snacking into the new year

For as much as I was missing gathering at the table a few weeks ago I’ve been savoring every holiday moment these past days. With the gifts given, the dining room is no longer a command center awash in boxes and bows. It is a gathering place. We’ve eaten there the past three nights with the grandparents as they’ve come and gone. It’s so nice to use that room for what it’s for … eating and visiting … laughing and lingering. And with toys still splayed across the family room my parents, husband and I spent most of their visit at the kitchen table. They would keep me company while I cooked and then we would “throw dominoes” after the kids were in bed. In between the kids wandered in and out needing help with new toys.

Every year we pile in the van with a Tupperware of cookies and some thermoses of Oberwiess eggnog and just wander our town looking at Christmas lights. We all enjoy the electronic displays, but I am also touched by the glimpses into the lives all around us. One house in particular stands out for me. We have passed it once a year for several years now and each time it is host to a large holiday gathering. Classic scenes of guests gathered around a piano upstairs are balanced by the view of many men around a big-screen TV downstairs.

With New Year’s Eve upon us, the last of these special gatherings is taking shape. Guests will be welcomed into warm homes filled with that invigorating buzz. They will partake. They will celebrate. They will step out into the silent chill of a winter night, a slight ringing in their ears, a bit of rosy tinge to their cheeks. Perhaps their sides will be sore from laughter.

“It’s so central, so simple,” I think as we pass a neighbor’s house. Over the tops of the cars parked in the street I see they’ve gathered with family in their dining room, too. “But it can be so hard to accomplish. How can we make it easier? How can I help people see it doesn’t all have to be big celebrations? How can I help them see a quick dish on a weeknight can leave you with that same ear-ringing, sore-sided buzz … just as my botched mac and cheese did last week?”

A New Year dawns bringing with it new resolve. The gifts are put away. The leftovers are consumed. As the lights go out may the glow of these gatherings remain in the food we share on the plain old regular days to come. Happy New Year.

Fiesta Salsa Dip
(thanks to Aunt Lesa)
2 fresh tomatoes chopped
4 green onions sliced thin
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 oz. shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 4.5-oz. can chopped black olives
1 4.5-oz. can diced green chiles, drained
1 package dry Italian dressing mix prepared according to directions

Combine all ingredients with prepared Italian dressing and chill at least four hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Tastefully Simple Honey Teriyaki Dip
8-oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
½ cup chopped green onions
½ cup chopped peanuts
Honey Teriyaki Sauce
Tortilla chips or assorted crackers

Layer cheese, chicken, onions and peanuts. Drizzle with sauce and serve with chips or crackers.

Four Cheese Puffs
(thanks to Hubby’s mom)
1 pound loaf unsliced white bread
½ cup butter (1 stick)
¼ cup grated Mozzarella cheese
¼ cup grated Sharp Cheddar cheese
3 oz. cream cheese
½ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
2 egg whites

Trim and discard the crusts from the top, bottom and sides of loaf. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine the butter and cheeses. Stir over moderate heat until melted. Add the mustard, cayenne and salt. Remove from heat. Beat the eggs until stiff. Fold into the cheese mixture. Using a fondue fork or skewer, spear bread cubes individually and dip into the mixture until well coated.
Arrange the cubes on a baking sheet. Freeze immediately until firm, preferably overnight. Remove the puffs from the baking sheets and store in plastic bags in the freezer until ready to use.
At serving time, place the frozen cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, until nicely browned.

Mushroom Tarts
(From Teatime Celebrations, by Patricia Gentry)
Use either miniature muffin tins or tart pans to prepare these savory, herb-seasoned tarts. Both types of pans are available at better cookware stores. The little tart pans can be unstable; to more easily transport them from counter to oven and then from oven to cooling rack, set the pans on the baking sheet.

¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup butter
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped green onions (include some of the green tops)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram or 1½ teaspoons crushed dried marjoram
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup dry bread crumbs
Cream Cheese Pastry Shells (recipe attached)

In a large skillet heat oil and butter. Saute mushrooms, parsley, and green onion 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, marjoram, cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly and cool for 1 hour. Fill unbaked tart shells. (Tarts may be frozen at this point. Cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze unbaked.)
If baking right away, bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until filling bubbles and pastry is light brown (15 to 20 minutes). For frozen tarts, defrost 1 hour at room temperature and bake ina preheated 350-degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Pastry Shells
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup flour
¼ tsp. salt

Mix cream cheese and butter together. Add flour and salt; mix well. Chill dough 1 hour. Divide dough into 24 1-inch balls. Place balls in mini muffin tins or in tiny tart pans, pressing dough into sides and bottoms. Cover and chill while preparing filling. For unfilled, baked tart shells, bake them in a preheated 400-degree oven until lightly brown on the edges (10 to 15 minutes).