Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-12-23, Page 24Page 4A—Crossroads—Dec. 23, 1985 • thing Quick and easy holiday punches By Verne Palmer One of the nicest things about the holiday season is sharing it with people you care about. You can do that — and keep your already busy schedule on a reason- able plane — by building your party around a festive holiday punch bowl and a few simple finger foods. Whether you choose to serve a cool and creamy eggnog or a steamy, spiced wassail, the preparations are minimal ,and the effect on the budget all but unno- ticeable. And you'll be con- tinuing a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. "Wassail," the Old Eng- lish -Old Norse greeting, "Be in good health," first was used as a toast in medieval times. Because most toast- • ing was done at holiday times, by the 16th century "wassail" had become firm- ly wedded to the traditional piced ale served on TWelfth Night, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Nogs, eggnogs and frothy syllabubs were an equally familia part of the holiday scene. These thick drinks with their rich cream, beat- en egg and spice base were as favored for their health - imparting qualities as their fine flavor. For large gatherings, such as holiday open houses, trim - a -tree parties and Christmas sing-alongs, serve a combin- ation of hot and cold bev- erages — both traditional and contemporary. Wine Wassail, Hot and Merry Cranberry Punch, MulledMocha Drink and Holiday 'Wassail Bowl will add to the festivity of the oc- casion without adding un- duly to the alcohol level. Creamy rich Old English Eggnog, pepperminty Holi- day Punch and tangy Mistle- toe Punch are chilled alternatives that add to the spirit of the occasion without the use of spirits.. Whichever (Punch you choose, serve it in a simple bowl garlanded with everygreens and some rib- bon or Christmasy trim- mings for color. . Keep cold punches chilled by adding' a decorative ice block to the punch bowl. To make, simply arrange some fruit in the bottom of a ring mold. Add 1/2 -inch water, punch or fruit juice and freeze ,untill the fruit .is secured in place. Then add enough liquid to fill the mold and freeze solid. - OLD ENGLISH EGGNOG 4 eggs, separated 1 tsp. rum flavoring Dash of salt 4 tbsps. sugar 4 cups milk, scalded ' Heavy cream, whipped Nutmeg Beat egg yolks, flavoring, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar until lemon colored. Gradually add scalded milk. Pour into punch bowl. ,Gradually,, add remaining sugar to egg whites and beat until stiff. Fold into nog. Garnish with shipped cream and nutmeg. Makes 81/2 -cup portions. Variation: Hot Almond Eggnog Substitute 1 tea- spoOn almond flavoring for rum. - Garnish -With "Waged slivered almonds. FROTHY SYLLABUB 11/2 cups sugar 2 cups white wine 5 tbsps. grated lemon rind '2 cup lemon juice 3 cups milk 2 cups light cream 4 egg whites Nutmeg Combine 1 cup sugar, wine, lemon rind and juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add to milk and cream. Beat until frothy. Pour into punch bowl. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar to egg whites, beating constantly until stiff.. Float spoon-fuls of puff on -punch.— Sprinkle with nutmeg. Makes 16 1/2 -cup portions: HOT AND MERRY CRANBERRY. 1 qtcranberry-apple drink 2 cups water 1 cup sugar 6 sticks cinnamon 10 whole cloves Peel of 1 lemon,:eut in thin strips 4 cup fresh lemon juice Apple slices for garnish Combine cranberry -apple drink, water, sugar, spices and lemon peel in large HO HO HO—No wonder Santa is SO jolly — look at the delectable drinkables he has to choose from. Treat your Santa and guests to Old English Eggnog, Hot & Merry Cranberry, Wine Wassail, Mulled Mocha Drink, Mistletoe Punch, Holiday Wassail and Holiday Punch. saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Place sieve or colander over large bowl or pitcher. Strain cranberry punch through this, and set it aside to cool for 15 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir. Pour punch into punch bowl. Place apple slices in each punch cup before serving the punch. • Servings: 16 punch cups. MISTLETOE PUNCH 1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed 1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed 6 cups water 1/2 cup grenadine syrup 1 qt. ginger ale, chilled Wafer-thin lemon slices and maraschino cherries for • garnish Combine all ingredients in punch bowl. Just before serving, add some ice cubes and gently stir in ginger ale. Put lemon slice and cherry in each punch cup, and serve. , Servings: 30 punch cups. WINE WASSAIL 3 cups apple juice Two-thirds cup granulated • sugar Two-thirds cup blanched al- monds, slivered '/2 cup seedless raisins 2 qts. red wine 2 cinnamon sticks and 24 whole cloves, tied in cheesecloth bag 6 apples, cored 18 tbsps. granulated sugar Whole cloves Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine apple juice, sugar, almonds and raisins; add to red wine. Put cheese-, c -loth bag with cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in this mixture. Heat slowly in large saucepan, but do not boil; pour into punch bowl. Meanwhile, fill center of each apple with 3 table- Spririfia Of Stigar;- Stiek With whole cloves. Bake apples, covered, until almost tender, about 45 minutes; retrieve from oven and place in the punch bowl. Serve hot. Makes 24 4 -ounce servings. HOLIDAY PUNCH • 1 qt. chilled milk 1/2 pt. heavy cream 1 tsp. peppermint flavoring 1 qt. peppermint ice cream, softened Crushed peppermint candy Pour milk, cream, and •flavoring into punch bowl. Add half of ice cream arid stir until blended. Float remaining ice cream on punch. Garnish with crushed peppermint candy. Makes 12 1/2 -cup portions • MULLED MOCHA "DESSERT DRINK 1 qt. half -and half 1 cup strong coffee 1/4 cup each rum and maple syrup 3 -inch vanilla bean or 2 tsps. vanilla flavoring Nutmeg Cinnamon sticks Combine half-and-half, coffee, rum and maple syrup with vanilla and heat gently until hot. Pour into individ- ual mugs; top with nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. (Coffee -flavored liqueur or brandy could be substituted for rum.)'' Makes6 t� 8 servings. HOLIDAY WASSAIL BOWL 1 qt. grapefruit juice 2 (12 oz. bottles ale 2 cups apple juice 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 2 3 -inch cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 4 whole cardamom Two- th i rds cup cream sherry In large saucepan combine grapefruit juice, ale, apple juice, sugar, nutmeg, cinna- mon, cloves and cardamom. Bring to boil; reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sherry. Pur into heat -proof punch bowl; garnish with grape- fruit slices and cinnamon sticks. Serve Warm. Makes about 10 cups. It is 20 years since we bat- tled our way into the house with that wretched Christ- mas tree but I still must smile every time I think about it. It was the worst looking tree I have ever seen anywhere. Its scrawny limbs stretched right across our seven foot window but the broken tip of it was barely six feet up. Not only was the tree wider than it was high but it had only three sides to it. And how did this 'mon- strosity get into our front room that evening? Well on the Sunday before the great day, the young lad of our house — the quiet one of the family — had asked an un- expected favor. "Dad," he said, "couldn't we -go back to our bush and get our own tree this year?" He was ten that year. Just a passing fancy, I thought and I was busy that afternoon. Besides our axe had only half its handle left. But it wasn't a passing fancy, and an hour or so later he was at me again. "That axe you busted chopping down that ellum, dad — well there's enough handle left for me to chop with .. ." "But we don't have any spruce in our woods," I told him. "Only hemlock. And no one cuts hemlock for a Christmas tree!" He was polite, but he just didn't see why not. No I would have fallen back on that lamentably powerful excuse which puts an end to so many of those plans which a boy is apt to dream up for his father. I could have brushed him off importantly with "Not now, lad! Another time maybe!" But sometimes when I used to take that way out it was hard to get to sleep at night for thinking of how tra- gically fast a youngster can grow up when his parents are too busy to notice him, and for wondering how many of the warm moments which should belong to a father have, already been lost be- cause of that instinct to say "Another time. Don't bother me now!" - Furthermore the sky was beginning to thicken and the wind was itching to blow a storm out of it so I gave in. "All right then," I told him, "let's get this show on the road before a blizzard sneeks up on us." So we started back to the bush, rernembering, when it was much too late, that we hadn't put our high boots on, either of us, and that we Should have worn something on our heads that would have kept our 'ears from threaten- ing to fall off. Funny thing though, how it could be so cold up around one's ears without it freezing the mud - holes that , hid themselves under the snow. Mother was sure going to give us a scutching for all this foolish- ness when we got back! • It was the weather which. began to punish us first. Half way back to the woods it started to snow so heavily that it began to nest in our hair and put ridiculous eye- brows on us. -I ask•edonce if we shouldril turn back. "I thought you were sup- posed to be the tough one in this here family," came the reply. At the edge of the woods; aintost any evergreen you looked at seemed plenty good enough. But when you selected one — a really thick, well rounded one — and came up to it with your axe, it suddenly seemed to get thin and weak at the knees and frightened to death. We confronted one tree after an- other and each tiine that we got close enough to it, we wondered how in the world it could so.quickly start letting the daylight through. "First time I ever noticed how long was a hemlock's branches," the young lad said. "Not too many needles on them either, is there?" There sure would be needles enough if we ever got one of them into the house, I told him. Because there's no evergreen anywhere which is so eager to shed. It will drop its needles at the drop of a hat. We spent a good half hour in that woods looking through the gathering storm for that tree. We weren't looking for the perfect tree anymore. Just one that woulcido. I made a few sug- gestions, but not many. Something told me that this had to be his tree. And eventually, having circled it twice, he came back to a hemlock that was at least 30 feet high. "Let's cut that one," he said. "We can take the top off it." I handed him the axe with the foot of broken handle. It took him a good 20 minutes before he called ,"Timber!" and another 10 before he had the wind to cut off the tbp. That top looked pretty sick too when we got it down out of the sky, but I knew better than to criticize. So finally we got our tree over our shoulders and we started home. I led the way with the butt of the tree. He was buried, but still mobile somehow; under