close to home for the holidays

A S P E C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F

From the kitchen with love [3]

A hearty chili for all seasons [5]

Libations to warm your pipes [7]

Santa’s little bakers help out [10]

Sourdough makes sweet eating [14]

W E D N E S D AY, N O V. 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

2 L E W I S T O N T R I B U N E W E D N E S D A Y , N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

I n my mind, “the holidays” is a stretch of the yearly calendar that begins just after Halloween and concludes Jan. 2.

When I was a kid, my overworked and perpetually running-behind mother always shopped for Christmas cards that read “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greet-ings” rather than “Merry Christmas.” She reasoned chances were slim that she’d get her cards done and mailed before Christmas, but the holiday season ex-tended to New Year’s Day, so as long as folks received them before that ...

This first expanded Wednesday section is one we’re calling Close to Home for the Holidays, because the stories inside feature themes of Thanksgiving, Christ-

mas and New Year’s Day.Inside you’ll find recipes and ideas you can use throughout this holiday

season and beyond. Many Tribune staffers dug through their own recipe favorites to include them here, and we’ve talked to some members of our community to share theirs as well.

We hope you enjoy it.

— Jeanne M. DePaul, Close to Home editor

Special section is our way of wishing you a happy (and delicious) holiday season

INDEX

Great-grandmother whips up love in her ktichen .................. 3 White Bean Chicken Chili is a family staple ............................. 5This Thanksgiving, don’t forget to invite the fruit ................... 6Some recipes for hot libations to warm your pipes ................ 7A leader in the kitchen ............................................................ 9Santa’s little bakers break out their tools .............................. 10The thrilla on the grilla .......................................................... 12Sourdough makes for some sweet eating ............................. 14Serving green beans? At least make them delicious ............. 15Thinking about making pecan pie? It’s a snap ....................... 16I stuck a fork in my family’s weird tomato aspic tradition .... 17House of the Week ................................................................. 19John Rosemond on parenting ............................................... 20Jann Blackstone on Ex-Etiquette ........................................... 20

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By KERRI SANDAINEOF THE TRIBUNE

W hen you have nine kids, 22 grandchil-dren and 26 great-grandkids, staying “home for the holi-

days” isn’t always feasible.Instead of cramming into some-

one’s house, Ellen Sams and her fam-ily typically rent a large community building for festive gatherings. In the summertime, they descend on area parks to celebrate special occasions.

Although one of her friends jok-ingly calls her “brain dead” for giving birth to so many kids, the 77-year-old Lewiston homemaker said she’s thankful for her big brood and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Ellen said. “They’re wonderful.”

Teena, Rocky, Louanne, Monte, Randy, Susan, Roger, Shelly and Mike were born between 1955 and 1975 to Ellen and her late husband, Ray.

“Basically, I was pregnant for 20 years,” Ellen said.

After Monte contacted the Lew-iston Tribune about his mother’s baking skills and generosity, Ellen agreed to share her banana bread recipe. She doesn’t like to be in the spotlight, but the kids persuaded her to participate.

“I do like to bake,” she admitted.Throughout the year, Ellen gives

away countless loaves of banana bread. She bakes six at a time and dis-tributes them to her favorite clerks at Lewiston grocery stores, family mem-bers and friends across the street.

In the weeks leading up to Christ-mas, her cozy Orchards kitchen is almost always filled with the aroma of good food. She lovingly prepares gift baskets containing homemade raspberry jam, banana bread and candies for her family.

Divinity, fudge, peanut clusters, peanut butter balls and chocolate-

For great-grandmother Ellen Sams of Lewiston, the holidays mean a lot of time spent lovingly in the kitchen

Tribune/Steve HanksLewiston’s Ellen Sams has fond memories of raising nine children and cooking up a feast at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Welcome gifts for relatives and friends are jams and preserves along with banana bread.

Feeding the MASSES

See FEEDING, page 4>

covered coconut are among her specialties.

“The kids love it,” Ellen said. “I try to give them more of their favorites. I know which ones like the coconut balls the most.”

Her culinary skills are well known in the Sams family. When a grandson was married in Asotin this fall, Ellen was asked to bring baked beans for 200 people.

She still remembers the in-gredients: molasses, 6 pounds of bacon, brown sugar, onion, gal-lons of pork and beans, mustard and ketchup.

Ellen is baking pies for a Thanksgiving dinner at Kamiah, including chocolate, banana cream and apple-blueberry.

“I’m not making any baked beans,” she said with a laugh.

Ellen is used to spending time in the kitchen. When her kids were all at home, she fixed breakfast every morning before they headed to school and served dinner at 5 p.m. After supper, she packed the kids’ lunches for the next day.

“Luckily, we had two grandmas who helped a lot,” she said.

After her husband was killed in a

logging accident in 1984, Ellen moved from Kamiah to Lewiston. She never remarried.

Ellen, who was born in Stites, has

always lived in Idaho and all but three of her children reside in the region. Teena is in Oregon, Susan lives in Montana and Mike is working in the oil fields of North Dakota.

Rocky, Randy and Roger still live in Kamiah. Monte is a school teacher in Genesee, Louanne is a nurse in Grangeville and Shelly works for a dentist in Lewiston.

Her family keeps her busy, along with chores and daily trips to Jack in the Box for coffee.

On a recent Saturday, Ellen dyed her hair, raked the leaves and chopped some kindling. The last activity resulted in a deep cut to her finger that required a trip to the hospital and eight stitches. One of her kids had stopped by and was worried when he saw blood, she said.

“They take such good care of me,” Ellen said. “They bring me wood and baking supplies and check on me all the time. I am very lucky to have them.”

As for her famous banana bread, Ellen knows the recipe by heart and already has the bowls ready for the next batch. She dou-bles this, so she can freeze loaves to give away. She said it’s also good with some chocolate chips added to the mixture, along with extra bananas to boost the flavor.

———Sandaine may be contacted at [email protected]

or (208) 848-2264. Follow her on Twitter @newsfromkerri.


Tribune/Steve HanksSome of Ellen Sams’ gifts for relatives and friends include jams and preserves.

Ellen Sams’ Banana Bread

1½ cups sugar½ cup shortening2 eggsPinch of salt1 teaspoon baking

soda4 tablespoons milk

with 2 teaspoons vinegar in it

2½ cups flour1 teaspoon vanilla4 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Cream the sugar and shortening with a spoon, add slightly beaten eggs and salt. Beat until creamy. Dissolve baking soda in sour milk and add alternately with fl our. Stir with wire whip. Add mashed bananas. Stir well and add vanilla with large spoon.

Pour batter into 2 greased and fl oured bread pans. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Test for done-ness by poking a toothpick into top of loaf; bread is done when toothpick comes out clean.

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I t’s a distant cousin to traditional chili.

It’s fresher and lighter.

It’s a four-season-type chili.

Whip up a batch this fall or winter — perhaps on New Year’s Day for some football bowl games — and you’ll be making it again this spring and summer.

That’s guaranteed.It’s definitely a tradition in our

high-paced household. Our twin daughters — Avery and Scout — and their younger brother, Charlie, were raised on these savory white beans and chicken bites.

A nonscientific study suggests kids jump higher and run faster after each bowl.

Friends who try it want the recipe, too. It’s our most shared recipe. It’s that good and simple.

One perk? Only a single pot is required so there is just one pot to wash.

Our chicken chili habit started some 25 years ago when my mom, Nancy found the recipe on the label of a can of S&W salsa, which isn’t available on local grocery store shelves anymore.

I scooped into my first bowl while visit-ing home from the University of Idaho, a welcome change from fraternity food.

My late grandma, Fay Newell, added it to her recipe folder, too.

It’s now in our family recipe folder and part of our regular dinner rota-tion. It’s the perfect dish for casual guests and can be doubled easily.

We hope you try it. If so, you’ll be pulling out the recipe for years until it’s yellowed and stained like ours.

A few secrets: It’s healthy. Trim the chicken well. It seems today’s half chicken breasts are bigger than they were 25 years ago. Don’t overcook the chicken while browning as it will cook a bit more while simmering. Chop up the onion fairly well to avoid detection by the kids.

And a bonus: It tastes even better leftover after sitting a day or two in the fridge.

———Alford is editor and publisher of the Lewiston Tri-

bune. He may be contacted at [email protected].

And all ages: Our family’s white bean variation is tasty and simple and has gotten a lot of mileage over the years

CO M M EN TA RY

Nathan Alford

ABOVE: Scout and Charlie Alford enjoy bowls of their dad’s white bean chicken chili. BELOW: A nice garnish for the chili is fresh cilantro and shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Tribune/Steve Hanks

A chili for all seasons

Alford’s White Bean Chicken Chili2 tablespoons olive oil4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, well trimmed and cut into ½-inch chunks1 medium onion, chopped2 garlic cloves, minced1 can of S&W mild salsa or 14.5 ounces of your favorite mild or medium salsa3 15-ounce cans S&W small white beans, undrained3 tablespoons of mesquite cooking sauce or your favorite barbecue sauce1/1/1 3/3/ cup cilantro, choppedMonterey Jack cheese, grated (for garnish)Sour cream (optional, for garnish)

Brown onion, garlic and chicken in oil over medium heat in your favorite chili pot until chicken is lightly browned and pink color has almost disappeared.Reduce heat to low and then add salsa, beans (Repeat: do not drain the beans), sauce and cilantro (add less cilantro, if you’d like, to avoid the scrutiniz-ing eyes of kids). Simmer for fi ve minutes, or more, stirring occasionally.Grate a heaping pile of Monterey Jack cheese. Ladle chili into your favorite soup bowls and top generously with grated cheese, and maybe a sprig of cilantro.A dollop of sour cream is a nice addition, too.Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 340 cal; 37 g protein; 48 g carb; 17 g fi ber; 7 g fat; 60 mg chol; 1,250 mg sodium.


T here are so many foods to enjoy at Thanksgiv-ing that only

the most devoted cooks can make everything from scratch. One dish that is so worth the minimal effort it takes to prepare is fresh cranberries.

It’s a shame that canned cranberries somehow became an acceptable replacement for one of the only fruits on the holiday ta-ble. There is no comparison to the tart and tangy zing of fresh red berries that brighten plates with color and are a source of vitamin C, antioxidants and fiber when not overprocessed.

Cranberries are one of a few fruits native to North America. American Indians mixed deer meat and mashed cranberries

to make pemmican. Ac-cording to legend, cranber-ries were on the pilgrims’ Thanksgiving menu.

Too many holiday recipes overwhelm cranberries with heavy loads of sugar

to remove any trace of their bitterness. In search of a healthier way, I created this recipe for Orange-Pear Cranberry Relish with Pecans. Seasonal pears help sweeten the dish, allowing

the cranberries’ evergreen notes to shine. Orange zest is key to the recipe and makes it taste like the holidays. Pe-cans add more flavor depth and a satisfying crunch.

This quick dish doesn’t require any cooking and can be made a day or two ahead of time and refriger-ated. Add the pecans just before serving to preserve their crispness.

———Bauer may be contacted at jkbauer@

lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2263.

Making this tangy cranberry relish takes hardly any time at all

CO M M EN TA RY

Jennifer K. Bauer

TribuneOrange-Pear Cranberry Relish with Pecans

Don’t forget to invite the fruitOrange-Pear Cranberry Relish with Pecans

1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries2 pears, ripe but firm1 orange¼ cup sugar, or more to taste¼ teaspoon allspice (optional)

Zest the entire orange using a cheese grater, peeler or zester remov-ing the orange’s skin and not the white pith. When done, cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into a container. Set the zest and juice aside.Wash the pears and cut and slice into thick wedges, removing seeds and stems. In a food processor, combine the cranberries and pear slices. Pulse until chunky. Transfer the chopped fruit to a mixing bowl. Blend the ¼ teaspoon of allspice, if using, into the orange juice and then stir it into the fruit mixture. Stir in ¼ cup of sugar or more to taste. Stir in zest keeping a little aside to sprinkle on top for added color. Top with chopped pecans. Makes 5 servings.

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T he holidays are a great time to break out the drinks that keep us warm through the long nights.

The one upside to the first day of winter is that technically the days get longer. You could say I take solace in the solstice. I’ve put together a trio of warm drinks that will keep the cold at bay even after Dec. 21.

———I’ve been disap-

pointed ordering a hot buttered rum at restaurants and other establishments be-cause the premix tub-o-stuff is just, well, unappetizing. I like mine with sweetness and a little kick. For-tunately, this recipe is easy, tasty and can be modified for your particular tastes.

Hot Buttered Rum Mix½ cup (1 stick) unsalted

butter, softened2 cups dark brown sugar2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon nutmeg1 teaspoon cardamom½ teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, add all ingredients and mix with a blender until fully in-corporated. The mixture should have an almost doughy texture. Store in an airtight container.

To make a hot buttered rum, add 1 tablespoon of the prepared mix to a mug and add 6 or more ounces of hot water and stir until dissolved. Add 1 shot of rum and enjoy.

The flavor should be sweet with a touch of spice. I love cardamom, and this recipe reflects that. The mixture can be kept sealed in the refrigerator for future use.

Here’s how to make a trio of hot libations to heat up any winter evening

CO M M EN TA RY

Nathanael Tucker

Hot buttered rum is easy to make, tasty and may be modifi ed to suit your taste.

Tribune/Steve Hanks

WARM YOUR PIPES

See WARM, page 8>

———Mulled wine is an auto-

matic winner. Oranges, cloves and cinnamon are the stars of this simple concoction and it only takes about 15 minutes of preparation to make enough for a houseful of guests.

Mulled Wine2 cups water2 cups sugar3 medium oranges, halved3 whole sticks of cinnamon30 or more whole cloves1½ liters of red wine such

as merlot or shiraz

In a large pot over medium heat, add the water and sugar until dissolved to make a sim-ple syrup. Add the cinnamon sticks and the juice of the oranges to the simple syrup, saving back the juiced half orange rinds. Add the wine to the pot, cover and reduce the heat to low.

In the pithy edge of each half orange rind, insert five or more cloves and place the rinds with the edges down

into the wine so the cloves are submerged. I prefer about 40 cloves, but it’s up to your individual taste. Allow the wine to warm for 30 minutes or until the flavors are fully married, up to two hours.

Serve in coffee mugs pref-erably in front of a fire. This recipe can be made in a crock pot and can be halved to suit

your gathering of less than four people. It also keeps well in the refrigerator if there are leftovers for up to a week (I tried).

Simply warm it, covered, on the stove by the mug full. Remember, boiling the wine causes the alcohol to evapo-rate, so keep it covered. I also prefer lighter-style wines like

merlot since they are more of a clean palate for the flavors. Don’t bother with the expen-sive bottle you were saving for a special occasion. Cheap wine is the winner here.

———Hot toddies get my vote

for the best replacement for the lozenge when my throat is scratchy and I’m ready for

bed. They’re also a hit because they’re simple and tasty.

Hot Toddy1 tablespoon honey1 lemon wedge1 cup hot water1½ ounces whiskey,

brandy or rum1 cinnamon stick

(optional garnish)1 tea bag (optional flavor)

The simplest — and my favorite — is direct and to the point: put the honey in the glass, squeeze the lemon in and drop in the rind, add the whiskey and pour in the water. Stir and sip. Bingo.

However, hot toddies come in a multitude of varieties with other liquors and some are pretty good. If you want a tea-infused toddy, pour the hot water over your tea bag — I’m thinking Sleepy Time or Lemon Mint — in a second cup and let it steep before pouring it over the honey and liquor. Brandy or rum might also work well with either of those or an Orange Spice tea. The best part about the hot toddy is that you have plenty of options to suit your tastes and soothe your throat.

———Tucker may be contacted at ntucker@

lmtribune.com.


WARMContinued from PAGE 7>

Mulled wine takes about 15 minutes of prep time

to make enough for a houseful of guests.

Tribuine/Steve Hanks

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By KATHY HEDBERGOF THE TRIBUNE

C RAIGMONT — Katy Haight is the kind of young person who gives 4-H a good name.

The 17-year-old Highland High School senior has won the outstanding con-sumer science award at the Lewis County Fair in Nezperce for the last two years, scoring a kitchen mixer and a new sewing machine in the process.

She also is the organizer of the 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the June Picnic here every year, which earned her the top, five-year senior 4-H project at the fair. For this she won a backpack and a first-aid kit.

Throw in membership in a handful of other school clubs, participating in basket-ball, volleyball and softball and a year as one of the Lewis County Fair royalty and it’s obvious Katy leads an active life.

“My first-grade teacher was the orga-nizational leader, so when I got into first grade she was like, ‘Oh, you guys ought to be in 4-H,’ ” Katy said. “And that’s how it got started. It was really cheesy and simple and I was like, ‘OK’ and I fell in love from there.”

Katy’s parents have fostered the family’s 4-H tradition. Her dad, Mike Haight, used to be a 4-H leader and her mother, Mere Jo Haight, continues to be the leader of the Fun-4-All 4-H club Katy belongs to.

But it is her grandmother, Jackie Haight of Lewiston, who has possibly left the most lasting impression when it comes to handing down family traditions.

The family learned recently that Jackie Haight has terminal cancer.

“She actually had it for awhile but she didn’t tell us ’cause she’s stubborn like that,” Katy said.

All of which makes the annual gathering of the Haight family at Jackie’s house to decorate Christmas cookies a poignant event this year.

“We do cookies with her every year and we decorate them and stuff and she brings in all the grandkids and great-grandkids,” Katy said.

The sugar cookie recipe Jackie Haight shares with her family is one that was handed down to her by her own mother.

Katy said she loves it because the cookies are light and easy to make, not to mention fun to decorate.

“And she gives us little Christmas orna-ments every year and stuff at this cookie-decorating thing,” she said.

Katy’s 4-H cooking background comes in handy when the family is running in a dozen different directions. But it’s the way food and the holidays bring people together that means the most to her.

“I really like it because we don’t see our family a lot because we’re so busy. And so that kind of brings our families together and we get to celebrate it as a family,” Katy said.

———Hedberg may be contacted at [email protected] or

(208) 983-2326.

Craigmont teen’s family fostered in her both family, 4-H traditions

Tribune/Barry KoughABOVE: Highland High School senior Katy Haight has helped further fam-ily tradition by baking Christmas cookies using her grandmother’s recipe. BELOW: Katy’s cookies are a bright addition to her family’s celebration.

A leader in the kitchen

Jackie Haight’s Best Ever Cookies

2 cups granulated sugar1 cup shortening2 eggs1 cup milk2 teaspoons baking soda

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla½ teaspoon salt5 cups all-purpose flour

(approximately)

Pre-heat oven to 350

degrees. Add soda and baking

powder to milk. Cream sugar

and shortening. Add eggs and

mix well. Stir in milk mixture,

vanilla and salt. Add enough

fl our (approximately 5 cups)

to make dough stiff enough

to roll ¼- to ½-inch thick. Cut

with cookie cutters. Bake 7 to 9

minutes.

10 L E W I S T O N T R I B U N E W E D N E S D A Y , N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 W E D N E S D A Y , N O V E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 L E W I S T O N T R I B U N E 11

S hopping is not my favorite thing. Neither are crowds. Which means I am among those who assumes Black Friday was omit-

ted from Dante’s “Inferno” only because doorbusters had not yet been invented.

Several years ago, my cousin Kristen, who lived in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley at the time, sug-gested an alternative to shopping: All of the women in our family — she, my mom, my sisters and I — could gather in one kitchen for a daylong cookie-baking marathon. If we weren’t going to shop, at least we would enter the holiday season with a stockpile of ready-to-go goodies.

I pictured our aproned selves, gathered in a cozy kitchen, producing piles of picturesque baked goods. It seemed like a great idea. And it was, even if my imagination had omitted the small children, broken cookies, sugar crashes and huge mess.

Successful execution of a baking day requires good organizational skills. That job consistently fell to my mom, largely because she is good at it, but also because she is the responsible one. We tried to do it once without her — she had to be out of town for some reason — and well ... you need an organized, responsible person.

If you’re going to become a one-day cookie factory, it’s best to focus on just a few types of cook-ies. Each time we did this, our first task — done days in advance — was to decide what cookies made the

cut. Once the decision was made, my mom could create the lengthy ingredient list and we’d figure out who was bringing what.

The baking day itself also needs to be organized. Some doughs need to be chilled, for example, so often those would be prepared the night before and brought ready-to-bake. And sugar cookies need to cool before they can be frosted, which can itself be a long process, so they were the first to go in the oven.

Some of us were naturally better at certain aspects of the baking and chose roles accordingly. My mom

usually mixed the dough since it was her kitchen, I got the dough into bake-able form on the cookie sheet, my cousin handled the detail work, my sisters mostly “supervised” or occupied the kids. And of course, we all helped with quality control; our final product had to be tested.

Sure, there were spills and burnt cookies, there were crying kids covered in flour and frosting, there were misshapen angels and the occasional non-Christmas shape; a Winnie-the-Pooh or dog

bone was snuck in just to bother the rule-followers. And yes, the early enthusiasm gave way to silly laziness before the job was over.

But we did produce a huge number of goodies and all left with containers full of cookies to store in the freezer until they made an appearance on a holiday cookie plate. And though we haven’t done it in recent years, it’s still my favorite way to spend the day after Thanksgiving.

Everyone has her favorite holi-day goodies and these are mine; it’s not Christmas until I’ve made

and eaten the following.———

Most people call these Crinkle Cookies, but I grew up calling them Chocolate Pixies, so that’s what I stand by. There’s nothing par-ticularly festive about them, but they are a classic and only appear at Christmas. Just don’t overbake them; these are best when they’re still a bit gooey.

Chocolate Pixies2 tablespoons unsalted butter¼ cup shortening¾ cup cocoa powder2 cups sugar4 eggs2 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1 teaspoon salt

Melt butter and shortening over low heat on the stovetop. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder. Blend sugar and eggs with a mixer and slowly stir in the chocolate mixture. Sift together fl our, baking powder and salt and combine with sugar-chocolate mixture. Cover and chill the dough for a couple of hours, or overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Portion dough into 1-inch falls and roll in confectioners sugar. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 12-15 minutes.

———While these might not be a tradi-

tional Christmas cookie, but you’re not likely to get complaints about it. They disappear quickly wherever I bring them and are easily dressed up for the holidays by using red and green candies. Don’t forget to use a good thick peanut butter; I prefer Adams peanut butter for eating, but I use a different brand for baking to avoid having flat cookies.

We wanted to avoid the commercial crush, so we decided to become a cookie factory

CO M M EN TA RY

Michelle Schmidt

Holiday Monster Cookies

1 egg½ cup brown sugar½ cup sugar½ teaspoon vanilla extract½ teaspoon corn syrup1 teaspoon baking soda¼ cup unsalted butter¾ cup peanut butter2 ¼ cups rolled oats1 tablespoon water½ cup semisweet

chocolate chips½ cup candy-coated milk

chocolate pieces, with holiday colors

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg and add the re-maining ingredients, except the chocolate pieces. Mix well and after the dough pulls together, add chocolate pieces. Scoop onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

———Sugar cookies are the cor-

nerstone of holiday baking and always a favorite with the kids, thanks to the frosting. I’ve tried a number of recipes over the years and this is my favor-ite. The icing uses corn syrup, giving it a shiny gloss. And since I’m not one for fancy details, I just put it in a Ziploc bag with a small piece of the corner cut and drizzle the icing over the cookies, adding sprinkles before it hardens.

Sugar CookiesCookie:

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon salt

Icing:1 cup confectioners sugar1 tablespoon milk1 tablespoon light

corn syrup¼ teaspoon vanillaAssorted food coloring

Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in fl our, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill dough for an hour, or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on fl oured surface ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter and place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet, baking 6-8 minutes. Cool completely.

To make the icing: mix sugar, milk, corn syrup and vanilla; if icing is too thick, add more corn syrup and/or milk or add more confectioners sugar if it is too thin. Divide into separate bowls and add food colorings to desired

color and intensity. Apply icing with a pastry bag or knife.

———The best thing about short-

bread, besides its melt-in-your-mouth-iness, is they keep forever. I wouldn’t know that because it always disappears at my house except that I’ve eaten monthold shortbread that was kept at my mom’s house and it tasted great.

Shortbread Swirls1 cup salted butter½ cup confectioners sugar2 cups all-purpose flourFood coloring

Blend the butter, sugar and fl our together until a stiff dough forms; it may take a while. Por-tion out dough into three parts and add food coloring. Roll out each portion to the same dimen-sion, approximately 18 inches by 8 inches. Stack each layer of dough on top of each other and roll it up. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for an hour. Preheat oven to 350 de-grees. Slice cookies ¼ inch thick and bake on ungreased baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, or until edges just begin to brown.

———These are a shortbreadlike

cookie with a chocolate drizzle. Like shortbread, they store well and can easily be convert-ed to a gluten-free version us-ing an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. The substitution might be appreciated even by glutenphiles, since the result is a flakier cookie.

Rollaway CookiesCookie:

1 cup unsalted butter1 cup confectioners sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon salt1 cup rolled oats

Chocolate drizzle:½ cup semisweet

chocolate chips2 teaspoons coconut oilHoliday sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all cookie ingredients to-gether until a stiff dough forms and portion into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet and fl atten to approximately ¼ inch thick with a fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown. Cool completely. Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave by heating in a microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between heating. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the cookies; add sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.

———Schmidt may be contacted at

[email protected].


Tribune/Steve hanksChristmas cookies, colorful and delicious, add to the holiday atmosphere this time of year.

M ost people would be mortified to find lumps of coal under the tree on Christmas morning.

I’d be delighted.Charcoal grilling is my

preferred method of cook-ing, particularly when it comes to the holi-days. I’d much rather be outside tending to a grill or Dutch oven than spend several hours cooking a turkey or prime rib in the kitchen.

It may seem daunting to those who’ve never tried it, but holiday grilling is quite simple when it comes right down to it.

I certainly don’t claim to be an expert, but I’ve never spoiled a Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner yet. Here are some of the things I’ve learned over the years.

TURKEYAlthough I’m sure they exist, I’ve never

seen a Dutch oven large enough to hold an entire turkey. That leaves the grill as the only viable option for most weekend cooking warriors.

There are many types of grills and smokers, and I have the utmost respect for Traegers, Big Green Eggs, etc. But I prefer my trusty old Weber kettle grill, which allows me to cook with indirect heat.

I typically start by patting the bird dry and putting a good dry

Be undaunted: Taking your holiday cooking outdoors is a lot easier than you might think

CO M M EN TA RY

Doug Bauer

TOP: Grilled prime rib.prime rib.prime rib.prime rib.

BOTTOM: I cooked this turkey in my trusty old Weber kettle grill, which allowed me to use

indirect heat.

