Christmas Traditions

Our Annual Jingle Bell Walk

Christmas for us is a fine balance between preserving long-standing traditions and embracing new ones.  They are all celebrations with family and dear friends, and many involve food traditions.  These last few weeks have been busy ones for us as we welcomed children and their friends home for the holidays, and prepared for their arrival with cooking, baking and crafting!

Hats and Granola for friends

Smoked Trout Pate (from trout that we smoked ourselves, of course!) in a cute little crock was a well received gift.

A new hand knit Christmas hat for everyone

Hand-made pillows(made in Ellicottville) are starting to find new homes!

One tradition we have enjoyed for the past 3 years is helping to distribute turkeys through the House of Friendship and the KitchenerConestogo Rotary Club.  Jim Erb has been instrumental in rolling out this wonderful program where families are provided with turkeys and hams and all the recipes they need for cooking them and transforming any leftovers.
http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=830780&playlistId=1.1086118&binId=1.815927

Fortifying ourselves at Bake and Booze

The fruits of our labour

We hosted the annual Bake and Booze one week before Christmas.  We mixed up Prickly Pear Margaritas and some Whoopie Machine Sangria, and  everyone contributed to a light dinner before getting down to the business of baking cookies, truffles and squares to exchange.  For the most part be stuck to the tried and true...our perennial favourites that our families have come to look forward to.  Debbie’s daughter, Laura also delivered a box of our creations to Out of the Cold, where she volunteers every week. 

A new event this Christmas was an art show, that Ben organized with about 10 artists from near and far. The evening was a super way to kick off the holidays and experience some exciting new art and ideas.

Christmas dinner at the Hill/ Witzel house featured all of the usual favourites.  This year Ted positively perfected the Smoked Turducken and  Grilled Beef Tenderloin.  All the sides were prepared  in advance:  stuffing, Yorkshire Puddings, Brown sauce, Root Vegetable Mash, Green Bean Salad, Cranberry Sauce, and Chipotle Sauce, with one new addition.....Smoked Red Cabbage.  Only the Brussels Sprouts required last minute cooking. 

Smoked and Braised Red Cabbage

We decided to experiment with the cabbage because we already had the smoker fired up for ribs.  So we placed the cabbages on the upper rack to see if they would absorb the smoky flavour of the whisky chips.....and they did!  This takes a full day of cooking, but needs very little attention.  It made an enormous amount:  enough for 2 large family gatherings with leftovers. 

2 heads red cabbage, cored

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 slices bacon

2 onions, diced

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup red wine or cider vinegar

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 cup beef broth

1 cup apple cider

I apple, chopped

Drizzle the cored section of each cabbage with a little olive oil, and wrap the outer sections of the cabbages with foil, leaving the core exposed. 

Scatter soaked whiskey chips over the lit coals in the bottom of the smoker, and place the cabbages on the upper rack.  Smoke for about 4 hours, or until very tender.  Let cool slightly, then shred the cabbage.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, brown 6 slices of bacon.  Once the fat has been rendered, use the bacon for whatever purpose you choose (bacon bits for salad, or in a sandwich).  Add the diced onions to the fat, and cook until translucent.  Add the shredded cabbage and the remaining ingredients, and simmer for several hours, until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 5 hours.

Serve as a side dish for any kind of roast or turkey.

A wee break from the busy-ness of Christmas

Hello dear readers. It's me, Bev, the one who shows up in all these posts but rarely does anything. I am the guest editor of the blog for this week!
In the flurry of activity that always precedes the holidays, Andrea suggested a couple of days in upstate New York to get away from it all. The agenda was pretty straightforward: work on some Christmas crafts (shh. it's a Christmas surprise), hike with the dogs, stay in our pjs for most of the day, watch all of Season Two of Downton Abby, read and eat- but nothing fancy.
Andrea and Kris wanted to do some deep thinking about the future of the blog while we were away so they put me in charge of menu planning. I am the master of "keep it simple and nothing fancy" menu planning. I envisioned a lot of cereal, eggs (every way) and salads. Luckily for you, dear readers, Andrea and Kris prevailed on me and I stepped it up with a bit of help from my friends.
So, here you have it: a couple of simple meals for three good friends escaping the busy-ness of Christmas....

Dinner Night One

I came up with this menu all on my own. It incorporates that "nothing but eggs and salad" idea that I mentioned.

Goat Cheese Fritatta (finecooking.com)

Tossed salad (with lots of lemon and avocado)

Asparagus

A little tiny slice of Christmas Cake. The recipe, found below,  comes from my friend, Kathy, who got it from another friend, Vera. In a fit of confidence, I decided to modify it to make it gluten-free and dairy-free for my daughter, Nora, and Andreas kids, Reid and Sam (don't get Tim started on the disaster in the oven that day). Anyway, it isn't pretty but it tastes terrific.  I am giving you the original recipe using self-rising flour.  It is both attractive and delicious!



