Holiday Open House ~ December 1-31

[PatH]

Holiday Open House ~ December 1-20

LINKS Culinary Mysteries Authors & Their Recipes

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'Tis the season to be jolly and to talk about:  BOOKS  AND  FOOD Who's your favorite cook? Julia Child?   Nigella Lawson?   Emeril? Or maybe they exist only in books: Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Baer? Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson? Have you ever tried their recipes? Come join us this holiday season, share your thoughts. What's good to read and good to eat?

Discussion Leaders:   Pedln & JoanK

[Gumtree]

Bellamarie: I must say that I have never tasted blood pudding - and don't intend to start now. I guess it all comes down to custom and what one is brought up with and used to - or how hungry one is. The Australian aboriginals eat live witchetty grubs straight from the bark of the tree - and in season they feast on the Bogong Moth - they needed these things for protein and even today regard them as luxuries. It's not so strange really - lots of folk eat live oysters straight from the shell.

Marjifay Is the gluten in the wheat the problem - or wheat per se. There are lots of recipes for gluten free breads, pasta etc. and some are available in health stores -

[pedln]

Gumtree, your mango allergy brought back memories.  One of the houses we rented in Puerto Rico had a mango tree and also a guest room above the garage.  My mother fell in love with mangoes and you’d find her either standing over the kitchen sink or leaning over the guest room porch railing, mango juice dripping down.  Then when she returned to the States, an awful rash appeared, and of course at first she was clueless, never having heard of mango rash before.  Poor woman couldn’t win for losing --  another house, another visit, my son and his dog gave up their bed.  We didn’t know the dog had fleas.  And her favorite chair was Mom’s favorite chair. 

JoanP, I’ve never heard of an allergy to avocados.  I’d hate that, one of my favorite foods.  These adult onset allergies can be scary.  Don’t let your son eat any peanuts. The Washington Post had an article last spring about a man who thought he had an allergy to seafood, but come to find out it was an allergy to red meat, which in turn had been triggered by a tick bite.  Scary scary reactions, emergency room, etc.  So, this past weekend, when my daughter told me that she had developed an allergy to red meat over the past few years, even from just eating a BLT, I alerted her to the article, and she has since corresponded with the U-VA professor  who conducted the study mentioned in it.  Joan, like you, her reactions are getting more severe. She promised she would get an e-pen.  red meat allergy

Jackie, speaking of chili, have you read The 27-ingredient Chili con Carne Murder by  Virginia Rich/Nancy Pickard.  A fun read and includes good recipes.  One of them is an easy baked appetizer made with canned chilies, and I don’t remember what else.  I’ve made it and the recipe is hiding somewhere on my computer. (My DIL is so organized – she has loose leaf notesbooks (plural) for all the recipes she collects.  Too bad that doesn't rub off.)

Bring on the tiramisu, Bellamarie, that has to be my very favorite dessert.  But so many steps to make it.  Fortunately, Target carries it at a reasonable price, and it’s pretty tasty. (Archer Farms brand, maybe?)  But it can't beat eating it at a special Italian restaurant when you're celebrating.  Enjoy.

[mrssherlock]

Allergies can sure make life miserable.  My daughter is allergic to almost all fresh vegetables and fruit. Plus some commonly found checmicals.  Balsamic vinegar is used in every type of restaurant these days; she has to  be  very careful of salads.  Her allergies became active when she was eating a peach one summer.  The membranes in her throat swelled, making it difficult to breathe.  Then she had skin tests and there were more than 100d items on it.  This has made her very anxious about eating out; almost paranoid, though with good reason.  My son also has allergies, though not as severe.  He can't eat peanuts or mushrooms, among other things.  A further complication to choosing recipes is the fact that there is alcololism on both sides of the family so recipes using wine are out.  Their father had allergies but my family is free from them.

[straudetwo]

For me, Nora Ephron's book Heartburn, 1983,  was a revelation --  and a surprise because it contained actual recipes that could be duplicated (!) The novel is  based on the author's marriage to Carl Bernstein (of Watergate fame with Bob Woodward) and occasioned a lawsuit  by him.   The paperback is in the house,  I'm sure, but I haven't had time to look for it.  I'd like to see what exactly Nora, or Rachel Comstat, the protagonist and food writer, cooked up.   I will continue the search.

