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December 07, 2005
MainWinter Holiday Issue
The Staff of the ND Library Newsletter would like to thank all for their patience. We have been working hard to get the newsletter out during the absence of our "editor-in-chief", Marcy Simons. As many in the Library know already, Marcy has been out due to a medical leave. Happily, she is doing well and was even able to join the fun at the Library Christmas Luncheon. Due to scheduling difficulties and time commitments, the ND Newsletter is being posted as a Winter Holiday issue.
Jo Bessler
Diane Kennedy
Susanna King
Laurie McGowan
Munch Your Way Through the Holidays
" Oh, the weather outside is frightful" ... but the aromas and tastes of holiday treats can do a lot to quell the potential cabin fever of the blustery, gray days of December. Here are a few recipes to brighten up the Holiday Season:
HOLIDAY CHEER COOKIES
INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 5 tablespoons butter
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
* 16 ounces candied cherries, chopped
* 16 ounces dates, chopped
* 16 ounces chopped pecans or walnuts
* 16 ounces candied pineapple, chopped
* 1/2 cup bourbon whiskey
PREPARATION:
Cream together sugar, butter, and eggs. Sift flour and soda together then add to egg mixture; stir in milk. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, or until browned.
Makes about 4 dozen festive cookies
FIRESIDE PUNCH
INGREDIENTS:
* One bottle of red wine (suggestions: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot or a Spanish red)
* One peeled and sliced orange (keep peel to add zest to taste into cooking pot)
* One peeled and sliced lemon (keep peel to add zest to taste in cooking pot)
* 1 tsp ground nutmeg
* 2 tsp ground ginger
* 5 whole cloves
* 3 cinnamon sticks
* 1/2 cup sugar (or honey can be substituted)
* 2/3 cup brandy or cognac
* 1/2 cup water
PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in either a large pot or a slow cooker. Gently warm the ingredients on low to medium heat (avoid boiling), for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has completely dissolved. When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have blended well it is ready to serve. Ladle into mugs (leaving seasonings behind), garnish with a blood orange segment and a sprig of holly and enjoy!
NEW YEAR'S EGGNOG CAKE
INGREDIENTS:
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 cup white sugar
* 3/4 cup butter
* 1/4 cup shortening
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 Tbs. rum extract or 1/4 cup dark rum
* 3/4 cup heavy cream
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x4 inch loaf pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and ginger; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together sugar, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy. Blend in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the rum and vanilla extracts. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the cream, mixing just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
CHANUKKAH JELLY DOUGHNUTS
* 3 cups of unbleached flour (sifted)
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 2 Tablespoons sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 cups low fat sour cream
* Canola oil for frying
* Jelly of your choice
* Powdered sugar
In a bowl add the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs and sour cream. Mix until well blended.
Heat the oil, when very hot add 1 tbs. of the mixture to the oil. Fry until doughnuts puff and become light brown, then flip over and cook the other side. Proceed until all doughnuts are cooked. Drain doughnuts on a paper towel.
Poke a small hole into each doughnut and fill with jelly of your choice. Sprinkle the doughnuts with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Makes 25 doughnuts.
Note: To fill the jelly into the doughnut, you can use a syringe, or you can poke a hole with a skewer (do it slowly) and carefully fill the doughnuts.
Wishing you all a Happy Holiday!
Susanna King
December 06, 2005
MainChristmas Around the World
By: Diane Kennedy
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to celebrate Christmas in another country? Following are a few examples of how other people celebrate Christmas around the world. If you would like to visit other countries and discover their traditions, go to http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson041.shtml
CHRISTMAS IN IRELAND
by Bill Egan, Christmas Historian and Christmas.com Content Specialist
Candles, decorated with greenery, are placed in the windows of Irish homes on Christmas Eve to light the way of the Holy Family as well as any other poor travelers out on such a night. During the British occupation of all of Ireland, three candles were placed in the window at Christmas. One for the Father, one for the Son, and one for the Holy Spirit. Fellow Catholics passing by would know that the house was a Catholic home, and that all friends were welcome there to celebrate Christmas. The candles were also an invitation to priests to enter the home, say the Christmas Mass, eat dinner, and spend the night with the family. After the evening meal, the table is set with bread and milk and the door left unlatched as a symbol of the hospitality that the family is offering to Mary and Joseph and the little one to come.
To the Irish, Christmas is a time for religious celebration rather than revelry. A manger scene is displayed in most homes and there are few Christmas trees. The one festive note that is struck is in the special pudding that caps the meal.
St. Stephen's Day is celebrated in Ireland in a different way, but is similar to Boxing Day in that it also has to do with the solicitation of money. Young men in extravagant dress, sometimes wearing masks, parade noisily through the streets in the Wren Boys' Procession. They carry long pole on top of which is attached a holly bush. The bush supposedly contains a captured wren, and for whose sake the young men beg for money.
