Category: Christmas

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Once Again, Xmas Stew

This year again, a Xmas meal I make every now and then: Green Chicken (or Pork) Stew. It’s a chicken (or pork) posole made with the following ingredients:

Cooked and cubed chicken or pork. Most folks would probably go with boned and skinned chicken breasts for the chicken, but that’d be a mistake. Use chicken breasts, if you must, but cook them skin on, bone in. Chicken thighs would be even tastier. Bone ’em when you cube ’em. Whether using pork or chicken, be sure to season the meat with salt, pepper, and freshly ground cumin seed (use a coffee mill or a mortar and pestle).

Sauteed chopped onions and minced garlic (use ghee or the rendered fats from the chicken or pork).

Green enchilada sauce and chopped green chiles (your choice of green chiles; everyday Xmas Stew can be fine with the canned stuff)

Condensed chicken or mushroom soup

Cannellini beans

WHITE hominy

A can of Rotels™

Dump the prepared ingredients in a crockpot on low for six or more hours. Served with baked corn tortillas, either whole or cut into wedges before baking.

You notice I have not mentioned amounts. That’s because it all depends on how much you want to make and how many you intend to feed, as well as how meaty/beany/corny/spicy you find you prefer.

Baked corn tortillas: Brush corn tortillas lightly with ghee, coconut oil or [BEST!] bacon grease. Place on middle rack in oven and bake at 375°F for about eight minutes. Ovens vary, so watch it and mod the time to suit your oven. If baking wedges, place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 375°F for about seven to nine minutes–again, watching them. Could be ten for either, depending on your oven, etc.

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A Bit Short for a Lutheran Hymn. . .

. . .but since it’s Mit Hjerte Alltid Vanker, we’ll let that go, eh? 😉

Sing along and restart the mp3 file enough times to get through, if you wish.

Mit Hjerte Alltid Vanker

1. Mit Hjerte altid vanker
I JEsu Føderum,
Did samles mine Tanker
I deres Hovedsum:
Der er min Længsel hjemme,
Der har min Troe sin Skat —
Jeg kan dig aldrig glemme,
Du søde Julenat!

2. Du, mørke Stald, skal være
Mit Hjertes Fryde-Slot;
Der kan jeg daglig lære
At glemme Verdens Spot;
Der kan jeg bedst befinde,
Hvori min Roes bestaaer;
Naar JEsu Krybbes Minde
Mig ret til Hjerte gaaer.

3. Men ak! hvad skal jeg sige,
Naar jeg vil tænke paa,
At Gud af Himmerige
I Stalden ligge maa:
At Himlens Fryd og Ære,
Guds væsentlige Ord,
Skal saa foragtet være
Paa denne slemme Jord!

4. En Perle, der forgjettes,
Saa nøie ledes op;
Den blanke Demant sættes
I gylden Krones Top;
Man kaster ei en Drue
Blandt tørre Grene ned:
Skal jeg min Gud da sske
I saadan Usselhed?

5. Hvi skulde Herresale
Ei for dig pyntet staae? —
Du havde at befale,
I hvor du pegte paa —
Hvi lod du dig ei svøbe
I Lyset som et Baand,
Og Jordens Konger løbe,
At kysse paa din Haand?

6. Hvi lod du ei udspende
En Himmel til dit Telt,
Og Stjerne-Fakler brænde?
O store Himmel-Helt!
Hvi lod sig ei tilsyne
En mægtig Englevagt,
Som dig i Silkedyne
Saa prægtig burde lagt?

7. Nei! JEsus faaer sit Leie
I denne gode Juul,
Hvor Betlere de pleie
At lægge sig i Skjul;
Det var end ei hans eget
Det Høe, hvori han laae —
Han havde ei saa meget.
Han kunde ligge paa.

8. Den Sag kan ei begribes.
At JEsus, Gud og Mand,
Saa meget hart indknibes
I Verdens Jammerstand:
Han, som med Guddoms Vælde
Al Verden dømme vil,
Ei har det, han kan hælde
Sit arme Hoved til.

9. En Spurre har sit Rede
Og sikkre Hvile-Boe;
En Svale ei tør lede
Om Nattelys og Roe;
En Løve veed sin Hule,
Hvor han sin Roe kan faae:
Skal da min Gud sig skjule
I Andres Stald og Straae?

10. Ak, kom! jeg vil oplukke
Mit Hjerte, Sjel og Sind
Med tusind Længsels Sukke,
Kom, JEsu, dog herind! —
Det er ei fremmed Bolig,
Du har det selv jo kjøbt —
Saa skal du blive trolig
Udi mit Hjerte svøbt.

11. Jeg vil med Palmegrene
Dit Hvilested bestrøe:
Min Brudgom, dig alene
Jeg leve vil og døe.
Kom! lad min Sjel erlange
Sin rette Qvæge-Stund
At kysse tusind Gange
Din søde Rosenmund.

Continue reading “A Bit Short for a Lutheran Hymn. . .”

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Rakin’ in the Goodies

Two fav Xmas gifts that have come my way this year:

In addition to my “rescue kitty,” my Wonder Woman found a 1946 printing of the 1943 edition of The Joy of Cooking for me. *heh* It’s actually in better condition than the well worn 1970s era copy [someone] gave us as a wedding present.

