Cooking up tradition during the holidays

It may seem odd to latch onto a Southern tradition when you’re born and bred in New York City. But once I discovered a few years ago why Southerners eat hopping john on New Year’s Day - a few bites and you’ll have a lucky year - I’ve been hosting a hopping (or hoppin’, as it is often spelled) john party ever since. Who doesn’t want good luck, especially nowadays?Southerners aren’t the only ones who mark New Year’s with food rituals that hope for good things ahead - in Italy, lentils are eaten to bring prosperity; in Spain and Malta, people eat 12 grapes, one for each month; a sour grape means you’ll have a bad month so you can plan - or at least resign yourself.

There isn’t a holiday that doesn’t have some sort of food tradition, and many of us continue the traditions handed down by our family.

A few weeks ago, the IJ asked readers to send in some of their holiday food traditions. Here’s what they shared:

Maya Manny, San Rafael

Growing up in the Netherlands, foods were very seasonal (no strawberries in November!) and at this time of the year we would be focusing on the all-important arrival of Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas. This used to be celebrated with witty clever poems, small, fun gifts and certain traditional foods for St. Nicholas Eve, Dec. 5. and St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6. Even though we still were rationed on sugar in the fall of 1948, three years after the war had ended, somehow the necessary ingredients for some of the traditional food items appeared. This one is named banketletter.This is a quick and easy recipe and can be shaped into two long sticks or into eight letters, so you can give everyone their initial to eat. You also may find a chocolate initial in your shoe if you put it near the chimney and sing an appropriate song.

At Christmas time, I make the dough into circles and tie a red ribbon and green sprig on them.

For outer dough

2 cups flour (I use unbleached, unsifted)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

Mix quickly in Cuisinart or cut in by hand until crumbly. Add 1/3 cup ice water and spin, then gather it by hand into a sticky ball and chill at least 30 minutes.

For the filling:

7 ounces almond paste

1 egg

3 tablespoon sugar Ê Ê

In Cuisinart (or by hand) mix the filling and chill. Can be done the night before. Ê

Halve the dough, put rest back in fridge. Roll out between wax paper sheets or on silpat liner or on a lightly floured surface until a bit less than 1/4-inch thick.

Cut into 2 strips to make two wreaths or letters.

Layer the filling into a narrow strip, fold, moisten the edge, seal with a fork, turn upside down, connect the ends so the filling will not leak out.

Mix 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush all over the pastries. Bake in 350-degree oven for 30 minutes till golden brown. Slice in 1-inch pieces.

Note: It is a good keeper. Freezes beautifully; reheat for 7 minutes in a hot oven.

Shirley Graves, Novato

My mother was a great cook - every meal was a work of art and nutrition! But the Christmas treat that I remember most was only “arranged” by Mother. We lived in a lovely 54-unit apartment building in Joliet, Ill., until I was 12 years old. A lady from Denmark, Mrs. Farb, lived upstairs. At Christmas she baked traditional Danish cookies for many neighbors. They were small, sweet and either dark red or dark green. I have never seen anything like them.Mrs. Farb did not ask for money from the neighbors she baked for, just that they provide the sugar and butter for their batch of cookies. The problem was, this was the 1940s, our country was at war, and many things were rationed, such as the sugar and butter that made up most of the cookies. Everyone had a government-issued book of ration coupons to use to purchase certain items. Our cookie-eating neighbors and my mother chose to use some of their coupons on a Christmas treat!

Lori Smith, San Rafael

For the past 15 or so years, I have prepared apple baked yams for family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. My two college-aged daughters, Jenn, age 20, and Heather, age 23, absolutely love this Thanksgiving treasure! When serving these yams over the holidays, I hear many comments such as: “This taste just like apple pie,” “These are the best yams I’ve ever tasted,” etc.Jenn, a junior at UC Santa Barbara, is studying abroad in Grenoble, France, this year, and wasn’t home for the Thanksgiving holiday. She recently called me long distance to request that I prepare a Thanksgiving dinner at Christmas time, and include her favorite apple baked yams on the menu. Without hesitation, I let her know that her wish was my command.

