Active puppy, holidays call for easy, quick recipes
Gatherings
Our household has welcomed a new member of the family in recent months: a puppy. Roo (as in kangaroo; she really hops like one) has turned everything upside down. It’s been pretty quiet around here since we lost our last dog a couple years ago, and most of the kids have moved out.
It’s not quiet any longer, as we chose a “very active” breed, according to absolutely everyone we walk past on our daily hikes. She’s a German shorthaired pointer, a beautiful princess of a dog. Good thing she’s cute, as they often say about toddlers.
We knew she’d be energetic, but we were ready to be more active ourselves. Ha. Active? It’s more like firecrackers going off all around us. It seems we are playing whack-a-mole with everything she grabs in her sharp-as-nails puppy teeth and runs off with.
As soon as you retrieve one thing from her, there’s another item that she’s found or piece of furniture she’s using to exercise her jaw. The words “no” and “come” are cute to her. They mean, “clamp down tighter on what’s in my mouth” and “run away.”
In Roo’s defense, her breeder told us (after we’d had her a couple of months) that these dogs wake up every day and say, “Do yesterday’s rules still apply? I think I’ll check it out.”
We’ve raised other puppies successfully before, so I’m sure we’ll get through this.
What do our puppy and my current disorderly life have to do with entertaining for the coming holidays?
Well, when writing and cooking for an article in recent weeks, not only did the writing process take three times as long, but at least one recipe took three hours instead of one, thanks to this four-legged distraction.
And dog or no dog, that time crunch is something we all face during this holiday season. The answer for home cooks is simple: easy recipes. Satisfying and delicious, yes, but also easy and quick.
Our family is hosting our extended group for Thanksgiving this year, most from out of town, and the night before the big feast, when everyone rolls in, is the perfect time to dig out the stress-free recipes.
My grandmother had a handwritten recipe for a Mexican casserole that I don’t remember her ever making. But when I pulled it from her recipe box years ago, I found it perfect for its simplicity and quick prep. It’s been a favorite for years at our table.
Nutty wild rice is a natural for autumn and winter cuisine. Here, mixed with vegetables in a simple stir-fry, it’s a speedy sautéed side that pairs great with the corn and tomato flavors of the entrée.
Another absolute pick for the night-before menu is a luscious iced pumpkin cake recipe I received from a colleague several years ago. Its one-bowl prep makes it ideal for this frenetic time of year.
To complement this casual fare, simply serve a great bottle of wine, such as one from the local label Bright Cellars. And for the kids to drink, what’s better than a nice hot spiced cider?
It’s finally time to usher in the holidays and toast the blessings of Thanksgiving, celebrating with family, friends … and pets.
Amy DeWall Dadmun is a Milwaukee area food and garden writer. Email her at amydadmun@gmail.com.
Bright Cellars wines
When Milwaukee startup Bright Cellars opened its doors three years ago in the Third Ward, its wine club model was to pair wines globally sourced for customers.
Gradually it began to produce its own wine under labels designed and created in-house, using grapes from all over the world. In recent months, its signature wines have become so successful it is are now selling only Bright Cellars wines, and Bright Cellars is moving into the Chicago market.
Sommelier and wine director Gretel Bubnik recommends its Folk and Fable red table wine for Thanksgiving gatherings and says it’s ideal for serving throughout the holidays.
“The wine is fruit-forward with aromas of dark and red fruits, velvety tannins and a whole bunch of baking spices (clove, vanilla, nutmeg),” she said. “It’s partially aged in bourbon barrels, which give the wine a really nice added complexity of toasted caramel notes.”
The company also has launched a cheese-pairing subsidiary called The Tasting Board, which supplies customers with cheeses only from Wisconsin. Based on answers to a tasting quiz and customers’ ratings, the staff fine-tunes future cheeses to replenish their clientele’s own tasting boards.
Contact Bright Cellars for more information about pairing wines for holiday entertaining.
Night-before-the-feast Easy Menu
Mexican Enchiladas Casserole
Wild Rice Stir-fry
Pumpkin Cake
Bright Cellars Folk and Fable Wine
Hot spiced cider
RECIPES
