All I really want for Christmas is a pig

Now that I’ve offered few tips for taking the stress out of the holiday season (see below), you should have a few moments free to reflect on what really counts. Deep down we all know it’s about love, hope and giving - not about beating that undeserving  clod next to you to the last sale-priced cashmere sweater.

If you’re like me, you’ll stop sometimes amid the hustle and the bustle and reflect that you’re blessed with a comfortable home and feel lucky that you can be optimistic that your kids will have the tools they need to succeed in life. If you read the paper, or watch the news, you’ll also know that there are far, far too many places on the planet where the same claims cannot be made. So amid the glitz and glitter, why not cut to the heart of things and give gifts that have real and lasting effect?

One of my favourite options for this is World Vision, which partners with local communities in developing countries to improve lives. Make a donation of $30 and a family receives five fruit trees, enough to start on the road to self-sufficiency. Fifty dollars buys two hens and a rooster to help a family hatch a business. The success of the individual tends to raise up the whole village, giving these gifts even more impact. My husband, who's a teacher, has been deeply touched when families have made a donation to the literacy programs in his name as a holiday or end-of-year thank you.

I’ll never forget the Christmas dinner where far-flung friends and family sat down and started talking about what they had received. Knowing that someone had made a donation to World Vision in our name, one of my kids piped up and said “we got chickens!” At which point my British sister-in-law turned and said, “How marvelous. I got a lady pig!” 

The table dissolved into laughter  and, as we tucked into our lavish meal, we knew that life for somebody else might, because of a generous friend of ours, get just a little bit better in the new year. These are truly gifts that change lives.

Christmas crunch time? A well-stocked freezer is half the battle.

Before I move forward with the chores in chunks and one-stop shopping theme (see below), I have a question. Why did no-one tell that there’s an M&M Meat Shop tucked away in the same mall where I do much of my shopping, just a hop, skip and jump away from the liquor store? Very convenient. In any case, now I know. Took a quick 10-minute spin around it on the weekend and came home with a whack of goodies that will dial down my holiday stress by half.

Like many, I do love to cook and bake at Christmas. But I’ve learned over the years that it makes good sense to balance the home-made with pre-made and prepared foods. So I stocked up on appetizers, main courses and desserts, knowing that I can create a quick and casual snack or an elegant dinner, even on those evenings when I can’t get away early from work to prep or when friends drop by unexpectedly.

For nibbles and starters, try M&M Meat Shop’s Fig & Brie Phyllo Cups – tiny perfect phyllo cups filled with creamy brie, cream cheese filling and fig jam. Lovely with a fizzy wine. Add a dish of olives, and throw some veggies and dip on a plate and you're all set.

BTW, the website also has useful  entertaining tips. For example, how many appetizers do you need? They suggest 12 appetizers for every guest at a cocktail party and six for a dinner party. For each hour of your party, count on two bottles of wine and one bottle of liquor per every ten people. (Of course, you’ll have lots of non-alcoholic bevies on hand and make sure that no-one drinks and drives).

At this time of year, I like to make sure there’s a good selection of frozen meat and fish in the freezer, ensuring fewer trips out to the supermarket during those busy December evenings. For me, that means stocking up on Jail Island Salmon, native northeast Atlantic salmon raised in their natural environment, and, a favourite of my kids, bacon-wrapped fillet mignon. Speaking of kids, I recommend taking a teenager along with you on a grocery trip. One of mine picked out a few things he can easily make himself when his friends come over after hockey — who knew he liked Calamari? — and they can help ferry the groceries in.

I also picked up a frozen pot roast, complete with gravy, to which I can add whatever veg I have in my fridge that’s suitable. This is perfect for doing in a slow cooker. Just pop it in before you start your day and by the time you’re ready, you’ll have meltingly tender meat, and the house will be filled with a delicious aroma. Add a splooch of red wine, and you’ll kick up the flavour even further.

