Who Wants To Fight Crowds?......Alternatives To Black Friday Madness

Thanksgiving is almost upon us.  It is my favorite holiday.  It is about getting together with people you care about and being thankful for what you have and sharing a meal--what could be better! It is probably the most egalitarian of our holidays -- you don't have to belong to a particular religion, or for that matter believe in a higher power, to be grateful. Somewhere along the way we've lost sight of how important this is and after spending the day be grateful we rush out the next day -- and sometimes even on Thanksgiving day itself -- to acquire even more in a retail spending frenzy. Trust me, I like to save money, and as someone who owned a store, I get the need for customers, but almost everything about Black Friday and the weekend that follows seems to be contrary to the point of Thanksgiving.

I often say that we vote with our dollars and that those votes are some of the most powerful votes we cast. We can blame retailer's and mall owner's for the madness, but the fact of the matter is that our participation is why the madness continues.  Here are some ways to enjoy the holiday weekend without succumbing to the general craziness (there are even some suggestions for those who can't bear the thought of NOT shopping):

1. Have a movie or TV marathon day with your friends and family. Nothing fancy, kick back, enjoy some leftovers and watch the entire series of Harry Potter or the numerous football games or whatever strikes your fancy. You could also spend an afternoon or evening playing board games, cards, or for that matter some friendly competition on your favorite gaming system if you just can't let that technology go! Wouldn't you rather be hanging out with people you care about than fighting total strangers all clamoring to be the lucky few to get that doorbuster deal?

2. Have friends over for a potluck celebration.  A friend of mine is doing this the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I am absolutely looking forward to it. I am thankful for both my family and my friends and this year I get to celebrate with both. 

3. Take in a local museum, go see a local theatrical production, or attend a concert. While the superstores and malls may need your dollars, chances are your local cultural institutions need them more!  My hometown museum, Billings Farm & Museum, in Woodstock, Vermont, has a great Thanksgiving program. Here in Chicago, The Museum of Science and Industry has its annual Christmas Around the World exhibit of nearly 50 trees representing countries across the globe. There are plenty of free and low-cost programs, concerts, and performances all across the country, just check out the Internet or your local paper.

...still can't imagine NOT shopping on Black Friday or Thanksgiving Weekend?  Here are some alternatives to the crowds:

1. Support a local craft or art fair. This is a favorite tradition in my family. We would go to Weston, Vermont every year to their annual Christmas Bazaar held in the Weston Playhouse. Here in my Chicago neighborhood of Rogers Park, there will be a Craft-Tacular Art Spectacle held at Rogers Park Social on Glenwood Avenue on Saturday, November 29th. Events like these offer unique and interesting items made by local artists and craftspeople, and you're shopping dollars stay in the community.

2. Check out the local stores and neighborhoods.  One of my favorite things to do here in Chicago (any time of year) is to explore one of our many neighborhoods.Each one has it's own flavor and culture and yet all of them are Chicago.  Exploration, however, is not limited to urban areas. When I lived in Vermont, after going to the Christmas Bazaar, we would swing over to the nearby town of Chester, Vermont, to explore some of the local shops and antique stores.  Don't forget to check out local grocers and bakers when you're out and about -- they are great sources for hard to find food items and gourmet treats. My Polish grandmother was tickled when I brought her a butter lamb from Hapanowicz Brothers in New York Mills for Easter one year, and at Christmas the local Polish grocers here in Chicago allow me to continue the Polish traditions of breaking opłatki at Christmas and making homemade horseradish (chrzan) at Easter. No crowds and plenty of parking, it is a great alternative to the craziness of the malls and plazas, and again, you're helping small, local businesses make a go of it and keeping money in your community, plus you're much more likely to find something unique or unusual.  

Remember, we have many blessings for which we are thankful. Time spent with family and friends is one of the most precious and fleeting, so make the most of it this holiday!

Busy Saturday......Lazy Sunday

A Busy Saturday

We all say it, and it's true: the weekends are far to short! Yesterday was a busy day. I belong to a cycling club, and though it is still quite chilly here in Chicago, we had our Kickoff Party last night. As the coordinator of the event, I had some last minute things to do to get ready for the guests, but I did manage to get some personal stuff done as well. Among other things, I made a batch of horseradish. As I posted earlier, it is a relatively simple thing to do, and well worth the effort.

Assuming you don't grow your own horseradish, your best bet for buying a good quality root is to go to an ethnic market or natural foods store. I got mine at a Polish market, but I suspect you could also get great roots at a Jewish market.

Horseradish Root
(c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

Horseradish is an integral part of Polish Easter celebrations as well as the Jewish Seder. In the Seder, horseradish is the most common choice for the 'Maror' or bitter herb, a reminder of the bitterness of slavery. In the Polish tradition, the horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of Christ's sacrifice, and sometimes the horseradish is colored with beet juice to represent the blood of Christ. Like the Seder, the Polish Easter celebration is filled with symbolic foods and some sources suggest this is a Christianization of the Seder, recognizing that the 'Last Supper' (Good Friday) was indeed as Seder meal.

But I digress...

The first step, peel the root. Horseradish is dense and has a thick peel, a sharp potato peel or paring knife is in order. I recommend buying the root on the day you plan to make the horseradish. I had this root stored in a cool room, but it still dried out a little, which makes it a bit tough. In fact, I probably will get a fresh root this week and make another batch for the family dinner.

