Sonia Tastes Hawaii

Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths - using live native materials

 

 

Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths are some of the pretties wreaths I have ever made.  I first learned how to make them my first year living on the island and have always enjoyed the whole process.  They are not hard to make but they do take a lot of patience, a lot of time, a lot of greens, and a lot of fern pins!

 

To make the wreaths, most people go up to the Hawai'i National Volcanoes Park area or up on Saddle Road to gather their fresh material. 

 

First, you must obstain a permit for a designated date from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife.  The permit is free and it lists the names of everyone who will make part of the group participating in harvesting.

 

Second, after arriving at your favorite picking spot you must ask permission of the goddess Hi'iaka, a sister of Pele, who lives in the 'ōhi'a forests, which are sacred to her and where it is said she spends her days dancing with the forest spirits.

 

 

Many people have their favorite picking spots and to many, the locations are guarded secrets.  It seemed our favorite place is not much of a secret any longer...you could tell others had already been there harvesting.  When we gather, we try to not take too much from any one bush or tree.  Someone coming behind you should not be able to tell that anyone was there previously.

 

My favorite wreaths are natural, not following a pattern.  Just mixing all of the textures and colors in little 'bouquets' (usually cut no longer than 3" - 4" or so), which I place on the form, superimposing the new 'bouquet over the bottom edge of the previous one, and attach them tightly with 'fern pins', all following one direction.

 

 

 

First wrap the straw wreath form with leaves from the ti plant.  Second is to attach the wire loop for hanging the wreath; and then start covering the form with the little 'bouquets' made by holding together the stems of 4-5 different plant materials. 

 

 

 

I like start attaching the plant material first by lining the inside of the wreath form with fronds of the Uluhe Fern, which is quite prolific and quasi-invasive; by doing this, I don't have to attach the little 'bouquets' to the inside of the wreath.

 

 

 

I also clip a few tips of the uluhe and mix in with the little 'bouquets' of greens to add a feathery look...I love using the funny looking Wawae'iole fern,  Lycopodiella cernua - Staghorn Clubmoss, which is not as prolific as the uluhe.

 

 

 

I love to use the light and airy Pūkiawe berries and tips; the red tips of the 'Ōhelo berry bush, very few with berries attached this year, some dried gray mosses and some small tips of the 'ōhi'a tree; some with new growth resembling little grayish-green velvety rosebuds; some dried lehua flower head pods and a few just opening buds.  The lehua is the flower of the 'ōhi'a tree. 

 

Other ferns that look beautiful in the wreaths are palapalai, laula'e and whisk ferns, when I can find them.

 

 

 

There are a few other bits of plant material and grasses I like to use in the wreaths but have not found the names of them yet...one grows in long piney shoots along the top of the ground and has plump and round black berries on them; another grows tall and straight and has leaves that are slightly fleshy. 

 

Much of what we gather will age well as it dries and the wreaths sometimes can last years!

 

Supplies to take for harvesting:

Bags

Clippers

Water

 

....and please, no leaving opala (trash, refuse, litter, rubbish) behind when you leave!

 

 

Supplies for making wreaths:

Straw wreath forms

Fern pins

Wire to make a hanging loop

Clippers

Wire cutters or pliers

 

 

For more on Hawaiian Wreaths and wreath-making click on the following links

 

A Hawaiian Christmas Wreath Making Party

 

Hawaiian Style Christmas Wreath Demo at Kino'ole Farmers Market

 

More Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths

 

Disclaimer: I did not make any of the wreaths in the following link:

Hawaiian Christmas Wreaths

A Hawaiian Christmas Wreath Making Party

 

 

Several of us set up yesterday as a day to go up to the slopes of Mauna Kea to gather native greens and mosses for Christmas wreath making...

 

We gathered early morning at Brenda and Kevan's home, which is on the way up the mountain, had a quick little breakfast provided by Galyn and off we went!

 

We could not have picked a better day! Although you never know how the weather will turn out up on the mountain and we were all prepared to layer up to make sure we would be able to stand whatever Mother Nature decided to throw our way...The sun was shining and there was not one cloud in the sky.  Instead of layering up we had to start layering down!

 

 

 

We went in Galyn's new car...roomy and all 5 of us were quite comfortable.  Galyn stopped on side of road so I could take pictures of our glorious mountain.

 

 

 

 

Following protocol, we asked permission before entering the forest with a beautiful oli (chant) both in Hawaiian and English, composed by Brenda and made an offering of a lā‘ī hilo lei (twisted and woven ti leaf lei)

 

 

 

 

 

We scattered afterwards, each carrying bags and clippers to forage and harvest greens, berries, flower pods, ferns and mosses.  Top left and right: Liz & Anthony.  Center: Sonia.  Bottom Left and right: Brenda and Galyn.

