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MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY The Weekender Magazine Barnett Pro 71 Plymouth Street. Plymouth, Ohio 44865 (419) 687-0002 www.theweekendermagazine.com
SENIOR EDITOR: Kathryn Barnett PUBLISHER: Michael Barnett Sr. EDITOR OF GRAPHICS Norman Reed EDITOR OF PLACES TO GO: Sheeree Oney EDITOR OF THINGS TO DO: Samantha Barnett
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Up Close... With The Editor UP CLOSE With the Editor It’s the Season for Eating... My most treasured memories of the holidays are centered in the kitchen. The laughter, the singing, and shared stories are still vivid in my mind as I retrieve each pan from the back of the cabinet or pull out the recipe box. The aroma of baking cookies or some other luscious dish was the strongest in the kitchen even though it wafted through the whole house. It was never a chore to cook at this time of year. My mother always made it into a fun game or adventure. My sister and I eagerly waited for our turn to stir the concoction in her huge yellow mixing bowl or lick the spoon once we were done. Little did we know that when Saturday’s “to do” list was completed and we were rewarded with the pleasure of “helping” bake or cook Sunday’s dessert, that we were still really helping. I don’t really remember much competitiveness between my sister and I, although there was always a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing I could fix something all by myself without any help. The first time I tried this, I didn’t know my fractions. I locked my sister out of the kitchen and proceeded to bake sugar cookies. When I read “1 1/2 cups,” I thought I had the choice of measuring between one and two cups. Since more is always better, I dumped in the whole two cups. You can imagine what happened when the fraction was 1/4. Yep.
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You guessed it. By the time I added all listed ingredients, the mixture was a slimy mess. About that time, mother came in to rescue my sister from pounding on the door and glanced my way. Defeated, I had to relate exactly what I’d put in the bowl. She figured and refigured, adding this and that until the cookie dough looked right. Once finished, we had enough sugar cookies to feed an army! That’s the very first memory I have of baking sugar cookies. Years later, the multipication of recipes came in handy when my sister actually bought the town bakery. Little did I know we’d be baking “an army’s amount” every year for 12 years. I still miss the assembly line, so I started a tradition of gathering the granddaughters together on Saturday after Thanksgiving to bake together. Alas, they are growing up as well and this year they were more interested in watching the Ohio and Michigan Football game... So guess it’s back to the drawing board. P.S. I have pretty much perfected my recipe and included it in this issue on page 13. Thank you to all the other recipes submitted to make this the largest and best Seasons Eatings yet! Happy baking and cooking. And Happy Holidays!!
Kathy Barnett,
Senior Editor
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And The Winner Is.... Subscriber, Melissa Rice for her submission of ...
Tequila Cake
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Things to Do...
People to See...
Places to Go...
Simple Solutions for the Holiday Hostess.
The Best Chocolatier: Janice Beck of Tre Sorelle Cioccolato
Orrville to Lodi and back again.
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Go for Green: Pistachios, that is...
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Side Dish Winner Barb Byrd with Linguini
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Main Dish Winner Sheeree Oney with Digon Parmesan Chicken
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Good as Gold Thanksgiving Tips
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Secrets of the Cranberry
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Our Community Calendar of Events
Batter Bowl Brownies 1 recipe Batter Bowl Brownie Mix 1/2 cup (250 mL) vegetable oil 3 eggs 1/4 cup (50 mL) water 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly spray Square Baker with vegetable oil. In large bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, eggs, water and vanilla; mix until well blended. Spread mixture into baker. Bake 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Nutrients per serving (1 prepared brownie): Calories 250, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 3.5 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Carbohydrate 32 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 80 mg, Fiber 2 g 24 Servings Christmas Tree Brownies To make Christmas Tree Brownies: Bake brownies in a square pan. Once cooled, cut brownies into squares, then cut each piece on the diagonal to create triangles. Use a candy cane stick as a tree stem and ice with festive frosting to decorate each brownie tree.
Editor’s Note: For more holiday recipes and free homemade gift how-to's and gift tags, visit PamperedChef.com. Recipes courtesy of The Pampered Chef .
