Christmas 2007 - Part 1

Finally getting around to uploading some Christmas photos and recipes here. The Christmas baking has not come to an end, though! Every year I must give the 12 Days of Christmas speech, separating its true pagan origins from the Church's updated version. Epiphany has essentially wiped out "Twelfth Day", Yule has become Christmas. The historical traditions of the 12 Days have not been entirely lost, though, some having been blended into the rites of Britain, Ireland...even the U.S. (Louisiana's Kings Cake --Galette des Rois -- comes to mind). Scotland's Hogmanay celebrations remains strong, although Robbie Burns has since been introduced. So, when do the 12 Days of Christmas start? To some, December 21st; to others, December 26th. I love Christmas and the celebration of Winter (my favourite season), so I opt for December 26th -- I'll cite whatever astrological nonsense necessary to have a longer holiday season! I may not be a neo-pagan (or whatever the name is this week), but I truly treasure the changing of the Seasons and what each brings, as well as the true meaning behind the holidays and how they've evolved over time. The mischievous wind spirits have become blizzards, but we still cite some of the old superstitions...just open up a copy of the Farmer's Almanac or turn on the Weather Channel.

My family had planned months ago to visit us for Christmas this year, but the health complications of one family member called for a slight rain check. My mother's fiancé has been under the care of U of M for quite a while now and is finally expected to be returning home within the next couple weeks. His strength and courage through all this has been extraordinary. He currently has a Jarvik installed and is waiting on a transplant. With the way he has pulled through thus far, I'm sure he will be with us for a quite a bit longer yet :) Maher -- when you visit us again, I am dragging you back over the falls in Ricketts Glen!

So, it was just us and the boy for Christmas. I specifically crafted the menu to be casual, ensuring the layout would be equally good an hour after it was served. I don't enjoy playing tug-of-war or putting anyone else through that, therefore I've decided to make all future major holiday menus buffet style...dishes that improve with simmering throughout the day, nibbles that prefer room temperature or can maintain their optimal temperature with little help. St. Paddy's and other minor holidays -- I'm going all out! Donnie helped me with this Christmas's menu, creating the baste for the ham (cherry juice, whole grain Dijon, and brown sugar) and prepping it. We chose a selection of cheeses together, opting for a Date and Orange Stilton; Cranberry Wensleydale; and a thick wedge of Butterkäse. Would you believe I couldn't find a Jarlsberg until after Christmas?! Dessert was my perfected Ricotta Cheesecake recipe, topped with cherries. This recipe is my own creation and it is absolutely necessary to use a blender.

Ricotta Cheesecake

Cake:
16 oz ricotta, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2/3 c sour cream
3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tb honey
2/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla


Crust:
About 1 1/2 c gingersnap crumbs
enough melted butter to just moisten crumbs and hold together without making soggy

Prepare springform pan by coating bottom with crust mixture, pressing gently to adhere to pan and form a level crust. In a blender, mix together all ingredients, starting at a pulse and working up to purée until mixture is completely smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Place springform pan on middle rack and another pan halfway filled with water on the rack below. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, then turn off oven and allow to sit in oven for another 10 minutes. Chill before serving.

Photos and more recipes coming soon!

Getting Stoned for Christmas

Blame Donnie for that title LOL
Me --- I am the happy future wife of Donald Atkinson :)
Photo credits go to Donnie and his tripod

Some of you had advance notice this was coming. For the rest of our friends and family, I trust this is good news and that you share our happiness and joy. In our hearts, we have been as one for almost four years now. Not a single fight or minor tiff, no ruffling of feathers or nasty/snippy remarks to each other, no vile thoughts...how many people have that?

A few months ago, Donnie suggested we consider making our bond legal and official. I was prepared to be his lifelong partner without the name and the benefits that come with it. Never had I suspected he would wish to marry again. Imagine my surprise when he tried to make the proposal sound "attractive" to me LOL From Day 1, he has treated me as a Princess (no, I'm not one of those vacant tarts that wants to be called a Princess and has the pillows to prove it). He has treated me as his equal, his confidante. Together we share unfailing trust and respect. These are the cornerstones of a fulfilling union without which it cannot stand.