 

 

About two hours later, we all convened back at the car, where again Galyn surprised us with munchies; three types cheeses (the herbed brie was exquisite!), sausage, smoked turkey rolls and 'Ōhelo berries he had found.  He also shared a bag of Chili & Lime corn chips that were to die for...  The view of the mountain from our 'picking spot' and the back of the car after we all loaded our bags!

 

 

 

Back at Brenda and Kevan's we set up portable tables on the back lanai and we all went to work with a small break for lunch - fritatta, pimento cheese spread over baguette slices, cheeses, sandwich meats, fruit and delicious iced green tea with cloves.

 

 

 

Liz working on her second wreath, Galyn's wreath in center and Brenda with a wreath she made for a neighbor.

 

It is so much more fun to work on the wreaths with a group of friends...the time passes quickly and before we knew it, it was 4 pm and we had all completed at least one wreath (except for Liz who made two!)

 

I will be doing a second blog post on wreath making...stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joys of Christmas - Cookie Christmas Tree and Baking in a Jar

Continuing to recycle some of my old Holiday columns from long ago...

 

HELE MAI `AHA `AINA! (Come Join the Feast!)
By Sonia Martinez
(December 23rd, 2003 for The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo)

 

THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS

 

Besides the obvious reason for celebrating the season, I think one of the things I like the most about the Christmas Holidays is that you can let your creativity and imagination just go. It is a time of giving of yourself, and what can be better to give than something you have lovingly created.

 

There is a wealth of holiday magazines out every year and I wish I could collect them all! The funny thing about them is that most of the time I might not make the items shown in them, or decorate exactly as the pictures show, but those articles and photos can be a springboard for ideas to make my very own projects.

 

Speaking of Christmas projects...it brings to mind one I got `wrapped up in' when I was room mother the year my daughter Marion was in the 5th grade. Her birthday is December 13th, so I decided that year to make these standing cookie Christmas trees for everyone in her class, both as a birthday treat in her name and a Christmas gift, thus killing two birds and all that... Well, I shouda let the birds live instead.

 

To make a nice tall cookie Christmas tree you start by baking 5 cookies (I used a plain sugar cookie recipe) per each size star in a set of 6 or 7 graduated star cookie cutters.... This is 5 cookies per size times how many trees you want to make, and there were 28 kids in her class! Just do the math.

 

After baking the cookies, you place a dab of royal icing on a gold foil or white paper doily just larger than the largest sized cookies, place one of the largest cookies on the icing...then dab of icing on top of first cookie, and place the second cookie, slightly askew from the first and so on (points of the top cookie always between the spaces of points on lower cookie) until all cookies are stacked. The last cookie on top is one of the smallest, placed standing up by sticking two points in the icing.

 

Water the icing down a bit and dribble down throughout the standing tree, then decorate with nonpareils, red hots and or edible silver balls or pearls used for cake decorations. You can also take a toothpick or thin brush and dip in green food coloring and just make a few passes at the icing in a downward swipe with it. I liked this effect better than coloring the icing all green.

 

By the time 29 trees were finished (since I made one for the teacher) I was ready for the straight jacket and padded cell! Needless to say, I never attempted this project again, until now, and Marion was 43 just a week or so ago!

 

I was reminiscing recently with Internet friends about the above `Cookie Christmas Trees' and lamented that my own set of cookie cutters had been lost a few years ago. Pat R, a foodie friend in California sent me her set of copper graduated star cutters. It was a delightful surprise… So, Pat, here they are, in your honor!

 

I have found some plastic sets of graduated star cutters since, at one of our mega shopping stores in Hilo.

 

Wishing all of you a very Joyous Mele Kalikimaka!

 

 

COOKIE CHRISTMAS TREES

 

For the Sugar Cookie:
This recipe will make a very sturdy sugar cookie or you can make your favorite shortbread cookie recipe instead. Yields 4 to 6 dozen cookies

 

1 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 cups, approximately, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon or a bit less, salt
2 Tablespoons whipping cream

 

Cream the butter with the sugar in a mixing bowl until well blended, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and then the dry ingredients. Finally, add the cream. Blend well to make a firm, soft dough. Divide it into two or three portions for convenience in using. Wrap each in plastic or waxed paper and chill at least for 30 to 45 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 350o F. Line some baking sheets with parchment paper. For baking on bottom-most rack, double up baking sheets (one inside the other).

 

Roll the dough on a lightly floured board, or you can roll on sugar to a thinness of 1/8 inch, if desired. Cut into star shapes as described above. Place on the cookie sheets making sure the ends don't touch. Bake until nicely browned, about 15 to 18 minutes.

 

For the Royal Icing
This is the "glue" that holds the cookies together as you stack them.

 

4 egg whites
4 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

 

Use only grade A, clean, uncracked eggs. Beat egg whites in clean, large bowl with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar and the vanilla extract. Continue beating at high speed until thickened.

