Posts Tagged ‘Christmas’

Christmas Day at my grandparents’ house had an order. Antipasto galore followed by “Sauce” Supper. When that finally “ended,” the nuts and fanuk (fennel) were set in a basket, on my grandmother’s beautiful Christmas table. This was the official “break” period before dessert came out — a pause that still involved… eating. It gave the women time to disappear into the kitchen, clean up, and pull out the nice dishes for the grand finale, while the men lit cigars, broke out the cards, started gambling, and cracked the nuts with those silver […]

Every time I’m in CVS and see the endless wall of candy canes, I think of Jesus. It’s theology hanging right next to Snickers bars and cat toys. Be open to a whole spiritual moment in aisle 7 because candy canes represent a lot in Catholicism. The shape: turn a candy cane upside down, and it’s “J” for Jesus. Flip it the other way, and it becomes a shepherd’s staff. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who works to gather the one lost sheep. This passage is one of my favorites,  Luke […]

I’m glad I was able to fit one batch of cookies in before Christmas and if you can only choose one, it is Ricotta Cookies. Us Sicians are thrifty, ricotta (and the cookie) origins trace to Southern Italy, where ricotta — a byproduct of cheese-making — was used in desserts to avoid waste. Ricotta means “recooked.” Some of the most classic Italian dishes we enjoy today are the result of humble resources transformed through culinary creativity. Italian Ricotta Cookies are soft, cake-like treats with a subtle, creamy flavor from the […]

This year I wrapped all of my Christmas gifts in newspaper and paper from an old caroling book. Why? Because it’s cheaper than buying five rolls of wrapping paper for $7.99 each. It’s fun, creative, and most importantly… it reduces waste. Pages from an old book work nicely as wrapping paper for a holiday or birthday present. Here, I used a song sheet from an old Christmas caroling book. I swear I thought of this brilliant, eco-conscious holiday hack before I saw the Sanitation Foundation’s IG post (@sanitationfoundation). It alerts […]

In my unending quest to be seasonally appropriate and my yearning to learn how to bake sweets and eat them, I decided it was necessary to make M&M Christmas Cookies. I wanted chewy cookies (my fav), so I began an internet search. Multiple sources said 2-3 hours of dough refrigeration is needed, adding cornstarch and undercooking creates the perfect soft texture. Chilling the dough for three hours was troublesome considering my column was already past the deadline. With that in mind, I sourced the internet for the fastest, easiest, chewiest, […]

I saw my sister Maria last week at my Goddaughters birthday party. I was ranting to her about how busy and stressed out I am with work. I mentioned I didn’t have an idea for my column this week and she said, “Oh, this is easy, bake Christmas cookies and share the recipe.”  Flailing my arms in the air, I respond, “But I don’t have time!!” Maria said, “Calm down. I have pictures of the Italian Christmas cookies from last year. You love them, lie and say you made them.” […]

You’ve seen Anthony Medina’s byline in the paper. He’s one of The Wave’s beat reporters. But he’s also an expert Coquito-maker, and this is the second year his family has been selling their version of the holiday beverage. In Spanish, Coquito means little coconut. It’s a traditional Christmas and New Year’s drink that originated in Puerto Rico. It’s made with Puerto Rican rum, coconut milk, cream of coconut, and sweetened condensed milk. Other spices and flavoring can be added like ginger, anise, nutmeg, cinnamon, or egg yolk. A few weeks […]

Monica Glynn, my work friend and The Wave’s Administrative Associate, asked me last week knowing I’m a “plant person,” “What’s the history of mistletoe?” Umm… I actually have know idea,” I said. We both thought, “This would be a timely column.” I remember the mistletoe in my home growing up as a kid. It wasn’t fancy, the exact opposite actually. Our mistletoe was a round ball made of hard plastic leaves and red berries. It had a vine of more plastic leaves that my father would hang from the light […]

It’s true. I started decorating for Christmas inside the house a week before Thanksgiving. Don’t judge! I like to take my time and enjoy the experience. But alas, Christmas traditions never fail and I traditionally have terrible luck with Christmas lights. This year, my indoor tree lights broke. Only half the string would light up. What made this so frustrating was that I bought two new sets only last year. I thought I’d be all good. How do these things break so easily?! The Grinch in me set in. I […]

After receiving this plant follow my care instruction in this article. Remove it’s decorations after the holiday to reveal a beautiful living tree in need of your attention. Sometime in August I was walking back from the gym when my neighbor Brady called me over. “Hey, you gotta sec?” He runs upstairs and brings down a very sad looking Charlie Brown type tree. “If anyone can save this, it will be you.” I was touched Brady thought of me as a plant healer! On inspection I knew this would be […]