Peeled Horseradish
(c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

The next step is to cut the root into chunks (You don't want to burn out the motor on your blender!)

(c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

These two inch chunks proved to be a bit of struggle for my blender, so I cut it into finer pieces, less than inch.

(c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

The other ingredient is vinegar. I have a one-gallon plastic jug of vinegar in the kitchen, but that's the vinegar I use for cleaning. A good quality, white vinegar, in a GLASS bottle, is what you want for this project. Pour a cup or so of the vinegar in the blender with a third of the horseradish and blend on a high setting (my blender is a vintage 8 speed, so I used the highest setting). As the horseradish gets processed, stop the blender and add more horseradish and vinegar. You may have to stop the blender periodically to pop air bubbles (be careful, you DON'T want this splashing in your eyes!). If your blender has a 'pulse' option, you may want to try that. The goal is to puree the vinegar and horseradish together into a sort of 'horseradish smoothie'. I bought fairly sizable root and used about a pint of vinegar and ended up with a blender full of horseradish.

The Final Product
(c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

I store it in sterilized mason jars. This year, I may try to store some of the extra in the freezer (though not in glass!). It is best made a week or less before the big day, especially if you want it to be a nice, bright white. Food safety is important, you don't want be sick, or make your guests sick. For recommendations/techniques on sterilizing the jars and guidelines on how long it will keep, check out the canning section of the USDA Website

A Lazy Sunday

After a busy Saturday, it was nice to have mellow sort of day. Sunday's are often a busy day for me. I normally like to spend the day cooking multiple dishes so I don't have to cook as much during the week, or, weather permitting, heading out with my camera and exploring the city. Today, not so much. I think it's good for our bodies and our souls to get some rest and unwind. When we are kids, we fight naps with every fiber of our being, but as an adult, I have developed a fondness for them, and I indulged in a rather lengthy one today. Relaxed and refreshed, I edited a few photos, and wrote this post, and I think that's plenty for today!

SPRING - A Time For New Beginnings, But Don't Forget Your Roots!

Though it's only 24 degrees here in Chicago, today is the first day of Spring -- the perfect time to start something new. Last year I launched a website for my artwork Today I am taking things a step further, by launching this blog (or relaunching it if you a are viewing it on my artwork website). Over the past year I have received a lot of positive feedback on my Facebook posts, particularly my cooking and re-purposing projects, as well as my art and photography. This blog will share my projects along with other helpful information that I come across.

There are many types of artists and artwork -- while some of my work might have a greater meaning, a lot of it is created because I think we should all live in beautiful surroundings. The same goes for my other projects. Having picked a lot of low paying jobs over the years, I have taught myself how to do a lot with a little. You don't need a big budget to make your home beautiful or put a delicious, healthy meal on the table, and this blog will show you how.

So that's the New Beginning, now for the roots -- literally and figuratively. Spring is a time for celebration in most cultures. Having been raised in the Christian tradition, that celebration is Easter. My Mother's family is Polish, and for the Polish, Easter is perhaps the most important holiday of the year, therefore, it also has special foods. My favorite is Easter or świeże kielbasa (świeże means fresh) served with horseradish. My grandmother didn't make fresh horseradish, she bought it in a jar from the local grocery store. I didn't have the real deal until I was living in upstate NY. I learned how to make it from a Slovenian farmer. Every year his son-in-law and his friends would come over to help dig the roots and clean and peel them. Depending on how potent the roots are, this could be an experience that literally brought tears to your eyes. After cleaning and peeling the roots were cut into smaller pieces and processed in a blender to the desired consistency. The end product was not the yellowish gray mush you buy in the store, but a snow white condiment bursting with not just heat, but flavor. It was love at first bite!

My first attempt to make horseradish on my own was less successful. The root I bought was on the weak side and was a little too tough and stringy. I decided that probably a store bought root was just not going to cut it and since I no longer lived in Upstate NY and had no place to grow horseradish that I would have to just enjoy the memory of days gone by. For the past few years I have spent Easter here in Chicago with my brother-in-law's cousins. Also of Polish descent (my brother-in-law's Grandfather had a Polish grocery store in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood), they enjoy many of the same Polish foods that I had growing up. Last year, while poking around one the Polish markets, I saw horseradish root and decided to give it one more try (worst case scenario, it would suck and I would bring something else to the dinner). The roots looked much fresher than the one I had bought at a grocery chain years ago and when I picked one up, there was actually a faint smell of horseradish. It turned out quite well and got rave reviews on Easter Sunday, so I am making it again this year. I picked up a root today (pictured here) and will post pictures of the finished product.

Horseradish Root
(c) 2013 Eric E. Paige, All Rights Reserved

We are a nation of immigrants and while it is important to move forward, it is also important to remember where we came from. In a culture that values homogeneity as much as ours, traditions can fade quickly. All four of my Mother's grandparents were from Poland, her parents could speak Polish, my Mom can understand most of a conversation in Polish but cannot speak it fluently, and my sister and I only know a few words and phrase. Food is a great way to honor our heritage - a direct sensory connection to the past. I hope, whatever your heritage, you take the time this Spring to enjoy the foods and traditions of your ancestors.