This Christmas Part Four

The beginning of Las posadas

The tradition of Las Posadas is celebrated in the Latin American countries and communities starts on this day, just nine days before Christmas.

Meaning “the shelters” or “The Inns”, this is a religious and social procession led by children, followed by adults and musicians. They travel to a different house in the neighborhood each night looking for lodging.

At each house a song is exchanged and they are finally allowed in for a party.

Many of Latin descent today have morphed this into more of a secular series of get together's at friends homes on each of the nights leading to Christmas day. It is a great way of connecting and socializing during this season. 

Each of these usually don't last more than a single drink or two and maybe an exchange of tokens of friendships. A way of spreading the warmth of caring during the middle of the coldest months!

This is just one variation of one tradition you might consider shaping into something that fits you and your loved ones!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Well what have we learned in our nighttime travels? What makes the “Joy” and “Magic”? We have seen kids eyes excited by getting not just a gift, but something that someone found out they really wanted!

OK, maybe that was more of an adult interpretation of what they felt, but slave thinks it is more at the root of the feeling.

We have seen the happiness of concentrating on the positive memories from our past and not the sadness of loss.

We have seen the simple joy that even a little bit of effort for someone else brings. For just tiny touches can brighten the day.

We have seen how time spent, attention, doing little things, basic caring all come together to join the smiles and company of those we love and suddenly it is magic!

For caregivers, it should come as no shock. As a slave, I understand the wonderful feeling that comes from doing small things for someone can bring. So even if this is not the complete, great, all-encompassing answer to the truth we sought, it will do as a working hypothesis. And we have work to do. Yet can we call it work when it is so enjoyable?

Tonight slave shall try out a new recipe!

Sweet Corn Bread Pudding

 Even though this is called a pudding it is more of a cornbread dressing to be served as a side dish.

 

 Ingredients

• ½ onion, diced fine
• 1 ounce unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• 1 (15oz) can creamed style sweet corn
• 1 (15oz) can sweet corn
• 1 cup non-fat Half and Half
• 2 eggs
  

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup yellow cornmeal, whole grain, stone ground
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 2 cups cubed French or Ciabatta bread
  

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a muffin pan

 

Sweat onions with butter and herbs in a skillet until translucent.
 







Combine corn, cream, eggs, baking powder, cornmeal, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 









Add cubed bread and fold to combine.

 














Empty the skillet into the bowl and mix well with the batter/bread mixture.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until set.

Cool slightly before serving.

=========================

Serving my Master Indy

socialslave

 

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

This Christmas part three

We have a good start on our journey to become Agents of Christmas. By now the menu should be set in our minds for the big day. We should try to get as much done ahead of time to allow us to enjoy the magic also!

Ah yes! For how can we project that wonderful warmth of heart if we are all loaded down with stress? Let's check our “Bah Humbug” meters: how many times have we said the word “No” today? Could we have expressed our point in other ways? “No” is the paradigm of negativity. Lets keep an eye out for that little irritant in our lotion of happiness.

Back to the Menu:

Roast Turkey breast

Gravy

Cornbread stuffing (going to test run a new recipe on Monday)

Home made Cranberry sauce

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Mashed potatoes

Desert Roasted Butternut Squash tartlet

Remember to leave yourself some “wiggle” room in this just in case a certain someone expresses a wish for something else. 

 

Slave was out late one night with best friend Charlie having coffee as we chatted into the wee small hours. When asked about his “Magic” of Christmas.

“I think about all of the great people I got to be with. Family members – friends, all telling stories and laughs. “I don't feel sad because they are gone. “Instead I feel happiness because I got to know and be with them.”

That was magical.

My mind pictured the many scenes of them together: laughing and talking. Just being together! Isn't this at least one of the greatest parts of Christmas? Lets think about that and what makes it so good?

How easy to fall into the trap of self pity of being left behind. That will not be our role this Christmas! We are Agents of the magic, the happiness, the love!

Lets brace ourselves for another blast of cold as we fly off to another space and time.

 

My friend June, relates how when she graduated with her degree, her first job was to be with the NSA. Now this was back in the fifties! We can only imagine how secretive it was back then.

Here was this young woman, fresh out of school, all by herself almost locked-up in a closed camp outside of Washington DC. Socializing was not allowed. She didn't even have her horn yet and could not yet be part of the military bands.

She faced Christmas in this drab barracks: away from her friends, her large sized family, even her twin sister!

