LEARN/CREATE (MT)

6:00 pm 

Burt Wolf: Taste of Freedom  "Kwanzaa"  From December 26 to January 1 is a holiday of reflection, an opportunity for African Americans to celebrate their roots in Africa.G

6:30 pm 

Healthy Heritage Kitchen - Kwanzaa Edition   HEALTHY HERITAGE KITCHEN demonstrates healthy versions of traditional holiday meals for ethnic communities. Hosted by Wilbert Jones, a Chicago based chef and food product developer this Wilbert will demonstrate how to prepare healthy recipes for Kwanzaa. Many ethnic American communities suffer from diet related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. D

7:00 pm 

Burt Wolf: What We Eat  "The Hand That Stirred The Pot: African Foods In America"  Burt seeks the origins of peanuts, bananas, watermelon, rice, yams and okra.G

7:30 pm 

Ciao Italia  "Festival of the Seven Fishes/La Festa Dei Sette Pesci"  Mayor of Boston Thomas M. Menino and Mary Ann celebrate their Italian American heritage by preparing a Christmas Eve banquet called "The Feast of the Seven Fishes." Starting with baccala, then skillet fried shrimp, then tuna, smelts, swordfish, calamari and clams, the tradition continues, and so do their appetites!. D

8:00 pm 

Burt Wolf: Travels & Traditions  "Christmas In Vienna, Austria"  Christmas is observed in cities throughout the world, but the festivities in the Austrian city of Vienna are unique. Burt joins the celebration, explains the ancient history and meaning of Christmas, tours Vienna's famous Christmas markets, and discovers why we have Christmas trees. He takes us inside the magnificent castle of the Habsburg family and unravels the story of how they became the most powerful rulers in Europe by using their marriages instead of their military. D

8:30 pm 

Heirloom Meals Christmas   Hosted by culinary artist and public-radio personality Carole Murko, HEIRLOOM MEALS CHRISTMAS celebrates the holiday season by delving into America's rich and diverse culinary history and honoring tried-and-true recipes and dining traditions. As she did in Heirloom Meals Thanksgiving, Murko seeks to "savor yesterday's traditions today" while paying tribute to the dying art of cooking from scratch. She contrasts the Mexican-American tradition of making tamales on Christmas Eve with the old-world Austrian-American custom of preparing a Christmas goose. D

9:30 pm 

Burt Wolf: Taste of Freedom  "Christmas"  Burt tells how the Christmas tree came indoors, what the First Ladies do for holidays, and how department stores create holiday windows.G

10:00 pm 

America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated  "New York-Style Pizza at Home"  Host Christopher Kimball visits Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn to learn how to make the perfect New York-style pizza. Next, Chris goes into the kitchen with test cook Bridget Lancaster to learn the secrets to making the ultimate Thin-Crust Pizza at home. And finally, tasting expert Jack Bishop challenges Chris to a tasting of red wine vinegar. D

10:30 pm 

Simply Ming  "Wasabi & Avocado"  Guest Chefs: Seth and Angela Raynor. Wasabi and avocado, a mainstay of sushi rolls, are the East-West ingredients worked into Ming's recipes this week. In the kitchen, Ming shares recipes that reflect his former apprenticeship under a great Sushi master in Japan. D

11:00 pm 

Joanne Weir's Cooking Confidence  "Food Memories"  Joanne remembers her trips to Italy and with her student Di shows us a classic pizza strata and a dessert inspired by limoncello. Recipes: Green Salad with Garlic croutons and Balsamic Red Wine Dressing, Pizza Strata, and Lemon Sorbet and Vanilla Ice Cream with Limoncello. Student: Di Harris, Retired Nanny. D

11:30 pm 

Rick Steves' Europe  "Tuscany's Dolce Vita"  Rick explores the small towns and rural countryside of Tuscany. He hunts for truffles in an oak forest, nibbles through an artichoke festival, shares a farmhouse feast, climbs the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and rides in a classic convertible through the cypress groves of Mona Lisa's backyard.G