Our plans are to return to England in April for our official wedding. Still deciding whether to exchange our vows and rings in the doorway of the church where we met, or at the banks of the River Maun where we spent many hours chatting. We're going to spend a week in England (mainly the East Midlands where met, with a couple daytrips outward --ie, Stonehenge and London), squeezing in a day or two for North Wales (!!). In the meantime, we'll be reviewing our maps and doing some research, dreaming up routes to take and remembering places to revisit. And continuing on our path together.

Winter Images From the Past Week

A few days ago, I was looking out a kitchen window and spotted Barge Kitty. And another barge kitty. There's two identical Barge Kitties running rampant in the village! One wiggled under the camper further down the yard, while the other one stalked across the garden and into the woods. I went out with camera in hand attempting to get photos...had to crunch my way down to the river and back before one would come out to play.

From top left: Kitty(?) paw prints in garden; the Silky Barge Kitty (not the matted fur one) rubbing her face against the door frame, begging to be let in the house; Silky Barge Kitty pouting that I won't let her in the house to play with Ming and Ling

A snow covered fallen tree by the river. Notice how deep the snow is -- and that is after the ice matted it down a few times!

Winter means cleaning the furnace

Potluck a Hit!

Although the mushroom soup experiment went well, I decided to stick with sweets for the work potluck. I was up past midnight (lost track of time) working on a Maple Buttercream Bûche de Noël (with toasted pecans) and my Kringler. The Kringler is fast becoming a Christmas Party tradition for me. Last year, I packed it in tins in my Christmas bags along with a bottle of wine or schnapps, my homemade fettuccine (dried into pasta balls for easy storage and individual servings), lebküchen, and spekulas.

The leftover Bûche de Noël (half the cake/log) is in a fridge at work waiting for tomorrow when we have another party. The Kringler? What's left is being held hostage in an office that I don't have the key to LOL I've been ordered by at least four people to bring the recipe tomorrow and been told to bring recipes with all my treats from now on. Can't get a better compliment than that, aside from someone going into insulin shock from overdosing on your sweets.

Lots of goodies brought in by the coworkers, some ideas for next year... I'll post the recipes for my treats tomorrow, but for now I am heading downstairs to work on more Linzer cookies. This time I've lightly toasted some almonds along with the hazelnuts and finely ground them together with the cloves. They've been "marrying" since last night.

Ice Entombed Plantlife

Twigs on our riverbank, covered in ice

Notice the silvery ring around the branch..it's actually a ring of ice

Icicle-plants. The product of melting snow coming off the eaves onto the foundation gardens

Kale fighting the elements

Linzer Cookies

Linzer Cookies

1/2 c hazelnuts, shelled, toasted, and finely ground
2/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cloves, ground in coffee mill or mortar and pestle
1 c butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
zest of half a lemon
cherry or raspberry preserves

Cream together the butter and sugar until slightly fluffy, about a minute or two. Mix in egg, vanilla, cloves, and baking powder. Add lemon zest and hazelnuts; gently mix in flour until just combined. Chill dough for three hours. Roll out to 1/4" thickness and cut with large star-shaped cookie cutter. To half of the cookies, cut a section from the middle of cookie with a smaller star-shaped cookie cutter. Place whole cookies on pan, lightly spread with preserves, then top with inset-cut cookies. Spoon more preserves into the middle of the cookie to fill inset. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden.

Notes: To toast hazelnuts, shell and bake in 350F oven about 5-7 minutes, until they are just starting to turn golden. Rub skins off with tea towel, then grind or chop with a knife.

Ice in River '07

Our beloved Susquehanna and its mini-icebergs. The river is quiet and tranquil save the occasional icy swish of one mini-berg brushing against another and swirling away.