Nora Ephron is a brilliant writer and essayist, and  obviously an expert cook herself. She was the driving force behind the movie ulie and Julia about Julia Child and the woman who cooked all of her recipes in a tiny kitchen.  Oh my word ...

[JoanK]

Just reading that Roman meal sent my cholesterol sky high!! At least, they ate beeetroot! The only thing that might have saved them is that they probably didn't eat that way every day (I hope).

The Christmas Cookie Club sounds good. But so does "The Christmas Cookie Sprinkle Snatcher" That could be describing me as a kid. I loved those sprinkles.
 

[pedln]

straudetwo, you mentioned Heartburn someplace else, and motivated me to get the book from the library.  I haven’t read it yet, and haven’t scanned enough to find the recipes.  Nor did I know it was a film, starring again, Meryl Streep.  That should be an interesting comparison seeing her in those two different movies.

Jackie, their allergies really make things difficult for your son and daughter.  Not only do you worry about the individual items themselves, but also there is sometimes cross contamination from cooking utensils, etc.  Probably more prevalent in restaurants than at home.

[pedln]

For the chili lovers among us. Here’s the recipe from the 27-Ingredient Chili Con Carne Murder.   Eugenia Potter is the character who makes this dish.  It’s so easy you could make it in your sleep.

Chile Rellenos
3 small (6 oz) cans chilies, split, laid flat
¾ lb. grated monterey jack cheese
¾ lb. longhorn cheese (cheddar)
3 eggs
3 Tbsp. flour
1 can condensed milk
1 6 oz. jar tack sauce.

Layer  in 9 x 12 casserole  (or 2 9" pie plates): chilies, cheeses, ending with cheese on top.
In small bowl or blender mix well the eggs, flour, and milk.  Pour over the chili-cheese mixture.
Bake at 350 for 30 min.
Top with 6 oz. jar taco sauce and bake 30 min. more.

[bellamarie]

Went out Christmas shopping tonight and looked for The Christmas Cookie Club, and have not found it.  I'm headed for our mall for more Christmas shopping tomorrow,  it has a Borders and across the street a Barnes & Noble, so I am hoping to find it there.  One of my closest friends who was in our Bunko/Christmas cookie switch club passed away just two years ago, I just know one of the characters is surely going to bring me great memories of her, and all the other wonderful friends that I shared such fun times with.

pedln,  I had no idea Target carries tiramisu, Yum, I have a Target just 2 minutes from my house I will have to check it out.  Thanks for the tip.

[Babi]

 Actually, JOANP, I think swimming in salt water is supposed to be good
for you. People recovering from serious wounds used to be advised to go
swimming in the ocean, as the salt water helped in the healing. Of course,
that was back when the water was cleaner. Now there are so many places it
wouldn't be safe to swim, much less swallow any of the water.

Oh, dear, BELLA. That looks like far too much work! I'd rather try that
at a good Italian restaurant and let them do the work. We do have a very good Italian restaurant locally, but I'm not sure if they do cannoli. We are usually far too full to even consult the dessert list.

 I learned about the many colored salts just recently, PAT. I'd love to
have seen that display. I wonder if their is any difference in the tastes?
Did you try any of them?

lots of folk eat live oysters straight from the shell.

Not me, GUM!!!

  The granddaughter that lives in Boston loves tiramisu. I'll have to see
if she knows about the tiramisu at Target. There's bound to be one
within reach, right?  Aren't they everywhere?!

[sandyrose]

What a neat discussion this is.  I have spent most of the morning reading posts and adding book titles to my already too long list of books to read.

Like mrssherlock, I read in bed for about two hours every night and sometimes into the wee hours.

As to books with recipes, I enjoy the Maggie Sefton knitting mysteries.  And since Pete's cafe is a big part of the stories I have copied Pete's Pecan pie recipe and will try it soon.  The best part of these books for me is they also include a knitting pattern.  I placed a hold at the library for Fleece Navidad.  That should have a Christmas recipe.

Anyone care to post the punch line to Ginny's joke?  Hope I did not miss it in a previous post as I do not have clue.  

[JoanP]

I love to knit, I love pecan pie = Sandy, I'm off to the library this afternoon and while I'm there, I'll look for a Maggie Sefton mystery.  Thanks!  Just for that I'll let you in on the punch line to Ginny's  groaner...

You have two hippos, a male and a female, right?  The Russian and Czech scientists had been studying them in the wild.  The scientists have both gone missing.

The autopsy revealed that the female hippo had swallowed the Russian scientist. But what happened to the Czech scientist?

Oh, Sandy, I can't bring myself to provide the punch line...will wait for the light to go on for you!

[PatH]

SPOILER!

I can't bear to see anyone suffer.  I'll write it small.

The Czech is in the male.
The check is in the mail.

[mrssherlock]

Path:   

[straudetwo]

What a wonderful exchange this is - ranging beyond holiday cooking! Take the puzzle, for example.
I am at a total loss. Would someone please provide the solution? Is it to be found in the culinary or the political field?

Pedln, thank you for the chili appetizer recipe, which I have added to my collection.
It is obviously quite a large one and contains notes with hand-written recipes by an aunt,  and even my mother, who never ever shared a recipe with anyone, and with me only after I left the country and came here to live here ...

I never tasted turkey until we came here.T   he traditional Christmas meal for my family was Roasted Goose -  aaaaahhh, the noble bird, famous in history, fable and rhyme  sacred to the Egyptians, and guardians to the Romans (cackling geese warned of approaching Gauls!!); a goose honking in a clear sky bespoke good fortune.

Alas,  in calorie-conscious 20th entury America the fattened goose fell out of favor ----- but it IS making a [omeback .  My supermarket expects a shipment of frozen geese this coming week, and I'm confident I can proceed with the menu.  
The main featureis the goose;  it will have an Orange Stuffing and be accompanied by Cumberland Sauce.  The preparation is a great deal easier than people believe.

From my years in Italy I well remember that a meal of Seven Fishes was served for Christmas Eve, and my Italian friends in Boston maintain the tradition.

Tiramisu, the dessert:  Tiramisu - tira = pull = mi = me = su = up is a modified trifle- you might say, built up, as the name indicates.   I tasted it for the first time in Venice, several years before it made its way to the shores.

[JoanK]

That's a real groaner!!

WELCOME, SANDYROSE. The knitting books sound great. Are they mysteries? I assume you are a knitter. Is there a knitting discussion in our sister site: Seniors and Friends?

And a good recipe for pecan pie is not to be sneezed at. My son-in-law (author of the cookbooks in the heading picture) makes a great one -- not as sweet as most.

[straudetwo]

JoanK,   we posted at roughly the same time, and I went over the post to spot ty pos (grrr).  Sorry

[JoanK]

Glad you waned me, or I wouldn't have gone back and seen your post. I'm not sure I've ever tasted goose. Is it like duck, but more so?

I'm fond of tirimesu. As it becomes more and more popular, we seem to get more and more versions: every time I eat it at a new place, it's different.

[sandyrose]

Joank, yes the Maggie Sefton books are mysteries--cozy mysteries, easy reads. 

  The check is in the mail....Haaaaaaa! The only thing I could think of was the Hippo burger on the menu at the Longbranch last night--two and one half pounds of meat.  Ugh.  Not for me.  I had the prime rib sandwich.  Delicious.

straudetwo, the goose dinner sounds wonderful. 

Seniors and Friends??  Is there a link??

[JoanK]

It's the second topic here:

http://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?board=9.0

I'm not in it, so I can't say how many knitters there are.

But don't forget to come in here as well !!

