Country Cousin

Feast...

Hi Folks!

We’ve had rain, sleet, drizzle, snow and single digit temperatures so far in December, and Winter isn’t even really here yet. That will happen officially in a week, on Thursday, Dec. 22. On that date, if we ever do see the sun again, we’ll start seeing a minute or three more of it each day until the middle of June. So take heart, once Santa comes, Spring can’t be far behind!

LIGHTEN UP!

In pagan times, particularly in northern climes people would become frightened by the ever decreasing length of days as winter approached. They worried that the sun might go away entirely and never come back. Probably some enterprising witch doctors or pagan priests figured out when the days would start getting longer again and held elaborate ceremonies to either keep the sun from getting farther away or bring it back. Lo and behold! They were successful, the tribes celebrated, and their devoted followers became even more devoted.

DECK THE HALLS

Hopefully, unlike mine, your halls are all decked and ready for Christmas. The cookies are baked, the tree is trimmed, the gifts are wrapped, and the non-perishable makings for Christmas Dinner are on the pantry shelves.

Don’t we wish!

If your real Christmas tree is not yet in the stand, don’t forget to cut about two inches off the bottom before putting it there. The stump needs to be freshly cut or it won’t drink water and the needles will fall off prematurely.

CHRISTMAS FACTS

There are currently 78 people named S. Claus living in the U.S., and one Kriss Kringle. Bet that kid had a bad time in school! What were the parents thinking???

Did you know that if Santa’s sleigh was loaded with one Beanie Baby for every kid on Earth it would weigh 333,333 tons? Pulling a sleigh that size would require 214,206 reindeer, plus Rudolph. To deliver his gifts in one night, Santa would have to make 822.6 visits per second, sleighing at 3,000 times the speed of sound. At that speed, Santa and his reindeer would instantly burst into flame.

Not to worry. A scientist has figured out how it’s done, something related to the theory of relativity. Says Santa travels outside the rules of real time and space, so he can actually spend months making his deliveries, but in the real world only one night has gone by. Sounds good to me! Sure would like to do my housework that way.

JOB BENEFITS

In the real world, if pays to grow a beard if you’re going to be a Santa. Average wage of a regular mall Santa is $11 an hour, but if the beard is real the job pays $20 an hour.

CHRISTMAS PRAYERS

A few days before Christmas, two young brothers were spending the night at grandma’s house. Before crawling in for the night, the boys knelt devoutly beside their beds to say their good night prayers. The youngest very loudly intoned:

“I pray for a new bicycle....

“I pray for a new Play Station...

“I pray for a Super Flyer sled...

“Why are you shouting your prayers?” big brother asked with a little shove. “God isn’t deaf.”

To which little brother replied, “No, but Gramma is!”

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

There are different Christmas traditions all over the world, but strangely enough, most of them seem somewhat related if we look hard enough.

DANISH DELIGHTS

Never heard of them before, but in Denmark the jolly bringer of gifts is known as “Julemanden,” and he arrives in a sleigh drawn by reindeer with a sack over his back.

Sound maybe a bit like Santa Claus?

He is assisted with his Yuletide chores by elves called “Juul Nisse,” who are said to live in attics. Some folks claim they hang round waiting for a chance to fix broken toys.

Children leave out saucers of milk or rice pudding for them and are delighted to find the food gone on Christmas morning.

FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, also known as The Vigil, is celebrated on Christmas Eve in parts of Southern Italy. It results in some very special Christmas Eve feasts in fine counterpart to the heavier dinner on Christmas Day. The Fishes Feast is not a well known tradition in other parts of the world, except in parts of America where descendants of those southern Italians have settled.

Their Christmas Eve feast typically includes seven different seafood dishes, eaten during “Vigilia di Natale,” while waiting for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.

Their long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from an old-time rule of abstinence, in this case, refraining from consumption of meat or milk products on Fridays and specific holy days. As no meat or butter could be used on such days, they instead ate fish.

The number “7” in this feast perhaps relates to the number of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church, or possibly the seven virtues: faith, hope, charity, temperance, prudence, fortitude and justice, or the seven deadly sins, which would be appropriate since Christ came to earth to save us from our sins.

