By Cynthia Bowan
Return to Index
Hanukkah is almost over, and Christmas will be here shortly. Stores everywhere, television, radio, newspapers and ad inserts have been and still are trying to persuade each of us to buy, buy, buy.
And we do, do, do!
We are made to feel that if our relatives don't have the latest gadget or newest DVD version, or our children don't have the hot toys of the season; we will have failed them and our friends and anyone else we give a present to. I remember well how our children would make their own lists and our reaction to them - "Okay, that one is do-able" or "absolutely NO WAY"…and various other thoughts my hubby and I didn't even have to express, we just knew how each other felt…<GBG>
But now, with the countdown on for the few days left of the holiday season, perhaps not all of the presents have been placed under the tree, given or received. (There is always a late relative in the bunch who is sure to give US something…)
So
pretend I am that relative. What gift can I offer you that will last long after ribbons are broken and packages unwrapped, and said gift become tarnished with wear, tear and time?
"If I had a gift that I could give you," John Denver sang. "I'd give to you a day just like today..." John's song was about those memorable days in our lives, when the sun is warm on our face and our shoulders, and life is about as perfect as it can be.
Would I wish for each of you a day so perfect that it will remain a day that the young boy Oliver sings about in the musical with his name? A day one could put in a box to keep, which could be taken out to "see it at his leisure, whenever
things go wrong..."
Or would I wish for you -- and me -- a string of days, each so perfect that they would make a necklace of memories?
When I was much younger, I was sort of jealous of my cousin Nicole, known as Nicky. Her daddy owned a large store in Sumter, South Carolina, much like J.C. Penny's here.
It seemed that Nicky had everything. By the ripe old age of 12, she had ballroom dancing lessons and music lessons and lived in a beautiful professionally interior-decorated ranch house and...
When she was even younger, her parents had given her an add-a-bead necklace. Every birthday or holiday, a pearl was added. It was the loveliest thing and the most wonderful idea I had ever known. For a long time after she showed it to me, I wished and prayed for my very own necklace.
In my later teen years, I recognized the fact that possessions did not tend to make one happy. Pearl milestones do not take the place of the genuine jewels of loving and caring. As an adult, I learned the hard way the truth of that, especially when Nicky, who had been one of my bridesmaids, died of breast cancer, leaving behind her husband and two children.
On December 12,
1959, a very nervous teenage boy asked an equally nervous teenage girl to "go steady with him". It took her all of 2 or maybe 3 seconds to think about it, and say "yes".
December 12, 1963: the florist delivered a single long-stemmed red rose with a card from the boy to the girl. And for the next 11 days, another rose, a different love message.
Christmas Eve, 1963: I received a corsage of beautiful red roses. Along with the roses came a love letter which stated the single roses were "a sign of our life yet to come, full of promises and dreams."
The full-bloomed roses in the corsage were the fullness of the love now shared - that was the message delivered Christmas Eve that year. On Christmas Day that year, we announced our engagement and were married the next summer.
Forty-five years have passed since my husband Merrill asked me to go steady. Every year since then, we celebrate December 12, as well as our true wedding anniversary. We go out for a meal, (this year, we went to Dingbat's Restaurant in Fox Chapel for their marvelous brunch), and exchanged anniversary cards.
I loved it. For you see, I would rather have my husband and his love and friendship than all the pearls in the world. He has given me so many "pearls" that I would have to wind the necklace around my neck a couple times, like a 20's flapper!
This "necklace" is made up of pearls for the birth of each of our children, and their special times, and pearls for all the anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays... There are serious pearls and silly pearls. But they are all very, very real and precious.
And that, dear friends, is the gift I wish I could give each of you: a string of "pearls", made of true love and sharing and caring to wrap yourself in whenever things go wrong or are less-than-perfect. A string created of Poems, Prayers and Promises
(another of John Denver's songs), like a rosary to be gone over again and again, and treasured.
Christmas Day will soon be over officially, but the state of the Christmas Heart is not, and need not be. Dear friends, treasure all your gifts, but treasure the givers more. For this is where true happiness lies. Don't let the world lie to you or succeed in stealing away the real joy of the holiday season.
And if you don't have all your recipes chosen for the rest of the year, here are some wonderful (and fairly uncomplicated) appetizers for you to Enjoy!, along with one other recipe that is somewhat appropriate. I wish for you the best for the rest of this year, and the very happiest New Year ever! And as always, CYH - consider yourself hugged!
New Year's Happiness Cake for Couples
In a large bowl, first of all, place Gratefulness. Now, put in some decent amounts of Accepting instead of Expecting for both of you.
Next, stir in a large amount of Mutual Respect and Trust. Decide to put each other first in the relationship -- this adds flavor.
