Column from December 30, 2010

 Ringing in the New Year

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We certainly did!

Now, it’s time already to celebrate the end of this year and the beginning of 2011.

I can hardly believe another year has gone by. Time sure seems to fly.

We typically stay home for New Year’s Eve. However, we do watch the beginning of the New Year on TV. It’s fun to see what others are doing around the country.

Because it’s January, the weather is usually cold, which is another reason for me to stay at home. And it’s that cold weather that makes it the ideal time for soups, chili or stew to be simmering on the stove.

Stew can actually be found in history references. It’s considered a method of cooking that is older than almost any other.

The first written record is in the Old Testament. In Genesis, Esau trades his father’s dowry with his brother Jacob for a dish of stew.

There are also Roman writings that mention stews. The first recipe was written in the 14^th century.

The two prerequisites for a dish to be considered beef stew iare that it must have beef as its main component and it is should be cooked over a direct flame in a pot with a liquid base.

Geography plays a big part in making the beef stews different from region to region. In places where the cold season is longer than usual, it is more common to find stews on the menu in abundance. The beef stew will be thicker, cook longer and have heavier ingredients

That makes this week’s recipe ideal for here in the Columbia Basin!

And when it’s done, everyone can simply help themselves, so there’s not a lot of work needed.

That leaves more time to relax and enjoy the holiday … as well as recuperate from the big Christmas rush.

Old fashioned beef stew

2 pounds stew meat

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

4 tablespoons shortening

2 cups boiling water

2 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1 large onion, sliced

2 bay leaves

¼ teaspoon allspice

12 small carrots, trimmed and peeled

12 whole white pearl onion, peeled

8 small red potatoes, peeled and cut in half

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper on a piece of wax paper; roll beef cubes in the mixture, shaking off excess flour.

2. Over high heat in a Dutch oven, melt the shortening. When the shortening is very hot, add the beef chunks, about five or six pieces at a time; do not crowd. Brown on all sides and remove to plate. Repeat until all beef chunks are browned.

3. Once the meat is cooked, return all the meat to the pot. Stand back and pour on the boiling water, being careful not to burn yourself when the water spits and sputters. Next, add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, yellow onion, pearl onions, bay leaves and allspice. Stir well.

4. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender. Do not allow the stew to dry out. Add a little more boiling water if necessary. Finally, add the carrots, onions and potatoes. Cook another 25 to 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes pierce easily with a fork.

Column from December 23, 2010

Taking time to help others

The end of last week was certainly busy as we began making last minute preparations for Christmas.

Thursday, I interviewed Maria Carmen Rubalcava as she is retiring from more than 40 years with the local union. Everyone knows her as Carmen and she’s provided assistance to many people over the years.

We headed for the Tri-Cities to do some shopping Friday. In the first store we stopped at, we ran into several people from Othello. I guess everyone was trying to fit buying presents into their schedule.

Then, on Saturday, it was time for the annual Christmas baskets delivery at the fire hall. Merritt Johnson, who heads up the project, said more food was donated this year than he’s seen recently.

That’s good news for those who struggle each year to feed their families. It means they received plenty to prepare a few meals without having to worry about where they money for food was going to come from.

Plus, the many toys donated were given out to the children at those homes. Some of the kids might not have gotten a present from Santa if it weren’t for the Christmas baskets.

This is such a wonderful project. It began in the 1970s over a cup of coffee. Several of the local men were discussing how they could bring some cheer to those who didn’t have much in the way of food or toys for the children during the holiday season.

They started with a handful of names and now, more than 300 baskets are delivered each winter by dozens of people who take time out of their busy schedules to drive the boxes to those receiving them.

It takes countless hours of labor to get ready for the yearly project. And those duties are performed by many volunteers who are more than willing to give up precious time to help others. They are certainly appreciated.

Isn’t that what the true meaning of Christmas is all about? It’s not the gifts under your own tree or the party with all you can eat or drink. It’s the joy on a little one’s face when he or she wakes up to find Santa stopped at his or her house and brought even one little toy.

