Merriest of Christmases

To my readers around the world., enjoy this Christmas with favorite foods and family members.🎄🎄🎄

A Homemade Christmas

 A Good Christmas to all my readers worldwide. I had a very Aldi Christmas Eve with making their Priano Mushroom Risotto which was delicious. Here are their sugar cookies, which were supposed to be drizzle ones. They look more like what came out of the reindeer after a bad stomach ache.

It was melting Nestle's chips and drizzling them over the cookies. However there was too much chocolate. still they tasted pretty good.

Enjoy your cookies, whether homemade or not !!!!

The Oysters And Their Merroir

 If you think oysters are just oysters, think again. They are as complex as wine, and even mirror the drinks' many different flavors and subtleties. These are not just bivalves. They're much more.

 Regular contributor Melissa Clark explored  this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Oysters are actually filters, cleansing up to three thousand gallons of both salt and fresh water daily. Yet for centuries they have been considered both a staple as with the Indigenous Americans and a luxury as with the Europeans who settled the continent. However they're not that simple. They are a complex animal, now mostly farmed in controlled conditions, not unlike grapes meant for wine.Unlike wines there are only five kinds of them in the United States. There is the East Coast one, found in the Atlantic while the Pacific Ocean has the west Coast oyster. yet the varieties or varietels are just like wine. An oyster raised in the warm waters off Louisiana is going to taste entirely different from one harvested from Maine's icy ocean. This is called a merroir,  a play on the french terroir, from land. Mer is from the french word for 'sea". It's the interaction of aquaculture techniques and the local merroir that creates the taste. even though the oysters from the Glidden Point Oyster farm is only one thousand feet from the Mook sea Farm, their tastes are vastly different. The Glidden Farms ones are sweet , dense and stony  while the Mook Sea Farm have a clean flavor and a rounded shell.

Sometimes the land itself can have a direct impact on the oysters flavor. At Hama Hama Company in Lilliwaup Washington,  the Pacific oysters are raised in the Hood Canal. This is nestled in an area where there are Douglas firs which drop their needles into the water. This definitely affects their taste, along with the algae and phytoplankton. Oysters aren't the only ones with a merroir. Scallops are also affected by their environment too. They also have a distinct flavors and textures.They run the gamut from soft and mild  from Cobscook Bay to funky, firmer and saltier adductors from Little Macchias Bay. This is a recent thing and it may be shortly applied to shrimp, crab and lobster too,If you plan on eating oysters for the holidays, keep in mind that they're not really good with champagne as most make them out to be. Ms. Clark  feels that raw oysters gives the bubbly a metallic taste unless they're Oysters Rockefellar.. Instead try a modestly sweet German Resiling. You can also try Sancerre, Muscadet or Chablis.

Oysters are not just oysters anymore. The same idea with scallops. They're as complex as a good wine with different flavors and sub notes. Like a good wine, they should be savored and appreciated for those unique tastes too.

A Trucker's CHristmas

 We don't give enough credit to our truckers. They have been our saviors during this pandemic and shortages. Funny enough these heroes prefer to be on the road at Christmas, celebrating and even cooking from their cabs.

Priya Krishna , a regular contributor and cookbook author interviewed this chefs of the road for today's New York Times Food section. The cab kitchens are actually well equipped despite their small size.Trucker Dina McKinney's kitchen is really like everyone else's. There are spices neatly organized in jars, a butcher block counter and a prettily tiled backsplash. there are even Santa towels. She is cooking for herself but what a meal!. There will be Brie in puff pastry and a thyme and rosemary rubbed turkey leg to be roasted on her rotisserie. It's dripping will go to   season a turkey breast. Brussels sprouts with bacon will be sauteed on her butane stove. Not every trucker has her elaborate system. Yet many of the three million something truckers out there are cooking from their cabs. They are either looking for much healthier foods than what's in truck stops or out of necessity. Most places nationwide have closed due to the pandemic. Then there's the life of a trucker.Many are working long overtime hours for the money  along with helping to lessen the supply chain issue, especially now around the holidays.

Yet they persist and find ways to celebrate with home cooked meals. Trucker Margie Gillis from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin is making her Christmas meal with leg of lamb and eggplant casserole which she will share with other truckers. Her Thanksgiving was great with stuffed roasted duck,  green bean casserole and cheese mashed potatoes. and cranberry sauce. However it does have its' setbacks, She will only wipe her dishes clean and then thoroughly wash them when she takes her shower at a truck stop. Traditional cookies are out. She just can't handle mixing and baking them, with flour all over the place and trying to clean beaters.  New Year's also gets special food in the cabs.Tamra Fakhoorian plans a tasty First Night with a big charcuterie board chock full of cured meat, olives, and cheeses. There will be lights around her bed and she will record her goals for the New Year. Cooking can also alleviate any depression or loneliness that comes with the job. James Willis of Tacoma Washington will make himself a  lush meal of  steak cooked in a George Forman grill with instant mashed potatoes and gravy. Some truckers like couple Melissa Cheshire and Vincent Louque enjoy eating out . They get to sample local specialties like gumbo and shrimp in Lousiana. Another , Sunny Grewal from Fresno.  celebrates Diwali with take out naan and shahi paneer.  Rafique Smioth from Philadelphia observes Eid on the road too.

Truckers do have hard lives but they manage to make do. This includes having the best holidays they can. It even involves a  home cooked meal with all the trimmings.