Tribune/Doug Bauer

THRILLA ON THE GRILLA

See GRILLA, page 13>


Tribune/Steve hanksChristmas cookies, colorful and delicious, add to the holiday atmosphere this time of year.

rub on it. I recently tried add-ing fresh sage and rosemary into the cavity, but wasn’t sure what the results were since the flavor was ultimately masked by hickory smoke.

Fire up a couple dozen coals to start with and place them evenly on either side of an aluminum pan that will sit directly under the turkey to catch the drippings. Once the temperature reaches about 275 degrees, place the bird breast up on the grill and put the lid tightly on the barbecue.

You’ll want to add about six to eight coals to each side every 45 minutes or so to maintain the heat. Obvi-ously, a large bird is going to take a fair amount of time to cook, so start early if you don’t want your significant other complaining about you holding up dinner.

I don’t baste the turkey on the grill, but it’s entirely possible as long as the walls of your catch basin are tall enough — and so long as nothing stirs up the dust from exhausted charcoals and it blows into the drippings.

Adding a smoky flavor toward the end is also optional, but be warned: It

can be quite strong. Toss a few hand-fuls of your preferred flavor of chips in a pan filled with water and let them soak for about an hour. As your turkey nears about 155 degrees in the breast or about 170 deep in the thigh, pull the chips out of the water, toss them directly on the coals, shut your vents down and put the lid on tight.

Wait until the internal temperature in the breast starts creeping toward 165 (180 in the deep thigh), and pull the turkey off the grill. Cover it with

foil and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to finish cooking, and then start carving.

PRIME RIBMy method for grilling prime rib

— or any beef roast, for that matter — isn’t any different than it is for tur-key, so I’ll focus on my experiences with a Dutch oven.

Bring the beef to room temperature before you fire up your coals. You can use a dry rub if you want, but I think prime rib tastes perfectly fine

without it.If it’s fairly cold or windy

outside, you’ll want to find a sheltered spot in which to place your oven or it won’t heat evenly.

Start by setting seven to nine coals in a grid format un-der your Dutch oven, and line the bottom of the oven with rock salt so the meat won’t actually touch the bottom or walls of the oven. Put the lid on tight, and place coals in a ring around the edges of the lid. You’ll want to use about three times more coals on the top of the oven than you do on the bottom.

Again, the length of time it takes to bring the beef up to your preferred temperature will depend on the size of the cut, so plan accordingly. Replace the coals as needed to maintain an even heat.

I like to pull the meat out of the oven about five to seven

degrees shy of my preferred tempera-ture, cover it loosely with foil and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to finish. It will continue to warm even though it is no longer in the oven.

This method also works well with a turkey breast if your Dutch oven is large enough.

———Bauer is managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune.

He may be contacted at [email protected] or (208) 848-2269.

Tribune/Doug BauerSoak wood chips in a pan of water before adding them to the charcoal.

GRILLAContinued from PAGE 12>THRILLA ON

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I t’s doubly satis-fying to dabble in sourdough baking.

Our dabbling began in 1962,

a year into marriage, with a gift of a packet of Sourdough Jack’s powder, simply add-ing milk and ending up 24 hours later with starter that was used for pancakes and waffles.

But the use only lasted one year. Following a Sun-day Mass, we ate two extra pancakes, and we discovered the cause of the overage: I’d forgotten to save starter.

A Lewiston mortician came to the rescue, hearing my plight. He gave me a couple of cups of starter long used by himself and friend Thomas Armour, a Lewiston dentist.

The gift came from Kermit Malcolm, owner of Malcolm’s Brower-Wann.

His starter had real star power, too: The two had procured starter from friends in California and traced its origin to the California Gold Rush

of 1849. Now, some 52 years later, we’re using the same genesis starter, and have given dozens and dozens of the starter to others. Know this: You can make your own starter in just days. It’s just as good as mine, but it lacks the snob appeal of origin in 1849.

How to make your own starter? Simply, place one cup of milk in a glass jar or crock and allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Stir in one cup of flour. Leave uncovered in a warm place for two to five days, until it bubbles and sours. Once it has a good sour aroma and is

full of bubbles, it is ready to use. Maintain a minimum of 1½ cups, preferably more.

Or, an alternative, send me a request at [email protected].

Your favorite use will prob-ably be for sourdough pan-cakes or waffles. This was a

staple for our three sons and their many boyhood friends, whether at home or at the ski cabin, and it’s the same now for our grandchildren. If you’re like us, you’ll want to expand to other staples. For us, it’s sourdough cinnamon rolls, cinnamon pan bread

and sourdough biscuits, in the main. No holiday meal is complete without sourdough biscuits on our table.

Here is my recipe for sour-dough cinnamon rolls, one of our favorites, with the basics from an early 1960s Sunset magazine, and tweaked by

my personal preferences.Don’t be skimpy with the

margarine/butter, raisins and pecans, etc. Just before baking, I always top each roll with a little milk and a dusting of granulated sugar.

Our decades-old starter gets used in a variety of family recipes. And here’s how you can start your own baking tradition

CO M M EN TA RY

A.L. Alford Jr.

Tribune/A.L. Alford Jr.These cinnamon rolls are best baked in a double batch, because a single batch disappears too quickly.

Sourdough, sweet eating

See SWEET, page 15>


(Another alternative is a powdered sugar icing, which is not my favorite; the rolls are sweet enough.)

More often than not, I prepare a double batch of rolls. No tripling; that would be too much dough to deal with and knead. Why a double batch? It’s less than twice the time of prepar-ing a single batch and you have more rolls to share with friends and family. Nine or 10 rolls are only half the plea-sure of 18 or 20.

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls½ cup starter1 cup milk (we use what we

have, 2 percent milk; use any milk or evaporated)

2 cups all-purpose flour¼ cup margarine or butter (melted)3 tablespoons granulated sugar1 egg1½ cups flour½ teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon salt1 cup brown sugar (use

more if desired)2 to 3 teaspoons of cinnamon1 cup raisins (use more if desired)¼ cup pecans, chopped (use

more if desired)Powdered sugar1 cup melted butter (use

more, if desired)

Combine starter, milk and two cups of

fl our in a large bowl; cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

The next morning, beat together ¼ cup margarine or butter, sugar and egg; blend into sourdough mixture. Mix together 1½ cups fl our, soda, baking powder and salt; combine with other mixture.

Turn dough onto a fl oured board or counter (my preference) and knead until the surface is satiny and doesn’t stick to the board, adding fl our if necessary.

Place ball of dough in the center of the board and roll out to a rectangle 8 inches by 16 inches. Brush the surface amply with melted margarine or butter and sprinkle with a layer of brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins (if desired), pecans (if desired) and a coating of powdered sugar. (The powdered sugar is a secret learned from the late Pete Ragowski, a former di-rector of dining at the University of Idaho Student Union, and later a Pullman steak house owner; it adds to the creaminess).