 

Note: When dry, royal icing is very hard and resistant to damage that can occur during shipping or handling cookies.

 

 

 

BREAD OR CAKE IN A JAR
I have been intrigued about this procedure for at least 10 years when I first read about it in the Miami Herald newspaper's food pages. Through the years I have given other "gifts in a jar" but for some reason was reluctant to actually try baking bread or cake in a glass jar…until this year when the same project was featured again in the same newspaper's food pages.

 

If you decide to try it at home, please be careful to follow the guidelines and instructions below as outlined by then food editor and now popular columnist, Linda Cicero.

 

* Use only wide-mouth, pint-size canning jars with metal rings and new lids. Don't recycle mayonnaise jars or the like.

* Inspect the jars carefully for any chips or defects.
* Sterilize the jars, rings and lids in boiling water for 15 minutes, or as instructed by the manufacturer. Let them dry thoroughly before using.
* Generously grease the inside of the jars, but not the rims. I use solid shortening and a pastry brush.
* Prepare a quick bread or cake batter. If using your own recipe, remember that sweet batters work best because sugar preserves the flavor and texture.
* Do not be tempted to use more than 1 cup of batter in each jar, even if you have just a smidgen left; the cake will overflow the jar and won't seal.
* To bake, space the jars evenly on a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
* Always bake at 325 F no matter what temperature your recipe calls for; glass jars get hotter than metal cake pans.
* When baked, carefully remove one jar at a time with potholders or canning-jar tongs, leaving the rest in the hot oven.
* Working quickly, wipe the rim tops if needed with a moistened paper towel. You should have about 1/2 inch of headspace above the cake; if the cake has risen too much, press it down with a sterile spoon so you do have 1/2 inch.
* Place the metal lid (disc top) in place, then twist on the screw ring to secure tightly. Place the sealed jar on a wire rack to cool.

* Open the oven, take out another jar and repeat until all jars have lids. You should quickly hear a loud ping indicating that a vacuum seal has been formed. If in doubt, press the center of the lid. If it gives, it is not sealed and the cake should be eaten rather than stored.
* Once the jars are cool, store in a cool, dark place. The cake will keep up to a year. If you greased the inside well, the cake will slide right out. Slice in rounds to serve.

 

'Tis the Season for Baking Cookies!

 

Continuing to share some of my old weekly columns in the Hawai'i Tribune Herald newspaper

 

HELE MAI ‘AHA ‘AINA (Come Join the Feast!)
By Sonia Martinez

(December 3, 2002 - Hawai'i Tribune Herald of Hilo)

 

'Tis the Season for Baking Cookies!

 

Cookie baking for Christmas is an old tradition in many families.  I have a friend in Virginia who starts her preparations way back in October and has what I call a “plan of strategic attack”.  By the time Christmas rolls around, she has packed and shipped hundreds of cookies to family and friends and on Christmas day she and her husband go around delivering cookies to nearby friends and neighbors!

 

You may be thinking this sounds like a lot of work, but I want to assure you that holiday cookie making doesn’t have to be a marathon or this complicated.  Choose some favorites and bake a couple of dozen every few days. 

 

Make sure that you pack them in clean, dry tins, which you have saved through the year just for the purpose.  Many cookies can be baked ahead, stored in freezer until needed, brought to room temperature and then decorated, if decoration is called for, at the last minute. 

 

Local paper product companies sell beautiful holiday boxes, cellophane and ribbons appropriate for cookie gift giving.

 

Here is wishing you a Season of Happy Baking and Wonderful Aromas!

 

 

 

COOKIE EXCHANGE PARTY
When I lived in South Carolina, a group of friends in a nearby town had a tradition of hosting a Sherry Party and Cookie Exchange every year.  It was a lot of fun and a good way to make sure we all ended with a wonderful assortment of goodies and good recipes for the holidays.  Sherry, sweet wines, eggnog and hot chocolate were the beverages offered.

 

On the invitation ask each guest to bring a platter of cookies, the number to be determined by how many people are invited and how many cookies you would like your guests to be able to exchange. 

 

Make sure everyone brings at least a couple of dozen of each type cookie and enough copies of each recipe for each guest to take home. Each guest should be able to leave with a generous sampling of everyone's cookies and copies of the recipes.

 

The hostess should serve coffee, hot tea, punch, hot chocolate, eggnog or any other suitable beverage and have lots of extra cookies on hand for nibbling!

 

“PAINTING” CHRISTMAS COOKIES
For those of you who have children or grandchildren that like to bake and cook with you...this is something my kids and I used to do when they were growing up.

 

A week or so before Christmas we would bake several batches of plain sugar cookies in Christmas shapes. Then we would have a decorating party and sometimes they invited a few friends.

 

I would cover several card tables with white butcher paper and place some more of the paper on floor around and under the tables.

