Archive for the ‘ Rod ’ Category

A Child’s Christmas in Wales

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“It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas”…

Dylan Thomas’ enchanting memories of the wonder and magic of Christmas,  seen through the eyes of a young boy in a small,  snowed in, Welsh seaside town, nigh on a hundred years ago… A childhood vision of Christmas Day from waking to sleeping: – – snowballs and mufflers, candy and cats, imaginary polar bears …imaginary hippos… Mrs. Prothero and the firemen, mistletoe and chestnuts,  sherry and walnuts, bottled beer and Christmas crackers…and the presents!!!  And family and friends: Aunt Hannah, Aunt Dosie, all the Uncles, and the children: Jane, Dan and Jack. A Christmas remembered, a seasonal celebration – perfect for your Holiday party, this coming December…

length of performance:    (short version) 22 minutes,

(long version) 36 minutes…

party bookings $300

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If you don’t know Hyde Park Books, you should stop in at this neighborhood gem: the Children’s section is an invaluable local resource  (and they have plenty of young adult, Christian fiction,  fiction fiction,  and classics)…  but more than this: they have half a wall of local authors and poets; they regularly host Ghosts and Projectors,  Tooth and Bristle,  and – of course – Homegrown Theater’s readings series;  and their commitment to local hikes, trails and bike-rides is so huge: they even have a recent edition of  On The Road.  This is the place to get your copy of The Idaho Review,  The First Line, Idaho Magazine, or even a Granny Martin Hat  – all wooly hat proceeds go to local Meals on Wheels. They have the Idaho Wilderness Calendar – and the  associated note-cards – or you can brown bag it with Books by the Pound:  brown paper bags full of Romance, Suspense,  Christian Fiction, and more…

So – thank you to Hyde Park Books for hosting a lovely performance last Sunday, and providing a backdrop that matches our cloth-covered folding tables! And thank you to the wonderful, warm, generous audience and to the many friends who were there…

Plaudites

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Monica’s ginger-snap Pizzelle…

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For Rod,  Christmas-time is a time when the smells of vanilla, almond, ginger, and lemon are wafting through the house:   Christmas cookies… and above all,  Monica’s ginger snap pizzelle, with powdered sugar sprinkled on top!  The pizzelle  are wafer-thin!  And… “Before I know it the delicate treat is devoured.  Thank goodness there are so many!”…

…the recipe is Monica’s invention:  “For years I have made pizzelle as one of my holiday cookies:  the recipe has been in my family since before I can remember,  and can be made with a variety of different extracts.  Lemon, orange, vanilla, almond and anise were the ones I recall form my childhood. As I got older…  I found that the one flavor missing from my holiday cookie trays was ginger, so… I decided to cross breed the zesty gingersnap with the crisp and light pizzelle.  Here is the result…”

The yield is dependent on the size of  pizzelle iron.  And it’s best to buy the ground ginger fresh, every season.

MONICA’S GINGER SNAP PIZZELLE

1 cup butter,  2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup dark molasses, 6 eggs, 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 Tbsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 3 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, powdered sugar to finish

Melt the butter, and allow to cool some – but not solidify.

Beat the eggs well, combine with the sugar and molasses, and beat again.  Once incorporated, add the butter and vanilla slowly.  It may look lumpy or coagulated. but that is ok.  Add the dry ingredients a little at a time, in this order: both gingers, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder… if using a whip, switch to the wooden spoon to add the flour. Once all incorporated,  the dough should be solid but very soft.  It should be easy to form with spoons.

Allow the dough to rest briefly while you preheat your pizzelle  iron for about 5-10 minutes.

Use two spoons to drop a large marble to golf-ball sized ball of dough on to each pattern of your pizzelle iron.  If your iron is new to you,  you can experiment with the proper quantity.  You want the dough to press out to the edges but not overflow the iron when you close it.  If it overflows it can be trimmed immediately while still hot and soft   (if you wait too long the cookie will cool and become too brittle to trim.)

  • Some irons have a “ready” light to let you know when it is done,  but many do not.  Just watch the steam coming from the dough.  When it diminishes to almost invisible the cookie is probably done.  You are looking for a golden brown color.

After the first five are done the iron will be at its typical heat and you can time the rest based on the perfect color in your iron.

After baking, remove each cookie immediately and trim if necessary. For maximum crispness allow to cool completely on the cooling racks before packaging.

Before serving, sprinkle each cookie with powdered sugar.