I can’t wait to have both daughters home at Christmas break, and to prepare this dish for my wonderful family. With pleasure, I share this recipe that has been enjoyed by family and friends over the years.

Lori’s apple baked yams

This recipe makes 5 to 6 generous servings. I usually double the recipe.

5-6 medium yams (pierce the skin before cooking, peel after cooking and when cool to touch)

1/2 cup low-fat milk

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup raisins

3 Macintosh or Empire apples, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Cinnamon to taste

Cook the yams in preheated 400-degree oven for approximately 40 minutes, or in a microwave oven on high for 15 minutes, or until tender. Mash yams with milk, 2 tablespoons butter and raisins. Place a layer of yams in a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Add a layer of sliced apples, and sprinkle lightly with sugar and cinnamon. Dot with butter. Repeat layering of yams, apples, sugar, cinnamon, dot with butter, and finish with a layer of yams. Dot surface with butter. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 1 hour.

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Recipes for Health - Winter Squash Gratin

This gratin is an easy vegetarian main dish to make and resembles a quiche, but without the crust.

This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.
See previous recipes »

1 1/2 pounds winter squash of your choice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

3 eggs

1/2 cup low-fat milk

2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1/2 cup)

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 cup)

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cover a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes, brush the cut sides with olive oil and lay cut side down on the foil-covered baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes, or until soft enough to pierce easily with a knife. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then peel and either mash with a fork, puree in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or finely dice. You should have about 2 cups of pureed or finely diced squash.

2. Turn the oven down to 375ºF and oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a medium heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the parsley and sage, and squash, and remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and whisk in the milk. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir in the squash mixture and the Gruyère. Taste and adjust seasonings. Scrape into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.

5. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on the top and sizzling. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Read full recipe - Recipes for Health - Winter Squash Gratin

So many ways to treat so many types of headache

Treatments can vary widely, from medication to surgery or herbs
By CINDY GEORGE Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Constant shooting, stinging, throbbing and other painful head-pounding could ruin — or rule — your life.

Up to 35 million Americans suffer migraine and other forms of headache, according to the American Academy of Neurology.

• FOUR TYPES OF HEADACHES: The main types of headaches are tension, migraine, cluster and hormone.
Tension headaches, the most common, cause a band-like sensation or other pressure around the head. Most migraine headaches occur on one side of the head. Described as the most intense, cluster headaches attack in groups. Hormone headaches are associated with women’s menstrual cycles.

• OTHER TYPES OF HEADACHES: You might also experience over-medication rebound headaches, sinus headaches and those caused by brain abnormalities, including tumors.
• TRIGGERS: Stress, certain foods and sleeping patterns can trigger headaches.
“Eating meals regularly, staying well-hydrated and trying to minimize stress in life, sleeping well and getting exercise really do make a difference,” said Dr. Pamela Blake, a Houston neurologist at Memorial Hermann Northwest.

Changing weather that causes barometric pressure to spike or dip could be the culprit.

“When the fronts are coming in, primarily in the spring and fall, that will trigger headaches in the front of the head or face,”said Dr. Howard S. Derman, a neurologist at The Methodist Hospital. “People sometimes think those are sinus headaches because of spring flowers, but they’re really not.”

The same concept applies to people plagued with head pain while flying, hiking or mountain-climbing.

Read full article: So many ways to treat so many types of headache

Lose Your Weight By Choosing Correct Diet Plan

The first step towards a healthy life is a healthy body. And for a healthy body you need to keep your body in shape. In other words you will have to loose the extra pounds you have accumulated for so many years by spending a lot of money. ‘Lose weight’ seems to be the new slogan of the present generation. They want to do it to make their life healthier, more promising and look better. Hence the requirement for a healthy body arises.

The first step toward loosing your weight would be controlling your diet. You will have to make your diet according to the requirement of your body. Many people think that they can lose their weight by abstaining from food, by eating just to survive. But this is not a healthy practice as you also lose the basic nutrients required by the body not just unnecessary fat. A correct diet plan should reflect your life style. For example if you work in a office and all you have to do is to just sit there and then come home then your diet plan would be something else than the person who has to constantly move from one location to another during their day job. It also depends upon whether you work in day or in night.