Roll up dough, starting on one of the long sides; cut rolls at 1¾-inch or so intervals, whatever depth you most like (I prefer at least the three middle fi ngers of my left hand), using a sharp knife.

You should have nine or 10 rolls. Dip the fi nished individual rolls in melted margarine or butter. Place in a square or oblong baking pan (I prefer metal over glass if only because of higher sides, averting burnover in the oven) and cover loosely, letting rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees for metal, 350 degrees for glass) for 30 to 35 minutes, until crust is dark golden.

———Alford is president of Tribune Publishing, the par-

ent company of the Lewiston Tribune. He may be con-tacted at [email protected] or at (208) 848-2250.

Tribune/A.L. Alford Jr.This cinnamon roll is baked from a historic sourdough starter.

SWEETContinued from PAGE 15>

By ALISON LADMANOF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

W e apologize if you are a huge fan of green beans. We apologize

if you are the sort of person who longs for the green beans at Thanksgiving. We think it’s a little strange, but we still apologize.

It’s not that green beans aren’t perfectly delightful. It’s just that with so many far more exciting sides on offer at the typical Thanksgiving feast, it’s really hard to get excited about green beans. Usually, we don’t even bother to put them on our plates. So why do so many people serve them? It’s probably some combina-tion of tradition (Aunt Susie always serves them.) and guilt (as if eating three green beans atones for your 1,500-calorie gravy-fueled sins ...).

Would it be easier to just leave them off this year’s menu? Yup. Will you? Prob-ably not. So we decided that if you really must clutter up the table with green beans, at least make them truly delicious. Not that you need to work hard to make that happen. In fact, we came up with five delicious and easy ways to dress your green beans. They’re so good we might even eat less mashed potatoes to leave room for them. Or not.

Associated PressThis photo shows cranberry nut green beans in Concord, N.H. This recipe will help liven up green beans for the holidays.

Compelled to serve green beans? At least make them delicious

Green Beans Five Ways2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed½ cup water2 tablespoons unsalted butterKosher salt and ground black pepper

In a large skillet over medium-high, combine the green beans and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until just tender and bright green. Drain any water that has not evaporated and stir in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Continue the recipe using one of the following variations. Start to fi nish: 10 minutes; makes 6 servings.Nutrition information per serving: 80 calo-ries; 35 calories from fat (44 percent of total calories); 4 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 170 mg sodium; 11 g carbohydrate; 4 g fi ber; 5 g sugar; 3 g protein.HERBED: Stir in 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh thyme, chives and parsley.TOASTED CRUMBS: In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add 1 cup panko bread-crumbs, a pinch of salt and ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika. Cook until toasted and fragrant, stirring constantly, 4 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle over the cooked and seasoned green beans.SPICY GARLIC HONEY: Stir in a hefty pinch of red pepper fl akes, 1 to 2 fi nely minced cloves of garlic and a drizzle of honey.CRANBERRY NUT: Finely chop ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup toasted sliced al-monds. Sprinkle over the top of the cooked and seasoned green beans.MAPLE SOY: Leave off the salt and instead drizzle with a little soy sauce and maple syrup.

H oliday cel-ebrations for our extended family always featured more

food than even the hordes of us gathered could eat at one time. We all love leftovers.

Desserts are a must, natu-rally, and at Thanksgiving that means pies. Christmas gener-ally means pies as well, but also a wide variety of cookies.

We all cook for our Thanks-giving gatherings. The host generally makes the turkey, and all those attending bring everything else. Someone always volunteers to make

pumpkin pies, which are the most popular Thanksgiving dessert. This was particular-ly true with my oldest brother and two of our boy cousins in the old days.

To save time one long-ago November, my aunt just cut each of the three boys a quarter of a pumpkin pie in

hopes, I suppose, of getting a chance to serve everyone else before those guys were holding their plates up for seconds.

A couple of my cousins don’t like pumpkin pie, so someone always volunteers to make an apple pie for them. I love pecan pie, but no one ever volunteers to make that for me, so I make my own.

I could always count on my uncle (dad’s brother-in-law) and mom to have a slice of that richly sweet dessert with me. (The last dessert I ever shared with my mom was a slice of Thanksgiving pecan pie — what a sweet memory.) Those two also were the only ones who loved mincemeat pie, so I often made one of

those for them as well.One Thanksgiving, my

sister’s Newfoundland dog discovered the pumpkin pies cooling on the picnic table outside and decided to help herself. There was a definite pie shortage that year. (Come to think of it, another of that same sister’s dogs got into the leftover mincemeat pie many years later. No one was too upset about that.)

When I first saw a pecan pie, I thought it was beauti-ful but also imagined it must

be difficult to make. Little did I know all those pecans just miraculously arranged themselves perfectly across the top of the pie as it baked, and it could not be an easier pie to assemble.

I do like the looks of the finished pies when whole pecans are used, but I prefer baking with the chopped pecans because it makes the pie easier to slice, and you’re guaranteed a good amount of pecan in every bite.

Since I usually have to trav-

el over the river and through the woods to join my family for the holidays, I often find myself baking in a kitchen not my own. Years ago, this sometimes meant scavenging for recipes in a pre-Internet world. One year I was stay-ing with my folks in Puyallup, Wash., and decided to bake my first pecan pie, so I went on a hunt through my mom’s cookbooks for a likely recipe.

My mother had a number of cookbooks she preferred, but she especially loved her

“Southern Living Annual” col-lection. The large, hardcover annuals featured every recipe that had been published in the magazine during that calen-dar year. She had about half a dozen of these books, with scraps of paper and torn nap-kins stuck into pages marking favorite recipes.

This one (which doesn’t even have “pie” in its name) is from “Southern Living 1993 Annual Recipes.” When I ran across it in my folks’ house one year, I thought nothing could be easier and I was right.

Nothing was more deli-cious either.

———DePaul is editor of the Close to Home

section, and may be contacted at (208) 848-2221 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @JeanneDePaul


A recipe from one of my mom’s old cookbooks showed me how to make this beautiful and simple confection

CO M M EN TA RY

Jeanne DePaul

Tribune/Steve HanksOld Pecan Street Special is the most basic — and delicious — of pecan pie recipes.

Pecan pie is a snap

Old Pecan Street Special

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup light corn syrup2/3 cup sugar3 tablespoons

butter, melted1 tablespoon vanilla

extract1½ cups coarsely

chopped pecans1 unbaked 9-inch deep-

dish pastry shell

Combine fi rst 5 ingredi-ents; stir in chopped pecans, and pour into pastry shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes one 9-inch pie.

May be served as is, with whipped cream or — my favorite — warm with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.


O ne of the tradi-tional holiday dishes around my family’s din-ner table did not

come from the “old country,” which, in our case, was West Virginia and Kansas.