 

 

Get together for each table:
4 clear acrylic drink cups
several inexpensive watercolor brushes
cookies

 

Pour a bit of clear Karo syrup in each cup
Add a few drops of food coloring to each until you get desired color

 

Let them decorate the cookies by "painting" the colors on with the brushes. Caution them that colors will run together or bleed into each other if they don't let the color "set" a bit before adding another color next to the already painted one.

 

 

When cookies are painted, place on cookie sheets in very low oven (200 F to 250 F should do it) with door cracked open. Let them dry out. Depends on how much paint they glob on as to how long it will take. The paint might crackle in some of them giving a stained glass effect.

 

Let each guest take home an assortment.

 

(The last two images from public domain)

 

Pastelitos de Carne - Cuban Style Meat Pastries

Pastelitos de Carne are one of the most satisfying snacks in the world...and so easy to make!  If you use a pie pastry dough, they can be fried, as you would empanadas, but I prefer to bake them.

Some cooks prefer to make their own pastry for the pastelitos; I find it more convenient to use the packaged sheets; be sure to get the puff pastry and not phyllo dough.  Using phyllo dough would be a completely different 'wrap process'

The filling for the meat pastry is traditionally picadillo.  Picadillo (sautéed and seasoned ground beef) is one of those simple home cooking dishes that lend itself to the interpretation of the cook. 

Traditionally, picadillo is made with ground beef, but some cooks prefer using ground turkey. Some cooks add equal amounts of ground pork or ham to the ground beef or turkey. Some do all of the above!

 

Picadillo is traditionally served over white fluffy rice. You might also see it with a topping of fried eggs - sunny side up! Others like to add diced fried potatoes. 

The following is the very basic recipe for picadillo.  Below, I mention some of the optional seasonings and ingredients that you can add to make it a bit 'more typical'.

1/4 to 1/2 pound ground beef (or turkey)

1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil (*)

1 medium chopped onion

2-3 cloves mince garlic

1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine (**)

 

Sauté the onion, garlic and bell pepper in the oil (***) until onion is slightly limp. Add the ground meat and sauté until brown and crumbly. Stir constantly so it will not stick. If the meat is not lean, it will release grease; discard.

Add the wine and tomato sauce and cook for a few more minutes, stirring, until most of the liquid evaporates.

(*) If the beef has quite a bit of fat mixed in, skip using the oil; it will not need it.

(**) Cubans tend to use the Vino Seco para cocinar - the so-called dry cooking wines...I know I mention this after every recipe that contains wine of any kind, but it bears repeating. Never use the so-called cooking wines. They are way too salty and loaded with more chemicals and preservatives than regular table wine. I use an inexpensive dry white table wine, dry vermouth, or Sherry.  One of the first things I learned from all of my cooking teachers and mentors was that if it is not good enough for drinking straight out of the bottle it is not good enough for cooking with it either!

(***) The combination of sautéing some veggies and herbs in oil is called making a "sofrito". The above sofrito is about as basic as you can get.

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR PICADILLO:
You can add cumin powder and dried oregano along with a bay leaf to the sofrito.

Just before adding the tomato sauce and wine you can add a handful of raisins and about 1/4 cup of chopped green olives with pimiento stuffing. I like to buy the "salad style" olives which are already chopped. Mix well with the browned meat.

You can also add a couple of spoonfuls of capers. I don't normally add salt or pepper to the picadillo. I find that when I use the olives and the capers, the brine is usually enough to season the dish.

Open the package of puff pastry sheets, and using one sheet at a time, roll out the dough evenly just a couple of times to stretch it a little bit and get rid of the fold line.

If making smaller pastelitos, cut the sheet as if you were drawing a tic tac toe game on a piece of paper, it will give you 9 squares.  If you want larger pasteles, cut into 4 squares.

Use the picadillo mix to fill the pastries.  Place a heaping teaspoon full, if making 9 or a heaping tablespoon full if making 4.  With a pastry brush dipped in water, brush the top edges to moisten,  Fold down the upper corner to meet the lower corner and press down to 'glue' the pastry closed.

Use a fork to press down and seal the edges.  Brush the tops with a light simple syrup (equal portions water and sugar boiled just to dissolve sugar)

Place them on a jelly roll pan, baking or cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 F until they puff up and turn golden brown.  

Cool on cooling rack and serve!

 

 

 

 

The Colors of Christmas

 

 

Continuing the recycling of my Holiday columns from long ago...

 

(Photo: Hawaiian style wreath using foraged native materials) 

 

 

HELE MAI `AHA `AINA! (Come Join the Feast!)
By Sonia Martinez
(December 9, 2003 - The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo)

 

The Colors of Christmas 

 

Some of you might question what do thoughts about decorating your home and a food column have in common, but for me the two go hand in hand, especially during the Christmas Holidays.