[bellamarie]

Okay, I am exhausted from a full day of Christmas shopping, but I did make it to Borders in our mall.  They had The Christmas Cookie Club book, but I have to admit after spending so much today on presents, I didn't have the heart to spend the money they were asking for it.  I let my kids know I would like it for a present from them.  Instead I did buy a book with three stories in it, Debbier Macomber Silver Bells,  Sherryl Woods The Perfect Holiday, and Robyn Carr  Under The Christmas Tree  for only $7.99.  And since I got such a good deal on that book I decided to buy another of Debbie Macomber's books with two stories in it, Christmas Letters, and Rainy Day Kisses for only $7.99. So I am all set to begin my holiday reading.

Babi, I agree, that recipe does look like alot of work, and I certainly don't have the time to make them, so I usually buy them at church bake sales. lol  The only baking I do for Christmas is with my five grandchildren.  We have a sleepover night and they all enjoy baking regular cut out sugar cookies and decorating them.  Oh the wonderful pictures I have to look back on.  All five of them manage to cover their faces with flour and laugh as they look at their pictures.  In the morning we have a big breakfast that Papa makes, and we divide up the decorated cookies for each family to take home with them.  It's a wonderful time for me and my husband to have them all to ourselves.   My hubby is a mailman and has been on his wonderful route for 20 yrs., so all the elderly ladies send him home with tons of yummy home baked goods.  They know mine and his favorites and manage to stuff us each year.  God bless their sweet souls.

[sandyrose]

Thankyou for the link JoanK  I will take a look, but for now I am enjoying this discussion.   

[Babi]

 Oh, Bella, what a holiday dream. An entire mail route's worth of elderly
=like us= ladies sharing their holiday goodies with you and your husband.
Lucky![/b]  

[pedln]

Sandy, welcome.  I’m not familiar with Maggie Sefton or her books, and our library does not appear to have any.  Will have to check the used book store.  Do you also read Kate Jacobs?  My f2f read The Friday Night Knitting Club which was a real eye-opener for me, all the different fabrics and materials used in knitting.  Jacobs has a recipe for Maple-Apple Muffins in the Author link above, and which can be made with gluten-free flour, Marjifay.

Bella, the elderly ladies on your husband’s route are lucky that he has been their carrier for so many years.  I live on a one block dead-end, and we seem to have many different carriers, subs and temporary workers.

I’ve read a bit into Gaile Parkin’s Baking Cakes in Kigali, and am finding it fascinating.  It’s easy to pick up and put down, perhaps while reading another book, because while there is continuity in the novel, there’s also a sense of completeness in the individual chapters.  I love the cadence in the dialog, much like in the McCall Smith books, though I believe this title has more depth.  Not everyone is happy, but they are willing to work to solve their problems. Author Parkin was raised in Zambia.  More about both author and title --

Baking Cakes

Gaile Parkin

The New York Times has reviewed Holiday Cook Books, and two, maybe three, would be on my list, if I were still buying cookbooks --

THE PLEASURES OF COOKING FOR ONE by Judith Jones, 50 years a Knopf editor, starting with JC’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Gourmet Today, compiled by editor Ruth Reichl and published just two weeks before the magazine’s demise.

LA CUCINA: The Regional Cooking of Italy

Holiday Cook Books

The rest of them look too complicated for me.
 

[bellamarie]

pedln,  Yes, my hubby has had his mail route since 1984.  He is very blessed to have the great route, as he patrons are blessed to have him.  He has become a part of most of their families, sharing their first time moving in, first babies, first going to school, graduating, weddings, and sadly to say many funerals of the ones who were there from the start.  It sounds like where you are located Pedln, you are considered what they call a floating route, which is why you have so many different mail carriers.  They made lots of changes in routes this past few months and my hubby's long time patrons who he no longer has are complaining.  They all want him back.  I told him he spoiled them as much as they spoiled him.  I feel sad, because when I say the elderly, I am speaking of 80's, 90's and near 100 yr olds.  They looked forward to seeing him every day as a sense of security and friendship.

[JoanK]

Bellemarie: they are indeed blessed. That sense of continuity and friendship is hard to come by in today's mobile world.

Sandyrose: great. We're glad to have you. I'll put Sefton on my list. Our friends in "Mystery Corner" probably already know about it.

[bellamarie]

JoanK, Yes, I agree, it is hard to come by and when he retires I know how much he will miss them, and they will also miss him.