Another theory is that seven is a holy number representing perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.

Anyway, a typical Seven Fishes feast would probably include some combination of anchovies, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels, and clams, along with pastas, vegetables, baked or fried kale patties, baked goodies, and homemade wine.

Incidentally, a tradition in my daughter-in-law’s family is to always eat fish on New Year’s Eve in order to get swimmingly through the New Year.

MISTLETOE

Was trying to find out when, where and why the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe started.

Answer I liked best is that people are always looking for a reason to kiss anyway, and one excuse is as good as another.

COOKIN’ TIME

It’s coming close to countdown time for Christmas entertaining. Have also located a few recipes for cookies and homemade liqueurs that would make lovely hostess gifts for Christmas and New Years.

VENISON MINCEMEAT

Lots of folks have never tasted real mincemeat. This homemade version, with real meat, isn’t even close to the packaged variety found on the supermarket shelf. This is probably the type of Christmas Pie that good old Tom sunk his thumb into. Raisins were sometimes called plums. Jars of this mincemeat would make nice gifts for the right families, or fine eating for your own.

4 pounds venison, elk, or beef

Water

2 1/2 cups beef suet, finely chopped or grated*

8 cups tart apples, peeled and chopped

3 cups broth, from cooking the meat

5 cups granulated sugar

3 cups apple cider

1 cup molasses

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 cups raisins

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground cloves

2 tablespoons ground allspice

2 tablespoons ground nutmeg

Juice of 2 lemons

Juice of 2 oranges

1 cup brandy or sherry

*Suet is firm beef fat. You need to ask your butcher for this.

In a large heavy pan over medium heat, place meat, bones and all, but trim the fat off. Cover with water and simmer until the meat is tender. Remove from heat and refrigerate in the cooking liquid overnight. Remove all fat from the top of the cooking liquid and then take the meat out of it. Save the liquid. You want to boil this down later to make three cups. Separate meat from bones and gristle and discard bones. Chop cooked meat into very small cubes. go ahead and use the food processor, just don’t turn it into paste. In a large pot, combine meat cubes, suet, apples, reserved liquid, sugar, apple cider, molasses, cider vinegar, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, lemon juice, and orange juice; simmer for 2 hours. Remove from heat. Stir in brandy or sherry and mix together. Now use in pies right away, refrigerate or pack into hot sterile jars and seal. (If canning, process 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. May also be stored in the freezer.)

To make pies, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spoon prepared mincemeat into pastry-lined plate. Add additional brandy to your taste. Cover with pastry, seal top crust and flute. Cut slits in pastry so steam can escape. Cover edge with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake pie 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake another 30 to 40 minutes. Remove aluminum foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack before cutting and serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. The pie stores well in the freezer.

SEAFOOD LASAGNA

Marvelous Christmas Eve treat, especially for anyone wanting to emulate the Feast of the Seven Fishes.

1 pound lasagna noodles

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 pound crab or imitation crab

1 pound scallops

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup white wine or chicken stock

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

3 cups milk

Pinch of nutmeg

2 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese

1 (10 ounce) package spinach (thawed and drained)

1 egg

2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

Lay the lasagna noodles in a large baking dish and pour boiling water over them. Let the noodles rest in the warm bath. Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add the seafood and saut� until cooked. This should take just a few minutes. Set the seafood aside. Add the garlic and saut� over medium heat until tender, about a minute. Do not let it burn. Add the white wine or broth and the lemon juice. Deglaze the pan, and simmer to reduce by half. Add the flour and stir while cooking for a few minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and simmer until it thickens. Remove from the heat and mix in the Parmesan, salt and pepper and nutmeg. Add the seafood and toss to coat. In a separate bowl mix the ricotta, spinach, egg, Parmesan, mozzarella and a cup of the white sauce. Pour 1/4 cup of the white sauce over the bottom of a buttered 8 inch square baking dish. Add a layer of noodles, a layer of half of the cheese mixture, a layer of noodles, and then all of the seafood. Spread out evenly. 16. Add a layer of all of the seafood and pour a cup of the white sauce over it. Repeat layers in order, noodles, remaining Ricotta mixture, and a final layer of noodles. Pour on remaining white sauce, then sprinkle on the Parmesan and Mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until bubbling on the sides and golden brown on top, about 45-60 minutes. Serve with a tossed salad and lots of holiday cheer!

