It snowed. We played. We rolled in the snow. We threw snowballs. Jack ate loads of snow. We snuggled under blankets in front of the fireplace. The Gathering Place, the home that Mimi and Papa built for family holidays is a good good place. We had delicious crepes for Christmas eve cooked by Bryan's French aunt Sophie, a Greenberk Smoked Turkey and other delicious fixings for Christmas lunch, and other offerings from Ruidoso.

Some favorites are: Cafe Rio in downtown that serves up some of the best pizza. The crust is amazing and so are the variety of toppings. The Hummingbird Tearoom is one of the places where we stop everytime we go to Ruidoso. It's perfect for a nice lunch of soup and sandwich and a hot cup of tea. My favorite eatery this time was Casa Blanca, a Mexican restaurant that prides itself on the best green salsa, which is made strictly of Hatch chiles. It is heavenly. Their cheese chile rellenos and the green chile chicken enchilada are delicious. Although, the wait is long and the server seemed swamped with orders, it was worth it.

Another discovery was a local dairy specializing in a variety of cheeses: Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory. We sampled several cheeses: Hatch chile Jack, El Patron de Queso (tequila Jack cheese), and Kalamata Feta, among many. Brought home the Hatch and roasted garlic Jack Cheese and the Kalamata Feta Cheese. According to our cheese tour guide, the Tucumcari Mountain Cheese Factory Feta Cheese won 2nd place in the world contest, which is pretty impressive for a small dairy in New Mexico.

"Who won 1st place," I asked.
"The Danes" he replied, "it made the Greeks mad..."

We're back in Texas right now and will be attending a wedding for new Year's Eve. After that, back to normality...maybe :) Till then, my kitchen will be quiet. I am leaving you with some Ruidoso pictures.

I hope you have a great New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year to all of you! May you be blessed abundantly!
Hugs,
E.
















[snow smooch :)]


[Roswell Alien Amber Ale - A Taste Beyond...]


[snow storm approaching]








[Yes. Don't rub your eyes. It is a Le Creuset Tagine and it is mine! This is one of the many presents I got and I can't wait to play with it]

Waiting for Snow

[Lego the puppy]


Christmas is almost here. The house is full, loud, smelling of all kinds of deliciousness, from candy to barbeque ribs. The forecast tells us that it will snow on Thursday, just in time for Christmas morning. While I don't love snow, I can't help but hope that there will be snow for Christmas, only for my little Jack who is very aware of everything right now. Last night he wanted to see the chimney, he wanted to see the smoke coming out of the chimney, he wanted to see the deer grazing by the house in hopes that Rudolph would be there.

We are having a wonderful break, and I hope that all of you are as well. Merry Christmas everyone!


Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 package (12 oz) of fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey)
1/4 inch slice fresh ginger
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
orange peel (a couple of pieces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Spice pack: tie them with string in cheese cloth

4 cloves
5 cardamom pods

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan under medium heat. Stir to combine and let simmer for about 20-35 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cranberries have popped, lost their shape, and the sauce has thickened.

It is best to prepare one day ahead of time.

Whew!

The fall semester is officially over. I have finished grading, filing, averaging…..finally. All our PhD applications are mailed out, sent into the void along with all our wishing and hoping. It was stressful but it feels good to be done with it and sit back and wait.

The streets in Nacogdoches feel lighter and it’s nice. I am ready for a break. In three days the three of us will be hopping into our car and drive to Ruidoso, New Mexico. Bryan's grandparents have a beautiful house in the mountains. Can't wait to show you.

Tomorrow our department is having a party to celebrate another semester’s end and I am thinking of bringing this delicious Hazelnut Brittle. It is so easy to make and it is wonderful to eat; the crunch of the roasted hazelnuts balances well the crunch of the sweet, and the brittle bites are perfect for a party, especially a Christmas party.

It’s good to be back. I hope you are having a great pre-holiday time and that your travels are safe, and that your time with loved ones is relaxing, energizing, and fulfilling.

Missed being here!
E.



Hazelnut Brittle

Adapted from a Food Everyday (December 2005) issue that I picked up at our local library for 10 cents. It’s filled with treasures :)

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray
½ cups sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¾ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cup roasted and chopped hazelnuts
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Preparation:

Spray a rimmed baking sheet and a wide metal spatula with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large glass bowl (microwave safe), combine sugar, corn syrup, and salt, stirring until sugar is moistened. Microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Stir in butter and nuts; return to microwave for about 5 minutes, until the sugar mixture is thick, bubbly, and very pale brown in color. Mixture will be very hot; use pot holders when holding or pouring.

Remove from microwave, stir in vanilla and baking soda (mixture may foam up). Immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet, spreading mixture as thinly as possible with the prepared spatula.

Let stand 20 minutes until hardened, then lift off sheet, and break brittle into bite-size pieces.

Carrot Orange Salad

The guest blogger for today is Dana at Dana Treat. Hop on over to her blog to find some wonderful vegetarian dishes packed with flavor, as well as beautiful photography and heartfelt conversations. And don't forget to check out the recipe below. My mouth is watering!

Thank you Dana!
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It is such a treat for me to post on Eralda's wonderful blog. I love her no-nonsense style and her delicious looking food. I also have loved seeing photos of her home country - what amazing beauty there is on display in Albania. I can relate to Eralda on so many levels, not the least of which is that she is a the mom of a boy. Having two of my own, I know much of what she is going through.