 

Recently a friend in Florida shared an item that appeared in The Free Lance-Star newspaper of Fredericksburg, Virginia, about herbs and greenery traditionally used for the Holidays. Mac Saphir, an Extension agent with the State of Virginia Cooperative who wrote the article says,

 

"Holly, spruce, fir and mistletoe have long been the traditional plants of the holidays".

 

He goes on to identify several other plants that have been long associated with the holidays. Of all the plants he mentioned, only two can be found growing in our islands.

 

The article started me thinking about how we all adapt and use what is available around us for decorating our homes.

 

We do grow some pines and certain types of cedars and at certain elevations even holly will grow, but of course, due to availability, most of these are not as popular here as they are in the mainland and most of our Christmas trees are imported.

 

For many years a friend has been very generous letting us top Portuguese cedars in her property. If the tops are skimpy, we wire a few trunks together to round out the tree. Since we first came to live in Hawaii it has been our own tradition to decorate the tree with little clear lights, fresh red anthuriums and top it off with sprays of golden popcorn orchids. All my mainland friends think it very exotic but some ask if we don't miss the pines, holly and mistletoe, which they use for the holiday. SRM note: I shared a photo of one yesterday in a Facebook Status post)

 

 

(Photo: window swags made from Queen's Palm fronds, ironwood branches, tiny clear lights, red Japanese paper lanterns and Chinese jade & red silk pendants)

 

Last year I used long branches of rosemary from our own herb garden to make a large and very fragrant wreath for our hostess on Christmas Day. Boughs of aromatic silver dollar eucalyptus, that are grown right here on the Hamakua Coast, branches of Norfolk Island pines and even ironwood trees (aka Australian pines) with their cute tiny pinecones are also appropriate, long lasting and fragrant when brought into the house.

 

Other long lasting blooms, which can be used in holiday arrangements, are the red torch gingers, birds of paradise and golden heliconias. Magnolia leaves and pods can be found in some yards in our area and I
also like to use the `bud ends' of Loquat branches. Even the dried seedpods of the woodrose can be intertwined into wreaths, garlands and other decorations.

 

 

 

(Photo: instead of a regular Christmas tree, we have used potted Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana inside the house to add 'fresh greenery" and color)

 

Besides the cornucopia of fresh produce available, we are very fortunate that our Hilo Farmer's Market is teeming with exuberantly colored fresh tropical flowers which we can use for our own Holiday decorations.

 

If you are a malihini who is still not used to celebrating Christmas on an island setting, and think you need snow for the Holidays, look around you… you will be pleasantly surprised at how beautiful a tropical Hawaiian Christmas can be.

 

The following are more ideas for gifts to be made in your own kitchen.

 

 

(Photo: Macadamia Snowball Cookies and Christmas flower arrangement on our Dessert Table during a Christmas Party & Cookie Exchange a few years ago)

 

Snowball Cookies
This version of one of America's favorite cookies comes from a dear friend in NC. Yields about 4 dozen cookies. Recipe can be doubled. Do not freeze them.

 

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans (I use macadamia nuts)
3/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 325°F and butter two baking sheets. Sift the flour and salt onto a piece of wax paper laying flat on the counter. Cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, with an electric mixer on high, in a medium-size bowl. Blend in the vanilla.

 

Stir in the flour mixture, with a wooden spoon, then add the pecans. Dust your hands with a little of the confectioners' sugar and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and bake for 25 minutes or just until light brown.

 

Transfer to racks to cool for 15 minutes, then roll in the confectioners' sugar. These cookies keep well in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

 

 

(Photo: Macadamia Nut Brittle - from public domain)

 

Macadamia Nut Brittle
Another foodie friend from California shared this one. She said `Give them away quickly before you eat it all' - When I make this, I don't leave them whole as in the picture.  Ichop the nuts a little bit more than that to make it easier to eat.  

 

2 cups unsalted macadamia nuts
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup water
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

 

Preheat the oven to 350oF.

 

Spread the nuts on a baking tray and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the nuts after 5 minutes. Cool and then coarsely chop. Set aside.

 

Place the sugar in a medium deep saucepan. Add the corn syrup and water, and over medium heat, bring to a boil. Boil until a layer of bubbles forms on top, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and continue to boil 5 minutes longer.

 

Remove the foil, add the butter, and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter is melted. Cook over medium heat until a candy thermometer registers 300o F, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Immediately stir in the salt, baking soda, and reserved nuts.

 

Meanwhile, coat with vegetable oil or spray a 12 by 17-inch half sheet pan or use a plain silpat sheet. Spread the nut mixture over the prepared pan, spreading it as thin as possible with a long, metal spatula. When cool, run a clean, dry towel over the top to absorb some of the oil. Break the brittle into pieces.

