Christmas Mourning

No, that is not a spelling error.  This year many friends (myself included) are spending their first Christmas without a beloved someone; their child, their fathers, their mothers, their husbands...
Everyone grieves in their own way...some fill their time with helping others, some are so stricken that they can hardly get up in the morning.  
Those of us who are several years into the mourning are still facing a few tears, even now.  For me, the loss of my father is the grief that so easily besets me.  Although he passed away more than a decade ago, I still find myself in tears...not for extensive periods of time, but just a few minutes when I recall some pleasant memory--of which I have many.
One way we remember family members is to prepare one of their favorite foods.  For my dad, he always wanted us to make "Elf Cakes" (his name for a soft oatmeal cookie) especially at Christmas.  I couldn't bear the thought of making them for at least three years after he passed away...and the first time I brought out the recipe and made them I sobbed the whole way through the process.  I can make them now, without tears, and when I eat them, I think of my dad with every bite and what wonderful times we shared.  Fishing, collecting wild edibles, teaching classes about wild edibles at the library or to Scout troupes, gardening, making "lemon fudge"--a culinary failure of the highest degree, but brought us months of laughter over it.  
My dad often asked me to prepare a sandwich for him when I was a teen.  He would say something like--"Make me a ham sandwich?"  And my response was always "Poof! You are a ham sandwich!", while making "magic" motions in the air.  (Then I would play the part of the dutiful daughter and prepare the sandwich for him--and we always laughed about it.)
My grandfather was the person who would make penuche fudge (made with brown sugar), so when I make that I fondly remember him standing in the kitchen at the stove, stirring and stirring.  (I don't need the calories, so I don't make it often, but I really think I can remember him better while delighting in this confection.)
My husband's grandmother made Tallarini (her version of it) and whenever we eat that, it is a family thing.  
Recipes are a nice way to remember loved ones.  Sometimes we don't even have to prepare the recipe, but everyone in the family HAS the recipe for Aunt Mildred's Vinegar candy.  
My brother, still living, has a recipe that is assigned to him...Fresh Orange Cake.  Whenever I make that, I think of him.  
Your recipe cards or books may hold a treasure trove of memories.  It is a good way to keep that person "alive" to those who come after...children and grandchildren and great grandchildren are likely to pay more attention to Grandpa's recipe for penuche than just some random recipe.  
We seem to have lost our own family histories...reviving and passing on family recipes is a fun way to tell family stories and keep our history alive.  

Home: No More Santa Clause!

A wonderful wooden Santa Knodder from Poland

One might wonder why an avid Santa Clause collector, such as myself, would be pleading for no more Santa Clause?  
I am so very fond of Santa--as a "character"--just like Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit.  
Today just happens to be St. Nicholas Day.  St. Nicholas is the foundation of Santa Clause, after all.  If you have ever read Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge (or viewed one of the movies based on the story) there is a fine representation of the place that St. Nicholas plays as a courier of what is to come.  Good children were rewarded and the "naughty" children had a chance to mend their ways.  In Holland, an older family member or elder member of the community, who knows the children, or are advised by the parents of the child's behavior "plays" the part of St. Nicholas and will offer comments on each child's behavior by name--"naughty or nice".  Candy or cane!
Germany seems to get the proper perspective of how to handle Santa Clause; that St. Nicholas is like an advance man, coming to bring evidences of what is to come...from the the "Christkind" or "Christkindel"--the Christ Child.  Here is where we derive Kris Kringle...a corruption of Christkindel.  There is no ONE version of St. Nicholas, or Kris Kringle, or Santa Clause, or Sinter Klauss, but most agree it stems from the real personage of St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra.  I hear all the time about how we are not supposed to ruin the illusion of Santa Clause for the little ones, but I am opposed to the whole idea of telling our children to "believe" in something that doesn't exist...like the Easter Bunny.  Why choose to adopt that scenario, when it is much more relevant to explore the many stories surrounding the real person.  You don't have to give up "Santa", in order to do so.  We didn't.  We still have Santa's--I have them in all sorts of mediums.  But, should Santa be the giver of gifts??  Wouldn't it be more appropriate to let St. Nicholas have his day, but the focus of Christmas actually be the gifts from the Christ Child??  Actually, I can even make an argument to do away with both customs, but I realize they are customs and traditions and not really something Biblically based.  
There are many places on the web that will tell you the wonders of the "true" St. Nicholas, and these stories (for most are embellished and have been traded with other stories and customs) are quite interesting and can be used to teach morals.  Every country and region has their own version of Santa...but there is one story that doesn't change and is true--and that is the relation of the Christ, the Saviour's Birth.  So, I say Happy St. Nicholas Day!  but, let's not fuse and confuse the made up cute stories with the wonders of real life.
My youngest sister is totally of the opposite thought--she presents the idea that holding fantasy as reality is very appropriate and can support a child through difficult times.  I guess we will just have to disagree on this one.  I think she feels that when she actually found out that the "good deeds" were actually performed by our parents, that that increased her fondness and affection for our parents--that they would go to all that trouble in order to make things special for her.
 I still feel it sets up a disconnect between truth, and fiction.  I am not asking people to give up stories like Peter Pan or Pinocchio...fantasy is a wonderful thing...and I ask that parents are careful to keep truth and explore fantasy.  
I will encourage  readers to investigate the history of St. Nicholas.  Of course, there are stories I wouldn't share with little ones--about how children were cut up into pieces and thrown into a pot--and St. Nicholas called them forth from the pot and they came out whole...this one is a bit gruesome and scary.  There are many others.