"I came down to the mess hall and there on the tables were small bowls of different kinds of nuts! “There were special bows on the place settings, oh you can't imagine how pretty they were! "How bright and shiny! “Doesn’t sound like much now but it was so special at the time. “After dinner, I went to the break room and curled up with a book next to the Christmas tree with all of its lights and decorations. “It was just so wonderful”.

Have our thoughts of Christmas and our images changed so very much in the 60 years since then? Could we be overlooking something?

We still have more than a week but we MUST focus our minds so that we may bring the joy of the season. Can't wait until the big day for that!

I travel back in my mind to my early Christmases. Using tools like what Charlie has given me to look past the losses. Look past the “didn't haves”. Look past the hurts and tears, to that time of wonder.

The first thing that pops up was climbing onto the couch at night with the room lights out. The tree was lit bright with many different colors. Points of light gleamed from all kinds of different angles. Bright patterns were played on the walls. I used to squint my eyes so that it all was bright sparkly wonderful colors! I would hop back and forth to see it in different angles. What joy to behold!

It all comes back! The piney smell of sap from the tree. The soft caress of the flannel pajamas and robe.

Ah now it was time for the most important part of the season. My brother and I would climb up in Mom's lap and she would pull out the book! Every year she would read this same magic book out loud every night. It just wasn't Christmas until her animated voice would intone the first words: “Marley was dead to begin with..”

Thus our very own Christmas Carol would begin. Our minds would fill with the scenes. We had no idea that she was teaching or that we were learning at all. It was just there. Is it any wonder I know most of the words to this day?

I can still picture Scrooge’s house set back from the street “like as a child it had run there to hide and gotten lost”. Or learning that “locomotive” was at the time what we would call a horse drawn hearse, rather than a rail road train!

The sights, the sounds, the smells the feels!
 
Ah so much has filled our Christmas jelly mould and it is yet to firm up. All of these stories point to the same fundamental elements of what makes up Christmas joy!

 

Have you seen it? Have you put it together yet? Lets allow things to come together tonight and we shall see in the morning. Together we shall have that “Ah Ha” moment! For right now let us enjoy the lights and music as we sail across the night time sky!

Serving my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

This Christmas part two

Joyeux Noël partie deux!

Yesterday we started this countdown to Christmas and set out on a search to become Agents of Christmas!

First step today is to clean out the refrigerator, slave KNOWS you still have something in there from Thanksgiving – get rid of it! It is no longer good and you need the space!

Start putting together ideas for what You want to serve on Christmas day. This might sound a bit early to you but really it is not. Slave asked Master what He wanted and was told Turkey white meat as long as it was juicy! Well, the thought that slave would EVER serve Master dry meat... Oh well. The point is with any kind of turkey, if you don't buy it this weekend, all you are going to find is going to be those huge 50 pounders that are about 100 years old and will take till February to thaw!

Slave picked out a frozen turkey breast yesterday and could only find a 6½ lbs one! Now that IS a lot of turkey, but it is manageable.

Slave intends to brine this bird to insure a great tasting meal. All of this has to be taken into account. Frozen turkeys are most typically injected with a sodium solution, so look for one that says “No solution”. So we begin to count backwards from the big meal itself.

According to the Butterball website certain guidelines should be followed. For instance:

“As a rule, you should brine your turkey 60 minutes per pound.”

“Place unopened roast (Turkey Breast) on a tray in refrigerator for 1½ to 2 days, or until thawed.”

When thawed, keep in refrigerator until ready to cook. Cook within 4 days of thawing.”

Now the Frozen Turkey breast is in my freezer. (Note: know the temps that your refrigerator maintains.) Cheap thermometers can give you an accurate idea on this. General refrigeration is usually 40 degrees and the freezer should be kept at zero to 10 below zero.

Slaves freezer is much colder than it should be so more time must be allowed for thawing.

Thawing can be done under cold water that is changed every 30 minutes, however that takes a lot of work and can be dangerous! Slave recommends that since you have the time, use it to thaw in the refrigerator.

When “the book” says it will take two days, slave allows 4 because it will keep well for four additional days under refrigeration, then there will be another overnight in the brine. So those were all taken into account and slave has decided that it will have to move the bird from freezer to lowest shelf of refrigerator on Wednesday the 18th. There will be reminders!

Let's take a break! While in the poultry section, slave found some chicken thighs so it created this recipe for you to use anytime you wish.

Shinnecock Chicken

Why Did the chicken cross Long Island?

That's really none of your business!