Stuck Indoors in an Ice Storm

Sorry, no pics yet! It was very overcast all day. Even with a flash, photo clarity would be a bit iffy and masked with a blue-grey shadow. Photos will most likely be coming on Wednesday, as I work the next two days.

Stuck indoors, with ice bouncing off the windows, we spent the day doing some research. When we weren't researching, we were munching. Doughnuts from last night *blushing with shame* Lots of coffee and a pot of tea for the morning and afternoon, a couple cheese selections and Merlot for dinner. I was testing out the mushroom soup in a crockpot idea, a little experiment, so we had to taste test that, too :) The Dry Creek Bullock House 2003 Merlot is a new find, grown on only 10 acres in California. I spent a good few minutes just marvelling at its syrupy viscosity as the wine swirled in the glass. Very soft and balanced (much more so than most dry Reds); a slightly spicy note (but not peppery, more like nutmeg or cloves with fruit...cherry is mentioned in reviews and that sounds about right to describe the slightly sour and dry, but sweet start at the tip of the tongue), with cocoa in the background and a blackberry finish. Definitely will try again and store an extra bottle for a year perhaps. Information on Dry Creek Bullock House Merlot can be found at the following links:

http://www.drycreekwinery.com/index.cfm?method=storeproducts.showDrilldown&productid=f01357a7-fc65-e0a4-a2bb-9ed1562d992d&ProductCategoryID=7caac22e-aba4-77fc-b29a-4db0339d5129&OrderBy=PXPC.DisplayOrder%20Asc,%20P.Price1

http://www.pawinetalk.com/detail/?code=12240

and here

While waiting on my soup experiment, I decided it was time to bake Linzer cookies. Recipe on this to come tomorrow...I love the cloves and toasted hazelnuts in these cookies. After cooling, they received a light sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and were promptly presented to Donnie. I even managed to mooch a small piece off him.

Donnie: "Nicked! You can't make thievery sound cute!"

Photos and recipes to come tomorrow ;)

Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas...

Today Donnie and I set off for a day of Christmas shopping in Scranton. I've been hearing lots of raves about the Christmas Tree Shop, and the other Shops at Montage, so it was a must-see. A fair amount of Christmas decor, quite a bit of more than decently priced gift items. The store isn't just targeted towards Christmas, but I'm a little worried about how they're going to maintain profitability during the off-season (even with a product line of non-Christmas items) with such a specific name. Time will tell.

We managed to cross two names off the list today...only a few more presents to buy yet! I love finding that perfect gift, something that would be truly enjoyed and used. Don't think we'll be filling out all of Don III's $1,000 Armageddon Survival shopping list, though :) He's been duly warned.

After store hopping in the Valley, we headed to Clarks Summit for one last stop...or so we thought. As we were entering the State Store (wine for us and another for a gift), we noticed a strange wind was building. Wine in hand, heading back to the car, we voted that hot pizza and cold beer were urgently required before even attempting the trip home. It's hard to beat Colarusso's white pizza with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes and roasted garlic, savoured with a huge pitcher of Yuengling. We've voted it A+ pizza. Of course, a luscious pizza must be followed with coffee and doughnuts...it's become our tradition. I will starve myself however long required to have that coffee and doughnut after pizza.

Now, back home and about to head to bed at 2 AM, an ice storm is ricocheting frozen pebbles off the windows. About 7 inches of snow on the ground from a couple days ago, another snow storm to come tomorrow. Photos will definitely be coming tomorrow.

Talk Like NEPA

Heynabonics! Donnie is one of the guilty "Mayan" crowd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sMI2jb16eo

NEPA folk love politics, especially local politics. Funny video about our latest probs in the Valley:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9PjbMoqUBw

Be properly outfitted for NEPA living!
http://www.cafepress.com/onelaughatleast

What to Bring to a Work Potluck?