the tassel end. , "It'll go better when we get out of this blasted bush," he said hopefully. But as soon as we got out of. the Woods, the full force of the storm hit us, and that mile back to the house seemed like five. The snow was fall- ing so fast now that we couldn't find the tracks that • wind had no meicy. More had brought us olt, and the than that, the wind. was. square in our faces now. That's the worst of a farm in the winter -- the wind is al- ways in your face. Then just as we were get- ting • close enough to the house to seethe light in the kitchen window, I felt the tassel end of our tree falter and there was an ominous splash. "Don't tell me you. fell in that mudhole!" I said. "Why didn't you step where I stepped?" "I don't care about a wet foot or two," came the. strained reply, "but I've lost my blasted axe in this here water somewheres." And when I put dowri my end of the tree to look, there he was, his shirt sleeves roll- ed bare and one icy blue arm fishing for the axehead which had fallen into a snow - lined waterhole. He found it after awhile, dried his arm on his shirt tail and we made the house just as the early dark was beginning to fall. • But it wasn't dark enough for me to miss the look on the faces of his big sisters and I tried to head off the remarks I knew would come. "You • call that a- Christmas tree?" - one of them cried. "Why in all my life I never saw any- thing so . ." And then the fierce look in my face got through to her and she said no more. "Just de your best to make a tree out of it," ,1 I said. "You're supposed to be creative, so prove it now!" Give them credit. They worked hard at that tree after they were finished with their angry tears. They spliced branches into the spots that God had forgot, they covered the silly, DECORATIVE TOUCH — GiVe a gift to friends this Christmas that comes fresh out of your own kitchen. Clothing and Textiles Specialist Margaret Loewen of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food has made festive "hats" for her homemade jams and jellies. Pop these in a wicker basket and deliver to friends just before Christmas. To All Our Friends & Customers From JOHN SLUIS MEAT PRODUCTS AND ABATTOIR broken stub at the top with a guardian angel whose skirts were just right to•cover such a blemish, and they put the butt of the tree in a pot full of sugar water in the hope that the needles wouldn't start dropping for at least three or four days. And when some of the longer limbs still insisted upon reaching halfway across the room they simply cut off said limbs, removed a couple of feet of rib -end and wired the good part back into the trunk again. "I wouldn't say that was such a bad tree," the young lad said when the last of the decorations were safely hung. And /truth to tell, it looked rather distinguished when you got used to it. Even the smart young miss who had been critical when the tree first came through the door said, "Well at least you've got to admit that it's unique!" By the time the first needles began to fall when- ever someone slammed the front door, the older sister went One better thalithat. "I think it's sort of cute," she said. But to the young lad I knew that our tree was something more than cute. After all, one can take a handful of sil- ver down to the dime store and buy something that is cute. Cut here was a tree which was the one part of his Christmas which was not bought for him and not given, but something he de- `Shellgame' made for TV movie Jan. 5 "Shellgame", a new Ovo- hour made -for -television movie telecasts Sunday, January 5 at 8:00 p.m. on CBC Television. . Starring Brenda Robins as Carrington Barr, a sharp de- fense attorney, and Germain Houde as Andre Crystal,' her enigmatic client charged with gangland murder, Shellgame's complex and in- triguing plot engages the underworld and the legal system in a treacherous game of hide and seek. Carrie Barr is an 1 am- bitious lawyer, who is re- covering from a marriage gone sour. served; something which.' came wrapped, with the satisfying pain of his own ef- fort and adventure. I do not live on that farm now but on one beside it. The home fdrm is his now and he has begun to raise a family on it. And there are still no evergreens but skinny hem- locks at the back of it. But what set me to writing this is that only .Pesterday hap- pened to lbok across the fields in time to see him heading for that bush again, his seven-year-old son beside him. They seemed to have a good axe this time. .111,111111.111111111.11111 inay all the homespun joys of an old-fashioned holiday be yours: - good friends, good fellowship. . . good fun! Thanks for everything! 2la4014 al %a149. 291-4405 291-4401 ir1611141/43111161101103103010111/&21153111i,141116)16 REE'ClN S We wish for you a Holiday filled lots of "good old fashioned cheer', with and thank you for your patronage . . . this merry time of year! Merry Christmas! TRE ND 1 • INTERIORS g Main St., Listowel, Phone 291-3150 fguvatalassammagnommgigatigsmogamemasuftwomassal k . r'llriiiiiriii;1111111111111111(111191011111lliiillailliIIIII II' 'ht:'. 4“ ; • ,,, ,, 4,,, Ji .or" ,,'-', „,,,,,,ll ';' loi:,,o,.,„ , .,,,#„4 ",.....,- dr' ,tminolowifont111111.1,1,1,1,1,11:1::ifiti,1:01 •,4111111"!ii.., We would like to take this portunity to wish all our friends and clients all the the hope and the wonder of Christmas. May the meaning of the holiday be deeper, its friendship stronger, its hope brighter, as it comes to you during the new year. Listowel Chrysler 754 Main St, East, Listowel 291-4350