Go for Green A
ll year long we look forward to the holidays and the merriment with family and friends that comes with celebrations. Unfortunately, these gatherings often tempt us with overly decadent dishes that can inflate waistlines and put our health at risk. Incorporating healthy snacks into our holiday routine, such as pistachios, can help us avoid some of the party pitfalls. Powerhouses of vitamins and antioxidants, pistachios are a festive, flavorful and a fantastic “green” to add to your meals. Here are five tips from TheGreenNut.org to help you through the holidays in a healthy way. • More Than a Handful: When your body goes into hibernation mode, try snacking on pistachios. At 49 nuts per serving (yes, that's more than any other snack nut), The Green Nut delivers a filling, healthy snack you don't have to feel guilty about! • Control Overeating: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water a day will help keep you feeling full. Many people often mistake hunger for thirst. • Delicious Decor: Impress your guests with color coordinated holiday-themed dishes. Try sprinkling pistachios atop any dish to add a touch of festive green. • Curb Blood Sugar Spikes: Eating pistachios with some high carbohydrate foods (as most holiday dishes are) may help you maintain a lowerthan-expected blood sugar level. • Feel the Burn, Even as Temperatures Plummet: Don't fall victim to giving up your exercise routine just because of a little winter chill. Look for activities like dancing or a favorite work-out DVD to keep your metabolism burning all winter long. The proof is in the pistachio pudding, or actually research! According to research published by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal 2007, eating pistachios with a car-
bohydrate-rich meal may result in a lower than expected blood glucose level, in a dosedependent manner. In other words, the more pistachios in your diet, the more blood sugar may go down, as long as you don't increase your calorie intake. Another later study, also published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal 2010, found that individuals with type 2 diabetes who regularly eat nuts, such as pistachios, may have a lower level of HbA1c, a long-term marker of blood sugar control, and a lower level of LDL (bad) cholesterol. ECES
Linguine with Lem on-Cream Sauce
Congratulations to Ms. Barb Byrd, of the Richland Performing Arts at the Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield for submitting the featured Side Dish recipe. “This is soooo good. In fact, I made it last night,” sayes Barb. “My husband is always very happy when I make it!” Barb won a V.I.P. Weekender Getaway pass for her entire family to visit the African Safari in Port Clinton.
Course salt Ground pepp er 1 lb. linguine 1 tsp. extra v irgin olive oil 1/3 cup finely chopped onio ns or shallots 1 cup heavy cream Lemon zest fr om one lemo n and the juic Parmesan ch e eese, if desir ed In a large po t of boiling sa lted water, co package dire ok linguine a ctions. Rese ccording to rv e 1-cup pasta return to pot. water; drain Meanwhile, in pasta and a small pot, h heat. Add on eat olive oil o ions, season ver medium with salt and until tender, 4 pepper, and minutes. Ad c o o k , stirring, d cream and and cook unti lemon zest. B l slightly thick ri n g e to a boil ned, 8 minute season to tas s. Add lemo te with salt a n juice and nd pepper. P and toss, add our cream sa ing enough p u c e over pasta asta water to coats pasta. create a thin Add Parmes sauce that an cheese, if desired.
Rocky R oad Cho colate M uffins Heap
ing 1-1/2 c Stephanie Colledge of ups of all-p 1⁄2 cup un urpose flou sweetened Alta Florist wins the r cocoa 1 Tbsp. ba k ing powde breads category of the r (do not a 1/8 tsp. sa dd more) lt Seasons Eatings contest Heaping 1 ⁄2 cup sup with her Rocky Road erfine suga Heaping 1 r ⁄2 white choc Chocolate Muffins. olate chips chips or ha (we also lik lf and half) Let the muffins cool in e to use da 1⁄2 cup wh rk chocola it e mini marsh the pan for 5 minutes or te (optional: 1 mallows, c ut each in cup chopp transfer to a wire rack to half ed walnuts 2 large egg ) s cool. Or serve warm with 1 cup milk 6 Tbsp. su nflower oil a cup of tea or dark hot or melted, cooled butt chocolate. er Preheat th e oven to 4 “We serve these in mini muff 00°F. Grea in paper lin se a 12 cu ers. Sift to form to bus tours and for salt p muffin pa gether the into a large no fl o u r, b o c Open House,” said wl. Stir in th ocoa, bakin r line with lows. Lightl e g powder, sug y beat egg and Stephanie. “For us, we s in a large ar, chocolate chips, a Make a we n b d o ll w m in l, a rs th th h e e maln beat in th center of th love these for dessert with egg m e milk and e dry ingre ixture. Stir oil. dients and together un a scoop of ice cream. Best may b pour in the til just com e little bits bea bined; do n of flour still yet, they make a wonder- fin pan o t s over-mix. (T ten h owing.) Sp , (about 3 here ⁄4 full). Bak oon batter ful gift; they’re just too for full size into prepare e in prehea or 15 minu ted oven, fo d mufgood not to share!” tes for min Makes 12 r about 20 i size; until full size or m in utes risen and fi approx. (48 rm to the to mini size) uch.
