“Managing your weight around the holidays just requires a little planning. For example, I took the batteries out of my scale yesterday.”
– Unknown
It’s the holiday season and maybe it’s me, but I’m just not feeling it this year like I usually do. In my heart I know it’s the lack of snowfall. When I was young, storms would dump copious amounts of snow in December. We would go downtown and see store windows decorated for the season. The streets were lined with lights and garland that ended at a large tree covered in snow that glittered with colorful lights. It was simply glorious.
At home the baking would commence. Vintage recipes were pulled out of cookbooks and cookies were baked. We baked a lot of them. When evening came, we would ride our sleds until nightfall. We never felt the cold because we were having the time of our lives. For me it was always about the snow.
The year was 1972. I was 19, on holiday break from school. There wasn’t enough snow to suit us, so a friend and I decided to go skiing. We needed to find some snow, perhaps in a village that could be on a holiday greeting card. We wanted the whole package.
We picked North Conway, New Hampshire, and off we went in a 1971 Ford Pinto. It started to snow when we hit Connecticut. The storm intensified as we continued north. We were in a full-blown blizzard by the time we hit Massachusetts.
When we were in New Hampshire, I spotted a shortcut on the road map. Desperate, we decided to take it. We proceeded onto the Kancamagus Highway, failing to see the snow-covered “road closed” sign.
I won’t go into detail, but turning onto that road was, without a doubt, one of the most shortsighted decisions I have ever made. After a lot of pushing and praying, we managed to arrive in one piece, driving into the prettiest village we had ever seen. We skied that whole week and had the best time. That excursion was my gateway to discovering New England.
Looking back, I realize it isn’t just the snow, but the friends and family who create good times. It’s the baking, decorating, laughter and preparation of holiday meals. The true spirit of the holiday is found in kindness and service to others, and the warmth that service brings us.
I have long welcomed the holidays by making my favorite recipes from my youth. I bake cookies and breads with care, filling our home with wonderful smells that evoke great memories.
Everyone has a go-to holiday recipe. At an event I helped cater this summer, I met a person I was told was a fabulous baker, so I asked her for a recipe.
Judy Wylie retired to Maine in 2002, first living in Castine. She loves to create traditional hooked rugs. Her group of friends included a wonderful baker, Lynda MacArthur. Lynda shared the following recipe with Judy, and this recipe has become part of Judy’s annual holiday baking.
Judy moved to Harpswell in 2017 to be closer to her children and grandchildren, who live in Massachusetts. She volunteers with Harpswell Aging at Home, cooking for the Meals in a Pinch program and providing transportation to those who need it.
Pasta frolla (Italian almond shortbread)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 teaspoons whiskey (acts as a preservative)
- 2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red raspberry jelly
- 2 1/2 tablespoons grape jelly
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks, then the almond extract, whiskey and flour.
Divide dough into equal halves, reserving a bit for cutouts to decorate the top if desired.
Press dough into two 8- or 8 3/4-inch pie plates. (Foil plates work wonderfully for gifting.) Use buttered or floured fingers to press evenly to the outer edges.
Mix together the red raspberry jelly and grape jelly. Spread half of the jelly mixture evenly on each pie, out to 3/4 of an inch from the outer edge.
If desired, decorate with 8 small cookie-cutter cutouts arranged evenly around the outer area.
Bake for 35 minutes or until the decorations on top are golden brown.
Enjoy, and have a wonderful holiday season!
Harpswell Aging at Home always needs cooks for its Meals in a Pinch program, which provides nutritious meals to older adults in need. For more information, contact Julie Moulton at 207-330-5416 or juliemoulton28@gmail.com.
