Answers to Go with Susan Smith
Q. I like making Christmas gifts with my grandchildren, and I’d like to try something new. We like to cook together so maybe something along that line. Any suggestions?
A . I suggest browsing the December issues of magazines. Many include Christmas homemade gifts. It is easy to find things to bake, decorations and other kid-friendly Christmas ideas.
I saw “DIY Super-Easy DIY Gifts” on the cover of Ree Drummond’s “The Pioneer Woman Magazine.” On pages 18-20, she includes three recipes for Mason jar gifts.
I think kids might especially enjoy making her “Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix.” Starting at the bottom, fill a one-quart jar with 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 cup powdered milk, 1 cup milk chocolate chips and three-fourths cup chopped hard peppermint candies. Then top it off with 1 cup mini marshmallows.
Include these directions on the gift tag: “Whisk the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Mix with 4 cups cold water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until warm and smooth and the candies and marshmallows are melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil. Ladle into mugs.
Drummond doesn’t offer suggestions on chopping peppermint hard candy, but that sounds like a job for an adult. She also offers two more treat-in-a-jar recipes: Berry-Nut Pancakes and Loaded Holiday Cookies.
Let’s take a detour into Drummond’s world. These days she has a magazine, a webpage, a blog and a Food Network show. In 2010, she wrote her first book: “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl.”
Here is an excerpt of the book description as found in our library catalog: “After years of living in Los Angeles, I made a pit stop in my hometown in Oklahoma on the way to a new, exciting life in Chicago. It was during my stay at home that I met Marlboro Man, a mysterious cowboy with steely blue eyes and a muscular, work-honed body.
“A strict vegetarian, I fell hard and fast, and before I knew it we were married and living on his ranch in the middle of nowhere, taking care of animals, and managing a brood of four young children.
“‘The Pioneer Woman Cooks’ is a homespun collection of photography, rural stories, and scrumptious recipes that have defined my experience in the country. I share many of the delicious cowboy-tested recipes I've learned to make during my years as an accidental ranch wife.
“I hope the recipes bring you recognition, accolades, and marriage proposals. And I hope it encourages even the most harried urban cook to slow down and relish the joys of family, nature and great food.”
I read her book when it first came out. Everything looked delicious, but she does feed cowboys, not calorie-counting dieters.
My check of our library catalog brought up her autobiography, three more cookbooks, and Drummond’s children’s book series about her bassett hound Charlie.
