| Newsletter December 4, 2002
Welcome to your next issue of "The Eclectic Cooking Newsletter". You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. If you wish to unsubscribe, simply reply and write "unsubscribe" in the subject heading. Lydia Jensen, Editor: Lydiajj@get2netdkLars Jensen, Webmaster/Publisher: Lars@Eclecticcooking.com For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter, December 4, 2002 => Poem: Christmas Love --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poem: Christmas Love Becci Irving Through the years, and all the times I've spent Christmas time alone, I never knew how much I missed, Til you came to share my home. The magic of the season seems, To grow with each new year, The love, and warmth you've brought to me Makes perfection seem so near. You bring a smile to my face Each time we start the day, You seem to beam each time I turn And steal a glance your way. With all my love, I give to you Peace, and love to last through time. And every year I thank the day You decided to become mine. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Article Mexican Christmas Joaquim Gabriel Andrade My family and I celebrate Christmas the Mexican way because we are all from Mexico. We begin to celebrate on the 24th because that is Christmas Eve. We start opening presents at midnight or the 25th in the morning. We always have a party every Sunday before Christmas. It is called a “posada.” It’s a party where you celebrate the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. You have a ”piñata” which has candy and prizes in it. We also celebrate with fireworks. On the 24th we celebrate Christmas Eve with the whole family gathered together: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We have turkey with cranberry-chili sauce, mashed potatoes, buttered veggies, turkey soup, and cod with chili gravy. Afterwards we have punch with marshmallows. At twelve midnight we open our presents and after that we all go to our own houses. On Christmas morning my brothers wake me up to open our Santa’s presents. Then I always go to my other grandparent's homes to spend Christmas. We eat a good meal. We break another piñata and then we exchange presents. The familiar Bible story about the birth of Christ, is related every year during the Christmas season in churches and homes. In Mexico each December the story of the birth of Jesus actually comes to life once again, as Joseph and Mary´s search for shelter long ago is reenacted for nine consecutive nights in the festive ritual of Las Posadas ("Posada" means inn or lodge in Spanish). The idea of commemorating the Holy Family's journey to Bethlehem can be traced back to St. Ignatius Loyola, in the 16th century. He suggested Christmas novena, or special prayers to be said on nine successive days. In 1580 St. John of the Cross made a religious pageant out of the proceedings, and seven years later the nine-day remembrance was introduced to the natives in Mexico by Spanish missionaries. At first the pageants were solemn and deeply religious, but the observances soon became imbued with a spirit of fun and eventually, the celebrations took place in people's homes where the entire community joined in. The posada begins with a procession that sets off as soon as it gets dark. Usually a child dressed as an angel heads the procession; he is followed by two more children carrying figures of Mary and Joseph on a small litter adorned with twigs of pine. Garlands of colorful flowers are everywhere. Groups of boys and girls follow the lead figures, then come the grown-ups, and last of all, the musicians. When the procession reaches the house chosen for that evening, it divides into two groups, one representing the holy pilgrims, the other the innkeepers. The pilgrims line up behind the angel and the children bearing the figures of the Holy Family, then they file through the house until they arrive at a closed door, behind which the innkeepers have stationed themselves. The pilgrims knock on the door and call out in song, asking for shelter. A chorus of voices on the other side asks: "Who knocks at my door so late in the night?" The pilgrims respond, "In the name of Heaven I beg you for lodging - my beloved wife can no longer travel, and she is weary." But the response is an unfriendly refusal. "This is no inn. Go Away!" After repeated requests for shelter, the pilgrims explain who they are, and that Mary will soon give birth to a baby. The innkeepers relent and welcome the exhausted travelers: "Enter, holy pilgrims. Come into our humble dwelling and into our hearts. The night is one of joy, for here beneath our roof we shelter the Mother of God." Everyone enters the room and kneels in prayer, after which the party moves out to the patio for fireworks and fun. Baskets of holiday sweets, called colaciones, have been prepared along with other food and drink. In large cities, so many posadas are held that active partygoers can manage to attend four or five in one evening. For eight nights similar ceremonies are repeated. But on the ninth evening, Christmas Eve, a particularly impressive posada takes place, during which an image of the Christ Child is carried in by two people who have been selected as the godparents. With great reverence, the image is laid in a tiny crib in the nacimiento. Sometimes a Christmas Eve posada will have live people representing the Holy Family, with Mary riding a donkey, and the procession concluding at a manger scene set up in a field. The people in the procession carry faroles, transparent paper lanterns containing lighted candles attached to long poles. Although a truly Mexican Christmas observance, the posadas have wandered north into the United States. San Diego, California presents posadas at the Mission of San Luis Rey, in the Old Town section, and in the Padua Hills where performances have been given for many years. La Sociedad Folklórica continues the tradition in Santa Fe, and Mexican-Americans in San Antonio, Texas have their processions along the city's famed Riverwalk. Bizcochos Makes: 72 3-1/4 Cups (6-½ dl) all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 Cup (2 dl) softened butter (1/2 pound of lard can be used) 2/3 Cup (1-1/3 dl) plus 1/2 cup (1 dl) of sugar 1 Large egg 1-1/2 tsp grated orange peel 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter in a mixing bowl, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the 2/3 cup of sugar. Beat in the egg and orange peel. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of the dough 1/8 inch (ca. ½ cm) thick with a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer to ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 to 7 minutes, until the edges are golden. Transfer to wire racks. Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the 1 table spoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the warm cookies. Cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you a cooking enthusiast? Then sign up for the Member’s Privileges program today and get all the benefits that all our other paid subscribers get! With a paid subscription you get everything your heart desires including more articles, 50,000 recipes, tips & jokes, eBooks etc. Come and see what we have for you. Includes our popular OnlineRecipe Book Manager. Click here for complete details: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/EclecticCookingMembersPrivileges.htm Our Members’ Section has also been completely re-designed! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Week's Edition, December 4, 2002 Article: Mexican Christmas Poem: Christmas Love Recipes: Bizcochos Gløgg Christmas Tea Chocolate Dates Chocolate Spoons Boomerang Cookies European Christmas Cake Second Sunday of Advent, December 8, 200. Be sure to light your first and second candles on Sunday. For this week's edition, you may visit: www.eclecticcooking.com/CookingRecipes.htm This week's recipes: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/whatnew.htm You may also submit your recipes directly on to our site here: http://eclecticcooking.community.everyone.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reader’s Corner In preparation of Christmas and all the sweets that surround it, Marie Bornholm-Hansen has provided us with this recipe for your enjoyment. Marie says this shortbread is to die for. This recipe does not use the same conversion equivalents we use in our recipes. Caramel Shortbread Base 9 oz (225 g) All-purpose flour 2 oz (50 g) caster sugar 6 oz (150 g) margarine Pinch of salt Topping ½ tin of sweetened condensed milk 1 Tbsp golden syrup 4 oz (100g) margarine 2 oz (50 g) sugar 4 oz (100 g) plain cooking chocolate Preheat oven to 350° F (160° C) Gas 2 Sieve flour and salt into a bowl; chop margarine, add to flour and rub in (use a pastry cutter if you have one). Add sugar and knead until the mixture forms a soft dough. Press into a baking tin. Prick the bottom with a fork and bake in the middle of the oven for 40 minutes or until light golden brown. In a saucepan with a thick base, bring milk, sugar, margarine and syrup to a slow boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 5 minutes - continue stirring. Pour syrup mixture over the baked shortbread and allow to cool. Melt chocolate in a double boiler and pour over the shortbread as the final topping. (Add a little water to the chocolate if it is too thick, heat through before using. Allow the chocolate to cool and set before slicing into bars. Note: Freezes well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hot Tip If you use fresh bananas, sprinkle a little lemon juice over them. This prevents them from turning dark. You can also roll them in grated coconut either toasted or regular to coat the bananas after sprinkling them with lemon juice. This changes the flavor and appearance of bananas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Joke / Story of the Week What do gorrillas sing at Christmas time? Jungle Bells, Jungle bells.. ! What did the candle say to the other candle ? I'm going out tonight ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next Week’s Edition, December 11, 2002 Article: Christmas Past Christmas Activities Recipes: Fast Easy Supper Duck Liver Pate Christmas Akvavit Danish Ris a la Mande Sugared Almonds Swedish Lucia Cakes ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EclecticCooking.com advertisement: All our eBooks are on Winter Sale! This means that every one of our eBooks costs only $5.00! That's almost 40% off the standard price! Check out our selection today and receive a total of 60% off on two or more eBooks! Click here: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/ChefsHateBooks.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please feel free to pass along/email this newsletter to family or friends. They are also welcome to subscribe at: update@Eclecticcooking.com If you are interested in the Members' Privileges program and want to know more about this feature please go here: http://www.eclecticcooking.com/EclecticCookingMembersPrivileges.htm Thank you. Recipes and articles can be Emailed to Lydia Jensen, editor: Lydiajj@get2net.dk or posted on our site. We accept only text emails. All other emails are automatically deleted! No attachments please! What do you think of our newsletter? Do you have any comments about the article, recipes, jokes, etc.? (For advertising please contact, Lars@eclecticcooking.com) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 Eclectic Cooking -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |