Christmas in April.

Easter week has come and gone. Easter is a time when Christian religions celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his torture, and death, at the hands of the Romans.  It is also a time when children, with baskets, run around backyards, fields and playgrounds seeking chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs to fill those baskets.  The bunnies and eggs are, in reality, Pagan symbols of fertility that have been incorporated into Easter traditions; and I suspect, nine months from now there will be bundles of joy born to many a couple.  “Why?”, you might ask.

As I gaze out the window, I cannot help but laugh, as Mother Nature has decided to trick us all.  It may well be April, a month in the season of spring, but covering the ground is not springtime flowers, but snow!  That is correct, a few inches of snow have fallen, making our little section of the world look more like a winter wonderland.  One could even imagine that it is Christmas time again, which is a perfect lead in to the novel I have just finished.

Ghostly Claus, of the Ghostly series, #4, by E.M. Leya, features main characters Lance and Angus, and a slew of quirky ghosts.  It is December, Christmas almost upon them, when a devastating event occurs; someone has murdered (insert shocked gasps), Santa Claus!  The ghost of the man, who was portraying Mr. Claus for years, and actually obsessed anything related to Santa Claus all year long, shows up at the morgue demanding justice for his death. 

If you remember, in the November 24, 2024 issue of the San Juan Record, I introduced you all to this series by E.M. Leya, a Utah resident, and Lemonade Chicken which appears in the first novel.  Lemonade Chicken is once again mentioned, as Lance’s brother, visiting while on leave from his tour of duty in Afghanistan, loves this meal.  Celeste, the ghost of the tv chef, who taught Lance how to make the chicken dish, also teaches him how to make Cinnamon Drop Cookies.

Like myself, many of you probably create many cookie types for the winter holidays, but this type of cookie was new to me.  Drop cookies?  Not a term I was familiar with.  What are drop cookies?  ``Drop cookies'' refer to cookies that are made by dropping the dough onto baking sheets, as opposed to rolling it out and cutting it into shapes. Since drop cookies skip the time-consuming steps of rolling and cutting, they are typically much quicker and easier than regular ``cut'' cookies.  Oooooh, drop cookies are scooped cookies, I get it now.

The cinnamon drop cookies are similar to spice cookies, but the only spice used is, of course, cinnamon.  The dough, when first made, has a very stiff and sticky texture, much like gingerbread.  After chilling though, it becomes softer and more pliable for easier scooping.  An ice cream scoop makes the dough into balls, so no manipulating by the hands; and they spread out during the baking process.  In the center of each cookie, a small cinnamon candy can be added, they are optional of course, or another type of candy (cinnamon chips or miniature M&Ms) can be used instead.  The candies are typically more available for the holidays of Christmas or Valentine’s, but can be purchased in the candy section under the name, “Red Hots”, manufactured by the Ferrara Candy Company.  Oh, oh, and now you will know I have quite a wicked mind, but place two cookies side by side, and I swear, they look like a pair of “titties”. (insert raucous laugh track)

When making these cookies, please remember to sift all the dry ingredients together; otherwise, the baking powder could gather, into lumps, inside the dough, and cause bitter spots in some of the cookies.  Talking from experience here.

Cinnamon has many health benefits such as lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels; lowering blood sugar and blood pressure numbers; improve cognitive function and overall digestive health.  These cookies, even with using two tablespoons of cinnamon, are not overly spicy in flavor; and who knows, you might want to add more!

Oh, remember that ridiculous “cinnamon eating challenge” a few years ago?  Yes, do NOT do this as ingesting raw cinnamon by mouth can cause one to gag, cough, choke, and have a burning sensation in the mouth, nose, and throat. If inhaled while choking or gagging on it, it can cause inflammation in the lungs, a thickening of lung tissue, and scarring.  Just because bored folks try idiotic challenges on Youtube or TikTok, does not mean you have to follow all the lemmings off the cliff edge too.

So, hoping your Easter was magical, even with the snow, and try out some cinnamon drop cookies for a tasty treat.  Heh, maybe warm some up, with ice cream on the side, oh my!

 

Cinnamon Drop Cookies

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened

2 cups white sugar (or equivalent of sugar substitute)

2 large eggs

2 tsp.  pure vanilla extract

4 tsp. baking powder

2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

4 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus ¼ cup for higher altitudes)

cinnamon candies 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350F, place parchment paper on baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a mixer until frothy looking.  Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture; mix until smooth.

In a large bowl, sift together baking powder, cinnamon and flour.  Add half to the butter mixture, mix together; add second half of dry ingredients and mix until all incorporated together.

 

Chill cookie dough for 15 minutes.  Using a one tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop dough into one-inch sized balls; place on parchment lined baking sheets 2-inches apart.  In the center of each ball, lightly press in a cinnamon candy

   

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottoms lightly brown; let cook slightly on baking sheets before removing to baking rack.  Cookies can be stored in air tight container, or frozen for up to 3 months.  To reheat, preheat oven to 350F, place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 2-4 minutes, until centers are warm and outside becomes slightly crisp again.

Makes 5 and ½ dozen cookies.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

     

Foods of the December Holidays.

December is a month of many holidays, to name everyone would take about a full newspaper page, so here is a few most Americans may have heard of, or even practice.

Saint Nicholas Day (Christian)

Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexican)

St. Lucia Day (Swedish)

Hanukkah (Jewish)

Christmas Day (Christian)

Three Kings Day/Epiphany (Christian)

Boxing Day (Australian, Canadian, English, Irish)

Kwanzaa (African American)

Omisoka (Japanese)

Yule (Pagan)

Saturnalia (Pagan)

By the way, the Twelve Days of Christmas are December 25^th to January 5^th, aka Twelvetide, a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus Christ; and the dates change dependent on which sect of Christianity you practice.  December 26^th is known as Saint Stephens Day, or Boxing Day; all I know is that it is my birthday, and yes, I do expect presents…that’s a little hint right there.

For Hanukkah, potato latkes and doughnuts (sufganiyot) are requirements, while brisket is the traditional meat served.  Traditional Yule foods include festive meats, winter vegetables, and colorful preserved fruits.  Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples), apples, mulled wine, beans, and oranges.  Omisoka is the Japanese New Year’s Eve (celebrated December 31^st); Toshikoshi soba is Japanese traditional noodle bowl dish eaten. This custom lets go of hardship of the year because soba noodles are easily cut while eating.

Depending on where you live in this massive world of ours, traditional Christmas main dishes are culturally inspired.  Roast goose or roast beef in Britain, whole roasted pig in the Philippines, Feast of the 7 Fishes in Italy, tamales in Costa Rica; and immigrants have brought these traditions to this United States as well.  Growing up, my family had roast turkey with all the trimmings, it was Thanksgiving all over again!  Later on, celebrating with other families, I experienced glazed ham with raisin sauce; Peking duck thinly sliced and layered onto Mandarin pancakes smeared with hoisin sauce; Sauerbraten (translated “sour roast meat”) and German potato salad.  Oh yes, my culinary palette has had an amazing educational experience when it comes to food.

Personally, my food philosophy, and Roy has embraced this too, is to try anything and everything once.  May not like something, might even find it to be totally disgusting, but at least can honestly say, “Yes, tried it, and no, do not like it.”  Or who knows, may simply love it to the point of craving it.  This is the point of this entire story, do not give up traditions, but do not give up on learning.  Also strive to try something new; this is, to me, the meaning of life, of existence, to learn something new each and every day.

So, from the Cokenour household, Happy Holidays to All, be it Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Yule, or whichever belief you hold dear.  Oh, and here’s my recipe for Prime Rib, in case you’ve never experienced it…enjoy!

Normally a prime rib roast comes with the bones attached.  You can do several things with the bones once removed; use them as a rack for the roast to rest on while roasting; cook them separately to eat later on; use them to make beef stock.  Or you can ask your butcher to remove them for you and not deal with them at all; to me, that's a complete waste.  Prime rib usually comes with a thick fat cap also; I removed a good portion of it so I could get the seasoning rub onto the meat itself, but left enough fat so the meat could self-baste while roasting.

