No need to bust out the waffle iron when someone else can do the work for you.

Merry Christmas! Clean Plate Charlie hopes that you and yours got everything your little hearts desired, whether it was a six-pack of $85 beer or a gender-neutral Easy-Bake Oven.

Now that the gifts have been unwrapped and the living room is buried in a sea of ribbon and shredded paper, it's time to fortify with a hearty meal and post-present cocktails. Before everyone gets sucked into setting up their new iPads, gather the crew and head to Mizner Park for some brunch. In the spirit of the holidays, Tanzy has decided to sweeten its Christmas Day offerings.

See Also:
- Christmas 2012 in a Restaurant: Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach County Restaurants Open on Christmas
- Christmas 2012 in a Restaurant: Fort Lauderdale, Broward Restaurants Open on Christmas
- The Best Eggnog Martini Recipe, Plus Five More Christmas Cocktails

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TRF_Mr_hyde via Flickr Creative Commons

Nothing like a little quality family time around the holidays.

If you're reading this now, it likely means you're running down the clock at work, sipping from a Thermos of spiked eggnog and counting the moments until sweet, holiday vacation time is yours. Those who are sticking around town this week will find there's not a whole lot going on. Clean Plate Charlie did manage to snag a few food and drink related happenings, including ideas on how to keep the kids occupied during the holiday break. Find some Broward and Palm Beach events after the jump.

See Also:
- South Florida New Year's Eve 2013 Dinners: Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Beyond
- Make and Give This Easy Peppermint Bark For Christmas
- Dave & Buster's Hosts Christmas Dinner for Local Veterans

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Maybe Santa would like something a little better than milk and cookies on Christmas Eve.

So...You just got off the phone with your mother-in-law. The folks are hitting town a day earlier than expected, effectively putting the kibosh on your plans for a Christmas Eve spent in your jammies picking at a DiGiornos. How to feed and entertain the troops without breaking a sweat? Leave the work to paid professionals. Many local restaurants will be open on Monday night and a few of them are even offering special menus for the occasion. Find a few options in Broward and Palm Beach counties, after the jump.

See Also:
- Christmas 2012 in a Restaurant: Fort Lauderdale, Broward Restaurants Open on Christmas
- Christmas 2012 in a Restaurant: Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach County Restaurants Open on Christmas
- South Florida New Year's Eve 2013 Dinners: Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Beyond

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CandaceWest.com

Christmas on a plate at Tanzy in Mizner Park.

Be honest: Cooking that elaborate Thanksgiving feast last month really took it out of you and the thought of going through all that work again on Christmas is a total bummer. Save the energy for gift opening (and possibly, gift returning the following day) by having a restaurant do the labor for you. After the jump find a roundup of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and other Palm Beach County restaurants that will be open on Christmas Day.

See Also:
- Christmas 2012 in a Restaurant: Fort Lauderdale, Broward Restaurants Open on Christmas
- How to Make Lambchetta: A Holiday Recipe from Sybarite Pig's Daniel Naumko
- Where to Host Your Company Holiday Party in South Florida (Hint: Booze Is a Must-Have)

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CandaceWest.com

Market 17 will welcome guests to its Christmas farm-to-table.

Do piles of dirty dishes and being stuck in the kitchen for a good chunk of the day top your holiday wish list? No? Pass the buck by springing for Christmas dinner (or brunch) in a restaurant. Whether you're visiting from out of town and staying in hotel, don't celebrate Christmas, or are simply not in the mood to cook, there are several restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Broward that will be open on Christmas day. Reservations are highly recommended for any holiday meal. Don't be a Scrooge; an extra generous tip for your server is a great way to earn bonus points with Santa.

See Also:
- Five Best South Florida Christmas Songs
- How to Make Lambchetta: A Holiday Recipe from Sybarite Pig's Daniel Naumko
- Where to Host Your Company Holiday Party in South Florida (Hint: Booze Is a Must-Have)

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Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Santa knows what to get the beer lover in your life; do you?

All those lovey-dovey holiday commercials making you feel guilty about your Christmas shopping procrastination? Don't. According to a survey from the National Retail Federation, only about 11 percent of shoppers had finished up their gift list by December 13. So, everyone's doing it. (Or not doing it, as the case may be.)