It was a recipe called Tomato Aspic that probably was something my mother found in a magazine in the doctor’s waiting room. She was notorious for ripping recipes out of magazines in public places. “They expect you to do that,” she explained when I asked her once if that wasn’t petit theft.

And it was a dish that was not particularly well-liked in our family, which didn’t go in for fancy fixin’s at a meal. Just stick with the basics, was the philosophy; don’t go adding pecans or Worcestershire sauce or any of that herbal stuff. I remember one holiday my uncles almost came to blows over whether stuff-ing should contain oysters or not.

The Tomato Aspic was a weird excep-tion because, besides the fact that nobody really liked it, the molded gelatin salad became a point of fierce competition between my mother and my paternal grandmother — both of whom made their own version every holiday and both of whom expected you to eat it all.

The original recipe that my mother found called for regular tomato juice mixed

with Knox gelatin and filled with sliced black olives, chopped green onions and canned shrimp. The ingredients would be poured into a copper fish mold and placed in the refrigerator until it was set. To serve, one unmolded the salad onto an ob-long plate then — and this was getting re-ally fancy — decorat-ed with a few sprigs of parsley.

My grandmother took a different tack. She was always one for experimenting with different recipes that very often turned out badly. Of course, whether or not the food tasted good was inciden-tal; you were expected to eat everything on your plate. So we held our noses and gulped

it down as fast as we could.Mom’s Tomato Aspic

was too plain for Grandma. Instead of plain tomato juice, she substituted V-8 juice and a squirt of Worcester-shire sauce. And instead of Knox gelatin she used lemon

Jell-O. And rather than limit herself to olives, green onions and shrimp, Grandma added a can or two of mixed vegeta-bles that contained peas, car-rots, lima beans and potatoes.

Of course her salad went into a copper lobster rather

than just a plain fish, but the effect was the same.

I never thought Tomato Aspic was something I would miss once I grew up and start-ed making holiday dinners for my own family. But I was wrong. Although I was never crazy about it as a kid, I found that it had become something of an acquired taste and with-out it there just seemed to be something missing. So I start-ed making my own Tomato Aspic, adjusting the recipe to include a little of Mom’s and a little of Grandma’s. It felt satisfying to be extending a family tradition but — not surprisingly — none of my in-laws or children liked it or would eat it.

Year after year I’d bring a big dish of Tomato Aspic to a holiday meal and year after year I’d bring it back home with only two spoonfuls — my own — eaten out of it.

Eventually I gave it up. It’s a sad thing to abandon a family practice that extended back, oh ... 50 years or so. But just like real candles on the Christmas tree and Polaroid cameras, some things were never meant to be carried on forever.

I can’t find either my mother’s or grandmother’s recipe for Tomato Aspic and I’m afraid I’ve forgot-ten exactly how I made it, as well. But here is a recipe I discovered on Cooks.com that looks pretty close to our fam-ily recipe. Don’t be afraid to experiment; Grandma would be proud of you for that.

———Hedberg may be contacted

at [email protected] or (208) 983-2326.

CO M M EN TA RY

Kathy Hedberg

Tribune/Kathy HedbergA few of the old family cookbooks used by my mother and grandmother. They weren’t afraid to add their own twists to recipes like Tomato Aspic.

I stuck a fork in my family’s weird tomato aspic tradition

Tomato Aspic1 package lemon

gelatin1 cup boiling water1 8-ounce can tomato

paste or puree1/1/1 3/3/ 3 3 cup sliced olives1/1/1 3/3/ 3 3 cup diced celery¼ teaspoon salt

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Cool slightly, then add puree, olives, celery and salt. Pour into tray or molds. Chill until fi rm. Serve on lettuce topped with a cream cheese and mayonnaise mixture.

NOTE: I would also add a small can of salad shrimp.

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L et’s say that this year’s Thanksgiving feast is going to be a more intimate affair than the usual cast of thou-

sands, yet you still want turkey. It can be done.

Instead of cooking up a whole bird, why not go with a turkey breast? “Because,” you reasonably reply, “white meat turkey tends to turn out dry as cardboard.” And indeed, that’s certainly a possibil-ity, especially if you overcook it, which is easy to do. Happily, I’ve figured out just how to have your

turkey breast and eat it, too.

Working on a cookbook several years ago, I came across an old Ital-ian recipe for roast chicken. It re-quired you to stuff a mixture of cheese and vegetables under the chicken’s skin before roast-ing. Intrigued, I gave it a whirl and was absolutely flabbergasted by the results. Not only was the flavor

a knock-out, but the meat — in-cluding the white meat — was the moistest I’d ever eaten.

It occurred to me that this scheme might work just as well with turkey as with chicken. Hav-ing finally put this theory to the test, I can say that it translated beautifully.

The secret, I think, is that the stuffing underneath the skin insulates the meat. My stuffing combines sauteed onion, garlic and shredded zucchini with Parme-san and ricotta cheeses, all bound together with fresh breadcrumbs. But feel free to experiment, as I’m sure that any moist stuffing would do the trick.

Of course, it’s still important to avoid overcooking the bird. But you also need to make sure you cook the meat to a safe temperature. This is a balancing act. Cooking the bird to 165 degrees is the best bet for safety, but that doesn’t mean you need to leave the bird in the oven until it reaches that temperature. Meat continues cooking even after you pull it from the oven. So if you leave it in until it hits 165 degrees,

you’ll actually cook it to about 170 degrees.

My solution is to pull it out of the oven at 160 degrees. As the meat rests on the counter (20 minutes is ideal), it reaches 165 degrees. Resting also allows the juices in the turkey to redistribute so that when you slice the bird the juices don’t all come streaming out, leaving you with dry turkey meat.

And by the way, to get an ac-curate reading when you take the bird’s temperature, be sure to insert the thermometer deep into the meat, not just into the stuffing,

and not next to the bone.When you finally carve the

breast, make sure that every slice has a little bit of stuffing and skin at the top. Also, while this turkey is wonderfully deli-cious as is, this is Thanksgiv-ing, after all, and folks expect gravy with their turkey. You can whip up some pan gravy while the breast is resting.

———Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet

magazine for nearly 25 years and now stars in public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” She writes about food for the Associated Press.