Then, of course, Son&Heir gave me a knife. ALWAYS welcome. I can already tell it will be one of my EDC knives. 🙂

Lovely Daughter and Estimable Son-in-Law are coming to share a meal with us Dec. 26, and I can hardly wait to see how Estimable Son-in-Law likes the gifts designed to fit into his latest “thing.”

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Xmas Season Re-post from 2012

From NOVEMBER 30, 2012:

…almost all my Grolsch swingtops that I used in putting up the “Xmas Tree” pictured below are in use (that’s “filled with beer”), so I won’t be assembling the lil “Xmas Tree” we had in 2010 this year but will decorate using the materials we used last year.

Oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to live with having a few gallons of homebrew this year.

🙂

Once again, I have brew–hard apple cider–aging a bit in these (and more) bottles, so it’s just out lil 2′ artificial with LED lights, etc. this year.

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*sigh* Really? A Xmas Song? OK, Just Barely

This is one of those songs that, although I associated it with Xmas when I was a young child, I have become less and less pleased with over the years. Oh, and I’ve heard and seen folks call it a “traditional cowboy song” (yes, “traditional” and “cowboy” *sigh*), because. . . well, Gene Autry. #gag

So, the third verse hints at a genuine Xmas theme, and the fourth verse actually quotes a snippet of scripture relating to the Nativity, but that is it.

Oh, and “Santy CLaus.”

Gene Autry has a lot to answer for. . . 😉
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Continue reading “*sigh* Really? A Xmas Song? OK, Just Barely”

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Mitt hjerte alltid vanker (My Heart Always Wanders)

A recent Xmas music favorite of mine (OK, “last decade or so” is recent, isn’t it? 😉 ) is the Danish/Norwegian hymn, “Mitt hjerte alltid vanker.” Both the tune and the lyrics speak to me.

Here’s a beautiful rendition by Sissel:

But I’m strongly drawn to Tine Thing Helseth’s instrumental version:

As translations of lyrics go, this is rather rough–sacrificing both a good wedding with the meter of the tune and rhyme scheme–but I think this captures the heart of the meaning about as well as it can. I like the twist Tine Thing Helseth’s album featuring this piece takes on the title though: “My Heart Is Always Present.”

Mitt hjerte alltid vanker – English translation/version

My heart will always wander
To where our Lord was born,
My thoughts will always go there
And take on their true form.
My longing does belong there,
With the treasure of my faith;
I never shall forget you,
O blessed Christmas night!

Oh come, and I will open
My heart and my mind
And sigh with longing,
Enter, Jesus
For this home is Your own,
You bought it for yourself
So I will remain faithful,
With you here in my heart

I’ll willingly spread branches
Of palms around your bed.
For you and you alone
I will gladly live and die.
Come, let my soul find joy
In this moment of delight:
To see you born right here,
Deep inside my loving heart.

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Playing Christmas Music Already?

For most of my life, until recently, Christmas music began at least mid-October, if not a bit earlier, because that’s when rehearsals for performances of Christmas music began in the volunteer music groups I have been a part of since early childhood. For a large part of my life, Christmas music began even earlier–sometimes soon after Easter, in fact–because in many cases I was responsible for the selection of material, rehearsal, production and direction of such programs, often for several different groups, and sometimes even in different venues with different organizations in the same year.

And a few times, such preparation begged for new music, or new arrangements suited to a particular program, which also fell to me to write or arrange.

So, folks who rail against Christmas music played before Thanksgiving really amuse me. I now listen to Christmas music for enjoyment, enrichment, and sometimes () with an ear to performance all throughout the year, whenever the mood strikes, for while Easter is definitely the single most important Holy Day for Christians, the celebration of the Incarnation is a celebration of the promise that Easter fullfills.

And so, when I listen to Christmas music–real Christmas music, not pop pap, these words always echo in the back of my mind somewhere:

Trees and lights and bells and carols,
Bright-wrapped packages piled high;
Winter’s sharp blow joins the heralds:
“Christmastime is nigh!”

Mailmen hurry; shoppers scurry;
Time is fleeing – Oh! So fast!
Parties gather, loud and merry,
Grander than in Christmas’ past.

Pause a moment to remember
That a Savior’s simple birth
Still stirs angel wings in susur’ –
“Peace to men; good will on earth!”

Now the Father’s hands that molded
The first Adam in the clay,
Gently ’round a manger folded,
Cradle a Baby in the hay.

So the Greatest Gift extended,
Gift of love and peace to all,
“God’s great love to man descended”
Calls us to a manger stall.

— “The Gift” ©1990 David W Needham

So, yeh, if it’s not pop pap (or pop crap like “Merry Christmas Baby” or other such crap songs), I’m all in for Christmas music year-round.

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*meh* What Do I Know, Anyway?

Confession: I saw “It’s a Wonderful Life” once, when I was 18. Didn’t like it. I found it to be too artificially manipulative and full of stereotypes. The plot was also dissatisfying.

It’s a lousy Christmas movie.

*shrugs* What do I know, anyway. . .