Pate de Campagne

Pear Conserve

Photo Credits to Debra Pietrangelo-Thank you for sharing, you're so gifted!

 Downtown Tecumseh hosted my very favorite event last night; Holiday Open House.  Our downtown was decked out in white fairy lights, horse drawn carriages, burning barrels, carolers and more.  It's an extremely charming evening.

I apologize to my visitors for running out of recipe cards, so here you go!!  Pear Conserve; lovely on cheese, scones, ice cream or the Effie's Nutcakes we served it on.  It's a taste of Autumn and a great taste to kickoff your holiday season!

PEAR CONSERVE

2 ½ cups fresh pears, peeled, cored and chopped

½ cup water

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (bottled if canning)

1.75 ounce package of pectin

1 ¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup raisins

1/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan over high heat, combine water, pears and lemon juice to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in pectin, increase heat and bring back to a full boil, stirring constantly.  Stir in sugar and raisins.  Return to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.   Remove from heat and stir in pecans and cinnamon.  Ladle into a sterilized jar, wipe rim and attach lid.  Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.  Yields 2 2/3 cups- approximately 2 half pints plus a little leftover to eat right away!

 

Christmas Delights

Christmas 2011 has been a season of family, food, dogs/cats, grown children and special gifts. 

Our Christmas Eve is always a Czech meal that my grandmother hosted on the farm and has been the same for as long as any of us remember.  Years ago she taught me to make her prune dumplings and I think they were just like hers this year!  I have never had the Czech spelling but phonetically it's call pee-yet-ee. 

A sweet bread stuffed with plump prunes, cut into hunks and doused with a combination of milk, sugar and poppy seed.  The dish is then baked and dumplings are turned quite often so each is moist and soft with milk mixture.  Most everyone eats a piece, but my dad and I LOVE it!  We share the leftovers and eat them for the rest of the week! (feel free to comment if you'd like the recipe)

Christmas Day was a bit of a challenge this year as John had to take our daughter, Julia, to the ER at 8am.  A scratched cornea and eye infection was the diagnosis.  Painful and swollen, she made it through gifts & breakfast and still went to work in the afternoon!  (Double pay is motivating for sure!)  Our Jamie was North Face-d, Ugg-ed and Victoria Secret-d within an hour of gift opening and planning her evening of movie going by 10:30am.

Little Pierre had so much fun with his gifts from Santa and the cat's gifts from Santa....and the cats after their gifts from Santa! 

John and I never do too much with gifts for each other.  This year we both had gotten a few great things the other had been wanting or needing! 

I received a few special gifts this year too.  Our daughter, Gina, sent a few of her homemade chutneys and lemon curd.  My friend Sandy, gave me a sweet, rooster-topped bottle of homemade amaretto and my artist friend, Pat Cooper, sent a card with a watercolor of Pierre on the front!  Homemade is always a great gift!

My folks hosted dinner on Christmas Day and as usual per my Mom, it was fantastic!  She really puts out the spread!  Per tradition...women in the kitchen, men.....well, you know men. 

I wish you a season filled with all of these wonderful things too and a healthy, happy New Year!

Comfort and Joy...

I am always looking for bits of comfort and joy during the holidays.  It's so easy for me to be wrapped up in our shop, family stuff, Christmas preparations etc.  And of course, I have this insane idea that everything must be "perfect"!  Whatever perfect is?!?!  Here are some things that I've found "perfect" in this holiday season.

 I think these paperwhites are really perfect and lovely for the holidays!  After many days of 20 degree weather, snow and ice, they are magically fragrant and delicate!  

 Our boy "Otto" is perfect...he's had a hard time of it lately dealing with the new puppy, Pierre.  Maybe they can be friends under the Christmas tree?

 I think the "peanut blossom" recipe has to be about the most perfect cookie ever invented!  Chewy peanut butter cookie with a crispy sugar coating and a lovely drop of chocolate dead center.  

I'm happy to share the recipe, just comment! 

 

Madeleines

Ahhh, not much evokes France as much as the simple madeleine, a pound cake like small cake, made in a special shell shaped pan.  I saw the sweetest mini madelein pan at the local crack dealer, oh excuse me, Williams Sonoma store.  Non-stick and just right for bite size treats.  The madelein pan was all I have dreamed of and more!!  I have a stash of dried cranberries and many oranges left from The Market's "Gifts from your Kitchen" class (candied orange peel) so I went about adapting a recipe and here is the results!