On my own blog, I like to think I offer lots of variety in the food I talk about. As a vegetarian who really loves food, I need variety when I eat. When I say that I mean variety in my diet in general and also within a meal. If I am going to make dinner (which I don't do every night), there are going to be at least two components to it. If I make pasta, I almost always make a side vegetable or a salad or both. I'm not necessarily talking fancy here, just different tastes and textures within a meal.

I do love to eat salad but when making a meal with more international flavors, lettuce just doesn't seem right. That is where this simple and delicious salad comes in. I use it when I make dishes with strong and especially savory flavors. It works well with Indian, North African, Middle Eastern, and even Asian foods. It's also lovely when you just want a few bites of something light to go alongside a heavy or rich meal. The fact that it is quick, easy, and scales up well makes it just about perfect.



Carrot Orange Salad
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Serves 4

3 large carrots, peeled and grated
2 navel oranges
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Place the grated carrots in a bowl large enough to hold the completed salad and set it aside.

Slice off the ends of the oranges, place each one, cut side down, on the working surface, and slice down the curved sides with broad strokes all the way around,positioning the knife just deep enough to remove the peel and all of the white pith. Holding each peeled orange over the serving bowl, slip a paring knife between the membrane and one of the sides of each orange section, cut in toward the center of the orange, and then cut back out the other side with a motion resembling a "v". ( DT: This process is called supremeing an orange and I always do the whole process with a small tomato knife.) The orange section will fall into the bowl. Repeat this process around the entire orange and then squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl. Combine the lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon in a small bowl and pour over the carrot-orange mixture. Before serving, allow the salad to sit for at least 10 minutes so the flavors will mingle.

Cranberry Vanilla Jam

Here is another blog post from Sarah at In Praise of Leftovers. Sarah's offerings are generous, delicious, and always nestled in beautiful, fun, heartfelt stories. Check out her blog and you won't be disappointed. Her recipes, advice, and company are always such a great part of my day.
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How delighted I am to be a guest on Eralda's blog! I started In Praise of Leftovers spring of this year, about the same time that Eralda finished graduate school and started The Split Pea. In those first couple months, one could safely say I was OBSESSED with checking for comments. There were the usual suspects--my mom, my sister, a few good friends. Eralda's comments were some of the first I got from strangers. Completely thrilling. And they weren't things like, "Looks great!" (though I'll take whatever I can get), but sweet, personal, well-written tidbits that made me feel like my life and writing mattered. I've never been to Texas, but I have a friend there now, and am grateful to be connected to Eralda, her family, and her cooking and academic ventures.

One of the rules I have for my blog is that I don't plan my menu or my week around blog posting. I'm a mother, organization development consultant, wife, volunteer, member of many groups and pursuits. If I put my blog at the top of the list, all those other things would suffer (and I would be super cranky). So, in true Leftoverist fashion, I didn't know what my contribution to The Split Pea would be until this morning when I was spreading cranberry vanilla jam on my toast.

This beautiful jar of jam was meant for a cranberry cognac trifle that I'm bringing to a Christmas party tonight. And I did use it for my trifle, which I'll write about soon. What I was unprepared for, though, was how addictive it is on its own. Sweet, yes, but with that lovely tartness only cranberries can bring, and a strong hit of vanilla to give it depth. I generally don't go nuts over sweet jam--raspberry, strawberry. I always have it around and occasionally spread it on toast, but I don't wake up in the morning thinking about it. Not so with this stuff. With a frothy latte this morning, I definitely felt ready for December, ready for the eminent festivities that can wear us out if we're not careful. Loretta, my almost-three-year old, kept asking for more, spreading it from one end of the table to the other.

Wherever you are today and whatever your traditions around this time of year, I hope you are visited by goodness, light, and maybe a jar of jam.


Cranberry Vanilla Jam

Adapted from Gourmet. I've never REALLY canned, with hot water and sealing lids, etc. But that shouldn't stop you from making jam. Tightly covered, you can keep this in the fridge for at least a month. And it goes without saying that this would make a lovely gift. This makes about 2 cups--double or triple it if you want lots more friends.

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract)
3 1/2 c. fresh or frozen, unthawed cranberries
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
1/2 c. water

With tip of a sharp knife, scrape vanilla seeds from pod into a 2-qt. heavy saucepan. Add pod and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickening, about 20 minutes.

Puree jam through a food mill set over a bowl OR (I don't have a food mill) force it through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing on the solids, occasionally scraping the bottom of the sieve with a spatula to get every last drop. Discard the cranberry skins and vanilla pod. Cool, stirring occasionally.

Beet Salad with Mayonnaise

Today's guest post is from Natasha at 5 Star Foodie - Culinary Adventures. Natasha's recipes are delicious and great reinterpretations of the classics, elevating the traditional while preserving flavor and simplicity. Her blog is filled with beautiful, elegant, and mouth-watering recipes, as well as restaurant reviews. Check it out!

Thank you, Natasha!
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As it is already December, the holiday season is fast approaching, and there will be many different celebrations of all kinds. In Russian tradition, no celebration is complete without a "zakuski" table, numerous appetizers such as cured meats, salted fish, breads, pickled vegetables, caviar, and prepared salads. One of my favorite salads when I was growing up was the shredded Beet Salad with Mayonnaise. It is easy to make, delicious, and a colorful addition to any holiday table.



Beet Salad with Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

3 large beets
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup almonds or walnuts
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or soy based version)
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

Place beets in a large pot, and fill with water enough to cover the beets. Bring to boil, salt, and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the beets are tender. Cool completely and peel.

Shred the beets into a large bowl. Mix in garlic and nuts. Add 1/4 cup mayonnaise or more to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or until ready to serve.