Breakfast Day one

my menu again. yogurt and fruit. nothing very interesting about this breakfast.

Lunch day two

Andrea worked with my soup idea and came up with this menu (these grilled cheese sandwiches would never have been on my radar but now they are.  They were brilliant and tasted really good with just a smidge of red wine)

Tomato Soup

Saute onion, garlic, a few chopped celery stalks and a few chopped carrots.  Add some cumin, coriander, smoked hot paprika and salt.  Cook briefly until fragrant.
Add a can of chopped tomatoes and a few chopped fresh tomatoes if you have them.
Add 1 litre of chicken stock.
Simmer until the vegetables are cooked through. Puree using an immersion blender.  Adjust seasonings with more salt, if necessary, and a bit of hot sauce. If you like it spicier. add some chopped cilantro at the very end.

Grilled Cambozola and Pear Sandwiches with tomato jam  

Andrea had this tomato jam in her fridge from an earlier meal.
Cooking the sandwiches on a griddle on the BBQ was fantastic!  The cheese started to melt quickly because of the overall warmth of the grill.




Dinner day two

Andrea and Kris got involved in this creation. It was amazing how they scoured the kitchen and put together this marinade for the salmon. I stayed in my comfort zone and made the salad. No dessert tonight... we ate all the christmas cake with some tea in the afternoon.

Salmon with Thai Marinade



2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
1 tsp sambal oelek
1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
1 clove garlic (minced)

Marinate a piece of salmon (big enough for 3 women) for about 10 minutes.
Preheat the grill on medium-high; reduce the heat to medium for cooking.
Grill the salmon for about 8 minutes, turning once.


Tossed Salad
Dressing:

2 parts olive oil and 2 parts lemon juice (I like a really citrus-y dressing. You can change the ratio of oil to lemon juice to 3:1   If you... like Ted... prefer something less tart, add some honey (it is a good emulsifier to give the dressing a nice consistency and it has the added advantage of cutting back a bit on the tartness of the dressing)

salad
chopped avocado
peeled and chopped grapefruit (watch the seeds)
chopped leftover cooked asparagus
toasted pine nuts
some crumbled goat cheese
lettuce

CREOLE CHRISTMAS CAKE (from Vera Woods)

This cake is mostly dark, boozy fruit held together with cake batter.  This cake has no nuts but I add pecans.  I love the taste with nuts.

2 cups chopped dried apricots

2 cups dried cranberries or cherries

2 cups chopped dried pineapple

2 cups chopped pitted prunes

2 cups yellow raisins

2 cups Thompson raisins (dark)

1 cup candied orange peel

1 cup chopped dried figs (I don't add, but add more of above)

2/3 cup rum

2/3 cup brandy

2/3 cup port

2/3 cup Cointreau or Grand Marnier

2/3 cup water

2 teaspoons bitters

1 3-inch cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

3 cups Demerara sugar (dark brown & granular)

8 large eggs, beaten

3 cups self-rising flour (contains baking powder & salt)

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine fruit in a large pot.  Stir in rum, brandy, port, cointreau, water and bitters.  Add cinnamon stick, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and salt.  Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.  Remove fruit mixture to large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for five days, tossing it once a day.  (Add more booze if it dries out too much.)

Prepare cake pans.  This is a large amount of cake and will fit eight gift-sized loaf pans, four 8-inch square pans or any combination of other sizes.  Butter pans and line with parchment paper.

Page 2

CREOLE CHRISTMAS CAKE (from Vera Woods)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.  Beat together butter and sugar until well mixed.  Gradually beat in eggs a little at a time, adding some of the flour if the mixture starts to curdle.

Stir in remaining flour.  Add mixture with liquid to flour and egg mixture.  (Use your hands!)  Spoon into prepared pans and smooth the surface.  Loosely cover top with a double layer of parchment paper.

Bake for about 2 hours for small pans and up to 3 hours for large ones.  Test with a toothpick.  It should come out clean although the cake will be quite moist in the centre.

Cool pans on rack.  Unmould and wrap with foil.  Leave for about 1-2 weeks before cutting.

(I used 1 X 4 small loaf pan, 1 X 6 small loaf pan and 1 small loaf pan.  Don't fill pans too much.)

Bev and Kris work on a project while Andrea keeps busy with her camera and knitting needles

Grilled Veal Chops with Gremolata

With Christmas just around the corner we have begun baking shortbread cookies and biscotti in anticipation of having our houses once again filled with our children.  The sweet smells of baking are definitely making us pine for those busy family times. 