Kitchen: Kale and White Bean Soup

Kale and White Bean Soup...good on a chilly day! recipe below

What I love about making soups and stews is that although there may be general guidelines, it's fairly hard to make a "bad" soup.  What you have on hand, and what you like a lot of or less of, probably won't ruin your soup.  I am not so crazy about carrots...raw--they taste like poison to me!  I can only tolerate them if they are cooked to the point of being able to mash them like a potato.  I am very fond of celery, and onions are alright, too. 
                                                        Mirepoix

• onions (or leeks)
• carrots
• celery

Mirepoix is the French term for this combination of vegetables.  Usually these are cooked and then the solids are strained and the resulting liquid is used as a stock.  However, since these three items are also the base for many recipes...why not make a large soup pot of this mixture and freeze it in meal sized portions to prepare a nutritious soup in a heartbeat?  You are controlling the salts, sugars, and other ingredients used so commonly in most canned soups available.  You can save money by tossing leftovers into your freezer until you have enough "tidbits" to throw a soup together or you can just save steps by keeping the mirepoix ready to go.  There are no hard and fast rules to this.  If you like your veggies on the small side, cut them small...if you prefer chunkier bits..cut them larger.  Try to cut the pieces about the same size so they will cook evenly, though.  The trick is to gauge how long to cook, and then cooling the mixture rapidly to prevent over-done veggies.  With a little practice, you will find your magic numbers.  I usually begin with a large stock pot, and heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in the pan...to which I add the onions (or leeks) and slightly brown.  Then the carrots and celery go in for a quick stir, until they are ever so slightly browned.  We are looking for a little boost in flavor, and I think this does a good job of it.  Have at the ready some warm broth or plain water...and if you don't feel like warming it first...don't.  It just lets you control the "done-ness" of the veggies a little more if you are adding the cooking liquid already warmed.  (Be prepared for splattering and steam.)  Test the veggies frequently with a fork...you don't want it to be all the way cooked...'cause then you will certainly have mush.  When the pieces are just barely starting to cook, turn off the stove and remove from heat.  If you are able, set the pan in an ice bath to quickly lower the temperature and stop the cooking.  When cool, ladle the mirepoix mixture into freezer safe containers or even plastic freezer bags.  The freezer bags may be laid out on a baking sheet to keep it flat...once frozen the bags can easily be stacked.  Label the contents and date it.  Then when the mood strikes, you can pull it out and add some rice or noodles or potatoes, or what have you.  The other day, I had some leftover brown rice and  leftover chicken in the freezer, along with the soup mix...didn't take very long before we had some lovely chicken rice soup.  We could also have chosen to use noodles or potatoes instead.  Designate a special plastic container or large plastic bag to place the smaller bits you are saving for soups so they won't get lost in the freezer.  Make sure you note whether you used onions or leeks, as some recipes work better than others with each choice, and if you used broth or water.

  Kale and White Bean Soup

• 1/2 pound pork roast or boneless country style pork ribs.  Remove as much of the fat as possible, and discard.  Cut meat into small cubes.  
• season meat with celery seed, dry mustard (powder), OR whole mustard seed), onion powder and garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Place a little olive oil in the soup pot to heat, add the small cubes of meat and stir while browning, being careful not to burn. If you do find it starts to burn, add a little water and lower the temperature. Since this is pork, I usually cook the meat through before proceeding.  Add the seasonings...start out with 1/4 tsp of celery seed and 1/2 tsp of dry mustard powder, onion powder, and garlic powder...I use a little more, but you have to season to taste. You can add salt and pepper to the meat if you wish or if you are eliminating salt--leave it out altogether.  Cover the meat with water and simmer for at least half an hour to make a seasoned "pork" stock, but don't throw out the meat!  Add the vegetables, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, sliced
• (OR--1 package of mirepoix (onions, carrot and celery cooked in water) from the freezer--place in pot with a little water and heat 'til thawed.)
• 1 medium bunch of kale, de-ribbed and cut or torn in small pieces
•  1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (I use precooked organic Great Northern beans.)

I prefer to wash the kale and remove the leafy part from the stalk/stem and then tear into pieces...although you could remove the stem and roll the leaf and slice through chiffonade style.
If you already have leftover pork roast, the soup will take only as long as it takes to get the kale into the pot and cook.  When the kale is done, serve with Arizona Cheese Curds in the soup and vegetable crackers!

I keep the leek based mirepoix on the ready for quick  
        Potato Leek with Cheese Soup.

• 1 package of leek based mirepoix
• 6 medium potatoes, cubed or roughly chopped
• water to cover and an inch above that
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn (peas if you like, too)
• celery seed and dried parsley to taste
• 2-4 TB already cooked bacon bits

Cook until potatoes are done, but not mushy.

• 1/2 to 1 cup of milk

bring to boil and thicken

• thicken with cornstarch, or other thickening agents according to the package.

This also tastes really good with the Arizona Cheddar Cheese Curds...which are white, not yellow.

The mirepoix can be added to 

• rice
• stir-fried noodles
• black-eyed peas
• lentil or pea soup
• stews
• ground beef and mushrooms
• black beans and red rice with sausage

Use your imagination!!