Festive Ice and Pickled Gifts for the Holidays

By Marilyn Michael

Christmas lights, doesn’t every family have a story? My folks turned our house into Disneyland, I swear, vying for that silver bowl top prize in the town decorating contest. The pinnacle was the year Santa kept pulling Rudolph up the side of the house with a pulley…don’t ask. I remember being pretty embarrassed as a teenager having the whole town drive by our house. Looking back, though, I’m proud of my parent’s enthusiasm and willingness to brighten people’s lives at the holidays.

We’ve lived on a boat for years in the shadow of Seattle’s Space Needle. My husband, Hank, wrote a humor/food column for a couple magazines. Below is his take on Christmas decorating followed by a couple of tasty ideas for holiday entertaining and gift giving that he offered his readers one year.

One of my most embarrassing memories from childhood was having kids over to play and trying to explain why our Christmas lights were still up on July 4^th. Putting lights on the boat is a real hassle, with the twist ties, tape, tangled bulbs, extension cords and all. Last January 10^th I was standing on the dock looking at those colored strings circling my boat wondering if I could pass them off as running lights.

Every year I swear this is the year of no lights but I’m compelled by an unknown force to put more and more lights up. My wife, who’s always right by the way, reminds me that I’m going to have problems with so many. Well, the big moment came and when I threw the switch I swear the Space Needle dimmed for a glorious moment that was punctuated by a popping breaker.

Actually there is a reason why every December I’ll crawl around the deck with twist ties hanging out of my mouth like tooth picks dragging stings of lights. One year a cancer patient I was seeing said to me, “Just think of all those tired people driving home from work down Interstate 5 who look down on Lake Union and see the boats all lit up, I bet it lifts their spirits”. So, up go the lights and onward with plans for having guests on board for the boat parade and other celebrations during the holiday season.

Holiday Ice

Not everyone drinks hot toddies in December. If you are serving drinks with ice, alcoholic or other, why not liven up those ice cubes. Put a twist of lemon or lime in the water before freezing. Gourmet markets sell edible flowers. Adding a flower to each cube before freezing can add an interesting and festive element to drinks you serve. You can add whatever you like, your only limitation is your imagination olives, pieces of fruit, you name it.

If you don’t want alcoholic drinks diluted by the ice cubes, add 2 parts water to 1 part alcohol to keep those drinks lively. Keep those cubes separate from ones the kids may use and party hardy but don’t drink and drive (in boat or cars.)

If you are attending a holiday gathering and want to arrive with a unique and appreciated hostess gift, food is always welcome and home made food is celebrated. I’m always a hit with jars of Pickled Shrimp and Pickled Onions.

Hank’s Pickled Shrimp

If you’re serving Bloody Marys for that New Year’s Brunch, hang a shrimp on the side of each glass.

Ingredients:

Tiger Prawn

8 cups white vinegar

3-4 Tablespoons pickling spice

Red onion

Garlic cloves

Small attractive canning jars with lids

Instructions:

Throw the shrimp (I prefer tiger prawns) in boiling heavily salted water for 10 to 15 seconds until shells turn pink. (Heavy salt brings out the shrimps flavor.)

Remove them with a slotted spoon and put cold water over them immediately to stop the cooking. (Overcooking the shrimp makes them tough.)

Peel the shrimp.

Place in a pan:

8 cups of white vinegar

3-4 Tablespoons pickling spice (I like it heaver so I use 4-6 Tablespoons)

Bring the brine to a boil then let it cool down.

Pack small, clean, attractive jars, layering each with:

Shrimp

Thin slices of red onion (some jars with and some jars without)

1 clove of raw garlic

If you like it spicy, add crushed red pepper to taste.

Cover with the brine.

Put lids tightly on the jars.

Chill overnight then gift or enjoy.

Pickled Pearl Onions

Make up some jars as above and fill with raw, peeled pearled onions

one clove of garlic, and crushed red pepper to taste.

'TIS THE SEASON FOR COMFORT FOOD

By Barbara Winters

The tree is down*, the weather is dreary and we're craving a flavor besides ham or turkey.  If the thought of one more cookie or piece of fudge makes you want to throw  up, it's time to move into ... The Comfort Food Zone.

Comfort food is something Mom or Grandma usually made.  It was delicious.  It slid down easily.  If it had any nutritional value that was downplayed to let you enjoy its flavorful goodness.  It mostly made you feel warm inside and loved.

Robb Walsh, food writer and cook book author, once defined patriotism as the memory of foods eaten in childhood.  I cannot disagree with that, and besides I like dropping names. (Pick that up.)  If your family celebrates its heritage then there are most likely delicious things Nana made which made you proud to be a member of the family.

After the holidays it's nice to be able to use up some leftovers, so my comfort food is wild rice soup.  It's creamy and smooth and has good basic ingredients in it.

The first time I made wild rice I had never even heard of it before. Turns out it is technically not rice but some paddy-raised grass grown by Native Americans in Minnesota.  Good for them.  I hate to think of them stuck with making pemmican all winter.

I was given a huge box of wild rice and didn't really read the instructions until the kitchen was completely occupied by Thanksgiving dinner.  It seems that I had to empty the whole box into a soup kettle to accommodate all the water needed, then bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour.  Then, I was to strain it through a sieve into another soup kettle, then put the rice back in the liquid, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour.  Lather, rinse, repeat. 

The final time I drained it, the husk had opened and the grains were a little fluffy.  It had a nutty flavor. Some people add butter. I learned that if you cooked it in stock it tasted even better.  My effort made up for the fact that my stuffing came out of a box.  Shut up, it was years before anyone noticed.

The good news is that the Reese company now produces wild rice in little managable 4 oz. boxes.  If you left over, make some and add it to the soup.  I think you'll find it a delicious dinner for the cold new year.

   

(*or it should be, you slackers.)

WILD RICE SOUP

1/3 cup wild rice (or 1 cup left over wild rice,

and skip the cup of liquid)

1 cup water or chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, finely chopped

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 cup flour

4 cups milk

1 cup cream

To Prepare Rice:

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and add rice and salt. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes or until tender.

To Prepare Soup:

Melt butter, add onions, celery, and mushrooms, cover and gently cook for 5 minutes until tender. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant.

Stir in 2 teaspoons salt, pepper and flour. Remove from heat and add milk, stirring until flour is well blended.

Return to low heat, cook stirring constantly until soup has thickened. Add cooked rice and simmer a few minutes to blend flavors.

Serve hot, garnish with chopped chives or grated cheese, optional.