2021 has finally arrived. Yay! We survived the wretchedness of 2020 and live to tell the tale. So, now what? I’m writing this column on New Year’s Day evening. When I hopped out of bed this morning, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, I just knew that today would be the beginning of a new era. Everything would miraculously be back to normal. No Covid. No discord. No crazy politics. The phone would be ringing off the hook with clients wanting to schedule parties and events. Friends would be sending texts about upcoming get-togethers. ALL WOULD BE WELL!

After a cup of tea and a glance at the news, I realized that maybe I’d jumped the gun. Then it hit me. All actually IS well. Sometimes it just depends on how you look at things. We ARE getting Covid under control with vaccines. It’s EASY to be kind to other people, everyone can do that. American politics are likely to ALWAYS be a bit crazy. I DO have some fun catering events coming up, and I know that more will follow. Friends ARE planning safe and socially-distanced parties. Normal IS coming back in 2021. Let’s keep the faith. In the meantime, I resolve to keep creating and sharing delicious food and recipes and I hope that you’ll continue to enjoy them. Happy New Year, dearest readers! The best is yet to come.

Winter Fruit Salad with Candied Cranberries and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Candied Cranberries are my new favorite thing. I absolutely love them on salads and they’re great for snacking.:

¼ cup raspberry balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

½ cup water

1½ cups sugar, divided

1 cup fresh cranberries

In a small pot, mix ½ cup water with ½ cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar is melted. Set aside to cool. Place 1/3 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Add cranberries to the cooled sugar-water mixture and toss to coat well. Using a slotted spoon, add a few cranberries at a time to the bowl of sugar. Toss to coat. Let candied cranberries dry on baking racks. Repeat, changing sugar when it gets too wet to stick, until all of the cranberries have been covered in sugar. Store remaining berries in a covered container for 2 to 3 days. Do not refrigerate. 

For the salad:

Mixed salad greens

Thinly sliced red onion

Red grapefruit premiums

Mandarin orange pieces

Fresh blueberries

Pomegranate arils

Carambola (star fruit), sliced

Place all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. Whisk well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Place salad greens on a large platter. Top with red onion, grapefruit, mandarin oranges, blueberries, pomegranate arils and sliced carambola. Serve with the vinaigrette on the side.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Always a favorite at weddings, rehearsal dinners and cocktail parties!

1 whole (4 to 5 pounds) beef tenderloin, trimmed and tied*

½ cup Monterey steak seasoning

*Ask your butcher to trim and tie the tenderloin. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil for ease in cleaning. Spray foil lightly with cooking spray. Place trimmed and tied tenderloin on baking sheet. Coat all sides liberally with steak seasoning. (You can't over-season the beef tenderloin. More is better.) Place prepared tenderloin in preheated oven. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately cover tenderloin with aluminum foil. Press foil around sides of tenderloin to retain the heat. Let meat rest under the foil for 30 to 45 minutes. The tenderloin will continue to cook under the aluminum foil. Transfer to a carving board and cut into thin slices. Serve with cocktail rolls, horseradish sauce and dijon mustard. Serves 12 to 15.

Lady's Island Rum Cake

This is an easy-to-make very rummy rum cake. It's a very dense cake but the butter glaze makes it super moist.

For the cake:

½ cup chopped pecans

1 15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding

4 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup dark rum

For the glaze:

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup sugar

¼ cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a standard Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly in bottom of prepared pan. In a medium bowl combine cake mix, pudding, eggs, oil and ½ cup rum. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Put into prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together butter, sugar and ¼ cup rum; stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Remove cake from oven, cool on wire rack for 5 minutes and invert onto plate. Prick top with toothpick or fork. Brush cake on top and sides with half the glaze. Cool. Reheat the glaze and brush tops and sides with remaining glaze. Serve with sweetened whipped cream. Serves 10 to 12.

The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of three cookbooks, Celebrate Beaufort, Celebrate Everything! and Dining Under the Carolina Moon. For more great recipes and to view her cooking demonstrations, visit and subscribe to Debbi’s YouTube channel. Debbi’s website address iswww.cateringbydebbicovington.com. She may be reached at 843-525-0350 or by email at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .