The 48 hours of Christmas are pretty hectic in our family but when we  make suggestions to skip one of our traditions-we get loud groans and moans.  Don’t mess with Christmas.  The request is made that we start our morning at about 8am.  D puts on a pot of Starbuck’s and there is the option of a liqueur if desired.  This year I served an Italian fruit bread and a homemade banana bread (thanks Lori).  This is accompanied by the Christmas orange that is always in the toe of stockings.

We say a little prayer of thanksgiving for our good health and time together before the youngest starts with a gift from Santa.  Canine Caleb opened this t-shirt that he wore for a week.  If the saying on his chest is hard to make out, it says: “Sorry Santa…I ate all the cookies”.

The next stop is across town at my Mom’s at noon for “Breakfast” and more gift openings.  I use the term breakfast loosely because this is the table laden with food.

Sister #3 co-ordinates the menu every year and my contribution is very small-the sausage rolls you see at the left.  But they too are a tradition that when threatened with elimination, get protests from the gang.  They are so easy to make and freeze well.  They are fun to serve with a winter soup or to fancy up with a mustard dip and take to a cocktail party.  The recipe is from one of my oldest cookbooks:  “Company’s Coming for Christmas”.

Lazy Sausage Rolls

2 cups biscuit mix

1 t onion powder

1/2 c water

pork sausage meat, mild or hot

cayenne pepper

Stir biscuit mix and onion powder together.  Add water.  Mix until it forms a ball.  Turn out onto lightly floured surface.  Knead 6-8 times.  Roll out into a rectangle about 15 x 18 “.

Mash sausage meat with a fork to make it more pliable.  Spread over dough.  Roll up like a jelly roll, beginning at long end.  Slice 3/8″ thick.  Arrange on greased cookie sheet, cut side down, about 1” apart.  Bake in 450F oven for about 15 minutes (but check after 11 minutes).  Makes about 3 dozen.  I make 3 batches.

This little guy is the youngest of our extended family.  Can you see how how much fun Christmas is at Great Grandma’s place?

Kath’s quote:  “In my experience, clever food is not appreciated at Christmas. It makes the little ones cry and the old ones nervous.”- Jane Grigson

somebody wants you to find them

D and I met when he was a 14 year old bus boy and I was a hostess/cocktail server (read: older).  But in the years in between our initial friendship and eventual courtship, D moved away a couple of times.  We became reacquainted between his first and second year of studies in Hospitality at Ryerson University in TO.  In those days long distance telephone calls were expensive and emailing, texting and skype did not exist at all and so snail mail became our significant link.  D and I still write each other letters to this day-we slip them under pillows and into carry on bags to surprize each other when we are apart.

I have always had a fondness for literature that adapted letter collections as their literary format.  I am especially enthralled by the inferences that fill in the gaps between the arrival of a letter from one correspondent to the reply by the other.  Last evening I finished a novel entitled The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel.  They had me at the dedication: “To our mothers and fathers, who taught us how to cook and how to love.” 

In the end I would say that there was less about cooking than I would have liked but the rules of their “club” (of two) was that they sent a recipe in each of their posted letters.  The recipes were traditional ones that were already in my repertoire so it meant that I could skip the recipe pages and complete the book in half the time.  But here is one the particularly struck me-not so much for the ingredients themselves but this explanation: “I’m giving up on hearing from you, but I can’t, I won’t let you go.  To send you more words feels meaningless and hollow.  So I’m sending you a recipe instead.  It’s something I know you’ll love.  It uses olives-an ancient symbol of faithfulness, patience, and peace.”

Forgiveness Tapenade

I c pitted olives, finely chopped

3 T olive oil

1 T capers

freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 garlic gloves, finely chopped

5 anchovy fillets

black pepper

Combine all of the tapenade ingredients in a blender and whir until smooth.

Kath’s quote: “The whole Mediterranean … the wine, the ideas … seems to ride in the sour pungent taste of those black olives … A taste older than meat, older than wine. A taste as old as cold water.”-Lawrence Durrell

love so amazing

When our Son and Daughter #3  (in law) decided to serve their favourite cookies and milk instead of wedding cake at their wedding,  I had the simple task of ordering J’s Dream Cookies from Gunn’s Bakery where they are known as Diplomat cookies.  My friend Victoria though made Jen’s favourite from scratch which as I understand it is a time consuming task.  She and a friend have made these together for years and I think this is wise advise.  If you have a time-consuming job to do, share the task with a friend to make the time pass more pleasantly and then share the fruits of your labour.

Cookie:

1 c butter

2 c flour

1/2 c whipping cream

Cut butter into flour with pastry cutter or 2 knives.  Add whipping cream until dough forms.  Roll out to 1/4″ thickness.  Cut out 1″ circles (spice caps work nicely).  Prick with fork and sugar both sides.  It doesn’t say in recipe but I imagine that you place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375F for 7-9 minutes.

