November – Holiday Decorating and Baking, written by Gillian Shearwater
Want to try something new for holiday decorating or baking? There are ideas for the whole family to share in the Alberni District Fall Fair prize catalogue, free on line. (http://albernifair.com/index.php)
Greenery brightens a home. In small spaces, a foliage plant can be a living “tree”. Young children can pot their own plant and decorate the pot in their own way. Be sure all plants are safe for humans and pets. Potted herbs make great air fresheners too. Create your own table centerpieces, or miniature arrangements for place settings. Don’t want greenery shedding? Try an arrangement of all natural dried plant materials. (For small children a play-doh base is easier to manage.)
Seasonal decorations brighten tables, corners and walls. Sew a tree skirt or Christmas stocking; quilt, embroider, crochet or knit accent pieces. If you have an indoor tree, everyone can create decorations for it. You can knit, sew, crochet, tat, embroider or cross-stitch tree ornaments. Make them from plastic canvas, wood, ceramics, beads, or anything else including recycled stuff. Preschool children will have fun with dough or cutout felt ornaments, or wreaths: bring on the glue and glitter! Hand-made cards send a warm message: children will enjoy stamped cards.
Alanna Miller and Theresa Gereluk of North Island College’s early childhood education program recommend that children make their own pieces to encourage their creativity. You can adapt ideas to your child’s skill level (prepare the dough base, for example), then see the joy of doing their very own parallel project beside you. The process makes the experience memorable to children, much more than the product. Remember to take some photos, both for your child and for yourself. Make extras of your favorite items and mark your best photos to use as gifts, or Fall Fair entries in 2011.
The holidays are also for sharing special foods that mean “home”. Baking and candy making (hot stuff!) should be for older children and adults. If you’re new(ish) to baking, Debra Miller at Canada Safeway recommends starting with muffins. Choose your favorite flavor to enthuse yourself, or go seasonal with pumpkin or chocolate chip muffins. Decorate to your heart’s content. Children will enjoy decorating some muffins of their own. (For kids needing a larger scale, I prepare a Giant Cookie base in a 10-inch torte pan.) Debra recommends experienced cooks create the cheesecake of their dreams, using special fruit sauces, liqueur flavors etc. Save your best recipes in a file for next year’s Fall Fair.
Kitchen tools enhance creativity. Find a good utility knife that fits your hand perfectly. At Quality Foods Step Above, Gail suggests one like the German Wusthof. Colleague Karly’s favorite is a le Creuset mixing bowl “because food has to be mixed with TLC.” Tara recommends All-Clad pots and pans because “everyone should cook like a professional.”
TLC – that’s what this month’s column is really about. Decking our halls for the season, warming the kitchen with home baking, bringing the whole family into the experiences of the holidays.
Complete horticulture, craft and baking lists are on the Alberni District Fall Fair website at www.albernifair.com (see “Catalogue of Events & Rules”). Check our library for great recipe and how-to books. Alberni Valley Make Children First Network has a wealth of information about children and families at www.albernichildrenfirst.ca.
Special thanks to:
Alanna Miller and Theresa Gereluk (North Island College)
Tracy Smyth (Alberni Valley Make Children First Network)
Debra Miller (Canada Safeway Bakery)
Gail Filipchuk, Karly McLeman, Tara Johnson (Quality Foods)
