5 To 40: Have Myself A Merry Little Christmas

 

The other day at work,  I opened a can of Roundy's brand pinto beans for lunch. Hey, times are tight.

 I removed the lid, only to find that there were no beans, but creamed corn instead. While I am not opposed to creamed corn, it wasn't at all what I was expecting...

In years past, the bounty of gifts passing beneath my tree on Christmas Eve could have been construed as a gluttonous feast. It was not  unusual for there to be 7, 8, or more gifts under there for every person in attendance. My, how times have changed. My people, as I'm sure most of your people, have been greatly affected by the continued downturn in our country's economy. For the second year in a row, we have a strict "No Gifts" policy enforced. Yet this Christmas finds me brimming with gifts...

While I have never been homeless, 2010 found me without a home of my own. It was a year of both emotional and great financial challenges. At one point Stacey, my friend of 25 years looked at me and said "How on earth are you not completely melting down?" My answer was a Cassandra-ism that I adopted for my own; "I choose not to struggle." I know this might sound pretty on paper, and spiritually "high falutin" in theory...but it really worked! Was I completely without worry? Not entirely, but the decision to focus on what I have vs. what I may have perceivably lost in the eyes of others, was definitely a test of faith. Do you know what I learned? What I have known all along, but forgotten from time time. That by the Universe I am always loved. Always provided for. Most importantly, that what we focus our spiritual energy on, well, it grows things...

A couple of weeks ago, I had a opportunity to leave my temporary housing behind, and move literally  right into the house of my dreams.With the aid of a roommate, I will be able to live there less expensively than I did in my last apartment! The other day I cashed in my coins at the grocery store to buy a Christmas tree. I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to find one I could afford, and that the good ones would be long ago picked over. Really, what were the chances that just 6 days before Christmas I would find the PERFECT 8' tree for just $10? I did.  There won't be any presents under it, but people I love and adore are coming over, and we're having homemade meat pies. Everybody's pitching in a bottle of booze for Martha's best ever egg nog, and there will be a roaring fire fueled by my gracious new neighbor's abundant stockpile of wood.

I kinda feel like Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street every time I approach the front door...

When I started 2010, I had no idea that things would escalate to the place where I would have to forfeit my  comfortable apartment, nor that by years end I would be living in a dream house. The real gifts are not the ones in shiny packages, but the ones that are unexpected, wrapped in love, and contain wisdom.

I hadn't had creamed corn in ages. It was delicious.

ONLY KINDNESS MATTERS

While this classic Jewel cut may not be Christmas song, its message is universal, much like the spirit of Christmas. Therefore, its your Musical Treat of The Week...

THE JOY OF GIVING

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM CASSANDRA

SHARE THE WEALTH

Have you ever thought that you might be in possession of something that for what ever reason no longer belongs to you? Sound odd? Well I have often thought that the one thing I needed, that thing that would make the road a little easier to travel- was the thing that some one was tripping over cause it was in their way!

Don’t get me wrong,  it doesn’t even have to be tangible.
It could be something as simple as some information or even a smile, some thing that if given wouldn’t even be missed, but something that if given could be the help or the blessing that someone else needed. You see I’m thinking that life would be much sweeter if we would just share the wealth.

Oh, I know some might say, “I am barely getting by myself”. Still I say if you would consider unloading yourself of some of the things that your holding on to, you might just find or make room for wealth to appear. And if we would all just pass along those things we are no longer using not only would our loads be lighter, but the things we release could just be the blessing that would make a profound difference in the lives of other. But we’ll never know if we don’t share the wealth.

Okay, so what does it mean and how is it done? Especially if you feel you have little to give? Well some of us have a wealth of experiences, share them! Some of have a wealth of information, share it! Some of us have a lot of time. I don’t know who, but you know who you are- I say share yourself! Some are rich in compassion, please by all means share it. And some of us have far more things than we will ever need or use…“Share the wealth”. And of course some of you really have actual wealth, the financial kind, um you can pass that along…to me.

