Good Living 123

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

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!

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

Photo by Marek Studzinski

“To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”

— George MacDonald (1824 – 1905)
Scottish author

Photo by Jill Wellington

For National Apple Cider Day I offer my Mulled Wassail recipe. Though initially styled for the holiday season in 1980, when standard coffee percolators were still standard, this hot cider punch is also easy to make in a slow cooker.

Cathy’s Mulled Wassail

2-3 qts fresh or frozen apple cider (NOT apple juice)
1 qt cranberry juice
½ tsp whole allspice
1 T whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
1 orange, cut in wedges, with peel
Cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Pour cider & cranberry juice in bottom of electric coffee percolator and put all spices and orange slices in the “basket.” Cover and perk. Or steep in a covered slow cooker on low for 2 hours, with spices and orange slices wrapped in cheesecloth. Serve hot with a cinnamon stick in each mug. Makes 2-3 quarts.

KISS Tip: This is a Family Friendly rendition, but you can easily add a favorite brandy. Let the singing begin.

“Silence will save me from being wrong (and foolish), but it will also deprive me of the possibility of being right.”

— Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971)
Russian composer & conductor

Image by John Hain

As people and nations hold grudges and wage wars, but I think it’s important to remember what we need in the long term.

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

— Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
German-born theoretical physicist; developed theory of relativity

Image by John Hain

“True empathy is rooted in humility and the understanding that there are many people with as much to contribute in life as you.”

— Anand Mahindra (1955 – )
Indian billionaire businessman

Celebrate National Spicy Guacamole Day with your favorite level of spiciness… mild, medium, hot, or crazy-off-the-charts.

A Second Helping , book 2 in my Dockside Dining trio of recipes that are easy to prepare with very little effort or kitchen equipment, is perfect for backyard, tailgate, or dockside cooking.

One recipe that I offer is Gulf Coast Guacamole. It just doesn’t get more Super Simple than this. Of course, I am a great believer in sassing things up, so I offer a bit of that, too. You can cook up Super Simple recipes to your heart’s content with the whole Dockside Dining series, available in paperback and digital formats.

Gulf Coast Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted & mashed to the chunkiness or smoothness level you prefer
¼ – ½ c chunky salsa, mild to hot, as you prefer
2 T freshly squeezed lime (or lemon) juice
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to suit your taste.

Mix together and serve with tortilla chips and raw vegetables.

KISS Tip: If you are not serving guacamole right away, save one of the avocado pits. Put the pit in the bowl with the guacamole to prevent the typical “browning” from oxidation. Discard the pit before serving. Or, do not mix in the lime juice. Simply drizzle it over the top of your guacamole before covering with plastic wrap, and pressing it down onto the surface before chilling till serving time. Another idea is to very finely chop and add 2 T sweet onion to your guac. I prefer sweet onion to red as it does not need caramelization to prevent it from taking over and predominating the blend of flavors. And if you want extra spice, go ahead and add 1 T (or more) of finely diced jalapeño pepper… or ghost pepper, if you must. I prefer to place various “add-ins” on the side, for guests to choose as they prefer. These can range from extra tomato, salt & pepper, hot peppers, and even diced, cooked shrimp.

“Assumptions are the termites of relationships.”

— Henry Winkler (1945 – )
American actor