There's going to be a potluck in my hallway (at least the one that has claimed me as theirs LOL) at work next week and I'm debating my choices on what to bring. Cookies, of course. Linzer stars and Kringler are always safe bets. Maybe homemade lemon poppy seed muffins or scones, or last year's bûche de noël recipe for something entirely decadent? Hot soup for a snowy Winter day? As soon as I heard crockpots were OK, soup immediately came to mind. Everyone loves my mushroom soup recipe but I am worried about how it will fare in a crockpot for 8 hours. Could do a trial run at home this weekend on a few different soups... If I do go with a soup option, I'll probably make thyme breadsticks as an accompaniment. Would make a crusty baguette, but knives don't go over very well at work. Suggestions from anyone that has ever done this before!

Slushy Week and Past Week

Sent home from work Thursday after boss noticed I had a fever, went to doctor that afternoon. Doctor doesn't know if I have bacterial or viral infection, just that it is in my chest now, and stocked me (and Donnie!) up with a particularly nasty antibiotic for treating bacterial infections. 1% experiences side effects?? Yeah, right. I almost didn't keep the pills in my body the first night. Pills done but are supposed to still be working for next 5 or 6 days. No voice, unless you count croaking, until this morning. My tonic? Lemon water and malt vinegar, cough drops for breakfast. Lots of hot liquids. I went into work Sunday afternoon to catch up on some work, bartered my way past the front desk (while threats were being made to call my bosses hehe). Completed all work within the agreed-upon 1 hour limit. Was well enough to stay at work all day today! Officially caught up, I'm ready to plough through the rest of the week.

I have Wednesday off from work, and Little Don and I have made plans for that day. He has suggested finishing the Christmas lights outside, so that is definitely on the agenda. Hopefully will fit in Christmas cookie or Gingerbread House baking, maybe make some ornaments and finish the tree together with Donnie's (my Donnie) help. Donnie has the entire week off from work...the kitties will be following him from room to room all week. Ling has been flinging ornaments around, seeking a playmate. So, Wednesday calls for a nice dinner.

Cookie baking coming along nicely. I've already made a couple batches of White Chocolate-Covered Pretzels, which the menfolk are wolfing down. Need to get mint jelly for thumbprint cookies; it is a must! Debbie -- I will send you those recipes for your Christmas menu this week! I'll include a couple dessert possibilities to make up for the lag. Donna -- Ruth wants to know what time you'll be expecting her for your Kwanzaa feast *smirk*

Holiday updates aside, it has been very slushy and icy here weatherwise. I managed to get the Acidanthera bulbs out of the ground and down in the cellar, but have yet to rake the front lawn and cover the gardens with leaves (nature's Winter protection and compost). Donnie was prepared to lock me in the house after seeing me enter the kitchen with grubby, cold hands clutching flower bulbs. He has threatened in the past to staple slippers to my feet -- will it be mittens this time??

The sage is still going strong, the kale is clinging to life, carrots are waiting impatiently to be unearthed. I must remember to get antidessicants for the rhododendrons and mountain laurel this year to prevent windburn. I'm considering transplanting the mountain laurel a few feet so it has more shelter from snow drifts, but it may be too late this year. Something to mull over; in the meantime, I'll provide it with a barrier of some sort. The bank I am trying to fortify with natural groundcover is proving to be quite the challenge. Half of the mountain laurel was lopped off last Winter from snow damage, *someone* mowed over all the native Pachysandra I transplanted there, and there is erosion from rain. My plan next Spring is to combine small boulders with native groundcovers and dwarf conifers...and I'm entirely expecting a tractor trailer to come bashing through, followed by a flash flood. Well, Winter is a time to plan for such things :)

Mosel, Day 2 -- Finally

Finally posting the followup! If you missed Day 1, click here.

Day II

Open eyes, hesitantly look around the unfamiliar room, dimly lit by the rising sun. Carefully sit upright...wait...OK, I'm going to be alright! The night's excesses left us none worse the wear, not even a mild headache. We quickly handled our morning routines, then, with hair still wet, met Petra and Harry outside. First order of business -- breakfast. The gasthaus we were staying at had wonderful full German breakfasts waiting, providing guests with full bellies to help withstand the day's wine intake (undoubtedly, what most of us were there for). Just leave me alone with some crusty brötchen and creamy qwark, a few cups of tea... The chilly morning air was heady with the smell of fermenting grapes, CO₂ 20 Proof.

Donnie browsing the wares

The plan was to travel along the Mosel River, visiting the small wine towns along our route north. First, though, it was vital we return to the winery and browse a bit. In addition to the inevitable wine and spirits, items for the garden and home were available for purchase. Glass carafes and other dishware accessories, gorgeous gauzy table linens, outdoor candle cauldrons, lichen-clad finials and stone mushrooms -- all arranged in a homey fashion of unfussy elegance. To one side, there were flasks of different liqueurs to sample. We selected a couple bottles of wine and a flask of peach schnapps to take back to the States. Petra ended up purchasing one of the carafes that she was admiring at the table at the previous evening's dinner, and surprised us with a grape potpourri sachet (that still perfumes the living room!). As we loaded several boxes of wine into the van (barely fitting them all in), tractors trudging loads of freshly picked grapes began their morning hauls through the village.

Having passed the exit for Lichtenstein, which Donnie fondly refers to as a "supermall", we decided to make our first stop in Bernkastel-Kues. We pulled the monster van into a carpark in front of the Mosel River, already overbrimming with itty-bitty Euro cars. A restaurant boat was loading its next set of patrons for lunch while plump ducks (Donnie promptly pointed at them and bellowed "H5N1!") waddled along the riverbank. Perched on a mountaintop, towering over this town set in time, is Der Landshut. After exiting the vehicle, we turned around and immediately felt like we'd been smacked by a mirage, the dark Gothic castle looming over the fairytale village. A little unnerving; naturally, I wanted to climb up to it :) As I was the only one feeling up to hiking the mountain at that time of the morning, it was not to be..at least, this time.

Phone booths!

Beautifully written proverbs on buildings

We headed down the narrow, winding lanes towards the little shops. I was hoping to find hopfen (seeds for hops), yet no luck at the flower shops. Wine shops were displaying their wares on the sidewalks, specialty sets laid out in brightly-hued packaging to tempt the Autumn oenophile tourists. Browsing is a particularly tiring bit of exercise, requiring prompt nourishment. After gazing lustfully through shop windows and much architectural/historical admiring, we headed for the first available table at a random restaurant. Time for coffee, federweiße, and slices of zwiebelküchen. The men may have had something sweet, but I was too absorbed in my zwiebelküchen to care. Petra was the culprit encouraging me to drink more federweiße and ditch the coffee, which I must admit, is a much better pairing with zwiebelküchen.

After lunch, we headed towards the back lanes of the village, climbing up along the vineyards. We stopped a few times to inspect (and sample -- Bad Donnie!) the grapes, detecting must on some. As we neared the more residential parts of the village, I was surprised to see chalk markings on the doors. Harry explained these are actually blessings from Christmas and that three people are chosen from the town to carry out the door marking.

Time to head back to the road..but, first, a stop at the fountain! Flo, Petra's dog, immediately jumped into the fountain, writhing around in unabashed delight. Not a care in the world, oblivious to the laughing bystanders...we were so ashamed for her lol We had to stay a while longer so Flo could dry off in the sunlight..nothing like wet dog on a long road trip.

Flo finds a friend

Back on the road, Flo safely tucked in the back of Monster Van, Harry suddenly points out a familiar name -- Zeller Schwarze Katz. In the States, it is one of the most popular choices for German Rieslings. I had to get out and take a photo of the vineyards.

Several of the vineyards along the way were dotted with grape pickers, many of Eastern European descent. It appears the Polish are Germany's Mexicans when it comes to harvesting. Lots of headscarves and nervous smiles when we pulled up for a look at the perfect rows of grapes.

At one point, I woke up from a nap to see this castle. Harry had stopped so we could have a photo shoot!

Another stop along the way -- McDonald's! Yes, I had a beer and a Royale (Big Mac..yup, Royale in Germany, too) at McDonald's.