 

 

 

 

A Season for Giving

Continuing to recycle some of my long ago holiday columns...

Photos are all from public domain/stock...cannot believe I didn't have any of my own photos featuring eggnog!

 

 

HELE MAI `AHA `AINA! (Come Join the Feast!)
By Sonia Martinez
(December 21, 2004)

 

A Season for Giving

 

Christmas is the one season of the year when even hardened Scrooges seem to go all soft and sentimental. We all go into shopping frenzies trying to find just the right gift for that special friend or family member...but the gifts from the heart are the special ones that people will remember forever.

 

Gifts from the heart can be as simple as offering to take care of errands for a shut-in; volunteering to read to someone who can't; bake a dish or dessert for a neighbor whose schedule is hectic; baby sit for someone who can't afford a sitter often. You can also invite a friend who doesn't get out much for dinner and a movie or even take them to see a special Holiday performance.

 

The possibilities are endless and limited to your imagination. This year, if you still have someone on your list that has you stumped, think of giving him or her a gift from your heart.

 

We managed to get all of our Christmas gifts going to the mainland out a couple of weeks ago, but after having to pay for Priority shipping, as usual, we vowed that next year the packages to be shipped will be gone by Thanksgiving. Good plan if we can shop for gifts all through the year and have them all ready to go by mid-
November – shudder!

 

One way to "give" and "share" at this time of year is with a small holiday party and invite friends and neighbors you enjoy.

 

You still have time in the next few days to throw a small, informal Christmas party. Since it would not be Christmas without eggnog and I happen to have some wonderful recipes for both the traditional drink as a punch or as an ingredient in other recipes I am sharing them all with you.

 

If you have always bought commercial eggnog and never tasted a homemade version, you are in for a taste treat like none other! There are versions with or without alcohol and even some without the eggs or the nog…! So bring out some of those goodies you have been baking the last few weeks and serve some eggnog and the rest of the party is up to your guests…

 

 

Traditional Creamy EggNog with Rum
This is incredibly rich eggnog. Definitely not for the faint at heart or those watching their cholesterol levels or on a diet. This recipe contains raw eggs. It is recommended that due to the amount of alcohol and the raw eggs used in this recipe, pregnant women, young children, the elderly and the infirm abstain from consuming this
punch. Yield 20 servings.

 

12 egg yolks
2 cups white sugar
1 (750 milliliter) bottle white rum
1 quart half-and-half cream
1 quart heavy cream
12 egg whites
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

Combine egg yolks in a large bowl, 2 cups sugar and rum. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Stir the half-and-half into the cooled yolk mixture. In a separate large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form; set it aside.

 

In another separate clean bowl, with a clean whisk, whip egg whites until very thick and ribbons form, then gradually add sugar and whip until peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the egg whites, then fold into the egg yolks mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

 

 

Non-alcoholic EggNog
The eggs in this one have been cooked for safety. Yield 12 servings

 

1/2 vanilla bean
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Ground mace or nutmeg, to taste

 

Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds, set aside. In a bowl over simmering water, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla bean seeds. Keep whisking until a ribbon is formed and the mixture has been heated to 160o F. Hold it at this temperature for 2 - 3 minutes, and allow the mixture to thicken. Do not overcook or you
will have sweet scrambled eggs. Stir this mixture into the milk. Stir in the cinnamon.

 

Refrigerate this for 2 hours or until cold. Whip the cream and add it to the egg mixture. Sprinkle the top with the mace or nutmeg before serving.

 

 

Quick Eggnog (non-alcoholic)
My friend Cathy Geha in Lebanon says: When my daughter was in elementary school getting her to eat breakfast was a major undertaking. One "meal" that would sometimes appeal to her was a glass of eggnog. Yields 1 serving

 

1 cup milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons sugar
Sprinkle of fresh nutmeg
1 capful rum extract

 

Mix all ingredients together in blender – can add ice cubes if desired. Strain through sieve. Serve. Or, can be heated and served with whipped cream.  Another idea is to sprinkle some cocoa powder or grated chocolate on top instead of nutmeg, for the child who might prefer chocolate.

 

 

Hawaiian King EggNog Bread Pudding

 

1 loaf stale Hawaiian King bread (*), torn into small pieces
1 quart eggnog, store bought or homemade
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups white sugar
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 cup golden raisins, cranberries or cranraisins or a few of each
3 Tablespoons butter

 

Preheat oven to 350oF.

 

In a large mixing bowl, pour eggnog over bread, blend in the eggs, sugar and vanilla, stir egg mixture into the bread mixture and blend well; add raisins, stir again to mix well.

 

Melt the butter and pour into a 9 x13-inch pan, pour bread mixture over margarine, bake for 40 minutes, or until firm and golden brown. Serve hot or cold, with or without a caramel sauce.