Dijon/ P
armesan 1/2 cup Dijon crusted or coarse gro chicken und mustard 1/4 cup apple juice 2 cloves garl Dijon mustard, apple ic, minced 2 Tbsp. butter, juice, Parmesan cheese, melted 2 cups fresh ground almonds, and soft bread cru mbs 3/4 cup grate d Parmesan garlic form a crispy and cheese 1/4 cup grou nd almonds delicious coating on 3 Tbsp. butte r, melted chicken breasts in this 1/2 tsp. salt easy recipe for Chicken 1/8 tsp. pepp er Parmesan. Start with 1 tsp. dried b asil leaves fresh raw chicken. Make 8 boneless, s kinless chick en breast ha Preparation: sure you use soft fresh lves To make Chic bread crumbs, bread ken Parmesa n, Line a 13x and add a wir crumbs you make your9" pan with h e rack. Prehe eavy duty foil a t In o v e s n h a to llo 3 w 75 degrees. pan, mix mus self by crumbling or prota rd, apple juic butter. In oth e, garlic, and er pan, mix th cessing fresh bread. Do 2 Tbsp. melt e crumbs, Pa Tbsp. melted ed rmesan chee butter, salt, p not use the dry crumbs s e, almonds, 3 epper, and d mixed. Coat ried basil. To chicken in th out of the can or bag ss until even e mustard m Parmesan ch ly ixture, then ro e e s e a n d ll bread crumb it in the from the supermarket. If Place Ch mixture until icken Parme thoroughly co san on rack o you use the dry crumbs minutes, un ated. n top of the fo til golden bro il. B a w k e n fo a n r 25-30 d thoroughly you will have way too cooked. S u b m it te d by Sheeree much for the recipe. You Oney, assista nt editor can use shredded or grat-
ed Parmesan cheese.
Go for Turkey W
ith family members coming together to celebrate the highly-anticipated Thanksgiving meal, holiday cooks everywhere spend hours preparing for the big day. To help ensure it's a meal that will be remembered, Butterball® is sharing expert advice this year to make your Thanksgiving Day shine - where to find savings, go-to holiday recipes that are sure to please and ways to access Butterball's expert advice via Facebook, Twitter, Butterball.com and 1-800-BUTTERBALL. “This year it's all about sharing the best turkey advice before Thanksgiving Day, delivering tips early and often,” said Mary Clingman, director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line®. “So we're sharing tried-and-true recipes that help cooks via our new Butterball Cookbook Plus app as well as Pinterest, a special Golden Thursday Facebook deal the week before Thanksgiving and real-time responses to questions via Live Chat on Butterball.com.” Butterball resources will be available so that you can have a Golden Thursday no matter where you are. Expert advice will be provided via the Butterball Cookbook Plus app, Live Chat, Facebook, Twitter, emails, Butterball.com and calls at 1-800BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372). Cont. next page...
To See the Lights! WINTER WONDERLAND 3D SANDUSKY - Your every Christmas dream is coming to life at Ghostly Manors Thrill Center’s magical 3D Christmas Winter Wonderland WalkThru! Fun for the entire family. Open daily, SunThurs Noon-8pm and Fri-Sat noon-10pm through Dec. 31. Grab your FREE pair of magical glasses for an adventure to meet Santa and his elves. Your enchanting walk will lead to the stunning Christmas nativity. That’s not all – every evening throughout December enjoy Ghostly Manors FREE Christmas light show from 6p-midnight, simply drive up and tune your car to 99.7FM. Ghostly Manor Thrill Center is located indoors and has hours of fun including: XD-4D Motion Ride “Sleigh Ride”, Roller Skating, Mini Golf, arcade and food! For more information call Billy at 419-656-0862 or go to ghostlymanor.com
CHRISTMAS BY CANDLELIGHT MARION - Drive through the thousands of Christmas lights that adorn the many drives throughout the Marion County Fairgrounds while listening to the sounds of Christmas music. This event brings to life the spirit of the season with a dozen scenes that tell the story of Christmas through many different points of view, including a live Nativity. The lights will warm your heart and leave you with a spirit that will last through the Christmas season. Featuring animated characters. For more information, call 740-382-2558.