Friday night was a rare quiet evening at home, and we took advantage of this opportunity to give Marco another grilling lesson so that he might go home to Italy and recreate some dishes for his family over the holidays.  He grilled some delicious veal chops and we served them with a wild rice pilaf, roasted cauliflower and steamed asparagus. 

Grilled Veal Chops with Gremolata

4 veal chops

For the Marinade:

½ cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced

For the Gremolata:

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

Combine the marinade ingredients.  Place the veal chops in a re-sealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over top.  Let stand for ½ hour at room temperature, or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator. 

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH, then reduce heat to MEDIUM.  Brush the grids with olive oil.  Place the chops on the grill and cook for 4 minutes/4 minutes/4 minutes/ 4 minutes, following the directions for PerfectGrill Marks.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the Gremolata ingredients.  Sprinkle over the cooked chops.  

LAMB APPETIZERS

Matt, Andre and Jackie enjoy the salads

There seems to have been a lot of celebrating going on lately! Gathering around the table with family and friends is the heart of this blog, but you might think that occasionally,  we would run out of reasons for celebrations.  Luckily for us, it never seems to happen!  Of course, our gatherings are always accompanied by a lot of eating, and therefore, a lot of cooking.  This week, we were able to hand over the cooking spotlight to others to do the majority of the work. But we can never be left out of the fun of preparing a great party - and besides, we love grilling! We thought that we would try grilling a few lamb appetizers this week, for 2 very special parties that we were part of.

, 

Grilling at night! Beautiful!

We asked Ryan and Carly from MamaPapa Catering to organize the food for a dinner with the lawyers at Sorbara, Schumacher, McCann. Ryan made a wonderful buffet which included grilled beef striploin with herb jus, potato pave, roasted winter vegetables, green bean and savoy cabbage hash and more. His dessert buffets are legendary and include small pots of creme brulee, pot de creme with fruit compote and cream, and cookies. No kidding, you can have one of each and not feel guilty! The Grilled Lamb Chop Appetizers were my favorite. Ryan buys top quality lamb chops from Charles Quality Meats of St. Agatha, and grills them quickly over high heat. He told me how he prepared them, and I hope that I do him justice with this simple recipe.

Ryan made full use of The Broil King, grilling the striploins and lamb chops on the back deck, while he used the oven for the vegetables and potato pave

Medium-rare, just the way we like it!

Grilled Lamb Chops

Carly could not serve the Lamb Chops fast enough!

This is a wonderful appetizer, easy to prepare and serve to a large crowd. They are best eaten medium-rare and cook quickly, so do not walk away from the grill, since you do not want them to be over-cooked (or burnt).


Preheat grill on HIGH for 5 minutes. Brush grids with vegetable oil. Meanwhile, rub lamb chops with olive oil, salt & pepper, garlic and fresh herbs(optional). Reduce heat to medium and place lamb chops on grids. Grill for 2 minutes, flip and grill for 2 more minutes, turn and flip the chops again and grill for 2 more minutes, finally, flip the chops and grill for 2 more minutes (total of 8 minutes). Remove from grill and let rest, covered with foil for 5 minutes. Serve.



 HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARU!!

The other special celebration this week was Charu's 30th birthday. Jordan invited family and friends to join him in surprising her with a dinner party. He grilled a couple of beef tenderloins, Charu's mom prepared some wonderful Indian dishes, and the rest of us brought salads and appetizers. We made the grilled mini lamb burgers and served them on mini pitas with mango chutney.

Jordan and Dave supervise the grilling of the Beef Tenderloin

Surprise!

Abby and Madeleine keep the guests fed!

Vijay can not believe that his daughter is 30!

Grilled Mini Lamb Burgers with Spicy Mango Chutney

 1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

 ½  tsp allspice

1 ½ tsp salt

2 lbs ground lamb

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

½ cup raisins, chopped

3 tbsp toasted pine nuts, chopped

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

2 packages mini pita bread

1 bottle  Pataks Major Grey Chutney

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH for 10 minutes. Brush the grids with vegetable oil.  Reduce heat to MEDIUM.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions , until soft and translucent,  about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 2 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, allspice and salt and cook another minute. Cool.

Combine the ground lamb, onion mixture, cilantro, bread crumbs, raisins, toasted pine nuts and egg.  Mix gently with hands until well blended. Form into small 1 ½ inch mini patties.  You should be able to make about 36 mini burgers from this mixture.

Grill 7-8 minutes, turning once.  Serve with mango chutney in mini pitas.

RENU  NEVER STOPS COOKING

ABBY AND GRANDMA ENJOY THE EVENING