It’s real crazy here. Rosie & I are planning our move to the city in the middle of the winter, and this old Coon is trembling with anxiety over not only facing the cold weather, but carrying boxes upstairs!

We have sold Finch Hill and begin our new adventure - one is a series of adventures I have enjoyed with this wonderful, eccentric woman since meeting her 10 years ago. Rosie is leaving the corporate world, and will begin her newest endeavor in opening a consignment shop, Bella Grande, in the nearby town of Charlotte. I go from 4 acres of woods filled with deer, birds, raccoons and every sort of critter you could imagine to a 2,400 square foot apartment, with Main Street for a front yard, and a parking lot for a back yard. Needless to say, I agonize over my privacy.

But Rosie will shield me from this cold old world as she has always done, and soon things will be right in my world again.

In the interim, I post here for my readers recipes gathered from around the web, keeping in tune with the search strings I check on my server daily.

A dear friend, a true Cajun from Louisiana, has always served red beans and rice on New Year’s Eve. Gail is a wonderful woman, full of life and fun, and has been a really good friend to me over the years. I have not attended a New Year’s Eve party at her place in Eaton Rapids in quite a few years, but I will always remember the great spread she put out for us. We always went for a long walk at midnight, the group of us visiting the island in Eaton Rapids to celebrate the New Year. Gonna have to give that girl a call…

In memory of that great party, I post here a Cajun recipe for Stuffed Pork chops with Cajun red beans and rice.

Enjoy…

Stuffed Pork Chops served with Cajun Red Beans and Rice
by Shauna Hanus

Stuffing

1 Tbs Paprika
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp White Pepper
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
4 Tbs Butter
1 Cup Green Bell Pepper, chopped
3 Cups Celery, chopped
4 Cups Onion, chopped
¾ Cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
6 Cups Corn, frozen or canned and drained
4 Cups Tomatoes, chopped
Thick Slice Pork Chops

Combine all ingredients except pork in a large bowl.

Using a sharp paring knife cut a one and a half inch deep slit length wise along the top of the tenderloin. Spoon the stuffing into the slit allowing any extra to spill out over the sides. Roast in a shallow pan at 325° for 25-30 minutes per pound or until it registers as well done on a meat thermometer.

Red Beans and Rice

1-16 ounce Bag of Dry Red Kidney Beans, or the equivalent of canned kidney beans
1 Cup Onion, chopped
1 Cup Celery, finely chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1lb sliced sausage
Cajun seasoning to taste
4 Cups Cooked White Rice

Rinse and soak the beans according to package directions. When soaked fill the pot with water according to package directions. Add onion, celery, garlic, and sausage and cover. Cook on high until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours.

When cooked mix with the white rice. Add Cajun seasoning to taste.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who has launched the Recipe of the Month Club. The Recipe of the Month Club is the perfect gift for all the people on your list who love to cook. With the Recipe of the Month Club you can give 3, 6 or 12 months of new and exciting gourmet recipes as a gift for Christmas, Hanukah or birthdays to all the cook-aholics in your life. Find out more at http://www.cookbookaddict.com

Peace,

Charlie~

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Folks have been chasing the legend of the Christmas Pickle for years. The legend says that the last ornament hung on the Christmas tree is a pickle ornament, well hidden in the tree. The child who finds the pickle ornament on Christmas morn is supposed to get a special present from good old Saint Nick. Supposedly, the tradition originated in Germany.

There are two other versions of the origins of the Christmas pickle. One is a family story of a Bavarian-born ancestor who fought in the American Civil War. A prisoner in poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for the starving man. Legend says that the pickle gave him the mental and physical strength to live on.

Being a citizen of the fine state of Michigan, I give you this. In Berrien Springs, MI, a medieval tale is told of two Spanish boys traveling home from boarding school for the holidays. The boys stopped at an inn for the night, and the innkeeper, a mean and evil man, stole their possessions and stuffed them into a pickle barrel. That evening, St. Nicholas stopped at the same inn, became aware of what had happened to the boys, and tapped the pickle barrel with his staff. Magically, the two boys were set free.

Berrien Springs calls itself the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. They celebrate with an annual Christmas Pickle Festival held in the early part of December. A parade is led by the Grand Dillmeister, who passes out fresh pickles along the parade route. You can even purchase the German glass pickle ornaments at the town’s museum.

Rumor and speculation place the origin of this tradition in Germany. However few in modern-day Germany recognize or have even heard of the Christmas pickle. Some in West Germany blame generations of East Germans who may have had nothing more than pickles to decorate their Christmas trees with after World War II. But if you ask any German citizen or historian, they will simply shrug their shoulders…

Regardless of where it came from, the Christmas tradition survives. Ornament manufacturers continue to make the specialty decoration and enjoy perpetuating the myth of its legendary origins, even though they may be false…

So here we have a recipe for the Christmas pickle. Years ago, a good friend from Adrian gave us a jar each year. Maybe next year, I’ll just go to Berrien Springs!

The Christmas Pickle

5 lbs. lg. cucumbers, peeled & cored
2 c. lime to 2 gallons water
1 sm. jar (2 oz.) alum to 2 gallons
water
1 sm. box powdered ginger to 2
gallons water
3 pts. vinegar to 3 pts. water
5 lbs. sugar
Spice & red or green cake coloring

Peel and core cucumbers. Cut into rings or strips.
Soak 24 hours in lime water; wash.
Soak 24 hours in alum water; wash.
Soak 6 hours in ginger water. Pour off (do not wash).
Soak 3 or 4 hours in water, sugar, vinegar (whole) cinnamon, (whole) cloves. Tie cloves in white cloth and put cinnamon in whole.
Add cake coloring.
Boil 1 hour.
Put in jars.

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Christmas wouldn’t be the same without the traditional Fruit Ambrosia on the table. My ex made it, my Mom made it, and even Grandma and my Aunt Norma had their own versions. We present it here for your enjoyment, and hope it graces your holiday table.

During the winter months, Vitamin C is an essential, and what better way to get it than through a good fruit salad? I tend to eat more citrus fruit during the winter than at any other time. The lack of sunshine, the cold days, and the threat of a serious cold keeps me coming back to the fridge for more. Rosie & I eat a small crate of Spanish Clemintines in a week’s time, and enjoy them for both breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My old body tells me I need this stuff…

HOLIDAY AMBROSIA

2 c. Spainish Clemintines or tangerine sections
1/2 c. miniature marshmallows
1/2 c. flaked coconut
2 bananas, sliced
1 c. heavy cream
6 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
1/4 c. quartered red and green
Marachino cherries

Combine orange or tangerine sections, marshmallows, coconut and banana slices. Refrigerate at least 2 hours for flavors to blend. A few minutes before serving time, heat heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add confectioner’s sugar and almond flavoring, beating until cream stands in soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into orange mixture. Spoon into serving bowls and sprinkle with cherries.

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