I just finished reading the Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren.  It is a lovely Christmas story and Marianne's recipe for clam chowder is in the back of the book.  This book can be read in one night or day setting.  I had no idea there was a recipe in the book when I purchased it.  It is about family holiday traditions, hospitality, christianity, and has hilarious parts in it.

Warren Family Christmas Clam Chowder

8-12 strips of bacon (cut into small squares before browning)
1 medium finely chopped onion
3 stalks chopped celery
4 potatoe, diced
2-3 cups boiling water (enough to cover potatoes)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1-3    6 1/2oz cans minced clams
dash nutmeg
salt and pepper

Brown bacon until crispy; remove from pan.  Brown onions in bacon fat, saute' celery.  Drain off grease.  Add water, salt and pepper to taste, add potatoes.  Cook until potatoes are tender. (Can mash some in the pot to make a thicker soup.)  Add clams (with juice).  Heat milk in seperate pan until scaled-add to soup.  Add half-and-half; heat through.  Granish with nutmeg.  Enjoy with homemade bread (and don't forget the Christmas cookies!).

[mrssherlock]

I'm salivating though I just finished breakfast.

[JoanK]

That sounds delicious and easy. Noy heart-healthy, but then Christmas is not heart-healthy.

[JoanK]

Thanks, PatH, for putting in the heading: it blew right by me, this is such a lively discussion. I mentioned before that my son-in-law wrote the three cookbooks in the heading. The first: "Help, my Apartment has a Kitchen", he wrote in college. He found he was spending all his money on take-out, so he asked his mother for recipes, and learned how to cook. Later, the two of them wrote the cookbook about their experiences. It's been a bestseller among young adults ever since. They followed it with three more.

My favorite is the third "Chocolate on the Brain". Each recipe is accompanied by a fact about the history of chocolate, starting with it's use as money by the Incas, through its denounciation as a promoter of sin in the middle ages, to the invention of the candy bar.

Unfortunately, at the time he wrote it, his wife (my daughter) was pregnant, and trying to watch her weight. Here she is on a diet, while he is kitchen-testing dozens of chocolate recipes. Not a good combination. But they, and the cookbook survived.

[JoanK]

This site is contageous. I just went over to the Kim site and started to talk about food. Guess I'll go over to Story of Civilization and asked what the Medicis served at those dinners where they poisoned everyone.

Or it might be simpler just to get something to eat.

[salan]

I just got back from the library.  I was only going to return books, but alas; I came home with 5 more to read.  I'm afraid that I am a hopeless cause because I don't want to be cured.  I finished Christmas with Paula Deen.  None of the recipes inspired me.  I already have most of the recipes and the others did not sound like something I wanted to try.  Part of the problem is that I do not enjoy cooking as much as I used to.  However, I still enjoy reading cookbooks and recipes.
I checked out A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber, Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke and The Christmas Train by David Baldacci.  Have any of you read these?  I will let you know when/if I finish them.

I haven't figured out how to underline words using the icons above.  My daughter calls me a techno-tard and she's right.  Basically, I am self-taught and haven't figured out short cuts, etc.  Oh well......
Sally

[nlhome]

Salan, I enjoyed Baldacci's The Christmas Train.

[JoanK]

I enjoyed "The Cream Puff Murder". I like Macumber's books, but don't think I've read that one.

[bellamarie]

Sally, I am new to Debbie Macomber, she was recommended to me by several friends and my two sisters.  I purchased two of her Christmas books and will begin one tomorrow.  I am amazed at how many books she has written.  I've only heard good comments about her.  I looked at her Cedar Cove cookbook at Borders, it looked like simple easy recipes, I just didn't want to spend the money, because like you, I don't enjoy cooking as much anymore.  Since all the kids have married, I cook for holidays, and family get togethers.  The rest of the time, my hubby and I take turns or eat out.  I am liking the recipes here, and plan to try a few of them.  So imagine that...Senior Learn is giving me a new attitude about cooking.