Overall, I would say the Mosel Valley is the part of Europe that reminds me most of our nook in Pennsylvania. Winding roads, jagged cliffs, crossing the same river at multiple points, steep mountainsides, fragrant evergreens, wildly splashing creeks and wooded areas with frolicking bunnies... The villages may be complete contrasts, but the natural landscape is quite similar.

Mushroom Soup with Thyme Croutons

Warning: This is a very rich soup, but well worth the extra workout time. If desired, you can sauté the mushrooms with a little white wine or sherry, but the soup doesn't need it. Although you can use just white button mushrooms, I recommend a mix of whatever looks good at the grocery. I love combining portabella, oyster mushrooms, and shiitake. This is a common recipe around Christmas in our home -- simple, filling, and warming (for the heart, as well!). If you want to make it even more special, drizzle a small amount of truffle oil over the top of each serving.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 lb assorted mushrooms, cleaned and separated from stems
1 onion, diced
1/2 c butter
5 c chicken stock
1/4 c flour
1 c heavy cream

Sauté sliced mushrooms in butter until just tender; remove with a slotted spoon. Continue sauté with the chopped stems and onion until the onion is soft and translucent, then add the flour to create a roux, cooking through for about 5 minutes. Slowly add stock, stirring roux to incorporate without lumps. Allow to thicken, then remove from heat and thoroughly purée soup. Return sliced mushrooms to the soup and add cream, heating until steaming hot. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt.

Thyme Croutons
Cut a leftover baguette into chunks, then toss with melted butter and thyme. Toast in oven at 400F until golden, then sprinkle over mushroom soup.

When Is It Not a Cold Anymore?

As previously mentioned, Don III has lovingly infected the household with Valley syph. Runny noses, popped ears from nose blowing, fatigue, sporadic fevers, excessive coughing, chills, etc...blah, blah, blah... Sounds normal enough, especially since the cold season is here. But how do you know when it has transgressed from a cold into something else without waiting a week for it to get worse? That is my problem now. Last Spring, I had a nasty case of pneumonia that had me feeling like death and incurred a significant pharmacy bill (even with really good insurance). Recovery time once medicated? It was still weeks. I'm hoping to not have a repeat of those events this year. The runny nose? Not nearly as bad as before, mainly stuffy (I went through a box of tissues over the weekend at work). The fatigue seemed to be going away yesterday, then it returned today with a vengeance. The cough seems to be deeper now and my throat is still sore and irritated. The coughing is mainly coming in spasms now -- a series of sudden, deep coughing that lasts for a couple minutes. It's at its worst, though, when I am laying down. Chills are nothing new with me; I'm always freezing, even in Summer. What's annoying is freezing while having a fever. There's been some mild fevers after eating (decreased appetite too, but that's not necessarily a bad thing), and one significant (but not worrying, just 99.6F) fever the other day. Newest symptoms? Chest feels like it is stinging (from coughing) and my lower back is a little sore.

Complain, complain, complain, gripe, gripe, gripe.... Hey, I'm setting the scene here :) Usually, I just let whatever I have run its course, but now it is interfering with my job. I work in a place where you can't be sick, at least with anything contagious. If you're just feeling under the weather, you're needed. I worked the entire weekend (8 hours Saturday, 12 hours Sunday), then Monday for 8 hours -- all while sick and wanting to crawl into bed. Super Valley siph virus started Wednesday (I had Wednesday and Thursday off). Today I went into work and was instantly spotted by one of my bosses. I had barely logged into the system and gone downstairs for some papers, when a page goes out for me. Less than 5 freaking minutes in the building! My first boss went to my other boss and I was being sent home to go to bed. Ugh. Tried saying I would be OK..nope, go home and go to bed. So, I went to bed...and slept from 11:30am to 5:30pm. Woke up and made dinner (my cream of mushroom soup...recipe to come later), and now I am about to head back to bed. Do I have to see the doctor tomorrow to work? I can't even make an excuse that I have an appt next week, as we have a doctor on premises. We shall see what happens tomorrow...