Gifts Not Under the Tree

  • By Daphne Ross
  • December 17, 2010
  • 277
                        
As I was driving to my antique shop one snowy morning, I was thinking about the gifts I wanted to buy, who I wanted to buy them for, and what did I need to wrap them. I turned onto a less traveled road and there on the upslope of the ditches were the most beautiful snow drifts I had ever seen. They were curled at the top like sculpted meringue atop the sweetest pie. They were the purest white, whiter than any white I can describe; clean. My busy mind, soon relaxed and I began to appreciate and seek more of this natural beauty. Like Christmas gifts suddenly appearing overnight, these creations were not there the evening before. So I began to see, more gifts not under the tree. The tunes of winter birds; were they singing carols of the season, were they mocking melodies from the school house, were they ringing the chorus to the church bell near the square? The songs you hear now, outside in the clean air of morning, your greetings of the day have been gifted in a sweet song. Tracks across the otherwise untouched snowfall, across the acres, across the yard are the silent prints of welcome guests into our Christmas celebration. The unpicked and dropped quinces have been feasted upon by the white tail, they trailed from woods east. They rooted into the picked rows of field corn. They uncovered treasured chestnuts surprisingly neglected by the bushy tails. Their feast; a gift wrapped in fallen snow. Stacks of cut wood, how thankful to have a gift of trees to keep our home warm. How grateful I am for the fallen timbers to be the greatest part of the woodpile. How wonderful to have the strength of those who drag, cut and stack the fuel for our fire. How neighborly of those close by to invite us into their woods, for seasoned wood, for wild mushrooms, for hunting game, and for hiking pleasure. These are gifts wrapped in the kindness of neighbors. I have been blessed by my family and friends. I have been given great gifts throughout the year. They are always open, never wrapped. They are free, not charged. The greatest gifts are not found under any Christmas tree, the angel atop agrees. Let’s get back to the basics; basic food ingredients that is. Send your recipes for meats and vegetables prepared in the most simplified yet tasty ways. Send to: Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, OH, 44691. Emails: thewritecook@sssnet.com White Sauce 1/4 to1/3 cup butter or margarine 1/4 to 1/3 cup flour 2 cups milk Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly until thickened and smooth. (Pan may be removed from heat while adding milk to help avoid lumps. Then return to heat until smooth and bubbly.) These measurements make a medium-thick sauce. For thinner sauce use 3 tablespoons each of flour and fat with the 2 cups milk. This sauce is a basic recipe and can be modified to replace cream soups in recipes. For chicken sauce; add 1 cup chicken broth or bouillon in place of 1 cup of the milk. Add 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning and a little chopped chicken if desired. For mushroom sauce; add 1/3 cup sautéed chopped mushrooms and 1 tablespoons minced onion in fat before adding flour. Snow Cream 1 cup rich milk or cream 1 egg, beaten well 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Combine the milk, egg, sugar, salt and vanilla thoroughly. Quickly mix in 2 quarts fresh clean snow. Eat at once. White Chili (Shari Meissner) 3 medium onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 4 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey 2 cans (15 ounces each) white kidney or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 cups chicken broth 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley Corn ships, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream In a skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in oil. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add the chicken, beans, broth, green chilies, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne; stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until bubbly. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over corn chips; top with cheese and sour cream. 8 servings or 2 quarts chili. White Chocolate Pie (Sue Brown) 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided 1 chocolate crumb crust (8 inches) 1 1/4 cups cold milk 1 package (3.3 ounces) instant white chocolate pudding mix In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and ¼ cup whipped topping until light and fluffy. Spread over crust. In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Garnish with grated white chocolate. Frost-on-the-Pumpkin Pie (Tammy Covey) 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 24 squares 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted Filling: 1 can (16 ounces) vanilla frosting 1 can (15 ounces) solid pack pumpkin 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup whipped topping In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Set aside 1 tablespoon for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes or until crust just begins to brown. Cool on wire rack. In a mixing bowl, combine the frosting, pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Fold in the whipped topping. Spoon into the crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Yields: 6 to 8 servings. Warm Pear Salad (Marjorie Zalewski, Toledo) 3 large ripe pears cut into 1/4 inch slices 6 cups torn mixed salad greens 6 slices red onion, separated into rings 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese 1/4 cup sunflower kernels Raspberry Vinaigrette: 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil 1/2 cup honey 1/3 cup white wine vinegar or cider vinegar 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, thawed 1/4 teaspoon salt Pepper to taste In anon-stick skillet, sauté pears for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until tender. On serving platter, arrange greens, pears, onion, blue cheese and sunflower kernels. In a blender, combine dressing ingredients; cover and process until smooth. Drizzle over salad; serve immediately. Snow Pea Medley (Kathleen Higgens) 4 cups fresh snow peas 1 cup sliced carrots 1 cup sliced water chestnuts 2 teaspoons olive or canola oil 2 teaspoons cornstarch 1 cup chicken broth 2 teaspoons soy sauce In a skillet, sauté the peas, carrots and water chestnuts in oil. In a bowl, combine the cornstarch, broth and soy sauce until smooth; add to the pea mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Yields: 6 servings. Winter Fruit Salad (Ruby Williams) 6 large red apples, sliced 2 tablespoons lemon juice 4 bunches watercress, stems removed 2 pounds seedless red grapes 2 small red onions, halved and thinly sliced Honey Lemon Dressing: 1/2 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 to 3 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper In a bowl, toss apples and lemon juice. Arrange watercress on a large serving platter. Top with the grapes, onions, and apples. In a jar, with a tight-fitting lid, combine lemon juice, oil, honey, salt and pepper; shake well. Drizzle 1/2 cup over salad. Cover and refrigerate salad and remaining dressing until serving. Serve remaining dressing on the side. Yields: 12 servings and 1 cup dressing.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load