1 pkg Boneless skinless Chicken thighs (about 1½ lbs)

1 14.5 oz can diced new potatoes

1 14.5 oz can mixed vegetables

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (w/garlic and basil)

½ cup diced celery

½ cup minced onion

4 tbs balsamic white wine vinegar

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees

Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish

In a large frying pan brown the chicken thighs on both sides for only about 8 -10 minutes total, just want to bring color!

In a large bowl mix the drained cans of new potatoes and mixed vegetables with the celery and onion. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir. Now dump the UNDRAINED can of tomatoes and mix well.

Spread this in the baking pan to serve as a bed for the browned chicken thighs. Arrange them with biggest part to the outer edge of pan. Spray them well with more cooking spray and bake for 30 minutes or until their juice run clear. Chicken temps reach 170 degrees

================================

Any left over vegetables can be heated with ½ to 1 lbs of browned beef and a sauce added, either a brown gravy or perhaps a cheese sauce.

Serving Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

While shopping, slave has been asking: “What makes Christmas magic for you?” So far many have responded with: “Seeing my grandchildren's eyes when they open the presents.”

What can we learn from that? Not everyone is going to be around children that morning.

So what makes their eyes get that look? Is it surprise? Or could it be “That's JUST what I wanted?” How did you know? Let us tuck that thought into our hearts to think about as we continue on our quest....

 

This Christmas!

“Marley was dead to begin with!” 

I sit staring at my gift. Childlike eyes peer at the wrapping wondering whats inside. This gift is to serve! But How? The gift slave is offering this year is a type of road map, OK – showing my age – GPS to the wonder of Christmas that we can offer to those we serve.

It will take the form of a bi-level approach:

1) simple planning of holiday meal,

2) focus on how to present the non-religious essentials of this holiday beneath the spending.

We will bring joy!

Now everybody will tell you that Christmas is magical. What makes it that for you?

It has to be more than the same old music. More than the tree. More than “the” meal. More than all the crowds and spending. The bells shrilly ringing everywhere we turn! Oh My God how to handle the stress? How to bring JOY to the ones I care for?

Well what is Christmas joy? Don't tell me joy is only in reliving old memories. Or in the candles, or cheap tinsel, or aromas, or candies, or nuts, did I remember to buy nuts? You know how expensive those are?

Stop, take a breath.

Yes, all of these can be a part, but it has to be something else, something that often gets overlooked, something more basic. That is what we are going to find together as we walk toward the big day itself. Time does not speed up any more than it used to crawl when we were kids waiting.

We are going to find and put together the “whatever it is” that is the essence of Christmas joy for our loved ones, the people we care for. Wither they be children, husbands, wives, Masters, pets, however they “self identify”. Together we are going to make Christmas!

 We are going to make the magic, the joy, the warmth of Christmas. Since we agree that is not a matter of money, lets look for it in places that don't demand that much cash. This could be called a church-mouse Christmas!

We will go over recipes, of course. But also think of ways to decorate, enliven, uplift, bring smiles, forge old traditions into our own making.

So, like that old miser Scrooge, touch my robe as we soar into the night on our glorious quest to be the agents of Christmas!

Serving my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore. To nourish, support and maintain. To gratify, spoil, comfort and please, to nurture, assist, and sustain …..I cook!

 

The Royal Cookies of Master Indy

Or as the Welsh say: Cwcis Brenhinol Indy Meistr

 

slave made 61 cookies from this! 

Ingredients
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup softened butter
1 ¾ cups white sugar
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 5oz carton of non- fat plain Greek style Yogurt

6 1oz boxes (or equivalent) Craisins (Dried Cranberries)
Sprinkles or colored sugar, (can also just use raw sugar)

============== 

Directions
Start with ALL the ingredients (as well as mixing bowl and beaters), at room temperature!

NOTE if you have forgotten to take out the butter, DO NOT melt it in the microwave: instead use a hand grater. This works fine with butter, not so good with margarine.

The idea here is to whip air into the butter, the sugar will help hold the air in.

In a good size bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

With a strong mixer, (come to think of it, Master is the strongest mixer slave knows) cream (?) the butter and sugar until smooth. It will be a light ivory color.

Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients by thirds, stopping the mixer each time and scraping down the sides. 

 

Add the yogurt by tablespoons to moisten the dough and make it soft, yet not wet.

Then gently fold in the craisins. (also suggested white chocolate bits)

Place the dough in bowl, seal with plastic wrap and refrigerate over night!

(Just as Master is always best OVERNIGHT)

Ok, slave will spare you the rest of the “Master” comments!

