MEALS WITH MARGE

SIMPLE TRADITIONS

I have a sign on the wall of my kitchen that reads’ “Winter – A White Calming Renewal.” That is how I feel as this week unfolds. We start the week with the first day of winter, and end the week with Christmas Day.

Right now as I contemplate this week and the last-minute shopping and preparations and plans for meals, I try to remind myself to calm down, take it easy, and enjoy this week and the anticipation of the family being home and together once again. Before we know it, all the planning and hustle and bustle will be over. It will be more satisfying (instead of a relief) if we let ourselves enjoy the preparations.

As usual, I have ready my list of the food I need to purchase and the dishes I will make. Some of these recipes emerge as time goes on. I remember an old favorite or come across something new to make. I always request from the family ideas of what they would like to eat. That helps round out the choices.

People will be arriving before noon on Christmas Day, so I decided we will need a little nourishment before gift opening and visiting begins. I will purchase a cheese tray and crackers, also a Christmasdecorated cake. And I will make my recipe for Easy Veggie Squares, which everyone likes. It is good finger food.

• • •
Easy Veggie Squares
2 8-ounce packages of crescent rolls
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 3-ounce package cream cheese
1/3 cup mayo or salad dressing
1 teaspoon buttermilk salad dressing
Veggie Toppings
1 teaspoon dill weed
Celery, carrots, cauliflower, tomato, cut into small pieces
2-3 cups shredded cheese

Directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove crescent rolls from tubes and spread flat on a 15-1/2x10- 1/2x2-inch greased jelly roll pan. Bake for 10 minutes; let cool.

Mix cream cheese, mayo and dressing. Spread on top of cooled crust. Top with dill weed, veggies and cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cut into squares.

• • •

We’re going to have a ham, potato casserole, broccoli casserole and Jell-O for dinner, but I saw this recipe and decided to add it to the menu. Stan loves cranberries, so I try to remember to have a cranberry dish on special occasions.

• • • Last-Minute Cranberry Relish

Ingredients:
1 16-ounce can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 8-1/4-ounce can crushed pineapple packed in juice, drained
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
Pinch of ground cloves

Directions: Pour cranberry sauce into a 4-cup (or larger) glass or ceramic cowl. Add drained pineapple to cranberry sauce. Add nuts, apple-pie spice and cloves. Stir well to mix. Serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 2-1/2 cups.

Note: Leftovers can be kept, refrigerated, for up to a week.

• • •

Last, but certainly not least, I received an e-mail from Carol Ehrenreich of Sheboygan, who was kind enough to share with us a recipe that has been in her family and baked every year since 1909! What a tradition! It was a large recipe that had originally been made by her grandparents and through the years the recipe has been upgraded to meet measurements of the modern era. It was originally baked in a woodburning stove and has moved through the years to being baked in an electric oven. The original recipe was for 500 cookies – Carol has revised it to make 12 dozen. Thanks, Carol, for sharing your recipe and memories with us.

Original Brown Anise Molasses Cookies

Yields 12 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lard
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
Cream sugar and shortenings
1 cup mild brand Grandma’s Molasses – unsulfered original
Add to creamed mixture
1/2 cup brewed coffee - hot
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 teaspoon baking soda – mix slowly into hot coffee and add to creamed mix.
Measure:
4-to-5 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons crushed anise seed (roll in plastic bag with rolling pin)

Mix spices into 1 cup flour and add to creamed mixture – continue to add flour – a bit at a time. After third cup, check dough with thumb. If dough still sticks to thumb, continue adding 1/2 cup flour at a time. Continue adding flour and test again until thumb comes out of dough clean.

Chill dough: 12-to-24 hours – firm cold dough is best.

Next Day: Roll dough 1/8-to-1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Use sufficient flour so dough doesn’t stick to board. Cut shapes and space on cookie sheet to allow cookies to rise. Bake at 335 degrees for 8-12 minutes (depending on your oven). Watch cookies so they don’t burn. Bake on lower rack 2-3 minutes until cookie rises, shift to middle rack to finish. Remove from oven. Cool slightly before removing to cooling rack.

Frosting: 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon Crisco (optional), about 3-to-5 tablespoons milk. Mix and spread on cookies when cool.

• • • To all our readers – A Merry Christmas • • •

Send your favorite recipes to The Review, P.O. Box 317, Plymouth, WI 53073. I can be reached on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 893-6411, ext. 32.