In All our Trials, Born to be Our Friend...

For unto us a child is born!



Image courtesy of http://karenswhimsy.com/

Merry Christmas!!

"Merry Christmas, You Wonderful Old Building and Loan!"

For some reason, many people dislike It's A Wonderful Life, calling it sentimental or saccharine. Whenever I hear this, I wonder if we're watching the same movie. Despair and suicide at Christmas time are not as uncommon as they should be, and while they could be treated sentimentally, director Frank Capra does anything but. Maybe it's the final scene (which I won't give away) that people are objecting to. In which case, I have to wonder if our world is as saturated in cynicism as my grandfather seems to think. This ending isn't a common occurrence certainly, but it's genuine and realistic. George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) is truly a great man (in a way that we're ALL called to be great) and this is why he deserves this ending. Anyways, I'll let someone else (who really gets it) explain why this is a great movie. (Article contains spoilers!) It's A Wonderful Life is not only my favourite Christmas film, but one of my favourite movies of all time.

I scrapped the idea of making food with this. Eggnog is what's called for and plenty of it. Traditionally, eggnog is spiked with rum and while that's good, brandy is better and bourbon is best. Try all 3 and decide for yourself which you like.

SPIRITED EGGNOG



6 egg yolks
6 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
rum, brandy or bourbon to taste (optional)

Beat the egg yolks with 2 cups of the milk and then pour them into a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as steam starts to rise from the liquid, remove from heat and stir in the sugar. Pour in the remaining 4 cups of milk and the nutmeg and mix well. You could stir in the alcohol at this point, but I usually leave it out so kids can partake as well, and let people mix the booze into their own glass. Garnish each glass with a dollop of whipped cream and a pinch of nutmeg. Merry Christmas!

Christmas in England

Scrooge (Alastair Sim) and the Ghost of Christmas Present (Francis de Wolff) watching the Cratchit family carve their Christmas goose

The 1951 Christmas Carol (or Scrooge) is the definitive film version and Alastair Sim is the definitive Scrooge. I sometimes feel a little irritated when films are made of my favourite books (I don't think they've made a perfect Tale of Two Cities yet and the most recent Brideshead Revisited film was a travesty) but this Christmas Carol, while changing a couple of things, is the most faithful to Dickens' vision and spirit. It's inspiring. It's tradition.


CHRISTMAS IN ENGLAND WITH MULLED WINE AND ROASTED CHESTNUTS


Mulled Wine




2 x 750 ml bottles of red wine
2 oranges, sliced thinly
4 cinnamon sticks
10 whole cloves
1/4 cup dark rum
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar



Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring every few minutes or so, until steaming but NOT boiling! Serve warm in mugs or heatproof glasses, garnished with a cinnamon stick. Mulled wine makes beautiful music, especially when accompanied by roasted chestnuts.



Roasted Chestnuts

Chestnuts (however many you can beg, borrow or steal ;)
Water (enough to cover the nuts)


Soak your chestnuts in room temperature water for 20-30 minutes to soften the shells.


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.


With a sharp knife, make slits in the flat side of each chestnut (to allow the steam to escape and prevent the nuts from exploding) in an X shape. Place the nuts on a baking sheet with the cut sides up and bake for 20-25 minutes until fragrant and easy to peel (the nut inside will be golden brown). Peel when cool enough to handle and eat while warm.



God bless us, every one!

Remembering my Aunt...

I freely admit that I have only seen two James Bond movies, a Sean Connery and a Pierce Brosnan and I have no intention of seeing another one any time soon. Having a dad and brothers, though, I felt impelled to mention it. But I'm really here for the food, which is a savoury, zesty chili. Whether you’re watching Bond, James Bond by yourself or invited to a friend’s house for an hours long Bond fest, this is the perfect thing to make. It’s manly and suave, while also being comforting and filling.

Incidentally, if you like chili, check out the book Chili Nation by Jane and Michael Stern, a wonderful, humorous and homey cookbook with a recipe for chili from every state in the Union.

This is my aunt's recipe for chili. She didn't like to cook, and relied on the same few recipes over and over. Each one was perfected over years of making them. When I remember her, I picture her sitting at her kitchen table with a mug of coffee in front of her, chin resting on her hand, pondering before she spoke. She didn't talk loudly or a lot, but when she did, as my mother said, "words of honey dripped from her lips." Her home was a haven for many people, not because the house itself was anything out of the ordinary, a little house in a little town. But because she was something special. Lorraine made it her business to get to know everyone a little bit, to see how they were feeling and give them exactly what they needed, whether that be silence or conversation, laughter or commiseration, a hot cup of coffee or a big bowl of chili, a slow walk around the neighbourhood or a good long time slumped in front of the TV. She was loved dearly. She is much missed. May she rest in peace.

AUNT LORRAINE'S CHILI

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

4 celery sticks, diced

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 x 28 ounce can plum tomatoes

1/2 small can tomato paste

1 x 14 ounce can kidney beans

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Pinch of nutmeg

5 garlic cloves, minced

Brown the meat over medium heat, breaking it up and stirring regularly, until most of the pinkness in the meat is gone. Add the onions, celery and green pepper and continue frying and stirring until the meat is nicely browned.