Icing:

1/4 c butter

3/4 c icing sugar

1 t vanilla

red and/or green food colouring

Beat ingredients together and spread between 2 wafers forming a mini cookie sandwich.

Kath’s quote: “The most dangerous food is wedding cake.”-James Thurber

somebody loves you

Our Christmas schedule is hectic to say the least. Over the course of 72 hours we attended one turkey dinner, hosted another, celebrated the 75th birthday of D’s Mom, hosted a Christmas Eve soiree and attended a Christmas lunch for 30. So I’ll be frank, we took some turkey shortcuts for the Christmas dinner that we hosted.  That is, we threw it in the oven with a lid before we left for most of the day, pulled it out of the oven and served it-ta da!

In the mean time, a good friend of mine, shared her elaborate turkey recipe with me to hold onto for future Christmases and here it is:  

salt varieties in Nice market

Herbed Salt:

1/3 c plus 1 T coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 t dried rosemary

1 1/2 t dried rubbed sage

1 1/2 t dried thyme

1 t black peppercorns, crushed

3 small bay leaves, coarsely torn

1 t finely grated lemon peel

Turkey:

1 14- to 16-pound turkey (neck, heart, and gizzard reserved)

1 large onion, chopped

1 large celery stalk, chopped

1 whole lemon, chopped with peel

1 t dried rosemary

1 t dried rubbed sage

1 t dried thyme

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups (or more) turkey stock
 

Gravy:

3 1/2 c (about) turkey

2/3 c chopped shallots

1/2 c all purpose flour

1/2 c dry white wine

2 t Dijon mustard

2 t chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

For herbed salt:
Rub first 6 ingredients in small bowl to crush herbs finely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; store at room temperature. Stir in peel before using.

For turkey:
Rinse turkey inside and out (do not pat dry). Pull any fat pads from main cavity and neck cavity of turkey; wrap, chill, and reserve fat for roasting. Place turkey in roasting bag; sprinkle inside and out with herbed salt. Close bag. Place on baking sheet; refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat very dry. Stir chopped onion and next 5 ingredients in small bowl. Divide onion mixture between main and neck cavities. Fold neck skin under and secure with skewer. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Spread butter all over turkey. Place reserved fat pads and reserved neck, heart, and gizzard in pan; pour in 2 cups Golden Turkey Stock.

Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, basting every 45 minutes, adding stock or water to pan if dry, and tenting loosely with foil if browning too quickly, 3 to 3 1/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent very loosely with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes. Reserve roasting pan with juices for gravy.

For gravy:
Remove turkey neck, heart, and gizzard from roasting pan. Pull meat off neck; chop neck meat, heart, and gizzard and reserve for gravy, if desired. Pour pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat from surface, reserving 1/2 cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to degreased pan juices to measure 5 1/2 cups total.

Place roasting pan over 2 burners on medium heat. Add 1/2 cup reserved fat and shallots; sauté 1 minute. Whisk in flour. Cook until roux is light brown, whisking constantly, about 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, stock mixture, mustard, and fresh rosemary. Bring to boil, whisking to blend. Boil until gravy coats spoon, about 3 minutes. Add neck, heart, and gizzard, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve turkey with gravy.

Thank you lovely Amanda.

Kath’s quote: “How to thaw a frozen turkey: Blow in it’s ear.”-Johnny Carson

and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

D prepares an event each year round about the first week of December.  He has been catering to this same not-for-profit group for the past 12 years.  There are some dishes that are constant-turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls but each year he changes up the salad, stuffing, potatoes, sweet potatoes, another veggie dish and dessert.  This year his menu was as follows:

Cranberry & Spicy Pecan Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dijon Dressing

Broccoli, Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Mashed Potaoes in their Jackets with Rosemary & Butter

Roaster Red Pepper and Herb Corn

Sliced Sweet Potatoes with Apple Butter

Chocolate Mint Mousse

Here is his Stuffing Recipe that we can’t wait to have again for our dinner on the 25th.

Broccoli, Wild Rice & Mushroom Stuffing

1/2 c uncooked wild rice

1 1/2 c water

2 c chopped fresh broccoli

1/2 c butter

1 1/2 c sliced mushrooms

1 c chopped onion

14 oz. chicken broth

1/2 c sliced almonds

1 16 oz. package of herb seasoned stuffing mix (or substitute equal volume of bread cubes and poultry seasoning to taste)

Bring rice and 1/2 c water to boil.  Cover, reduce to low and simmer 45 minutes.  Place broccoli in a pot with enough water to cover and boil 5 minutes or until slightly tender.  Remove from heat and drain.  Preheat over to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking dish.   Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute the mushrooms and onions until tender.  Mix in cooked rice, cooked broccoli, stuffing mix , broth and almonds,   Transfer to prepared baking dish .  Bake 30 minutes in pre-heated oven or until golden brown.

Kath’s quote: “No more turkey, but I’d like another helping of that bread he ate.” Anonymous

Love is all around.