 

Sonia's Note: You can substitute with a loaf of Portuguese sweet bread. Also, since the bread and the eggnog already contain sugar, you might want to cut back the amount of sugar in this recipe. Taste it with a smaller amount before adding any more.

 

 

I would like to take this occasion to wish all of you a Mele Kalikimaka and thank you for all the notes, e-mail and cards you send. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my column.

A Season for Sharing

Recycling earlier Holiday Season articles from my weekly columns in the Hawai'i Tribune-Herald some years ago.

 

 

 

(Photo - Vanilla Sugar, Homemade Vanilla Extract, Seasoned Alaea Salt, Liliko'i Syrup, Lemon - Ginger Jelly and Vanilla Beans - some of the homemade items we made or have included in gift baskets in the past)

 

HELE MAI `AHA `AINA! (Come Join the Feast!)
By Sonia Martinez
(December 14, 2004 - The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo)

 

A Season for Sharing

 

The holiday season is traditionally a time for sharing. This is the time of year when I like to make all of the tasty treats I love to share with family, friends and neighbors.

 

For years, we have prepared gift baskets with all kinds of delicious homemade preserves and conserves, herbed vinegars and oils, homemade vanilla and super refined vanilla sugar, cookies and candies and
mixes in a jar.

 

I love collecting vintage cloths and napkins and even kitchen and tea towels. I also collect yardage or end cuts of colorful tropical fabrics, which I cut in large squares and either, run up a seam in the sewing machine or cut with pinking shears. These are used to line the gift baskets and can later be used by recipients as napkins
or tray mats.

 

Don't limit your imagination to woven baskets. Almost any container can serve as your "basket". A pasta bowl with homemade sauce and pasta, seasonings, a pasta server and red checkered cloth napkins would make an ideal gift for someone on your list that loves Italian food.

 

A watering can or large flowerpot, trowel, gardening gloves and live potted herbs and a small cookbook with recipes for using fresh herbs would be just the ticket for the cook-gardener.

 

A couple of mugs with packages of tea, hot chocolate or spices for hot mulled wine and some homemade cookies also make a nice gift for neighbors and teachers or even for those tutus who don't need more stuff to take care of.

 

For the last couple of years I have shared recipes of many of the goodies I have prepared for sharing in the past, including one for macadamia nut brittle.

 

The ones that follow are a couple of the gift ideas we gave to friends and neighbors in the past

 

A Sweet Treat 

Local macadamia nut honey in glass Mason jars with handles. I added slices of Meyer lemons and fresh ginger pieces. Wrapped in cellophane, tied with red bows to which I attached wooden honey dippers.



Mixed Bean Soup 
A combination of several types dried beans and peas. I used:

Baby limas. large limas, navy beans, black beans. Great Northern beans, light red kidney beans, small red beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, green and yellow split peas, black-eyed peas, green whole peas, lentils and pearl barley.
Swanson’s Flavor Boost concentrated broth liquid packets – chicken flavored with no MSG.
Goya Adobo Seasoning with no MSG.
Dried oregano, thyme and ground black pepper.
Fresh garlic cloves, not peeled.

The above amounts are up to you and depend on how much of the bean mix you put in the individual bags.

Empty all of the different beans and peas in a large bowl and mix well; scoop equal amounts into each cellophane gift bag or individual plastic bags. Place the liquid packets of concentrated broth, the measured amounts of seasonings and the garlic cloves in small snack sized Zip-lock plastic bags. Place the plastic bags inside a pretty soup bowl or soup mug; wrap and tie with ribbon. Be sure to add the recipe tag and ingredient list.  Then wrap the whole thing in clear or colorful cellophane paper and tie with a large bow.

 

A Season for Joy!

 

Recycling some articles I wrote years ago for my weekly Hawai'i Tribune-Herald columns...

 

 

HELE MAI `AHA `AINA! (Come Join the Feast!)
By Sonia Martinez
December 7, 2004 - The Hawaii Tribune-Herald of Hilo)

 

A Season for Joy

 

Lately as I drive up and down the Hamakua Coast, the landscape reminds me at every turn that Christmas is really just around the corner. The kukui (*) trees are in full bloom; their silver gray and green leaves, tipped with their creamy blooms reminding me of faded old embroidered tapestries.

 

 

 

The pink plumes crowning the old sugar cane stalks wave in the breeze like a rosy shimmering sea…while the flame red poinsettias are blooming everywhere, some as high as the eaves of a house. In Hawaii, all these signs herald the arrival of the month of December and the holiday season….

 

A Season for Joy!

 

For years I would let myself get frazzled by trying to do it all before the Christmas holidays. The gift list was long, a yearly party to plan, decorating the tree and house, preparing for family from out of town who would be guests in our home during the holidays. All that plus planning and shopping for the menus for the meals, and the gift wrapping of packages… It all represented weeks of long hours of pouring over lists of things to do. After all, I wanted everything to be perfect.