APRICOT GLAZED HAM

Try this delicious change from the traditional holiday ham.

15 pound fully-cooked bone-in ham

20 whole cloves

1/2 cup apricot preserves

3 tablespoons dry mustard

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

If the ham has a rind on it, take it off, but leave a layer of fat. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Score the surface of the ham with shallow diamond-shaped cuts. Combine preserves and mustard; spread over ham. Pat brown sugar over the apricot mixture. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake for 20 minutes per pound or until ham is heated through.

HOMEMADE KAHLUA

Whip up a batch in 10 minutes, pour into a fancy bottle, tie on a bow and there’s a gift! Or serve it proudly at your own party.

HOMEMADE KAHLUA

3 1/4 cups water

1 cup of instant coffee (freeze dried is best)

4 cups water

6 cups sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup vanilla extract

1 fifth bottle of vodka, Captain Morgan’s or Bacardi (dark) Rum or Brandy

In saucepan boil 3 1/4 cup water then add instant coffee. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes then take off heat and let cool. In another saucepan, boil 4 cups water sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil and when the sugar dissolves cook for another 20 minutes. Take off heat and let cool. After both mixtures have cooled completely mix them together and then add the vanilla and vodka, rum or brandy. Pour into bottles. You can serve it right away, but it’s better if it rests for two weeks.

TIRAMISU COOKIE BALLS

This comes from the folks at Kraft, and it’s a great Christmas gift to all of us!

1 package (8 ounces) Cream Cheese, softened

60 Nilla wafers, finely crushed (about 2 cups)

3 tablespoons Maxwell House International Caf� Vienna,

divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 packages (6 squares each) White Chocolate, melted

2 squares Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted

Mix cream cheese, cookie crumbs, vanilla and 1 tablespoon coffee (dry) until well blended. Shape into 36 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 minutes or longer. Mix white chocolate and remaining coffee. Dip balls in white chocolate mixture; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Drizzle with semi-sweet chocolate. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

To easily coat the balls with the melted chocolate, add balls, in batches, to the bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll balls in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove balls with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place balls in prepared pan; let stand until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator

‘NILLA TIRAMSU PIE

48 NILLA Wafers, divided

1/4 cup brewed strong instant coffee, cooled, divided

1/4 cup kahlua

4 ounces (1/2 of 8-ounce package) Cream Cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups cold milk

1 package (3.4 ounces) Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 tub (8 oz.) French Vanilla Whipped Topping, thawed

1 square Semi-Sweet Chocolate, grated

Arrange 36 wafers on bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons coffee and 2 tablespoons kahlua. Beat cream cheese in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; beat 1 minute. Gently stir in 2 cups whipped topping. Layer half each of the pudding mixture and grated chocolate in crust; cover with remaining wafers. Drizzle with remaining coffee and kahlua. Repeat layers of pudding and chocolate. Top with remaining whipped topping. Refrigerate 3 hours. Sprinkle additional cocoa powder on top.

CRANBERRY OATMEAL COOKIES

Very seasonal, very easy, very good, and almost very good for you! Can’t beat that combination.

1 cup soft butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh or frozen cranberries

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 ounces white chocolate chips

2 cups quick oats

1 cups raisins (or crancherries)

Blend sugar and butter with a mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Mix salt, baking powder and flour and beat into the butter mixture along with the cranberries and orange peel. Stir in the oatmeal, chocolate chips and raisins or crancherries. Drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until edges are light brown.

Thought for the Week: Lord, as Christmas draws near, help us not forget that this season should be all about love for You and our fellow man, not about getting the finest gifts or showing off the fanciest holiday table. Let us take time to pray, to reflect, to enjoy the loveliness and the love of this holiest time of year. And help us keep our eyes and hearts open for little ways to cheer the lonely, and to help those who may not be as fortunate as we are. Amen.

COUNTRY COUSIN

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