Otea Teas A New Kind Of Comfort

 if you're looking for a new tea to sip this winter look no further than Oteas. This brand has some unusual blends as well as comforting versions of what we all love. It's the perfect hot drink for sitting in a comfy chair and enjoying a warm cup/

The company is located in Revelstoke, British Columbia and has a healthy good for the planet pacific Northwest vibe about it. They have a variety of teas, both in bags and loose leaf with tea leaves coming from allover the world. There are  spicy chais' and  good for you  creamy matcha  teas , great for a relaxing sip. The company also sells accessories such as mgs, a glass tea pot and jars for storing the loose leaf. There are also  Stainless steel tea infuser and a wooden spoon for pouring in the leaves

I have so many favorites with this brand. One of my favorites is the chocolate chai  made with cacao bean peels and blackberry leaves.Their Organic Rejunvenate Tea is the perfect cup for waking up in the morning.It's made with organic ginger  lemon grass and yerba mate   . Another favorite and right for these hectic days is Serenitea, a tasty blend of lemongrass, orange peel and sunflower  and lime tree blossoms. the strawberries and cream is a delicious drink hot or cold.It's a mix of strawberry and apple pieces along with  hibiscus and rose hip peels. My night time tea is their Organic Sleepwell  with a mix of green rooibos tea , granulated ginger, organic peppermint and chamomile  to soothe and relax.

Discover Oteas Teas for a hot sip on a cold night. ANy flavor is perfect . Brew a cup, sit back and enjoy their  rich flavor

Holiday KItchen Hacks

 Christmas cooking and baking can be stressful. Home chefs and bakers may not have the time or the skill. Not to worry . There are hacks to use that can get anyone through this kitchen craziness.

First of all rethink that holiday roast. You don't have to cook an entire roast if there's only a few people. An easier version of roast turkey is turkey breast. It only takes about an hour or two to cook which means you don't have to wake up and start pepping it right away. A canned ham can do just fine if you don;t want to roast a fresh one.Another easy main course is rounds of filet mignon that can even be cooked up in the air fryer.Simplify sides as well. Frozen broccoli and green beans can be microwaved , chilled Christmas Eve and turned into tasty salads half an hour before the meal is served. Go for a simple vinaigrette instead of a fancy , more laborious dressing. Stovetop Stuffing is just as tasty as the more work intensive one where you have to tear bread and chop celery for. Instant mashed potatoes can be used and jazzed up with chopped garlic or minced scallions. Another easy side is microwaved sweet potatoes or yams. These only takes five minutes to cook per potato. Serve with melted butter.

What about those Christmas desserts? One super easy hack is going to your local bakery and buying a platter of cookies or a prettily decorated cake.  Some bakeries and stores such as Acme and Stop and Shop even sell in store  already baked and decorated Yule Logs or Buche de Noel. If you do feel like baking , remember there are Pillsbury Slice and Bakes. These are easy to prep and bake. Another plus is that you can go to their website and get decorating ideas.There is one where you can decorate cookies to look like Santa's bellies or Christmas ornaments. A yummy treat are sandwich cookies  with an easy buttercream filling.A two layer cake is always a lovely way to end a holiday meal. You can go with any of the Duncan Hines ones and canned icing. A tasty one is a butter cake with a rich cocoa frosting. What about a chocolate sheet cakes with mint icing? You can dust it with silver sanding sugar for a frosty snow effect. You could also bake cupcakes which are always a crowd pleaser and easy to bake and frost. Even easier is a trifle made with store bought pound cake, rum , fruit and Cool Whip. Layer and then pop overnight in the fridge.

Don;t stress over Christmas cooking and baking.There are some easy hacks to make everything a cinch. Try them for some relief in the kitchen.

Last Minute Kitchen Gifts

 Christmas is a week away and it's crunch time. Think anything kitchen , from cookbooks to gadgets. These are great presents that will keep on giving. They can be fun. They can be handy. They can be perfect.

A cookbook is always the most interesting gift to open.It not only gives recipes but the stories behind them as well as great tips. International cuisine ones are  also  travelogues with amazing pictures of the food, country and people. The New York Times Food section had an extensive list of them this past Wednesday.There are fourteen choices, from Mina Stone's Greek influenced Lemon,Love and Olive Oil  (Harper Collins) to Michael Twitty's  Rice  A Savor The South Cookbook 0 Noirth Carolina Press). There are cookbooks that revolve around baking like Cookies: The New Classics A Baking Book (Clarkson Potter) by Jesse Szewcyck and  Sheet Cake Easy One Pan Recipes For Every Day and Every Occasion  (Clarkson Potter) by Abigal Johnson Didge. There are cookbooks about Middle eastern sweets and Korean vegetarianism too,. If you do buy a cookbook, get extra little gifts that tie into the book. This can be a sushi mat or a pretty set of measuring cups and spoons. You could even arrange a fun basket full of the ingredients too.

Anyone loves a gadget. They're so much fun to receive and try out,An air fryer is a definite must give for any home chef. They can cook up anything from chicken nuggets to even cinnamon rolls. They will definitely be much appreciated and will be used for months to come. Another fun and necessary gift is an immersion blender. These can easily whip up smoothies but they're also great for creaming and blending soups and sauces. They're also very easy to handle as well as to clean. Bakers will appreciate fun baking gifts like cookie presses. A plus is that they're easily attainable. Everyone from Target to Walmart has them.Throw in a variety pack of sprinkles for decorating. For those non-bakers who still want a holiday treat think about giving a gingerbread kit. These are fun and also perfect for the budget. Five Below is selling them for around five dollars. Target and Walgreens also have them for as low as $2.99. There are also have sleds and trains too that already come with icing and candies to decorate.

Yes, Christmas is coming. There's no need to go frantic over what to give any home chef or baker. The list is endless , from cookbooks and gadgets to gingerbread house kits. Have fun picking out the right gift.