Each of us should be able to find some little way to help others this holiday season. As for Carmen, she will continue to help the workers who are members of the local union until Dec. 30 – her last day on the job.

After that, she will have more time to cook for others – she loves making tamales for her friends and family. It doesn’t sound like much, but if you’ve ever tasted Carmen’s tamales, you know they are a little taste of heaven.

Carmen loves to cook and she gave me her recipe for bunuelos to share with my readers. She said these flaky goodies are very common during the Christmas season.

Buñuelos (fritters)

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 cup milk

Oil for frying, at least 1 inch deep

Sugar mixture: ½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon or pinch of powdered cloves

1. Stir dry ingredients together; set aside.

2. Melt butter.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, then mix in milk. Gradually stir in dry ingredients. When thoroughly mixed, add melted butter and with hands, work butter into dough.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently until smooth and elastic. Divide dough and roll into 30 to 50 balls. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a thin circle.

5. Fry in hot oil (400 to 425 degrees). Turn to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

6. Sprinkle with sugar mixture. Best served while still warm. They may also be served with a syrup made of piloncillo or brown sugar, flavored with cinnamon or with cinnamon and cloves.

Column from December 16, 2010

 Diana Brault shows off her prize winning cookies.

Sharing a favorite cookie recipe

There certainly were some yummy cookies at The Old Hotel open house Saturday.

Diana Brault provided the winning entry for the cookie baking contest. She received a wonderful gift basket full of fun kitchen items.

The results were very close, with the others coming in only a vote or two apart.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There was so much to do to keep everyone entertained.

Santa was on hand for the little ones. Teens spent time around the card-making table. Another table featured cutout Christmas cookies to decorate.

Soup and rolls were also served up and five bikes were raffled off.

And throughout the afternoon, Christmas music played in the background.

It definitely was a great way to start the holiday shopping season. This coming weekend, the art gallery will feature Christmas gift items on sale for great prices.

I haven’t done much shopping yet. The weather has kept us grounded inside most of the time. It’s been quite a while since we’ve had this amount of snow this early here in the Columbia Basin.

Plus, there is so much going on and only so many hours in the day. That’s why having a place like The Old Hotel is a great addition to any community. They have some unique gift items – many of which are handmade – so you’re sure to find something for that hard-to-shop-for friend or relative.

The recipe for ginger crinkles is a new one for Diana. She recently found it in the Pet Rescue cookbook, which is available for purchase at Bank of Whitman. It was submitted by Terri Nichols.

As promised, I’m including the winning cookies in this week’s column. I’m also sharing a recipe I’ve had for years that you might also enjoy making for the holidays.

Here are both the recipes for your cooking and eating enjoyment.

Ginger crinkles

2/3 cup oil

1 egg

1 cup sugar

¼ cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Extra sugar for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together oil, egg and sugar. Add molasses and mix well.

Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Roll dough into balls and dip in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Raspberry bars

¾ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon soda

1-1/2 cup oats, uncooked

10-ounce jar red raspberry preserves

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Combine dry ingredients and add to sugar mixture. Mix well.

Press half into greased 13-by-9 inch pan. Spread with preserves and sprinkle with remaining crumbs.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool; cut into bars.

Column from December 9, 2010

Making your family feel special

As always, we really enjoyed the cantata this past weekend. I’ve gone for many years and it’s truly a treat.

The cantata is Othello’s way of ringing in the holiday season.

There are a lot of events that take place this time of year. Next weekend, The Old Hotel will host a Christmas get-together with plenty of activities for the entire family. That should be fun, too.

Christmas is a busy time, but families need to remember loved ones who have birthdays this month. Mine was last weekend and my younger sister’s was five days before that.

I always appreciated the fact that my parents always kept our birthdays separate from Christmas. We were treated special for our birthdays each year and they were never combined with the other or with the holiday.