Add a Pinch of Time, a nice helping each of being long on Forgiveness and Shortness of Memory for Wrongs. Mix well, but do NOT let the batter separate for very long periods.
Then bake it slowly, heating it with Trials and some Not-So-Good Times, which will solidify or bond the relationship into a firmer consistency.
Make the filling one of Learning and Understanding. Ice it with Patience and Forbearance -- relationships need a lot of this. You will find the end product is worth the time and effort one puts into it.
You may recognize that this is a recipe each one must do from scratch -- there are no quick mixes or take-outs here. Like every good recipe, it will show your personal touches and reflect who you are.
Then,
Enjoy! But never stop working on your recipe, lest it become stale... The more it is worked over, the fresher it stays.
Mushroom Rolls
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 oz. chopped mushrooms
1 pkg. crescent rolls
Spread out the rolls (do NOT separate) on a flat surface. Mix cheese and
mushrooms; spread onto dough. Roll up as for nut rolls. Slice about 1/2"
thick. Place on baking sheet, and bake at 350F. until golden brown. OR
you can make these, place on baking sheet and freeze before baking. Once
frozen, place them in a freezer bag and use as needed.
Party Rye Appetizer
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 pkg. dry salad dressing mix (garlic, onion or Italian)
1 loaf party rye bread
1 cucumber
Combine cheese and dressing mix. Spread on slices of party rye, and then top with
thin cucumber slices. Refrigerate until needed.
Cheese and Spinach Puffs
10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 eggs
1/2 c. (2 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 c. Bleu cheese salad dressing
2 T. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 small pkg. corn muffin mix (8 1/2 oz.) (Jiffy brand)
Dijon mustard
Add onion to frozen spinach in saucepan; cook as directed on package. Drain
well, pressing out liquid.
In medium bowl, beat eggs. Add cheese, salad dressing, butter and garlic
powder; mix well. Stir in spinach mixture and muffin mix. Cover; refrigerate 1
hr. or until mixture is easy to handle.
Butter a baking sheet. With tablespoon, shape spinach mixture into 1" balls;
arrange on prepared baking sheets. Cover; refrigerate or freeze
until serving
time.
To serve: preheat oven to 350F. Uncover puffs. Bake refrigerated puffs for
12-15 minutes (frozen for 18-20 minutes) or until brown. Serve warm with
mustard for dipping.
Drunken Kielbassy (Kielbasa, Kolbassy etc.)
1 c. chili sauce
1 c. bourbon
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 lb. sliced kielbasa sausage
Mix first three ingredients together. Pour over thinly sliced sausage in casserole dish. Bake at 300F, 2-3 hr., until slices are glazed and sauce has thickened. Can also be done in a slow cooker. Serve hot with toothpicks. This is great for parties, and a favorite with men.
High Class Kielbasa
1 lb. kielbasa sausage, finely chopped or ground
1 pkg. frozen puff pastry dough sheets
1 c. hot and sweet mustard
Thaw dough according to pkg. instructions. Brown sausage in skillet
over medium heat; drain well.
Unfold one sheet of pastry. Spread with 1/2 c. mustard; spread half
the drained sausage over the mustard. Roll each long end tightly and
evenly towards the center, making a palmier shape (will look like
hearts when sliced). Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Wrap each roll tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate at least 1
hr. Preheat oven to 450F.
Cut rolls crosswise into 1/2" thick slices. Place on ungreased
baking sheets and bake 15-20 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 40 appetizers.
Shrimp Appetizer
1 can Condensed Cream of Shrimp Soup
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. chopped pimento
1 tsp. chili
powder
Crackers or chips
Combine the soup and cream cheese; beat until smooth but do not over-beat. Blend in remaining ingredients. Spoon into serving dish and chill well. Serve with crackers or chips. Makes about 2 c.
Randi's Roasted Olives with Lavender and Truffle Oil
8 oz. imported black olives such as Alfonso
or Gaeta
1 tsp. truffle oil
1 tsp. food grade lavender
1/4 cup olive oil
a pinch of crushed red pepper
Preheat oven to 350F. In an 8" baking pan, spread the olives. Add truffle oil and lavender and mix well. Bake for 45 min, stirring the olives at least 3 times. Cool before serving. My friend Randi served these with Italian bread and fresh goat cheese as an appetizer. Note: Kalamatta olives work just fine.
Cranberry Dip
1/2 c. light cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp. orange peel
Combine cheese, yogurt and sugar. beat until smooth. Add cranberries and peel, stirring well to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until serving. Mix well before serving with fruit. Delicious, and low calorie!
By Cynthia Bowan
Return to Index
Mushroom Rolls | Party Rye Appetizer | Cheese and Spinach Puffs | Drunken Kielbassy
High Class Kielbasa | Shrimp Appetizer | Roasted Olives with Lavender and Truffle Oil | Cranberry Dip
