Well, now that the whole holiday season is upon us, we’re all being bombarded by media chefs who all want to show us how to cook, LOL!

And, when I think, “Well, show me how to do this!”, I’m talking about true cooks…people who know their way around a chef’s knife, who take the time and the effort to search out the best seasonal ingredients, know what to do with them, and take the time to educate us on what a wonderful meal should be.

I’m talking about Mario Batali, Emeril (love him or hate him, he’s one of the best), Sara Moulton, Tyler Florence, Ming Tsai, Ina Garten, Martin Yan and even Alton Brown.

Why? Because they’re all about working with great, fresh ingredients…the mark of a good cook is the ability to make a great meal out of all of the ingredients you already have on hand.

But, they’ve got to be the best, and this makes sense. Mario’s going to tell you to get the best cheese and pasta in the world, both Sara and Ina are big on fresh produce and bread, and I’m with both Ming and Martin when it comes to shopping in Asian markets and in Philadelphia’s Chinatown when I’m looking for Asian ingredients.

What I cannot stomach are these “wanna be” cooks, like Rachael Ray and that Sarah person who does “Semi-Homemade”, since these women don’t cook.

Do I take shortcuts? Of course I do…we all do, LOL!

But, would I buy a package of frozen chopped onions or a jar of minced garlic instead of chopping an onion or mincing some garlic myself? Of course not...that has to be fresh, you know.

Okay, toss these two silly "so-called" cooks out of the window, and think about what you can buy and cook now...think about what you can make in advance and freeze for the holidays (think about cookies and desserts, and breads and breakfast cinnamon rolls, and casseroles).

Buy the best stuff that you can possibly can, and "make it work" as Tim Gunn would say!