If you've got a special beer geek, craft brew nerd, or hops lover on your list, consider yourself lucky. Buying for a fan of beer can be as easy as a gift certificate to Total Wine (or Funky Buddha, Due South, etc.) or a case of tasty brew. For something just a bit more personal, check out the Clean Plate Charlie beer geek gift guide after the jump. Cheers!

See Also:
- Winter Beer Guide: Brew Suggestions for Your Holiday Bash (via Brown Distributing's John Linn)
- South Florida Beer Week is January 19-26, 2013 (Check out the Initial Schedule of Events)
- The Best Florida Beers & a Craft Beer Geek's Holiday Wish List: Sybarite Pig's Daniel Naumko Shares His Picks

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ToyAndTrain.com

An early version of the Easy Bake Oven.

Let's get serious. Even in 1950s, when the woman's place was supposedly in the kitchen, men still had a role in home cooking. Take summer barbecues for example. Manning the grill was a matter of pride. Men staked their reputations on everything from the way the charcoals were arranged and lit to the placement of hot dogs and hamburgers on the grates.

With an onslaught of celebrity chefs and food television the man's place in the kitchen has become commonplace. So much so that toy giant Hasbro is releasing a line of its famous Easy Bake Oven in a variety of gender-neutral colors. Most recently the ovens were sold only in either purple or pink.

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Tricia Woolfenden

For those chilly Florida nights.

Wine and the bubbly get a lot of attention and love during the holiday season, but beer geeks know this time of year also brings lots of great craft brews out of the woodwork. In addition to a bevy of "winter only" offerings and special releases, 'tis the season to explore darker and heavier brews. A personal favorite would be Bell's Brewing's excellent Expedition Stout, though for purely selfish reasons, I hesitate to encourage South Florida shoppers to clear it out of local stores. (Note to self: Stock up on that during lunch.)

To help narrow the field and give you some guidance in planning your holiday shopping lists, Clean Plate Charlie reached out to local beer guru, John Linn, of Brown Distributing Co. for his take on great winter beers that are locally available. Find his suggestions, after the jump.

See Also:
- South Florida Beer Week is January 19-26, 2013 (Check out the Initial Schedule of Events)
- The Best Florida Beers & a Craft Beer Geek's Holiday Wish List: Sybarite Pig's Daniel Naumko Shares His Picks
- The Ten Best Beer Selections in South Florida

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LILA Photo

Virginia Philip knows what's up when it comes to wine.

Clean Plate Charlie isn't above formulating a holiday "wine plan" that consists solely of driving to Naples, pulling up to Trader Joe's, and loading the car with cases of Two Buck Chuck. But in case you want to class it up a bit at your holiday mixers, or when giving vino as a gift, Virginia Philip has a few easy, novice-friendly tips.

As a master sommelier and owner of Virginia Philip Wine Shop & Academy, Philip has made a living of explaining the art of wine consumption to people of all walks of life (and wine tasting experience). Her tips, after the jump.

See Also:
- Virginia Philip Talks Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival and How to Saber a Champagne Bottle Without Hurting Yourself
- Five Holiday Cocktail Recipes to Boost Your Spirit
- Steak 954 Named Wine Spectator's 100 Best Wine Restaurants

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MyLifeStory via Flickr Creative Commons

Your kid can top this, right?

Got a kid who's a total Picasso in the pantry? A real Kahlo in the kitchen? Or simply a child who has enough self control to resist chowing down on a cookie that's placed in front of them? This weekend, your budding pastry chef can show off their talents in a cookie decorating contest, complete with cash prizes.

Sister restaurants Saquella Cafe and Prosecco Cafe this weekend will host cookie decorating contests open to kids of all ages. The friendly battle is 3 to 5 p.m. today (Saturday) at Prosecco Cafe in Palm Beach Gardens and 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Saquella Cafe in Boca Raton.

See Also:
- Christmas on Las Olas: Cookie Battle Debrief
- Recipe: Gluten-Free Hazelnut Butter Toffee-Chocolate Chip Cookies -- from Aran Goyoaga
- Alton Brown and Biker Santa Make Sugar Cookies (Video)

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