Monthly Archives: January 2011

A Christmas tradition: cake for breakfast

We spent this past Christmas with my in-laws in Indiana. It was such a relaxing time–we temporarily got to push the pause button on this whole ‘being adults’ thing and simply chill out. Be fed. Be taken care of. I love passing the adult baton when staying with parents. It’s so nice.

The manger scene had, as usual, been invaded.

If there weren’t little plastic army guys around, it just wouldn’t feel right. It’s tradition!

At least the Hulk didn’t make the cut this year. He was a little . . . distracting.

The other staple in my in-laws’ household is this Christmas tree. They swear it’s the last year for it–the tree is at least half a century old, and is held upright by a string attached to the corner cabinet.

And every year, it’s covered in ornaments. Plastered. Coated. This is necessary in order to cover the old and bare branches.

Another holiday tradition is this fruit salad.

It’s been in the family for years, and it’s always the guys’ responsibility to make it. Or so I gather. Or choose to gather.

A potential Christmas tradition in the making–playing games. My parents gave me both Dominion and Blokus for Christmas, and the fun-loving violence they generate is a holiday must. Have I mentioned that I’m competitive?

Oh, there’s my stick of Burt’s Bees! If you see some Burt’s hanging around, you can bet your bonnet I’m somewhere closeby.

However, my absolute favorite Christmas tradition is eating angel food cake for breakfast on Christmas morning. I make it Christmas Eve, and leave it to cool overnight, hanging upside down over a beer bottle.

It all started when we were young things. To get us little tykes to focus on Jesus’s birth instead of just the enticing pile of presents, my parents would make a birthday cake for Jesus, and we would sing him “happy birthday.”

In the words of my Mom, “Having a candle and singing Happy Birthday is something young children can relate to, and helps keep the ‘real meaning of Christmas’–Jesus’ birthday–in the picture for them even if they don’t get all the theology.”

The angel food cake is white to represent how God created us in his image, perfect beings in a beautiful garden.

Dad would read from Genesis:

God saw all that he had made and it was very good.  (Gen 1:31)

Then we smeared the cake with raspberry jam.

This represents sin entering the world and tarring humanity, so we would read about Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Genesis chapter 3. There’s probably a deep metaphor underlying it all about sin tasting delicious, but let’s leave that for future ponderings.

Finally, we top the whole thing off with generous poofs of freshly whipped cream. We put the metal bowl and mixer attachments in the freezer for maybe 20 minutes prior to the whipping process–I’m told it helps the cream poof better.

Slather on that cream! We have to cover every bit of that raspberry jam! This repesents Jesus coming to earth and making us righteous and pure through his perfect life and death.

We read from Isaiah:

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  (Is 1:18)

And then we serve it up!

Over the years we have stopped singing happy birthday, but we continue to make the cake and read the Scriptures. If you’re interested, my diligent mother typed up a Word document with the complete passages we’ve read throughout the years. Thanks Mom! Now I don’t have to scratch my head every year and ask myself “Now what is it exactly we read?”

I leave you with a picture of my husband with his brother and dad. I just love Christmas, and I just love these guys!

Coq au Riesling

I think it may have been a month since I posted my last recipe here. A month! *shivering with horror* I may not have cooked very much recently, due to our holiday travels . . . and the few times that I did cook, I failed to photograph! Ay, me. This is why it’s going to take me a little longer than usual to blog about an incredible Spicy Tuscan Soup, a creamalicious Chicken Artichoke Fettucinne, delectable Spicy Mulled Wine, and addictive Roasted Green Beans. They were all so good. But I can’t well write about them without photographs, so I’ll be making them all again one by one in order to bring them to you! Because I care. I care about your taste buds. I want them to feel loved, excited, cherished, and believe me–all of these dishes will romance the socks off them. Yes, food is part of a love story you have with your own tongue.

Does that sound creepy? Because I’m really not talking about French kissing with yourself. Like that’s even possible!

Or maybe we’re doing it all the time and just don’t notice it. Even creepier.

Okay, let’s turn off the creepy switch and turn on the Coq au Riesling switch. *click* There!

This is another Tasty Kitchen treasure with my adjustments (click here for original), and I loved every bite. Simple dishes are sometimes the absolute best, eh? (Note to Canadian friends: when I say ‘eh?’, do you relate to me better?)

Ingredients

1/2 lb thick cut bacon

1 medium onion

2 leeks

5 cloves garlic

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 bay leaves

10 sprigs of thyme (5 are for garnish)

1 bottle (750 ml) Riesling

10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms

Salt and pepper, to taste

First, grab a trusty Dutch oven. Chop the bacon into small chunks, and fry them over medium high heat until they’re almost crispy, around 12 minutes.

In the meantime, chop up the onion and leeks and mince the garlic.

Toss the fibrous dark green part of the leeks–just use the white and light green parts. I stopped at the point where the leaves divide in the picture above.

When the bacon is starting to get crispy, add the onion, leeks and garlic, and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables are getting tender.

Trim the chicken thighs of fat and pat them dry with a paper towel. Really! This is important because removing the moisture will allow them to brown much better.

Salt and pepper them on both sides. Am I allowed to use ‘pepper’ as a verb?

I give myself permission by royal decree.

Add the thighs to the Dutch oven, moving the vegetables aside and on top of the chicken so that the thighs are touching as much of the bottom of the pot as possible.

Basically, scoop and pile.

There we go! Now brown them thoroughly, about 6 minutes on each side.

Time to add the mushrooms. I chose the prewashed, presliced bag. Do you still love me?

Stir them in evenly, and cook for another 3 minutes.

Now pour in that lovely bottle of wine . . .

Add the bay leaves and 5 sprigs of thyme. Some of the thyme I pulled off the little branches . . .

. . . but some I left on the sprigs. I was getting impatient. I mean, I wanted to give it a rustic feel.

Bring ‘er to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for 40 minutes.

*insert imaginary picture of covered pot on the stove*

Alright! We’re almost there. Hang in there with me! Don’t abandon ship now! Uncover the pot . . .

. . . and simmer for another 15 minutes, shredding the chicken with two forks and adjusting seasoning to taste.

Serve over rice or noodles, with fresh thyme from the remaining 5 sprigs sprinkled on top.

That big, fat mushroom is calling my name.

Winter ain’t over yet, folks, and this is the kind of dish that will help you through. Warm your stomach. Give you strength to face the wind and the snow.

Unless you live in Australia. In which case, don’t even tell me how warm it is in Other Hemispheres.

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