Of course, my holiday cookies are unmatchable (if I do say so myself), but I will admit that the Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Puffs are very tasty. (Well, I HAD to test them before offering them to guests!)  I also picked up a package of Raspberry Macaroon bars. These can be cut into bite-sized pieces, and mixed with other treats on a pretty platter. For a more elegant presentation, place one on a small plate, top with ice cream and drizzle with raspberry liqueur.

 

There now, that sounds easy, doesn’t it?

It's beginning to look a lot like - ARRGGGHHH!!!!!

Before you read the next sentence, take a deep breathe in. Now let it out slowly, and feel your body relaxing. Ready? It’s now less than a month until Christmas. Before you panic, know that I’m here to help, and to remind you that this season is supposed to be all about love, hope and sharing — not stress, exhaustion and anxiety. Yes, really!

One of the best tips I have for getting through the holiday season with all your facilities intact is to do chores in chunks. 

For example -  practice one-stop shopping:  A recent trip to HMV  unearthed great gift ideas for just about everyone on my list. I love, for example, the small but mighty iHome speaker that connects to an iPhone, iPad or MP3 player and lets the user take music wherever — from the laundry room to the cottage dock. Just $20! Did I mention that one’s for me? So what – I’ve been very good this year.  

But because I don’t always want to share in my 16-year-old son’s music, I planned to test a pair of Plattan headphones ($70 - see pic above). Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do so since as soon as he saw the package, my boy ripped it open, plunked them on his head and, unless my eyes deceive me, has not removed them since. Apparently, they work extremely well and are, I think, considered fresh. Translation - they look good. 

CD’s were also on the list — new stuff from Florence and the Machine, ColdPlay and um, Drake ($13 and up). Which brings me to my next point. If you give your kids music, try actually listening to it with them. I said listening, not lecturing about how great it was back in the day, when The Who, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin  ruled the scene. Times change. Get over it.

My son (see above) and I have had the Drake CD on heavy rotation in the car on the way to hockey, and there’s been some pretty amazing conversations that have resulted from that. Anything that can help initiate a convo with a teenager boy is a gift that keeps on giving, imho.

And yes, okay, he will get Call of Duty Modern Warfare ($60), but in a fine example of parental hypocrisy, I’ll ban him from planning on the big day. A dungeon and dragon-themed game, called Skyrim ($64) also seems to be a hit with his set.

Interestingly, while my 19 year-old-daughter has a completely different take on Drake’s music and lyrics, she likes his stuff too — although she added that she’s really like to take a listen to the Glee Christmas  soundtrack ($13).

I also help my 90-year-old Mom out with holiday shopping by picking up HMV gift cards for her to give as gifts. One always goes to my husband John. Invariably, it’s a good few months before  we go into the store, on a bleak winter afternoon, and come out with something new and fun. Christmas in February!

Speaking of boys, my guys will probably spend Christmas afternoon watching 2010 Hockey Gold, the official commemorative DVD set of the men’s and women’s Olympic hockey, also $20 at HMV. Later in the holiday week, we’ll put on a classic, like West Side Story ($25). Movies are, for us, a great way to carve out low-stress, low-budget family time. Great tip I picked up from Chef Michael Smith – pop your popcorn in brown butter rather than oil. It means you can skip the butter later, and the flavour is fantastic.

There, I feel much calmer now. Don't you?

 

 

 

 

Put down that salt - and reach for the mustard

Salt is a shortcut to flavour, and a very effective preservative. Because it works so well, food manufacturers and restaurants load into and onto our foods. The result is that we’re all eating far too much. And that ain’t good for us.

The primary culprits are processed and prepared foods, but you can make changes in the home kitchen that will help. Start by making your own salad dressings. It’s so easy. Start by plopping a couple of tablespoons of your favourite mustard in a bowl. (I just tasted some terrific stuff down at the One of a Kind Show from a small producer called Organics and Gold. But I also love the Kozlik’s Balsamic Figs and Date Mustard I got at the Delicious Food Show.) Add about a quarter-cup of vinegar. Whisk till it emulsifies. Then, continuing to whisk, slowly add about ¾ cup of oil. (The basic vinegar to oil ratio is about one to three, but I typically go a little heavier on the oil.) Add fresh or dried herbs, pour into a bottle or jar and you’ve got dressing for the week. 

Last night, I used red wine vinegar with the fig and date mustard, mixed in the oil and then added just a touch of maple syrup. Wonderful. I also sometimes jazz up the dressing by adding a glorp of one of the tasty savory jellies from Jelly Boys. Try the chili and tangerine jelly in a vinaigrette for a baby spinach, toasted almond, dried (unsweetened) cranberries and green apple salad.

It’s also easy to bump up the flavours of your oil by infusing it with herbs. Just throw some herbs (I like using chives, basil or thyme- but roasted garlic is also pretty good) into a pot with oil (you’ll have to experiment with the proportions to get the taste you like) and fill with oil. Let it barely simmer, and then sit and cool for a few hours. Strain before pouring into a (VERY) clean bottle, like the one from Trudeau, shown above -- or a simple jar. Refrigerate. Use it in dressings, or drizzled on grilled fish or chicken. Or slice a baguette into rounds, brush some on each and grill slightly. Lovely as is, but even nicer with a splooch or goat cheese and a slice of tomato on top.

Another way to reduce salt? Pump up the herbs! Next time you’re in the market, grab a bunch of something fresh and experiment. Try heaping cilantro on a piece of fish that you’re going to steam or poach. Add baby spinach leaves and fresh basil to your pizza – even (maybe especially) if it’s store bought.

Culinary contest culminates in tasteful tables and tempting treats

Urban Barn’s running a contest with very yummy prize. The cheekily chic Canadian home-furnishings retailer is offering up a private dinner party for you and seven close personal friends, prepared and hosted by Top Chef Canada winner Dale MacKay, a Gordon Ramsay protégé. (But we won’t hold that against him). Until November 27, you can enter on Urban Barn’s Facebook site.  The contest runs in tandem with Urban Barn's Dine-in event, which has them shaving 15 per cent off dining furniture and accents (see below for some pretty examples)

 

My head start on Christmas

Had a wonderful time visiting the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for their annual Christmas in November event. You can read all about it in my Hot Home column this week. There was so much to tell, however, that I ran out of space and couldn’t include all the seminar presenters.

In addition to Chefs Michael Smith and Anna Olson, whose tips I share in my column, visitors attended seminars by event planner Katherine Lomax,  chef Julie Van Rosendaal, cheese specialist Wolfgang Stampe, Edmonton Journal garden columnist Chris Standring, and health and wellness experts Dawn Kosloski and Lindsay Nealon

Canada AM décor expert Karl Lohnes hosted a popular holiday décor seminar, using lots of items from Debbie Travis' Christmas line for Canadian Tire (shown above)  and he kindly agreed to share an easy, elegant décor project he calls Fire and Ice.

What you need:

Rose bowl,  vessel to fit inside of rosebowl, florists' clear cellophane paper (about a 6-foot length cut into 12-inch pieces), water, votive candle

What you do:

Place clear vessel (water glass or skinny pickle jar works best) into the rose bowl. The  vessel should be about the same height  as the rose bowl.

Scrunch up pieces of cellophane and pack in the rose bowl all around the vessel. Take time to tuck any fly-away edges into the rose bowl.

Put a low, votive candle in the bottom of the vessel (LED votives work best). If using a real votive, then lighting it is easy with a long BBQ lighter.

Pour water in around the cellophane, making sure not to spill any into the vessel. Fill to the top.

Light candle. 

Give it a try - I guarantee it will start to get you in the mood for Christmas. And, if you just happen to be thinking about a blow-out family gift this year, consider planning a trip to Jasper. Everybody should see it at least once in a lifetime - it's simply magnificent. 

Candle season has officially begun

Now that the evenings start so early, I always light candles at the dinner table. It bathes the room in  a warm, cozy glow and makes me feel as though I'm cuddling my family in warmth. This week's Hot Home Products column looks at the variety of beautiful candles out there, including the lovely candles from Imageglow, which have designs screened onto the exteriors that last throughout the burn life of the candle (see pic below).

Just as candle styles differ widely, so do the materials from which they're made. Typically, you can find parrafin, soy and beeswax candles at various price points. What's the difference? Parrafin is a petroluem -based product and as such, is increasingly passed over by consumers who are concerned about the use of fossil fuels, or about indoor air quality. Soy is often their preferred choice. According to Catherine Rust, of BEC Green, soy doesn't require fertilzer to grow. Beeswax, however, may be the utimate choice, as it's "low-energy, clean-burning and pleasant-smelling," suggests Rust.

Another increasingly popular choice are pillar candles with a wax-like finish that house flickering LED lights. They're a good choice for families with small children or for putting in spots that won't be monitored, such as powder room or an entry hallway.

One last easy decor tip. Float tealights in water in a shallow bowl (cut crystal would be nice) and add sprigs of seasonal greenery, fresh cranberries, and sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Best roast chicken recipe. Ever.

One of the most remarkable outings I’ve had this year came yesterday, when I got to see the inner workings of Loblaw’s test kitchen. In fact, the foray is worthy of its very own blog entry, which will come next week. Right now, I’ll just mention that while I was there, I discovered a new product that I think might work really well with the recipe I promised in this week’s Hot Home Products column to share here. It’s the new Memories of Morocco sauce, a sweet-spicy blend that’s flavoured with dates, raisins, garlic and chili peppers. We had lamb shoulder (very economical) that had been cubed and cooked with the sauce long and low in a slow cooker. You can find the recipe here. 

The dish was referred to a “tagine”, and it was sensational. It was also interesting, because I was not aware that tagine describes a cooking method as well as a vessel, which is how I’d known it. The Tagine has been long been used in the Middle East. It has two parts — a flat, circular base unit, and a large cone-shaped cover that rests inside the base. Form brilliantly follows function in the design. Invented in the desert, where water was scare, the Tagine’s domed top allows moisture escaping from the ingredients to condense on the lid and fall back onto the dish, creating meltingly tender meat out of even the most affordable cuts – with a minimum of added liquid. I have a tagine from Le Creuset, and it’s one of my favourite cooking vessels. 

But back to my promise to explain how to do a killer roast chicken in a Tagine base. I put the cast iron base in the oven on very high heat. After 15 minutes or so, I plop in a whole chicken and leave it there for about 45 minutes. (A cast iron pan works too.) Sometimes, I cut a lemon in quarters and stuff them in the cavity, sprinkle the bird with salt and scatter some fresh rosemary about. Recently, I used Arvinda’s  spice mixes, which I discovered at the Delicious Food Show.  I mixed a little of the Tandoori Masala with oil and then rubbed it all over the bird. Serve any of these with a mixed mesclun salad, and artisan bread - or roasted white and sweet potatoes - and you've got the easiest dinner ever. Yum. But I’ll also be trying it with  Memories of Morocco sauce, and will report back on the results.

Clever cleaner. Clever contest.

Makers of one of my favourite green cleaning products, IQ, have launched a contest called Who cares about this Planet? that challenges Canadians to come up with environmentally sustainable projects that will make a difference in their communities. They’re asking potential winners to create and upload a video of their idea to iQ’s Facebook page. Ten finalists will be selected to share their videos across social networks, and viewers will vote for their favorite project. Each vote will count towards $1 that will be awarded to the grand prize-winner (up to $5,000) that can be used to kick-start the project. The video with the highest number of votes wins.

Why do I like iQ? Two reasons. The corn-derived surfactants do a great job cleaning, and the clever packaging reduces plastic waste. After buying your first bottle from the range, you can then buy small, capsule-sized refills of the cleaner, which you simply mix with tap water before using. Brilliant.