December 2009
Letter from the Editor
by MK Mancos
There is just something about this time of year that makes me get all warm and snuggly. I don’t know if it’s the fact my husband has both our fireplaces cranking around the clock, until the house is like a sauna, or if it’s something deeper, internal about the approaching holidays. Whatever the reason, there is nothing better than hunkering down with loved ones to enjoy the day’s traditions, or to make some new ones of your own.
So, no matter what traditions you celebrate, or holidays you recognize in this special Winter Holiday edition of the Samhellion, you’ll find a recipe to tempt your palate or article to make you smile. Join us for a few good reads that will make your season bright and a special interview with Mrs. Claus, the power behind the red suited elf.But most of all – have a happy and safe season from those of us at The Samhellion.
Table of Contents
An Interview with Mrs. Claus
A Far-flung Holiday
Christmas, Jamaican Style
No Traditions Allowed
Ways to Make the Shopping Season Bright
Recipes
Mimi’s Cheesecake Minis
Isabo’s Non-traditional Holiday Meals
Hot Chipped Beef DipSay What? Crab Dip
Triple Chip Bars/Cookies
Hearty Chicken Soup
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It’s a party!
Join the Samhellions for our annual holiday party!
Date: Monday, January 21, 2009
Time: 10am EST to 10pm EST
Where: The Samhain Cafe
Chat with your favorite authors, share recipes and favorite family traditions and win one of a slew of prizes including an ebook reader.
A Far-flung Holiday
Juniper Bell
These days it’s more and more common for families to be spread across the country, or even across the world. My family is a perfect example—we live in Maine, Alaska, Texas and a few places in between. Getting all of us together for the holidays would be a logistical nightmare, not to mention ridiculously expensive. So we came up with a “nouveau holiday tradition” that I’d like to share with other families who might be equally, or even more, far-flung.
My family loves to eat. Luckily, we also love to cook. So a couple years ago we began doing a cross-country, multi-household food exchange in place of presents. We each make some wonderful concoction—cookies, smoked Alaska salmon, chocolate truffles, olive tapenade—whatever we like. The challenge, of course, is choosing something that will travel well. We package our delicacies and send them off into the postal system.
Since we’re all procrastinators we have no strict deadline for the arrival of the goodies, although we aim for sometime before New Year’s. That means for a period of a couple weeks in December, you never know when a box of treats might arrive from a beloved, faraway family member.
Every part of this process is a pleasure. Cooking for people you love is a wonderful way to connect. We don’t have to brave the malls or the bad roads; all we do is putter around our kitchens and perfect our culinary masterpieces. And then there’s the excitement of anticipating what my aunt in Chicago is going to make, or whether my brother in Maine will make ganache truffles again. When I lived in California I made persimmon salsa. Now that I live in Alaska I’ve contributed home-smoked salmon and cranberry sauce from local berries. Best of all, hands down, are my mother’s sesame cookies, guaranteed to take me right back to my childhood.
I love this new tradition of ours. I can’t say that it’s always a time saver (depends on your recipe) or a money saver (shipping can add up), but if you can’t be with your family for the holidays, sharing food—even at a distance—is the next best thing.
Juniper Bell’s first Samhain release, “Doll,” will be out on December 15. Visit her atwww.JuniperBell.com.