Prime Rib

Ingredients:

1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth

1/2 can of water

4 large shallots, peeled and split into sections

2 tsp. dried rosemary

3 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

8 lb. prime rib; bones removed

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil; pour the beef broth and water in.  Place the shallot sections in the pan so that the prime rib will be located over them.  Spray the rack with nonstick spray and place into the pan; be careful not to tear the foil.

Mix together the rosemary, thyme, garlic and onion powders, black pepper and salt.  Brush olive oil over top of the prime rib; spread seasoning rub onto it.

Place the roast onto the center of the rack; make sure it is over the shallots.  Roast the beef for 45 minutes at the 400F temperature; turn the temperature down to 300F and roast to desired doneness.  A meat thermometer is going to be your best friend with this process as it will tell you the internal temperature and, therefore, how you like your meat cooked.  125F is rare, 135F is medium-rare, 145F is medium and 155F is well; anything over that, in my opinion of course, is shoe leather.  In the words of Doctor Who, it's a "wibbley wobbley, timey wimey" process.

Once you have the roast at the desired doneness, pull the entire pan out of the oven, remove the roast to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and let it all rest for 30 minutes.  This lets the juices from the roast redistribute back throughout itself; then place the roast on a cutting board and cut one inch slices.

You're probably wondering about the beef broth, water and shallots?  This is what you'll use to make either an au jus or a gravy; first remove the shallots with a slotted spoon.  Then pour all the remaining liquids and solids into a freezer safe plastic bowl; put the bowl into the freezer for 45 minutes; the fat will rise to the surface, solidify and you can just remove it easily with a spoon.  Pour the fat free liquid through a strainer to remove any bits of missed solid fat or herbs.  That will give you a lovely clear, herbal flavored au jus; or you can put the liquid into a saucepan, add a tablespoon of corn starch, bring it to a boil and make a gravy.  The shallots?  I chopped them up finely and added them to the au jus, but they could just as well be served on the side of a prime rib slice.

Now what did I do with those rib bones?  Glad you asked.  I seasoned them up a bit differently by using my all-purpose seasoning rub.  After the prime rib was done, I popped them into the 300F oven, sitting on an aluminum foil covered rack in a pan; I let them roast for 3 hours.  They made a good snack for my hubby later on.

Mary Cokenour

Birthday Party for Jesus, Gifts Optional.

Christmas Day, a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; a most holy day for all Christian sects.  Gifts, from the most humble to the most expensive, are exchanged.  Feasts the like of no one in Bethlehem saw unless they were of royal descent.  Glazed ham, roasted turkey or goose, stuffing, vegetables, potato dishes and the desserts, oh my, the desserts!  It’s like Thanksgiving all over again, but with gift exchanging.

Growing up in an Italian/Croatian/mainly Catholic neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York; Christmas Eve was a major deal when it came to food.   “The Feast of the Seven Fishes” symbolized several items from the Bible: 7 days of the week, 7 pilgrimage churches in Rome, 7 gifts from the Holy Spirit, and the 7 Sacraments.  This was an all week cooking experience; Salted Cod (Baccala), Shrimp Oreganata, Fried Calamari, Spaghetti with Shrimps in Sauce, Baked Whole Fish, Linguine in Clam Sauce and Baked Clams were the usual fare.

 

While researching various foods served at Christmas, I began to wonder, “If I threw a birthday bash for Jesus, what would I serve?”  First off, he was of Hebrew descent, so ham, and pork products of any kind, would definitely be out!  Turkey and goose did not roam freely throughout the deserts of the Middle East; ah, but a plentiful bounty of seafood resided in the Mediterranean Sea.  Upon the hillsides, shepherds raised and herded sheep; lamb would definitely have been served for a birthday meal.  Olive oil and vinegar used for cooking; olives and pomegranates as appetizers; nuts, figs, dates, grapes and honey would be tasty dessert treats; unleavened bread (flatbread) handy for grabbing hot meat off a skewer; and, of course, fish and lamb.

