stuffing. Besides, you didn't really want to go the store on the day before Thanksgiving anyway.