Cathy Burnham Martin's Blog, page 30

See Food Dieting

“The second day of a diet is always easier than the first. By the second day, you’re off it.”

— Jackie Gleason(1916 – 1987)
American actor & comedian

Happy Holidays!

Let Freedom Ring!

“Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves.”

— Unknown

Gratitude!

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”

— Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)
American writer, publisher, & philosopher

Thank you to my friends… from near and dear to far away and fabulous! I feel totally blessed to have you all in my life. You fill my heart with encouragement, gratitude, and love. Thank you.

Gift Planning

Photo by Jill Wellington

 

“I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.”

— Joyce Meyer (1943 – )
American author

Cherish the Moment

Temps will reach 71° today, but we had our first frost last night. Thus, this will likely be this season’s final rose blossom.

“From the withered tree, a flower blooms.”
— Zen saying

Be Fearless

Image by Shazib Nadeem

“I love the man that can smile in trouble, gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink. He whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

— Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
US philosopher, pamphleteer

National Eat a Cranberry Day

I love cranberries. fresh, crispy, and crazy sassy! ‘Tis the season to make your favorite cranberry sauce and/or cranberry relish. Another fun twist is Cranberry Applesauce. The color is luscious, and you can tweak the sassiness to suit your personal taste. If you love cooking with cranberries, you will find more than 100 Super Simple recipes, ranging from brunch and appetizers to beverages and desserts, in my “Cranberry Cooking” book in both paperback and digital formats.

This is the pinkness from just 2 handfuls of cranberries

Cathy’s Cranberry Applesauce
Adding cranberries to applesauce imparts an awesomely rosy color, but if you love cranberries, go ahead and use a whole bag for that classic zesty flavor!

2 c cranberry juice
2 handfuls to 1 bag fresh or frozen cranberries, washed & stems removed
12 large MacIntosh apples (or Cortland or combo), cored and sliced
Spices: 1 -2 T ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves (or ginger)

Put cranberry juice, cranberries, and apple slices in large, covered pot. Simmer for about 20 minutes until berries have popped and apples are soft, stirring once or twice. Process through food mill to remove cranberry skins and apple peels. Stir in seasonings. Serve warm or chilled.

KISS Tip: I like the sweetness from the apples, without adding any sugar. However, if you use more than just a handful or two of cranberries, you may wish to add a little sweetener…. Sugar, brown sugar, monk fruit make good options.

Divisiveness – Nothing New

Image by John Hain

“America now is stumbling through the darkness of hatred and divisiveness. Our values, our principles, and our determination to succeed as a free and democratic people will give us a torch to light the way. And we will survive and become stronger – not only because of a patriotism that stands for love of country, but a patriotism that stands for love of people.”

— Gerald R. Ford (1913 – 2006)
38th US President

National Gingerbread Cookie Day

For National Gingerbread Cookie Day I salute Mom Burnham… again. For decades she handmade gingerbread boys and girls for the trick-or-treaters at Halloween, but she often made and froze extras so we could enjoy them through the holiday season, too. Her recipe is featured in volume 3 of “Fifty Years of Fabulous Family Favorites: Starters, Sippers, and Sweets” (page 142) AND it is also used each year by the pastry chef at St. Mark Village in Florida to make 1,000 of the delicious gems. Mom and her volunteers decorate them ALL for the annual Christmas party for friends and family.

 

Glenna Burnham’s Gingerbread Boys & Girls

4 c sifted flour
1 tsp each: salt, baking soda, and ground nutmeg
2 tsp each: baking powder, ginger, and cloves
3 tsp cinnamon
1 cup each: Crisco shortening, sugar, and molasses
2 lg or x-lg egg yolks

Sift first 8 ingredients together. In large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar and molasses. Add egg yolks. Mix well. Stir in flour mixture. Roll out dough ¼” thick on lightly floured board. Cut with large Gingerbread Boy or Girl cutters. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate, as desired, with sliced small gumdrops for buttons, raisins for eyes and nose, and slivers of red cherries for mouth before baking. (If decorating with icing, add it after they are baked & cooled.) Bake at 350°F for 8 (to 10 max) minutes. Cool. Yield: about 20 cookies.

Cathy’s note: If using small-sized cutters, be sure to bake for far less time, or you will get dark crispy cookies without the awesome gingery chewiness!

War Settles Nothing

Photo by Alex Shuper

“When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing.”

— Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 – 1969)
34th US President
Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War II