CRANBERRY ORANGE MINI MADELEINS

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter, melted
   and cooled
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting or melted white chocolate for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Using a pastry brush, heavily brush softened butter over each of the 20 molds in a mini madeleine pan, carefully buttering every ridge.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and salt. Using a wire whisk or a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat vigorously until pale, thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Sprinkle the sifted flour over the egg mixture and stir or beat on low speed to incorporate.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the orange zest and half of the melted butter just until blended. Fold in the remaining melted butter and dried cranberries. 

 

Bake the madeleines until the tops spring back when lightly touched, 8 to 12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and invert it over a wire rack, then rap it on the rack to release the madeleines. If any should stick, use your fingers to loosen the edges, being careful not to touch the hot pan, and invert and rap again.

Let the madeleines cool on the rack for 10 minutes. Using a fine-mesh sieve, dust the tops with confectioners sugar and serve. Makes 20.  If using a large madelein pan, just up the baking time about 4 minutes and I often flour the pan for easier removal.

 

I put my little bits on a gold charger and decorated it with fresh cedar and fresh cranberries and dusted the whole plate with confectioners sugar to look like snow.  It was a beautifully simple presentation and fabulous for a holiday gathering!

    Here is a bit closer view!!

 

Organized Chaos

This weekend I picked up a couple of my favorite magazines' holiday issues.  I love the articles on foods (of course) and recipes and I am always eager to read the "I'm not going to go crazy again this year" holiday tips articles.  I am always disappointed...no magic solution yet.  

So, I am going to share a few of my tips with you.  John and I are swamped this time of year at the Market and we love it!  It is not a season for relaxing however and from years past experience, I have to be ridiculously organized, or we have cheese disasters and entertaining nightmares, mad family members and half cooked dishes to pass. 

• BUY A SMALL NOTEBOOK ,see previous post on leather one :)

Create all of your master lists in this notebook.  I write which gift I will buy for each person.  I keep note of every event we are attending, the time, date and location, what I am bringing and WEARING.  I even list ingredients for recipes, so I can pick them up anytime I'm at the grocery.  The notebook is kept in my handbag.  If I change my mind on a gift, or run across something fab that my daughter might like, it gets noted and changed in the notebook.  I also keep a paperclip on the back cover to clip all receipts.  I also include advil, pepto bismol, neosporin and bandaids to the list...you are gonna need them!    

•     BUY A PAIR OF SLACKS/SKIRT AND A COUPLE SHIRTS + ACCESSORIES THIS WEEK

I purchase a couple festive outfits for the holidays every year.  Sometimes, I have something from last year I really liked, so I will update accessories only.  I purchase clothing that is comfortable, washable and I feel great in it!  I keep it laundered, pressed and ready to go.  This way, I do not have to make any choices when it's time to get ready and I feel like I look great!

• PURCHASE ALL WRAPPING NECESSITIES AND CARDS

I usually take a few minutes at Thanksgiving time to go through ALL of last years gift wrap, ribbon etc.  I put it all on the list.  I purchase all of my cards, small envelopes and wrap together.  I like when everything works inter-changably and I'm not scrambling for matching ribbon.  I also do lots of "gifts from my kitchen" so I take a moment to go through my collected bottles, jars and boxes and run them through the dishwasher, check for chips etc. Check your list for needed amounts :)  I do ask for boxes and bags when shopping, (anything to keep it easier) and keep paper shopping bags for schleping dishes to pass, small gifts and my slippers!

• WRAP EARLY AND OFTEN, PREPARE A BOX FOR KITCHEN GIFTS

I wrap as gifts come into the house, and they get put under the tree or stashed in the closet.  Remember your list and check it off as you go, so you remember what you purchased!  I keep a box on my unheated porch for gifts from my kitchen to be stashed in.  

• PREPARE GIFTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN EARLY

Limoncello, vanilla extract, caramels, spicy nuts and wine jellies were gifts last year, and they kept fine out there.  Easy to prepare and a long storage life made them great gifts!  While I love baked goods, they are too time consuming to prepare and give, and they go stale too quickly.  These choices gave the recipients a longer time to enjoy them as well.  They were easy to grab hostess gifts for unexpected friends and cost very little to make.