Releasing is a spiritual principle, and it is the only way to keep things flowing. Otherwise we become blocked, backed up and bogged down. I have found that the more stuff I have, the more stuff I have to keep up with, the stuff I have to clean and dust. The more stuff I acquire, the less room I have to enjoy my stuff. Releasing things has a way of lifting one higher, making one’s load lighter.

It is the opposite of hoarding. Imagine yourself sitting guard inside your warehouse of goods so nothing can escape, blocking the doorway so nothing gets away…blocking the path, well that blockage also prevents everything from getting in. Now this, like most things is personal, it’s your decision whether to share or not. What you share, if anything, you do get to decide.

But you see this is what I know so far;
The one who does the giving is the one who receives the most.
Merry Christmas, and peace...
Cassandra

AND THE WINNER IS!

Ladies and Gentleman!

This year's Killer Christmas Cookie Contest winner is...Bryon Stewart of Chicago, Illinois! His delicious recipe for Chocolate Spice Drop Cookies is flush with both cocoa and spicy goodness, making him the recipient of this years Penzey's Spices $40 gift certificate!Congratulations Bryon, and thanks to everyone who shared their yummy recipes...we'll be enjoying them at my house Christmas Eve!

CHOCOLATE SPICE DROP COOKIES

2 cups sifted flour

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup ground pecans

1/4 cup natural, unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup milk

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl, and cut shorteneing in with a knife or pastry blender. Add spices, soda, powder, cocoa, and nuts, mixing well. Add milk gradualy, and mix thouroughly. Drop by teaspoons onto a cookie sheet greased, or lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely, then frost the centers.

FROSTING

2 cups powdwewd sugar
3/4 tablespoon shorteening
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 tablespoons warm water
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

*EDITOR'S NOTE: I had a package of finely chopped pecan pieces that I ground for this recipe. After I frosted them, I sprinkled the left over pieces over the cookies.It was a good idea!

THE BLOODY OLIVE: A Christmas Tradition

CBS will bring back Frosty, Rudolph, and Charlie Brown. Turner Classic Movies will air Miracle On 34th Street at least a dozen times ( Make the color go away, I'm begging you Ted. ), and TBS will undoubtedly play A Christmas Story daily until the first of next year. Here at KBMTMDH, I've decided to bring back The Bloody Olive, which was a featured video last December. There are more twists and turns in this delightfully-dark 10 minute short film set on Christmas Eve, than on Mulholland Drive.
Enjoy and behold- a new Killer tradition!  Pun intended.

THIS HO MADE IT!

For several years now, we've gone the route of handcrafted gifts. Cherrie makes the most  amazing bath bombs and luscious soaps, tapping her inner alchemist to create custom fragrances for each of the lucky recipients. I bake, decorate, and package dozens and dozens of cookies from an heirloom Christmas cookie recipe. And Stacey? Stacey makes his own gift wrap. Need I say more?

If you've got the time, I highly recommend it. There's not only something special about being on the receiving end of a handmade gift, but I have found its also most rewarding for the giver. As well, in these trying times, it can be a very economical solution. Sometimes the initial outlay for materials and supplies can seem steep, but atomize the breakdown per gift, and you'll more than likely come out with a few extra candy canes left over in your stocking! Ho, ho, ho!

 

While the gift that can either be consumed or used throughout the year might be more practical, making seasonal decorations to give away can be just the thing to put you in the spirit if your having a hard time getting there on your own. Want to bust out your trusty glue gun and make some festive decorations like these? Directions and tips are FREE and at mathastewart.com  Natch.

SING!

Yesterday was WORLD AIDS DAY. While I was familiar with the efforts of Annie Lennox's SING campaign, I was not  aware of how ambitious she has been with it personally, or how far reaching its benefits have become. What they have managed to accomplish in just 3 short years, is truly remarkable.