 

Pomegranates

I can hear it, yes, I can actually hear it, “What is the purpose of all I’ve written?”  To make you think!  In this world of ours that has become so dependent on technology; when the price tag means more than the actual gift; why?  A most important question in Philosophy; Why?  Why get up at 3am, to be on line at some big name store at 4am, to bash others in the head if they lay so much as one finger on an item desired?  Why brag about how much was spent, or better yet, purposely leave the price tag on a wrapped gift?  Why go gaga over gifts when it’s not even your birthday!?!  How is this an actual celebration of the birth of God’s son, your savior; the one you pray to and constantly ask help from?  Think about it, no, actually sit in silence and think!

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."   John 14:13-14 

I fully believe that the way Christmas Eve and Day are celebrated, in these modern times, would be very disappointing to Jesus Christ.  Bickering over gifts, bragging over money spent, not sharing with those who have less, displaying a complete lack of kindness; nope, he wouldn’t be very happy at all.

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, I’m going to share with all of you a traditional Christmas recipe that even Jesus Christ might enjoy (well except for the ricotta cheese; not really supposed to mix protein with dairy in Hebrew tradition).  I will say, “Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas to All!” even though I do not follow the Christian sect.  Why?  It’s the kind thing to do, and that is what it’s all about…the kindness.

 

Tilapia Florentine

(Spinach Stuffed Tilapia)

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. diced red bell pepper

6 tsp. olive oil 
4 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian herbal mix
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 (6 oz. each) tilapia fillets

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375F; spray 1 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small skillet, medium-high heat, sauté red bell pepper in two teaspoons of olive oil until softened; add in spinach, drizzle two teaspoons oil over leaves and cook until wilted. 

In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine egg, garlic, herbal mix, cheeses; gently fold in spinach mixture.  Cut slit into tilapia lengthwise (not all the way through); with tip of knife cut halfway into both sides of the fish to create a pocket.  Stuff half the mixture into each fillet; place into baking dish and drizzle remaining two teaspoons of oil over the fish.

Bake 20-25 minutes; until fish is flaky and filling is warm throughout.  (Higher altitude, baking time might be 15 to 20 minutes instead.)

Makes 2 servings.

 

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Yule (origin Norse and/or Germanic), celebrated from December 21st (Winter Solstice - a fixed point in time) to January 1st (noting a season); 12 days of celebration where each night a candle is lit, a log burnt within the hearth, and a horn of mead (honey wine) is consumed.  Huzzah!

 

This is the origin of the "Twelve Days of Christmas", a popular carol sung during the month of December when Christians believe their savior was born on December 25th.  Historians though believe it was more than likely during the summer months of June or July; when travel throughout the Middle East would have been more suitable.

 

Yule Party Guest List 

December 21, 2016

Jesus Christ responded with, “Don’t worry about the wine, I’ll take care of that.  Just make sure to have several kegs of water available.”  He is such a neat guy, always brings to a party without having to be asked.

Odin and Freya are coming, bringing mead (honey wine) of course; they’re not partial to that, as they call it, “sissy French dishwater” that Jesus makes; but they sure know how to liven up a party.

Zeus and Hera will be bringing nectar and ambrosia; oh, they know how much Roy loves baklava, so they’ll be bringing a cartload of that too.  The bull pulling the cart, told them not to kill and roast it this year; it took me forever to get the blood stains out of the carpeting!

Jupiter and Juno, being from Rome, are doing the “feast of the seven fishes”; yeah, that’s a Roman Catholic thing, but they giggle like hell when they relate how pissed off Neptune was when they took the fish out of his sea.

Cernunnos, well it is his birthday and sometimes he acts all, “look at me, it’s my birthday!”, but once Odin gets him dosed up with a few horns of mead, yeah, Cernunnos simply sits in the corner and smiles a lot.  This year he won’t be bringing his stag, since Zeus tried to hunt and cook it last year along with the bull.

Mohammed sends his regrets, with all the “issues” going on in the Middle East, he doesn’t think it will all be settled by the 21^st.  He makes the best hummus ever too!  I’m going to save him a seat at the table just in case.

That’s all the guests I’ve heard from so far; but I always make sure to buy extras for those who simply show up.

All are welcome, discrimination is a human fault, not for we Gods and Goddesses.

Mary Cokenour

Goddess