There are many diet plans available in the market. They include weight watchers, jenny Craig, south beach, and Atkins and nutria system. They all work well. They can help to enhance your healthy life and at the same time make you lose your weight if you follow its rules from the start to the end without any interval, without any break. But do remember that it is always easier said than done. Hence choose your diet plan carefully and accordingly. And once you have chosen them then stick to it.

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Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing with Meyer Lemon

By: Kathy Hester (View Profile)

Earlier this year I got myself a dwarf Meyer lemon tree. I have wanted one for a few years. It was only two feet tall, but already covered in green baby lemons. Now, six months later, I have about eight juicy yellow Meyer lemons to cook with.

It looked beautiful on my deck, and the white flowers were very fragrant. Unfortunately, I had to cut off the branch that was blooming to get rid of an unidentified icky pest that was trying attack it. I’m not sure if I’ll be harvesting much next year, so I want to make the best of what I have now.

In a warm climate, you could plant it outside, but I’m keeping mine in a pot. This way I can enjoy the green foliage inside during the winter and bring it outside for the summer.

If you haven’t used Meyer lemons before, you are in for a treat. They are sweeter, more of a cross between a mandarin orange and a lemon. Also the skin is much thinner. In fact, so thin that when I hit it on the counter to get it ready to juice, it busted open and went all over me and the floor. Let that be a lesson you don’t have to learn first hand!

Read full recipe: Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing with Meyer Lemon

Zephyr Announces Business Partners in Germany and South Africa

Following the establishment of its UK branch earlier this year, Zephyr are pleased to confirm international business partner contracts for Germany and South Africa. The new business partners will distribute the Zephyr PASSPORT family of terminal emulation products.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) December 14, 2008 — Following the establishment of its UK branch earlier this year, Zephyr are pleased to confirm international business partner contracts for Germany and South Africa. The new business partners will distribute the Zephyr PASSPORT family of terminal emulation products.

In Germany, Zephyr is represented by UBS Hainer GmbH (www.ubs-hainer.com), who manages and supports PASSPORT products at such customer accounts as Allianz Suisse, Daimler Bank AG and Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW).

In South Africa, Zephyr is represented by JMR Software Ltd (www.jmr.co.za), who supports Zephyr products at First National Bank (FNB), Business Connexion (BCX), Cadiz and others.

“We have a wealth of current international customers and many new prospects that we feel will benefit from having fully trained partners in their own countries” said Russell Martin, Zephyr Vice-President Sales and Marketing. “Familiarity with local business practices and the ability to support the Zephyr products and business model is essential”.

“We really want to send a clear message to international organizations that use Attachmate®, MicroFocus® (formerly NetManage®), IBM® and other terminal emulation products: Zephyr can save you substantial sums of money with an easy and transparent change to PASSPORT”, Martin continued.

PASSPORT 2009 is slated for release in January and will have localized language support for the Italian, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese markets.

Zephyr Announces Business Partners in Germany and South Africa

New Nokia Smartphone Patent Features Swiveling Widescreen and QWERTY

A new patent from Nokia shows a pretty interesting new design: a full widescreen that can swivel behind a QWERTY keyboard so only half the screen is visible.

When held in one position, the phone looks a lot like Nokia’s traditional QWERTY candybars, but the screen can swivel up and out to present a widescreen, presumably for media or web browsing, apps that need a lot of screen real estate. It’s a cool way to combine the appeal of a giant touchscreen with the utility of a QWERTY keyboard, except unlike sliders like the T-Mobile G1 or the Sidekick, the keys are always available on this concept. The screen can also apparently rotate side to side, though I’m not really sure what use could be had from that.

It’s just a patent, and I’m sure there are a number of reasons why this idea won’t come to fruition (how is that screen attached?). But I like the idea and maybe we’ll see elements of it in future products from Nokia.
Source - New Nokia Smartphone Patent Features Swiveling Widescreen and QWERTY