To me, that’s very important. Children’s feelings are easily hurt, especially when they misinterpret adult motives. They want to feel appreciated and their birthdays are the perfect time to do just that … no matter what time of year they take place.

I always let my kids choose what they wanted for dinner on their special days. I also made sure they got their favorite cake for dessert.

Whether you make a birthday cake yourself or purchase one at a local bakery or store, there is sure to be one that will please your special little person.

My favorite cake is chocolate. Add chocolate frosting and there’s nothing that can beat it.

I have a variety of recipes for all sorts of different cakes. As I was going through my recipe box for this week’s column, I found a recipe for a chocolate mocha cake I used to make quite often.

It even has a star in the corner to remind me everyone liked it.

That’s just one of the many ways recipes can be marked to remember whether your family enjoyed them or not. A notation in the margin can help, too. If you look through my cookbooks, you can sometimes find little notes about certain recipes – such as add more seasoning, cook a bit longer, really tasty or don’t make this again!

Those notes are very helpful for me or for anyone who might borrow the book.

So, next time you try a new recipe, add a message to yourself. You’ll be glad you did.

Chocolate mocha cake

2-1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1-2/3 cup sugar

3-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cup milk, divided

2/3 cup shortening

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in ¾ cup milk and shortening. Beat at medium speed for two minutes.

Add eggs, ½ cup milk and vanilla. Beat two minutes more.

Bake in prepared 9-inch round cake pans for 35 to 40 minutes.

Frosting

¾ cup shortening

1 tablespoon vanilla

½ cup baking cocoa

½ teaspoon salt

4-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

½ cup strong coffee (or use 1 tablespoon instant coffee mixed with ½ cup hot water)

Cream together shortening, vanilla, cocoa and salt. Add confectioner’s sugar and coffee.

Beat until smooth.

Column from December 2, 2010

A unique way to ring in the holiday season

Dust off your cookbooks and dig out that favorite family recipe for Christmas cookies. Make two dozen – as well as a copy of the recipe – and bring them to The Old Hotel Dec. 11.

That’s the day the local art gallery is planning a very special celebration to start the holiday season here in Othello. Part of the event is a cookie baking contest. There will be a prize for both the best cookies by an adult and a child.

The winners will receive a special basket filled with some lovely kitchen items. The winning recipes will also be featured in this column.

Christmas wouldn’t be the same without cookies. They come in handy when friends stop by to visit and they taste great on cold winter evenings with a cup of hot chocolate.

Plus, Santa definitely relies on those cookies the kids leave for him when he’s traveling the world delivering presents!

Most of the recipes we use today can be traced to those from medieval European biscuits. That’s the time when many of the modern ingredients, such as cinnamon, ginger, almonds and dried fruit, were introduced into the west. By the 16^th century, Christmas biscuits had become popular across Europe.

The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the U.S. are those that were brought by the Dutch in the early 17^th century. Cookie cutters became available between 1870 and 1900 following a change in the importation laws. These imported cookie cutters, mainly from Germany, features images designed to hang on Christmas trees and recipes began to appear in cookbooks designed to use them.

Leaving cookies for Santa has been a Christmas Eve tradition throughout the world for centuries. While the origins are unknown, it is said to perhaps be related to the idea that children who struggled to be on Santa’s “nice list” were looking for ways to sweeten his disposition.

In the U.S., children have been leaving cookies and milk on a table for Santa on Christmas Eve since the 1930s. The cookies are typically cut into such shapes as candy canes, reindeer, bells and holly leaves.

Truly, what would Christmas be without cookies?

In the spirit of the season, I’m going to share one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Thinking about them brings back delightful memories of my own children decorating the dozens I would make when they were little.

Tender crisp sugar cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

4-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

Cream butter, shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Sift together dry ingredients and stir into butter mixture.

Let chill; then roll out and cut into shapes with your favorite cookie cutters. Place two inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown.

Decorate as desired.