Not feeding a crowd this Thanksgiving? Try roasting just a turkey breast instead

R EC I P E

Sara Moulton

Associated PressAn Italian-style roast turkey breast. If you’re not feeding a crowd for the holidays, then roasting a turkey breast could be the way to

DOWNSIZE YOUR BIRDItalian-style Roast Turkey Breast

2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound)Kosher salt2 tablespoons extra-virgin

olive oil, plus extra1 medium yellow onion,

finely chopped1 tablespoon minced garlic1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme3 ounces finely grated

Parmesan cheese2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (made by pulsing 4 slices firm white bread in a food processor or blender)½ cup whole milk ricotta cheeseGround black pepper1 5- to 7-pound bone-in turkey breast

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven.Using a food processor or box grater, coarsely grate the zucchini. In a colander, toss the grated zucchini with ½ teaspoon of salt, then let it drain over the sink for 20 minutes. A handful at a time, squeeze out the zucchini to remove excess liquid. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Parme-san, breadcrumbs and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.Use paper towels to pat dry the turkey skin, then rub with a bit of oil and season with salt and pepper. Using your fi ngers, a chopstick or a grapefruit knife (my favorite), gently separate the skin from the meat on the breast, being careful not to tear it and leaving it attached at the edges. Stuff the zucchini mixture evenly under the loosened skin of the turkey (this is a messy project; just do your best), then place the turkey on a rack set in a roasting pan. Cover the breast loosely with foil.

Roast the turkey breast for 1 hour. Re-move the foil and roast for an additional 1 to 1½ hours, or until the turkey reaches 160 degrees. If the turkey starts to brown too much, cover it again with foil. Transfer the turkey breast to a platter and let it rest at least 20 minutes before carving.Start to fi nish: 3½ hours (1½ hours ac-tive); makes 8 servings.Nutrition information per serving: 630 calories; 270 calories from fat (43 percent of total calories); 30 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 215 mg cholesterol; 690 mg so-dium; 11 g carbohydrate; 1 g fi ber; 3 g sugar; 74 g protein.

W e d n e s d a y , n o v e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 L e W I s T o n T r I b U n e 19

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Hard to put new carpet under the tree once it’s up.

times, it’s fairly easy for an outside observer to tell that other kids in the class have “gotten in on the act.” In other words, they begin purposefully putting themselves in harm’s way. I’ve actually seen a toddler ask to be bitten.

Why is your daughter biting? I don’t have a clue other than to point out that toddlers are given to savagery at times. It’s quite possible that if your daughter hadn’t started biting, some other child would have, sooner or later. It’s also possible that if your daughter is expelled, another child in the group will pick up where she left off. Once this drama gets going in a preschool classroom, it’s difficult to stop.

Obviously, the teacher needs to do all she can to keep your daughter away from her victim of choice. But let’s face it: That’s not very realistic. Besides, even if she were able to per-form the superhuman feat of keep-ing villain and victim at a distance, there’s a possibility that another victim will step forward.

One solution is for the teacher to separate your daughter from the

group as soon as she bites and keep her separated (in the director’s of-fice, perhaps) until you can get to the school and take her home.

In that interim, no one should talk to her about the incident, much less about what she could have done instead of biting. That’s all very well-intentioned, but it won’t solve the problem and may make it worse. You shouldn’t talk to her about the biting either. Just take her home and do as little as possible for the rest of the day. Hopefully, she would rather be with other children and will quickly get the message.

The other solution is for you to “expel” your daughter from preschool yourself. At this tender age, she’s get-ting all the socialization she needs dur-ing the occasional play date. Besides, researchers have failed to find any long-term benefit to toddler preschool.

Can you guess which solution I favor?

———Rosemond is a family psychologist in North Carolina

and a columnist for the Charlotte Observer. His website is www.johnrosemond.com.

My just-turned 3-year-old daughter has started bit-ing other children in her preschool program. I put her in for three mornings a week thinking she could benefit from a group social experience, but it seems to be backfiring. She bites some other child — the same one, usually — almost every day. When it happens, her teacher separates her from the group, tries to calm her down and talks to her about what she should have done instead of biting.

That’s obviously not work-ing, and now the director is getting pressure from other parents to expel her. I don’t know why this is happening or what to do about it. She

doesn’t do it during one-on-one play dates. Do you have any answers?

If one puts a bunch of tod-dlers together in a room for a sustained period of time, there’s great likelihood that one of them will begin biting. And as is the case with your daughter, the biter will usu-ally target one or two other children.

The problem is compound-ed by licensing standards and/or policies that don’t permit teachers to use so-called “negative consequenc-es,” including time-out.

So when a child bites, the preschool teacher talks. And the child, in most cases, keeps right on biting. Some-

20 L e w i s t o n t r i b u n e w e d n e s d a y , n o v e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 5

My ex and I share equal custody of our two children: a week with me and a week with him. The courts require us to use email as our only source of communication.

For some time I have suspected it was his new wife at the other end of the email instead of my ex, but now she doesn’t even try to hide it and signs her name. Why must I now con-form to her new set of rules?

In your “10 Rules of Good Ex-etiquette,” you say, “Par-ents make the rules and bonusparents uphold them.” What am I missing? This isn’t good ex-etiquette, is it?

The rule to which you refer is Ex-etiquette for Parents rule No. 4, “Parents make the rules, bonuspar-ents uphold them.” Techni-cally, that means you and dad set the limits, and dad’s wife supports what you put in place.

Rule No. 4 is the only rule of the 10 rules of Good Ex-etiquette for Parents that carries a disclaimer. The disclaimer lies in the necessity to coordinate efforts with bonusparents who also have children of their own and are trying to juggle their rules and your rules.

If you are quoting the Rules of Good Ex-etiquette, you already understand in principle that you may have to ne-gotiate in good faith with your child’s other parent and possibly coordinate efforts with his new partner.

So it must be the principle of the thing: You’re angry you have to deal with her at all. Most everyone gets that, but it’s not very productive.

Why? Because your kids live with her for a week at a time. If you don’t

want the kids to crash and burn every time they go back and forth, “Look for the compromise” (rule No. 10). All of you. It’s not about you, it’s not about her. It’s not about dad. It’s about the kids. They’re innocent bystanders to the drama that is your

breakup. Do whatever you have to do to “Put them first” (rule No. 1).

I suspect “Looking for the compromise” is quite a dif-ferent approach to problem solving from what you’ve used in the past. Court orders that require email in-teraction are for parents who argue incessantly. Email is written proof should a judge need to intercede.

If you’re required to use email, your ex’s new wife is not the problem. She may be an irritant. She may overstep her bounds and push your buttons, but you and dad have had this communica-tion problem long before she

came into the picture.All of you must change your ap-

proach to problem solving.You can start by asking his opin-

ion (rule No. 2) and being respectful when negotiating (rule No. 9).

He can start by setting clear limits as to how much his wife intercedes (rule No. 4). Writing his own emails will certainly help. His wife can positively contribute by being more observant. There will be times when her input will be welcome, and times when it will not. She must find the “wisdom to know the difference.”

That’s good ex-etiquette.———

Blackstone is founder of Bonus Families, www.bonusfamilies.com, and may be contacted at [email protected].

E x- E t i q u E t t E

Jann Blackstone

Mother is upset that her ex’s new wife responds to emails about kids

pA R EN t i N G

John Rosemond

What’s the solution for toddler’s biting in preschool?

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