To underline any word or words, all you do is highlight them by right clicking your mouse and dragging it to highlight which words you want to underline, then click the U key above that has the underline below it.  Notice how before the words you highlight there will be brackets [ ], with a U inside them, and at the end of the words, the same brackets with the / and U inside.  While typing you can use this if you like. We are all learning something new here at Senior Learn, and there is usually someone who can always provide us with help.  Good Luck!

[pedln]

Clam chowder is one of my favorite soups, so for sure, I’ve already added the Warren Family recipe to my collection.  It looks like the most difficult part would be to peel the potatoes and cut up the celery, and I think I can handle that.  Thanks, Bellamarie.

Very smart of your SIL (and/or Amazon), JoanK, to make accessible the index to Chocolate on the Brain.  Who wouldn’t want the book after looking at that list of all those chocolate yummies. I’m thinking it might be good for one of the grands.

Do any of you remember a few years back when we discussed Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran, about three Iranian sisters who settled in a small town in Ireland and opened up a restaurant? Led by Adoannie.  Lots of recipes included.  And now there is a sequel – Rosewater and Soda Bread – has anyone read it?  I wonder how long you can keep pomegranate juice.  I had every intention of making the soup when we read the book, but    .     .      .      .

I always come home inspired to cook new things after visiting my son and his family, because my DIL is a terrific cook, not afraid to tackle anything.  Mostly I’m just collecting her recipes, but there are a few things that I’ve made more than once.  Here’s a link to Nigella Lawson’s Breakfast Bars, which are easy, tasty, AND healthy.  And you can easily deviate and substitute. 

Nigella Lawson's Breakfast Bars

[nlhome]

Well, I get to stay in, finish reading Rest You Merry, work on the Christmas cards we send to folks far away, and watch the snow blow past the windows.
We're having a blizzard. First time in a long time that my office has been closed for the weather.

[Babi]

Bella, and Sally, I think you have to left-click to highlight.

 Okay, for all you chocolate lovers, I'm going to give you Joanna Fluke's
recipe for Chocolate Truffles. 

  CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

6tbs chilled butter (3/4 stick)
12-oz. pkg. semi-sweet choclate chips
1/2 c. firmly packed powdered sugar (confectioners)
6 egg yolks
1 T. rum, brandy, or vanilla extract.

Put an inch or so of water in bottom half of a double boiler and heat to a
gentle boil. Cut the butter into chunks and place in the top half with the chips, and then the powdered sugar.  Set over the bottom half of the
double boiler and cover with the lid.
  While that melts, beat the egg yolks in a small bowl with a whisk.
Combine thoroughly but not to the point they become fluffy or light in
color. 
  Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted.  It will be thick. Remove
the chocolate from the heat, setting the top on a cool burner.  Stir in
egg yolks a few spoonfuls at a time, until chocolate is smooth and glossy.  Stir in the flavoring of choice, cover, and refrigerate for three
hours.
  Roll the chilled chocolate into ball with your hands. Dip into bowls of
powdered sugar, shaved chocolate, or cocoa. {personal note: sugar
and chocolate seems like a bit of overkill. I would prefer chopped nuts}
Place in ruffled bonbon papers and store in tightly covered container in
the refrigerator.  Yield: 4 to 5 dozen, depending on size of balls.

 

[mrssherlock]

Joan Medlicott has written a series of cozy "feel good" books about three women in their 60s who band tobether and move to one of the Carolinas to lie in a house one of them inherited.  Not great literature but it is satisfying to rad about their struggles and successes.  The latest is called Blue and Gray Christmas based on the discovery of some letters and journals from two civil war soldiers, one "blue" and one Gray" who are left for dead on a battle field.  Their rescuer is an elderly mountain woman who has come to the saite of the battle to bury her grandson, all the family she has left.  She carries the two men off to her mountaintop home and helps them heal from their wounds.  The Ladies of Covington, as the series is called, are inspired by the narratives of the two men.  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/joan-medlicott/

[JoanK]

JACKIE:Oh, my, that sounds interesting and unusual.

BABI: yum. Have you made it.

nlhome: I'll bet you feel cozy. But I don't envy tomorrow, when you have to drive in the remains.