 

Looking back, it is surprising that after all the self-imposed overwhelming duties were done and marked off my endless lists, I still seemed to be able to love the Christmas holidays.

 

The month of December has always represented a time of joy for me. A feeling that even though I might not have accomplished everything I set out to do during the year passing, I still have time to redeem
myself with the chance that it just could be done before the end of the year.

 

Through the years, even though I still have lists of things to do, presents to make or buy; decorations to put up and meals to plan and cook… I have finally realized that if things aren't all perfect and if I don't get it all done, it doesn't really matter in the large scheme of things.

 

Ready or not, Christmas will be here, so I might as well enjoy the season for the right reasons and not get overwhelmed or frazzled. It is a time for joy, sharing, giving, hope and finally another chance for renewal in a brand New Year.

 

Following are some easy decorating and food ideas for taking the stress off your holiday entertaining.

 

 

Christmas lights say "celebrate" any time of the year. String strands of tiny white lights through your house, through potted plants, along a fence, the lanai railing, your entrance gate or tree limbs to create elegant, intimate,  and inexpensive lighting.

 

Fill clear glass or crystal bowls and vases with Christmas ball ornaments for quick, simple and easy touches. A few potted poinsettias and lit candles in mismatched candleholders scattered around always add a festive touch. Remember to place a welcoming wreath on your front door.

 

Add a holiday fragrance throughout your home by simmering orange or tangerine peels, cinnamon and cloves in water on back of the stove. Remember to replenish the water from time to time.

 

Add sparkle to your dining or buffet table by scattering shiny confetti and glitter on the tablecloth. Scatter your treasured collections among greenery all down the center of the table.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hand your guests a gift they can use as they leave; a handmade ornament or a gift from your kitchen such as jams, jellies, chutneys or herbed vinegars you've made yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

For a really stunning centerpiece on a buffet table or sideboard, use a wire tomato cage. Place it, wide rim down, on a large round tray or platter that has been lined with several layers of paper towels and fill the cage with wet florist's oasis. Cover completely with snipped greenery, following the pyramid shape of the

wire cage by inserting the stems in the wet oasis, and decorate with fresh flowers such as small red anthuriums, roses or carnations. Spray the arrangement occasionally to keep it fresh. The resulting Christmas tree shaped arrangement can be also decorated with small red glass ornaments.

 

For impromptu party preparations, keep your pantry, freezer and refrigerator stocked with an assortment of crackers, Melba toast, lavosh, chips, canned crabmeat, cheeses, frozen shrimp and ingredients for several different dips. Keep several ready-made deep pie shells in the freezer for quick pies and quiches. Don't
forget large olives, a selection of pickles and cans of roasted nuts.

 

Cake-like ladyfingers, instant puddings and jams make quick and colorful trifles served in clear glass bowls or wineglasses.

 

Remember to stock up on beverages such as wines, beer, sodas, and don't forget to include some festive sparkling non-alcoholic ciders. You have the makings for a quick punch with a selection of fruit juices and non-cola fizzy drinks.

 

 

 

Hot Crab and Shrimp Dip
It takes about 90 minutes to cook if doing the bread bowl; less time when served in a fondue pot, but preparation is a breeze and the results are really worth it! Provide fondue or seafood cocktail forks to dip the bread in the dip and allow guests to serve themselves. Yields 10 servings.

 

For the Dip:
1 pint of sour cream
1/4 cup of chopped scallions
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (softened)
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (16 ounce) package or canned crabmeat, reserve some pieces
4 (4 ounce) packages of frozen tiny shrimp, defrosted and squeeze excess water out of shrimp
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons of Dijon mustard 

 

 

If you don't want to go through the trouble of baking the bread yourself, get a freshly baked one at a local artisan bakery.

 

Mix all the dip ingredients together, place in a covered container and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

 

 

I served it in a fondue dish and put the bread pieces in a tray around it.  Of using a fondue pot, ignore the following, except to have bread for dipping.

 

If serving in a bread bowl: prepare bread for dip. Cut the top of the bread and place in plastic bag to prevent it from drying out and set aside. Make a bowl in the round by scooping out bread chunks from center. (Use gentle tearing because you will be using the bread chunks for presentation later) Place the chunks in the plastic bag to ensure freshness and set aside.

 

Fill the hollow bread with the refrigerated crab and shrimp mixture. Cover the bread (except for the top) with foil (this prevents the bread from getting dark during the extended baking time.

 

Cook the dip approximately 1-1/2 hours or until hot, thick and bubbly. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, place the bread top back on the bread and cook.

 

Place hot crab dip in the center of a platter. Surround with reserved bread chunks, buttery crackers, water crackers and chunks of crabmeat and the cooked shrimp.

 

 

(*) Kukui Tree - the candlenut tree