No one wants a face full of snow. But that’s what I had all too often
growing up in those brutal Chicago winters. I always seemed to be in
the middle of a blizzard walking against gale force winds – which is
why I spent more time walking backwards than I did forward.
And no one wants to step into slush. But when I did, my mother would
put my shoes in the oven. Usually about thirty minutes too long. My
shoes would come out smoking and ruined, which was not unlike many of
our family dinners.
And no one wants to be a poster child for static electricity. But the
winter air was so dry that my hair repelled my brush, my pants clung to
my socks, and touching anything would send enough voltage through me to
light up Soldier Field.
Those were not a few of my favorite things.
So when Christmas vacation would approach, I was pretty much champing at the bit to get out of Dodge.
But it never happened.
Christmas
Christmas
Give the Gift of Peanut Butter Fudge
Still looking for the perfect Christmas gift that is easy, inexpensive, and loved by all?
Your problem is solved: give the gift of fudge! That's right. Mix up a few batches, pop them in some festive foil baking cups, and nestle them in decorative tissue paper and tins. Then kick back with a hot chocolate and enjoy your favorite Christmas movies while everybody else kills themselves looking for a parking space at the mall.
No baking is required. None. Zip. It can be made ahead and refrigerated, so it saves you time. Plus, each batch costs only a few dollars and can be made in less than 10 minutes.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Some people think Roast Prime Rib is tradional for Christmas and lots of people just go with Roast Turkey – stuffed, brined, fast-cooked or whatever – but we thought it would be fun this year to serve duck or goose. Here's to hope, change and peace in the New Year. Happy Holidays from all of us at One for the Table.
Duck Breasts with Quince Sauce
“Old Country” Hungarian for Christmas
My Hungarian grandma came to the United States when she was just a teenager. Her husband came before her to find a place for them to settle. She left her family behind to travel to a land of opportunity where she and her young husband believed they could create a better life for their family. Young Rose arrived with their first-born, a son, who was still a baby. I’ve often wondered what it was like for my grandma to be in a strange country, a place where she could barely communicate with the people around her and where she had no family or friends, just her Hungarian husband.
Over the years, Rose’s family grew as she and her husband ran their own boarding house and restaurant in Chicago. One day, when their four sons and one daughter were still very young, Rose’s husband decided to leave. He wanted to go back to “the old country.” Eventually, the strong and very hard-working single mother married again. She and her second husband, Paul, had one more son and one more daughter. They moved to a farm in Indiana to raise their seven children. Their daughter, Rosemary, the baby of the family, became my mom.
The five sons and two daughters grew into adults and moved away from their Indiana home, but I do not remember even one Christmas when they were not all together at the farm to celebrate together, coming back each year with spouses and children of their own.
Think Green for Christmas Décor…literally!
Most always, I find nature as my inspiration for arrangements and décor, thus green becomes my “MO” for all things fresh, natural, and beautiful. Green is nature’s neutral – found in different hues and shades in every wood, vale, forest and dale! Here are a few tips on “thinking green” for the Holidays and year round decorating as well!
I always like to have a green base to build from when making an arrangement, tablescapes, or even holiday décor. Choose your greenery wisely – it will be your support and skeleton, your contrasting tone, and your “roux” that brings the arrangement together.
Use what is in season…for the Holidays, I like the traditional greens like holly, boxwood, cypress, cedar, and magnolia. Add some pizzazz by contrasting shades of green like the dark of the holly and magnolia (use those velvety brown backs as well), lighter green from cypress and blue greens from cedar or junipers.
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