Christmas Edition: Poems and Recipes

Dec 21, 2016

Recipes

Maple Vanilla Baked Pears
Serves 8 (or 4 because I don’t like to share!)

Ingredients:
4 Anjou Pears
½ cup Maple Syrup (Use good local stuff!)
½ teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Vanilla
1 cup granola
Yoghurt or Ice Cream (Do what ever you want, I’m not the
boss of you!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350f. Find a baking sheet in that crazy
   baking sheet cupboard. I’d suggest you use some parchment
   paper, because nobody wants to have a hard time
   cleaning up when it’s dessert time!
2. Slice your pears in half and then cut a little off the skin
   side so they’ll lay nice and flat. Use a melon baller (or a
   teaspoon) and core out the pears. Place pears face up on
   your baking sheet, sprinkle the cinnamon over top (they’ll
   look better if you don’t try to get it too evenly!)
3. Mix your maple syrup with your vanilla. Save some of
   it for the end and drizzle the rest on the pears.
4. Bake pears for about 25-30 minutes. (In my experience,
   all ovens are different and so are most pears, the
   last time I made these it took about 40 minutes! Start them
   early, they can always be heated up again! In fact, you can
   do these a few days ahead of when you need them!
5. Throw some granola on them, put them on a plate with
   some yoghurt or ice cream, drizzle your maple vanilla over
   top of everything and enjoy!

- Submited by the hungry chef - Dan Keeler, Black Kettle Catering

Parmesan Sausage Stuffing
Serves 8 (or 1 if you’re me…)

Ingredients:
12 cupsBbread
1 lb Sausage meat (Apple Sage from Seed to Sausage)
8oz Chicken Liver, chopped
3 cups Onion, chopped
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup Celery, chopped
1 cup Chicken Stock
¼ cup Parsley, chopped
2 Large Eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Thyme, chopped
2 tsp Sage, chopped
1 tsp Rosemary, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Course Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350f. Bake Bread, spread out, until dry. Set bread aside to cool.
2. Butter a glass baking dish. Heat 1 TBSP oil in heavy skillet on medium. Saute sausage for 5 minutes. Add chicken liver; cook until sausage and liver are cooked through. Transfer to large bowl with bread.
3. Add 1 TBSP oil back to skillet. Add onions, celery, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Cook until celery is tender. Add to bread mixture.
4. Stir in ¾ C parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.
5. Mix eggs into stuffing.
6. Transfer to buttered dish, cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
7. Uncover, sprinkle remaining parmesan on top and bake until lightly browning.

- Submited by the hungry chef - Dan Keeler, Black Kettle Catering

Cathedral Windows

Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 hard-boiled egg yolks, mashed
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp grated orange rind
1 cup mixed candied fruit
1 cup glazed cherries

Directions:
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg. Stir in mashed egg yolks, flour, salt, orange rind, then fruit and cherries. Shape into rolls, 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap rolls in foil or plastic wrap and chill thoroughly. To bake, slice dough very thin (1/4 inch), spread on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 300F until set but not brown (8 – 10 minutes). Careful! These cookies bake quickly!

- Submitted by Marg Desroche

Poems

A Granny’s Christmas Wish

If I were ol’ Santa, you know what I'd do?
I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you,
and deliver some things just inside your front door,
things you have lost, but treasured before.
 
I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor,
and, to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.
Then restore the old colour that once graced your hair,
before rinses and bleaches took residence there.
 
I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted,
so things now suspended need not be uplifted.
I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back,
‘till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.
 
I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin,
so you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin.
You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells,
and you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.
 
No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes,
no searching for glasses when they're right on your nose.
Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny,
from a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny.
 
You'd never have headaches, so no pills would you take,
and no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache.
Yes, if I were ol’ Santa, you'd never look stupid,
you'd be a cute little chick with the romance of cupid.
 
I'd put a smile on your face when those wolves start to whistle,
and the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.
But alas! I'm not Santa, I'm simply just me
getting older myself, as it’s plain to see.
 
I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got,
but I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot.
Even though we've grown older, this wish is sincere:
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Holiday Day Remembered

The Christmas holiday had so many jolly days with bands parading throughout the town.
The Christmas holidays had so many folly days with rooftop icicles hanging down.
The traffic hurried and people scurried with snow-capped street lamps to guide their way,
voices singing, church bells ringing, the angel faces came out to play.
The Christmas holidays had so many merry days with salutations sent through the mail.
The Christmas holidays had so many cherry days, cranberries and popcorn by the pail.
Dreaming, young hearts believing, our Shortbread cookies scattered on a tray,
The hour was nearing, the elves were cheering, Santa’s reindeer were on their way.
The Christmas holidays had so many swirly days, snowflakes dancing into the air.
The Christmas holidays had so many twirly days with frozen ice drops inside our hair.
The trees were brimming with sparkle trimming, beneath the boughs the presents lay,
hugs with kisses and yule-tide wishes to celebrate our Christmas day.

- Susan Elizabeth Radford