As we close in on the end of the year, I'd like to nominate Annie Lennox Killer Bee of The Year...

CHRISTMAS, 1950

2010 KILLER COOKIE CONTEST!

What's Christmas without cookies?
Everyone has a special cookie recipe that they reserve for holiday baking. It's special, perhaps a little more labor intensive, maybe even an heirloom passed down through generations...

Mine happens to be an heirloom that came over from Ireland with my Great Grandma Furman. What's yours?

Last year, Helen McGreevey of Medina, Ohio took the prize for her Glazed Fruitcake Drops. Will your treasured recipe be this year's winner?

From now through December 15th I'm inviting you to send me your all time favorite holiday cookie recipe. It needn't be an heirloom, or even an original, just DELICIOUS! Myself and the other Bees will bake off the entries and determine a winner, who will receive...

A $40 Gift Certificate to Penzey's Spices!

Here's how the cookie cuts:

• Email recipe [pictures not necessary] to m.mckinley@rocketmail.com
• Deadline is Wednesday, December 15th

Send your recipe soon, our ovens are pre-heated!!!
http://www.penzeys.com/

PASS THE POPCORN

TALKIN' TURKEY

Re-posted from November 2009...

My Thanksgiving dinner kicks ass. Ask anyone who shows up at my door on Turkey Day and they'll tell you it's the best they've ever had...just like their Mother's only better, they'll say. That's because mine is just like my Mother's, only better.

Mom made a pretty awesome spread for Thanksgiving. Then she made the EXACT same meal for Christmas. Like I've said before, her repertoire was tasty, but short. Anyway, over the years I've improved on most of her very traditional Thanksgiving menu which features all the usual suspects. And that's the way I want my Thanksgiving dinner. I can experiment with new recipes and ideas all year long, but once a year I make this rocking-good turkey dinner, and I look forward to it. It makes it special, to have it just once a year...

I have had turkey prepared in just about every fashion, but my favorite is brined. I don't do a fancy brine with lots of stuff in it, just salt and water. It brines over nite in a clean 5 gallon paint pail that ONLY gets used for this task, and it makes for the juiciest turkey EVER... And the tastiest skin!

This is the solution I've been using for 10 years now, from Fine Cooking magazine:
2 c. kosher salt to 1 gallon warm water
If you're using Morton's Kosher Salt, its denser, so reduce to 1 1/2 c. for each gallon of water.

Right in the bucket, stir together with your hand to make sure the salt breaks down...go ahead, stick your whole arm in there! Submerse your clean, FRESH [ It's gotta be fresh and minimally processed. If it's been injected with another solution, it could get REAL salty.] turkey into the bucket...that's only 3/4 full of brine so it doesn't overflow! If you live in a climate like mine, it's usually cold enough on the eve of Thanksgiving to put the bucket right outside and cover with a heavy plate or board [so the critters don't get it]. In the morning drain and rinse well, then roast with your preferred method. I pat mine dry, slather it with butter, dust it with fresh ground pepper, surround it with quartered onions drizzled with a little olive oil, then throw it in a preheated 400 degree oven for 1/2 an hour, then reduce the heat to 350. Roast the proper time per per/lb. guidelines. By the way, I've given up "tenting" and basting. Don't bother!

THE GRAVY
While the turkey is roasting...rinse the gizzards and neck, and place in a small sauce pan with a celery heart and leaves, a quartered onion,, a whole clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns, 1 tablespoon rubbed sage, a couple of bay leaves, and cover with chicken stock. Simmer for an hour, then pour through a sieve and discard the innards and bits. While the turkey is resting, combine the liquid with the turkey drippings. If you've got a big crowd, you can add a little more chicken stock accordingly. Thicken with either a paste made from butter and flour, or the way Mom did it, with cornstarch and a little milk stirred together until there were no lumps. Bring the combined liquid to a boil, then add the thickening agent, whisking briskly until it reaches your desired consistency.