Confessions of a Liberal Puritan

[late update: I'm much beholden to beamer242 for the new "holiday" icon!]

I bought most of my (cheap!) gifts for my family online and back in July this year, so I haven't had any shopping or wrapping to do to get me in the holiday spirit, once my final grades were all in and I could finally turn my attention to more festive matters.

However, I'm in the spirit now, because a) I heard a very good sermon and sang some of my favorite carols in church this morning ("Once in Royal David's City," "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming", and "Gentle Mary Laid her Child" -- I guess we finally ran out of Advent hymns in the book, and so had to break out the Christmas ones early!), and b) I started making some remaining gifts this afternoon.

By my sister's request, I'm supplementing her gifts with some more of my vegetarian lasagnas for her freezer, and I made several jars full of salsa to take to Mom and Dad. I may make some extra lasagnas for the parents, also, now that they've got a chest freezer with plenty of extra space.

You see, my sister's a vegetarian (she does eat dairy and eggs), but she's not as fond of cooking as I am. I started spicing up canned marinara sauce with lots of sauteed vegetables many years ago, simply as a way to bolster the flavor of cheap sauce AND preserve and use up fresh vegetables before they get slimy in the fridge. And I started using that sauce as a substitute for meat in lasagna a few years later, simply because I always keep fresh vegetables on hand, but almost never think to buy ground beef. So last year, when I had nothing but the Cedco "Spike" calendar for my sister (not that that's not a perfectly wonderful gift, and I always get one for myself as well), I used up my supply of tinfoil loaf pans baking two-serving lasagnas she could keep in her freezer and warm up as needed. She really loved those two-meal lasagnas.

So, I cleaned out most of the contents of my vegetable drawers when I got home from church today, and started chopping and sauteeing. Goodbye, slightly wilted mushrooms and peppers and somewhat mature broccoli and carrots, and Hello, lasagna sauce! Saute a couple of roughly chopped onions in olive oil, throw in some thinly sliced carrots and peeled broccoli stems and mushrooms -- and some basil and oregano and minced garlic, if you're feeling spicey -- and saute a few more minutes, then add a can of spaghetti sauce, and simmer until flavors have blended, tossing in some chopped red and green peppers and tomatoes near the end. Use immediately, or cool and save in the fridge for a few days.

And while I was at it, what could be easier than to chop some additional onion and peppers and tomatoes a lot finer, add some pressed garlic, chopped tomatillos, cilantro, jalapenos, and fresh lime juice, and put some quart jars of bastardized salsa in the fridge to give to my relatives?

I know I shouldn't give anybody cookies this year, since my skinny mother is the only one of us who's not trying to drop some pounds, but I may have to whip up a batch of short-cut ginger cookies, anyway. I have a recipe for gingerbread from scratch, but with all the messy molasses and having to refrigerate the cookie dough before it can be rolled out and cut into shapes, I just haven't felt up to it this year. However, I discovered that a box of Betty Crocker gingerbread cake mix, prepared according to the 'soft ginger cookie' directions on the back, can be just about as good, if I add a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder (as well as a few grinds of black pepper and some shakes of red cayenne pepper, since the five spice powder I have doesn't include Szechuan peppercorns on its list of ingredients), and then press some crystallized ginger chips (or chopped-up slices or chunks) into the top of the ball cookies, like eggs in a little nest, before baking.

Those are cookies for grown-ups -- young people seem to much prefer something unambiguously sweet like chocolate chip cookies, but folks over 21 come back for seconds, thirds, and fourths of the very spicey ginger cookies.

'Tis the season to be spicey, fa-la-la-la-la . . .