In another large pot, combine all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve hot, maybe with biscuits to accompany.

And They were Sore Afraid...

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a holiday classic, played countless times every year on several TV channels, beginning in mid-November. It's a perennial favourite for Christians and non-Christians alike, its showcasing of Luke 2 notwithstanding. At Christmas time, we all want meaning. The original meaning of Christmas bursts everywhere in our culture, political correctness uncomfortably unable to keep a lid on it, with "Season's Greetings" and "Happy Holidays." And somehow people love Charlie Brown, whatever their beliefs. It isn't just the awesome jazz piano composed by the late great Vince Guaraldi. It isn't just the quotable lines ("All I want's my fair share!" "He never got his picture on bubblegum cards!" "I know when I've been insulted; I know when I've been insulted!"). It's the children singing together. It's the little tree: pathos on a spindly trunk. It's Linus reciting from the Gospel of Luke. This is the meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown.

CANDY CANE HOT CHOCOLATE (serves 1, but is easily doubled, tripled, etc)

2 cups milk
1 scant tablespoon cocoa
1 generous (but not exactly heaping) tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon creme de menthe or peppermint schnapps
2-3 tablespoons whipped cream
Candy cane or Christmas sprinkles to garnish (optional)

Combine the milk, cocoa and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, stirring every few minutes until very hot. Do not allow to boil! Remove from heat.

Pour into a medium sized mug and stir in the creme de menthe. Dollop the whipped cream on top of the hot chocolate and garnish with the candy cane and/or the Christmassy sprinkles, if using.

"No Man is Useless While He has a Friend..."

The Station Agent is a sweet and gentle film about people who have been hurt so much that they have to close themselves off from the world to survive. The world, however, sometimes refuses to stay away. When Fin (Peter Dinklage) inherits an old train depot, he moves in, welcoming the chance to get away from prying eyes and open mocking, which, since he is only 4 foot 5 inches tall, is fairly constant. He doesn't find solitude, though. And the people who he at first pushes away as irritants who are intruding on his hermit-like existence, soon become much more. If I were cooking a simple and tasty lunch for Fin and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) and Joe (Bobby Cannavale), I might serve these fritters.

CORN FRITTERS WITH SPICY YOGOURT SAUCE

This is my father's fritter recipe. The yogourt sauce is one I came up with to use up some ingredients I had. I love the combination of the sweet corn and tangy, spicy, cheesy sauce.

Fritters (makes about 10-15 fritters)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

Preheat a griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Pour the wet into the dry and stir until combined. Fold in the corn. Pour batter onto the griddle in about 1/4 cup measures. When bubbles start to appear on the fritter surface, flip them and allow to cook 3-4 minutes more, or until browned. Remove from griddle and serve with maple syrup, salsa or yogourt sauce (recipe found below).

Yogurt Sauce

2 cups plain yogourt

1 cup grated Parmagiano Reggiano (or Asiago, but only if you must)

1 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced

1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice, preferably fresh squeezed

Combine all ingredients and serve with hot corn fritters. Keeps in the fridge for 1 week or so.

A Break from Desserts

Man cannot live on dessert alone, much as he might like to, and since it's been Sugar Fest here for several posts, I was feeling like writing about something savoury. Or at least something without sugar as one of the ingredients. My brother Isaiah had been requesting quiche recently, so quiche it is! And since I have so many pies to make this week for a Christmas dinner that I promised to donate to, I wasn't in the mood to roll out more pastry. So, here you have it:

QUICK AND EASY CRUSTLESS BROCCOLI QUICHE

Butter for greasing the pie plate (9 inch deep dish)
6 large eggs
2/3 cup half and half cream
1 cup milk (preferably whole)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces grated Cheddar cheese, the more aged the better
2 cups steamed broccoli (or 2 cups of any other vegetable desired)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease your pie plate with butter and set aside.

Beat the eggs, cream, and milk together until blended. (You can use your blender for this.) Stir in the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the bottom of your baking dish. Spread your 2 cups of broccoli (or whatever you're using) over the cheese and then gently pour the egg mixture over that. Sprinkle the nutmeg evenly over the top.

Bake in the oven about 30 minutes. When done, a cake tester will come out clean. (It will be nice and brown on top. See picture below) Let sit for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

And for an accompanying flick:John Cusack is an actor I would watch in almost any film and Grosse Pointe Blank is a winner, not only because of Cusack, but also because of his sister Joan, who is always great, Dan Aykroyd who is so clearly enjoying his role as Grocer, Minnie Driver who is just snarky enough to still be likeable and the story itself, which is a fun and very funny look at the life of a hitman who has a psychoanalyst and orders egg-whites-only omelettes. The screenplay is also snappy and intelligent, which is more than I can say of most hitman flicks. Sure, it's violent, but that could be expected from reading the back of the DVD case. If violence bothers your stomach, almost all of the other films on this blog (so far) are family friendly. This quiche could go (though not nearly as well) with one of them.