Set the oven to 375 degrees F and allow to preheat for at least 20 minutes. (or 325 for 15 minutes if you like to stand and wait for them)

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Then cut more paper to match.

Using the bowl of a teaspoon (hold it close to the bowl as the dough will be stiff): measure out the dough and roll it into a ball.

Have a small saucer with sprinkles in it ready and dip the ball into that, then place on the parchment paper about 2 inches apart.

With the heal of your hand slightly flatten each cookie.
I found I had to keep my hands rinsed off about every 6 cookies.

I got 12 cookies per pan in 4 rows of 3. I then made up extra sheets with the cookie dough on them so that when one sheet came out of the oven, the next sheet could be slid onto the pan and an assembly line of cookies worked their way through the kitchen.

You can use colored sprinkles or even raw sugar for decoration, but slave chose to splurge and got gold sprinkles! Oh well, don't mind forgoing one latte to give that to Master!

 

Bake for about 10 minutes or until slightly golden touch on edge.

Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack. Carefully slide the paper with cookies onto the rack to completely cool. This lessens the chance of crumbling them. 

I wish I could tell you how good these tasted but just can't without sounding very boastful! However I can report that all who tasted them were amazed at the grown-up sweetness!

“Finally an adult cookie that still satisfies the child within!”

slave could cry with happy!

=================================================

Also don't be afraid to try using butter flavored Crisco sticks w/ 2 tbs of water instead of butter.

HOWEVER Please note: more and more studies are showing that what is unhealthy is not the pure butter but rather the “altered fats” like soft margarine with poly saturated, exfoliated, etc etc fats. Use of natural substances are encouraged unless there is a proven allergy! Just use some sense and don't eat the whole batch at one time!..Too much of anything....

Please treat Your loved ones with this and allow it to become part of your family tradition every year.

Serving my Master Indy with a gift of a cookie!

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil,

comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

 

My unique Master deserves a unique cookie

The Gift of a Cookie

 

It will be a Christmas cookie, a joyous treat.

A temptation for that inside part,

a goody for my Master's Heart:

where “Stern” & “Giggles” meet.

Tis a Confection - not a health food,

a delicacy to the tongue.

Calling not to His maturity

but enticing the parts that are young!

A true gratuity: not pay for when job is done.

It shall be a chewy delight

that is, if slave gets it right.

Not overly sweet

but fruit-sugary neat

a uniquely sophisticate bite.

Friends and fellow servants, My goodness You must feel as if slave had forgotten you. It has been awhile since my last posting. For this entry slave wishes to share with you the process taken when trying to create a gift recipe for someone.

In this case, slave wanted to make a cookie recipe for Master Indy. This would not only be different for the sake of different-ness, but also be a genuinely tasty note to add to this seasons symphony of treats and goodies.

I checked that He enjoyed a chewy type of cookie. Some do not, you know. Knowing His love to start the holiday tastes with a Beaujolais Nuevo, as well as his favorite Pinot Noir: I decided on a sugar based cookie that would not be saccharine at all. 

A touch of natural fruit would be nice. However, for this slave would stay away from Master's usual selection of blueberries or raspberries as being too predictable. It knows better than to turn to strawberries or even a milk type chocolate! Mangoes? Been there, done that. No this shall be more unique.

So with all of these ideas swirling around in the head, it was time to hit the notes and cookbooks as well as the internet.

Now bits and pieces started to fall together so quickly it was frightening. But as the plan formed in my head it all seemed to make sense, of course the first answer is always the truest. So I assembled the parts, then hunted for anything similar. A great resource, often overlooked, are the comments people post to published recipes. They give great ideas which have to be checked out and matched against others.

Above all we must remember baking is more chemistry than any other form of cooking. So some reactions are fairly easy to check out without the cost of buying and trying.

So today the actual mixing started! The dough, (which by the way tasted just as it should have) is resting now in the refrigerator. Monday the first cookies will be tested and ok'ed by slave before a full batch of 4 dozen is cranked out.

“Nothing to it”, You say with a smile? We shall see. The bottom line: This is slave's best way to celebrate the season. Giving! But not just throwing gifts in the general direction hoping they will stick. This giving is based on things that have been shared in the over 20,000 hours since we first had contact. An educated guess at what might please Master's taste-buds. “One never knows, do one?” Wish me luck!

Serving Master Indy!

Socialslave

....i serve

To satisfy and restore. 

To nourish, support and maintain. 

To gratify, spoil, 

comfort and please, 

to nurture, assist, and sustain 

…..I cook!