Christmas is approaching and the question of what to give as gifts may be on your mind. The recent number of toy recalls makes the issue of children’s gifts more complicated. Concerns about the environment and the need to reduce the amount of “stuff” we all have are also factors that many may consider when selecting gifts this year.
Gift giving should be joyful and not expensive or frustrating. Here are a few ideas:
- Consider consumable gifts, things that can be used and don’t take storage space. Food items can be homemade fudge, candies, cookies, pickles and jams or purchased foods like specialty teas or coffees, chocolates and nuts. When selecting food items check if the recipient or their family has any food allergies. Other consumable gifts may be tickets for a sporting event, show or concert.
- Magazine subscriptions can be a gift that lasts all year long. Find a magazine that fits a person’s interest such as old cars, mechanics, woodworking or gardening. Some may like human interest stories so magazines like The Reader’s Digest or Guidepost might be appreciated.
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There are a number of new Canadian magazines such as Our Canada, www.ourcanada.ca, or Acreage Life, a Western Producer publication. Call 800-667-6929
to subscribe to the latter.
- Books are always appreciated by the avid reader and some prodding may reveal what they might want to read next. For children, the gift of books can encourage an interest in reading and provide opportunity for the giver to spend time reading with them.
- Games that involve a number of players can provide an opportunity to socialize as well as have fun. For many children a deck of cards and someone to teach them old-fashioned card games can provide hours of fun.
- Gifts for those in need in other countries can be given in the name of someone on your gift list. Some families have reduced the number of gifts they give to each other and have instead put their gift dollars toward projects in other countries such as water wells, school supplies or livestock.
- Putting money into a child’s registered education fund is a gift for the future. With post-secondary education expenses so high, this is a gift that may open doors for educational opportunities in the future.
Holiday innovation
For our annual Christmas draw, we invite you to tell us about any change in how you celebrate the holidays. Is it becoming less complicated? Are you having to share your children with in-laws? Are you spending less on gifts and giving more time? Is your menu preparation simplified? For your chance to win a prize, send in your story along with your name and address to: Team Resources, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 2C4 or contact team@producer.com.
The prizes include a silicone food Christmas tree-shaped mould from MaryAnn Barnett of Prairie House Kitchens Ltd. and five cookbooks from The Western Producer entitled A Taste of Christmas: A Treasury of Holiday Recipes, Menus, Customs, Crafts and Gift-Giving Ideas written by Jacquie Schmit, Eileen Mandryk and Jo Wuth.
Along with each cookbook will go a pair of woolen Western Producer flip flap mittens. We have a variety of Norwex cloths for cleaning without chemicals, a Saskatchewan Pulse Growers’ cookbook and a Tupperware item.
Government website for recalls
The federal government has launched a user-friendly and centralized website that allows Canadians to search for recalled food and children’s products that are unsafe or unhealthy.
Marinated salads
With a season of entertaining coming up, salads that can be made ahead and allowed to marinate can be time savers.
Carrot and peas salad
Makes six to eight servings
1 pound carrots 500 g
4 ounces snow peas 113 g
1 medium onion, sliced
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1/2 can (10 oz.) tomato soup 142 mL
1/4 cup sugar 60 mL
1/2 cup canola oil 125 mL
1/2 cup white vinegar 125 mL
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 2 mL
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire 2 mL
sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 mL
2 tablespoons sesame seeds 25 mL
Wash and peel carrots, cut into long strips and put into a covered casserole with one tablespoon (15 mL) of water. Cook in the microwave on high for two minutes, until tender. Then drain and put in a plastic container. Wash and remove the tips of the snow peas, put into the casserole dish and add one tablespoon (15 mL) water. Microwave on high for one minute, drain and add to the carrots. Add the onion and green pepper.
Whip the soup, sugar, oil, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire sauce together until well blended. Add the salt and pepper. Mix and pour over the vegetables. Toss to coat the
vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for two to three hours or overnight.
Lift vegetables out of the dressing into a
salad bowl, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve. Any leftover salad can be returned to the dressing and refrigerated for another day.
Sauerkraut salad
This salad is similar to a marinated cabbage salad but quicker because the sauerkraut reduces the need to shred the cabbage.
1 can (14 oz.) sauerkraut, 398 mL
drained
1 cup green pepper, chopped 250 mL
1 cup onion, chopped 250 mL
1 cup celery, chopped 250 mL
1/4 cup carrot, grated 60 mL
11/2 cups sugar 375 mL
2/3 cup vinegar 150 mL
Drain the sauerkraut and prepare the vegetables. Measure the sugar and vinegar into a one quart (one litre) saucepan; bring to a boil. Cool and pour cooled vinegar mixture over the vegetable mixture. Toss to mix.
Refrigerate 24 hours to blend. Lift vegetables out of the dressing to serve. Return leftover salad to the dressing and store in the
refrigerator. Serves eight to 10.
From Canadian Mennonite Cookbook.
Options:
Any or all of the following seeds could be added to this salad for flavour:
1 tablespoon poppyseed 15 mL
1 tablespoon mustard seed 15 mL
1/2 teaspoon celery seed 2 mL
Canning lid error
Dear Team: Regarding the pizza sauce in the Oct. 11, 2007 issue: The recipe stated to boil lids for five minutes. Bernardin lid packages now say heat lids in hot, not boiling, water. This has been on the packages for some years now. I believe the rubber used is thinner these days so it softens easier. In fact, if you boil the lids, it often is a problem to get the jars to seal. – Suzanne Hebert, Outlook, Sask.
Dear Suzanne: You are correct, the lids are now to be heated in hot water. This pizza sauce recipe was from a Bernardin booklet that is a few years old and has the old recommendations in it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