AUSTRALIA
Boxing Day, December 26, is a public holiday in Australia. The day probably takes its name from the fact that on the day after Christmas in Britain the alms [charity] boxes which had been placed in the churches over the Christmas period were opened. The contents were distributed to the poor. On the same day, apprentices and servants broke open small earthenware boxes in which their masters had deposited small sums of money. In large households, the family may have used this day to distribute Christmas boxes to their staff. In Canberra [Boxing Day] is the start of the annual exodus to the beach and a holiday at the coast.
MEXICAN CHRISTMAS
Joaquim Gabriel Andrade
My family and I celebrate Christmas the Mexican way because we are all from Mexico. We begin to celebrate on the 24th because that is Christmas Eve. We start opening presents at midnight or the 25th in the morning.
We always have a party every Sunday before Christmas. It is called a “posada.� It’s a party where you celebrate the arrival of Mary & Joseph in Bethlehem. You have a �piñata� which has candy & prizes in it. We also celebrate with fireworks.
On the 24th we celebrate Christmas Eve with the whole family gathered together: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We have turkey with cranberry-chili sauce, mashed potatoes, buttered veggies, turkey soup, and cod with chili gravy. Afterwards we have punch with marshmallows. At twelve we open our presents and after that we all go to our own houses.
On Christmas morning my brothers wake me up to open our Santa’s presents. Then I always go to my other grandparent's homes to spend Christmas. We eat a good meal. We break another piñata & then we exchange presents and see each other in one year.
SWEDEN
December 13th is a special day that children look forward to all year long. Saint Lucia [Day] is celebrated all over Sweden on December 13th. The custom with the girl dressed in white with candles on her head has a complicated background ... In our school we celebrate Saint Lucia Day outside very early in the morning while it's still dark. Our Saint Lucia is coming in a carriage pulled by a very small horse. She is followed by Santa Claus on a big horse and a lot of girls and boys in white gowns and a lot of candles. They all sing traditional Christmas songs and read poems. After the ceremony we all eat ginger cookies and bread with saffron. To celebrate is very important to Swedish people.
December 02, 2005
MainWiseGuys
Reviewed by Laurie McGowan
WiseGuys
3421 West Sample St.
South Bend, IN 46619
(574) 234-2670
Christine Weiss (German cataloging) told members of our library German-speakers group that there would be an Oktoberfest at Wise Guys in the first week of October. The restaurant is owned and operated by Christine's son and his wife. It sounded like an interesting opportunity for a night out, so my sister and I and collective children attended.
We were ushered into the dining room, where each table was decked with a white cloth and fresh flowers. Christine introduced us to other members of the German-American club, and cordially invited us to join them at a long table. We met some delightfully friendly folks, who were also very kind to the children. Several ladies remarked upon the uncanny resemblance of my nephew to the movie version of Harry Potter. Although Harry is not my nephew's favorite character, he seemed to enjoy the attention.
Among us, we ordered both of the Oktoberfest specials, Schnitzel and Rouladen. Each special came with bread, soup and salad, potatoes, vegetable and a lovely dessert of berries and ice cream on shortbread. The homemade lentil soup was particularly tasty and provided an excellent start to a lovely meal, obviously prepared with great care. The authentic German fare and the oom-pah-pah music in the background created an atmosphere with the Gemuetlichkeit of a German Gasthaus.
But there is a lot more to WiseGuys than occasional German nights ...
WiseGuys Speakeasy is modeled on the theme of an old prohibition era bar. An authentic "mom and pop" restaurant, run by owners Kenny and Lisa, it surrounds its guests in a warm, homey atmosphere and offers a casual place to dine with an elegant flair.
The fare is mainly Italian American, with a broad offering of pasta dishes, but also boasts of prime rib, steaks and seafood. Check out the "chef's special" each weekend - for example, Chicken Cordon Bleu Italiano. This dish infuses French and Italian cuisine in a lightly breaded chicken breast rolled with prosciutto, then stuffed with mozzarella and gorgonzola cheeses atop a bed of angel hair pasta, all smothered in a mushroom wine sauce. All produce and meats are bought fresh and only the best oils are used in house.
Kenny and Lisa they have over twenty-five years of culinary experience between them. Kenny has worked beside the best chefs in the area and is always pushing his craft to the next level. Whether you prefer the monthly "German Night" specials (December's menu will include pork Schnitzel, with sausage mashed potatoes and roasted veggies; Sauerbraten with potato dumplings in a rich burgundy sauce, served with red sweet and sour cabbage; or tuna steak with a balsamic vinegar and roasted pepper sauce) or would like to order from the standard menu, be prepared for great food in an old-time neighborhood atmosphere.
December 01, 2005
MainBehind the Peeps
Unknown Benefactor Publically Peeped
Behind the Peeps program stands a member of the library faculty. This individual has long appreciated the terrific contributions made by library staff. This “Admirer� is now a regular library donor, whose gifts help support the PEEPs program Although this donor wishes to remain anonymous, a colleague so caring certainly deserves a round of applause.
So today I send a public Peep award to a very perceptive and classy colleague.
P.S. This year the secret donor will provide up to $500 (matched dollar for dollar against any other donation) to support employee recognition. Anyone who might wish to make a donation should contact Kathy Blackstead at kblackst@nd.edu .
Jo Bessler