22nd FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS ASHLAND - Ashland University kicks off the season Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. with a candlelight service, which is free and open to the public, symbolizes Christ coming into the world. Featuring seasonal choral music by the Ashland University Choir and Women’s Chorus, and the Ashland Area Chorus. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Canned food for needy families will be collected at the event.
Cranberries S
hhh! We have a tasty secret to share. It's all about an exceptional autumn fruit that can do just about anything. Take your taste buds on an exciting adventure and awaken your senses with the bold, vibrant taste of the cranberry. There's no other fruit that is truly transformational. From its unique taste to its rich heritage and long history of health benefits, the cranberry holds a plethora of secrets that are worth sharing. Did you know that the cranberry pairs perfectly with a variety of sweet and tangy flavors? From white chocolate to jalape単os, any dish can go from wimpy to wild. Try unexpected appetizers such as Tex Mex Cranberry Salsa and transform the ordinary into something decidedly different. Cranberries can also provide the perfect base for brining. Although citrus is the common kitchen cohort, culinary maestros know cranberry brine can be a seriously seasonal compliment to any meat - pork, chicken or turkey. Dare to be different with endless cranberry versatility. Craisins速 Dried Cranberries have a unique flavor and add fun and variety to any recipe that calls for other dried fruits, like raisins. Tiny tummies will tickle with delight for fun feasts like Ladybugs on a Log. Lastly, what could be more American than apple pie? Rustic Cherry Berry Pie Pops! After all, cranberries are native to North America. Bursting with fruity flavor, these delicious, bite-sized morsels will leave your guests feeling satisfied, but not stuffed. Recipes next page...
FALL CONCERT
for Christmas, Jingle Bell Mambo, & more! DooNov. 26/MARION - The Ohio State University at Wopping Around the Christmas Tree is presented in Marion’s University Chorus, under the direction of the Renaissance's intimate Stage on Stage seating. Christopher Dent, will present their fall 2012 concert For more information, please call 419-522-2726. “Art Is…”at 7:30 p.m. in Morrill Auditorium on the DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Marion campus. The concert will explore the variety of forms in which art can be found including SHELTER BENEFIT through humor and through classic stories. Musical Dec. 1/WILLARD - 4:30 - 7 p.m. at the First United selections will include chamber music by Mozart, Methodist Church. Dinner served (by donation), music from Humperdink’s classic opera Hansel and raffles, and auction. Featuring Gold Canyon Gretel, and music from the timeless American musi- Candles, Handshoe Lakes, Children’s Books, Two cal The Music Man. Also featured is Ohio State Sweet Chick’s Desserts, Applebees, and many more. Marion’s student a cappella group InChant. The For more information, call 567-224-9806 or 419-681concert is free and open to the public. 1465.
DOO-WOPPING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE Nov. 30/MANSFIELD - 8 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre. Everyone's favorite a capella quartet, The Moonlighters, recreate their classic 1967 NBC-TV Christmas special live on stage with Sleigh Ride, Baby It's Cold Outside, Blue Christmas, I'll Be Home
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Dec. 6-9/UPPER SANDUSKY - Annual festive weekend event with activities ranging from a parade to carriage rides to luminaries lining the streets. For more information, visit www.uppersanduskychamber..com.
APOLLO’S FIRE Dec. 6/ASHLAND, - The Ashland University Spectrum Series opens with Cleveland’s Baroque orchestra Apollo's Fire performing “Sacrum Mysterium: A Celtic Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. at the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel. Tickets are $15. Call 419-289-5125 or visit www.ashland.edu/tickets.
10TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN CAREY Dec. 7/CAREY - 5-8 p.m. in downtown Carey, with arts and crafts for kids, food available in many business locations and horse-drawn carriage rides. Many new attractions this year. Harp music and gifts from Santa at Moreno’s. A puppet show will be presented at the old Spring Fitness Center. www.careychamber.com or call 419-396-7856
A TUNA CHRISTMAS Dec. 7-9/UPPER SANDUSKY - 7:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. Sunday, at the Star Theatre. The second in a series of comedic plays, each set is in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas. Two men play the entire cast of more than 20 eccentric characters of both genders and various ages. www.starplayers.net.
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