Ah, the holidays. The time of year when we need to be sharp yet
serene to accomplish the shopping, baking, wrapping, licking,
sticking, stamping and mailing that the gift-giving time of year
requires.
Ah, the holidays. The time of year when we need to be sharp yet serene to accomplish the shopping, baking, wrapping, licking, sticking, stamping and mailing that the gift-giving time of year requires. We need to accomplish all of these things while we’re also doing our regular jobs, caring for our families and even trying to enjoy ourselves.
In the midst of all the extra chores and checklists, when we should be eating and exercising like elite athletes to maintain our strength and composure, we are surrounded by tempting goodies. The temptations lurk at meals, between meals, in our homes, in our offices and practically everywhere we go.
Everywhere I have worked for 20 or more years, the flat spaces in the offices would start to fill up with bounty: boxes of chocolates; gift baskets bulging with nuts, dried fruit, peppermint sticks and mints; festive iced cookies; fruitcake good enough to eat; and bundt cakes soaked in alcohol. One company used to send two whole smoked salmons plus cream cheese and rye bread each year.
Restaurants offer samples, as do supermarkets and delis. Other shops have dishes of kisses and piles of mints, gingerbread cookies and cider.
I went to a “tea” the other day where wine, beer and eggnog accompanied assorted cheeses, gorgeous shrimp, freshly sliced turkey and ham and little rolls for sandwiches, cookies, and miniature pecan and pumpkin pies, the latter topped with tiny dollops of whipped cream. Way in the back sat some hot water and untouched tea bags.
Enjoying the generosity of others as part of the season is fun, and I am not complaining. But I notice that even if I only sample the odd bite of just my favorites, after the first week or so my energy starts to drop and I’m not having as much fun.
The answer is not to deprive ourselves of the season’s largesse but to counteract it – and the inevitable fast-food emergency – with REAL food at regular mealtimes.
This is good advice all year long, but it’s especially important this time of year when we really do have to keep our strength up.
We don’t want lowered resistance to contribute to a cold or the flu, especially when countless hands are diving into that giant three-compartment popcorn tin ahead of you.
On a related note, a reader wrote regarding last week’s column about bagged salads stating that even though the salads are washed before being bagged, we risk food-borne disease if we don’t rinse and spin them dry before serving. Be cautious, and don’t let any microbes spoil your holidays.
So, how on earth do we manage real meals with so much else to do? The key is to let dinner cook while you are doing other things. This is possible even if you don’t have a Crock-Pot.
My first example of this comes from the original “I Hate to Cook Book” by Peg Bracken. I think it’s well-known, but just in case you haven’t heard, she calls it “Sweep Steak,” because when first introduced it swept the nation.
Sweep Steak
Makes 4 to 6 servings
2 to 3 pounds round steak or boneless pot roast
package of dried onion soup mix
4 to 6 medium baking potatoes
6 medium carrots or 18 baby carrots
Step 1: Preheat oven to 300 degrees (for a three-hour cooking time) or 200 degrees (for a nine-hour cooking time).
Step 2: Put the meat on a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the meat well. Sprinkle the onion soup on the meat, fold the foil, airtight, around it, and place in a baking pan.
Step 3: Bake at 300 degrees for three hours or 200 degrees for nine hours.
Step 4: An hour or so before it’s done, peel the potatoes and cut into halves. If using large carrots, peel them and cut in even chunks.
Step 5: Open up the foil and add the potatoes and carrots.
Serve with a big salad (rinsed first) and sourdough bread.
For dessert, clementines would be perfect: sweet enough to satisfy the urge, but piquant and light enough to counteract the homemade fudge you had at 4pm. If clementines aren’t available (they have a short season, right about… now), grapes or sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon are similarly low-fuss alternatives.
Another recipe from the “I Hate to Cook Book” fits into busy days because it can be assembled several hours ahead of time, refrigerated, and then takes only 30 minutes to bake when you’re ready to eat. Nowadays this would probably be called Cheese Strata, but she calls it Cheese and Wine Bake.
Cheese and Wine Bake
Makes 4 servings
6 to 8 slices day-old (or lightly toasted) french bread
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, grated
1 cup dry white wine
3 eggs
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
Step 1: Mince the garlic clove and cream it into enough butter to spread the bread slices with.
Step 2: Spread the bread with the garlic butter and lay butter-side down in a big shallow cake pan or casserole.
Step 3: Beat the eggs, then add the wine, chicken broth, cheese and all seasonings.
Step 4: Pour the egg mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate up to five hours.
Step 5: When ready to bake, remove the cover and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.
As this dish is rather pale, a spinach salad (rinsed first, of course) with dried cranberries or cherries and walnuts or almonds would make an appetizing contrast. A bowl of red grapes, snipped into small bunches, would be a colorful alternative to a cooked vegetable.