• REMEMBER THAT IT'S ALL "ENOUGH"

The sheer amount of "everything" this time of the year is often overwhelming.  Whatever you make, buy, wrap and do is "enough" with the right spirit.  If someone else has a problem with, it's exactly that..their problem!  I do not feel the need to do "more" any longer.  The gifts cost enough, the food is good and plentiful enough, the house is big enough and decorated enough, you did enough!  There will always be someone that does more.  I often think this is the part of the holidays that really bring us all down.  Just say "it's enough" and "I love you". 


We have really ignored the holiday-hell in the past couple of years in our household.  The girls usually choose larger gifts (unaffordable to college students and minimum wage employees) and then I choose stocking stuffers and small gifts that I think they will love/use/appreciate.  We make an effort to ignore the not-nice things that happen at the holidays due to stress, expectations and lots of together time and enjoy our family, home, food and each other.  (By  the way, wine never hurts the situation!)   

(I always keep this mantra in my mind...it's called a GIFT!!!  I appreciate the fact someone thought of me and shared a bit of themselves or pocketbook with me.  It's the holidays...)                   

Small Luxuries

With the holidays approaching, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite gifts to give and receive.  I love to buy small luxury items for my daughters that have classic styling and I think they love receiving them (if not, I'm not opposed to re-gifting or hand-me-backs from them!!).  I allow the girls to choose their larger gifts, but the FUN part of gift giving is the surprises!  I would much rather receive a gift that my family member chose on their own than a "list" of gifts I want.  

The other idea is that these gifts be affordable...while I'm not opposed to the "O" list, I refuse to spend $500 on a sweater.  I don't care how great/soft/flattering it is.  "Affordable" means different things to different people.  I will define it this way "I'm not going to be furious if it gets lost, damaged, found in daughter's car trunk next year or covered in cat hair!"   

Here is a list of my favorite affordable, luxury items that I love everyday. 

CASHMERE THROW
I apprciate this throw every time I touch it, take a cat nap or throw it over my shoulders to run to the mailbox.  It was a gift to "myself" for traveling and it's lovely.  $125  (The Hotel Collection, which looks like its no longer available, but I found tons with google)



LEATHER NOTEBOOK FROM ITALY
I carry this in my bag for writing inspirational things, menus, quotes, websites etc.  It has lovely thick, ivory paper inside and a fun little leather tie that wraps around to keep it closed.  $15
(Valentina, I couldn't find my exact copy online, but here's a site I love for beautiful Italian goods; www.eyeitalia.com/) 

TINY PERFUME SAMPLER FROM FRANCE
I can tailor my fragrance to my mood of the day!  Dabbing on pulse points versus a spray makes this collection feel very feminine and old world.  They all smell fabulous!  $20ish
(www.fragonard.com/parfums_grasse/index.cfm?languesite=GB)

ESTATE AND VINTAGE JEWELRY
Lovely filigreed rings, charms, pendants, funky pins and more!  I have a local jeweler that has a revolving selection of estate and vintage pieces that can be had for reasonable prices.  I purchased one daughter a signet ring with beautiful scroll work and engraved with her initials.  Rose gold pieces have a great patina that I love.  With the price of gold so high these pieces have become a bit pricier, but still affordable.  $50 and up 
(Hacker Jewelers  www.hackerjewelers.com)

ART
A few years back, we made a choice to start purchasing artwork that we love and eventually replace all reproduction pieces in our house.  It has been really fun!  I didn't spend a lot of money, yet each piece represents a distinct place, time and person (artist) that brings great memories to the surface.  Gregg Perez is my friend and a local artist that produces beautiful pieces for sale at The Boulevard Market and other galleries in Michigan.  Gregg's artwork can be very reasonably priced and custom framed to fit your decor.
 I have a print from a Parisian artist in my kitchen that (I brought back from our trip that I LOVE) I framed simply.  It brings me joy everyday.  $70 euro+$15 to frame
gregorioperez.wordpress.com 

 By the way, my friend Barb S. had the BEST idea for getting exactly the gift you love!  Apparently, her dog always gives the best gifts!  Happy gift giving!