Discover
CONCORD’s
Guide to Holiday Entertaining In Celebration of the Concord Museum’s 9th Annual Holiday House Tour | December 7, 2019 PARTICIPATING DESIGNERS: Judy Blaikie Lane Blooms
Linda Smith Davis New England Fine Living
Gia Milazzo Smith Designs by Gia
Janet Lorusso, JRL Interiors
Bryn Schuyler
Bloom Floral-Marta Taylor
Home for the Holidays hat was the holiday season like in Concord as a child in the ‘70s and ‘80s? I remember: meeting friends at the Concord-Carlisle High School football game on Thanksgiving Day, caroling around town, a horse drawn hay-ride coming down Park Lane to take a load of kids through Concord Center to see Santa, skating on the overflow by lower Nashawtuc, and neighborhood get togethers for fish chowder. I remember shopping with my Dad for the church mitten tree and picking up holiday photo cards at Anderson Photo on Walden Street. In the years between then and now, holiday traditions, a warm and comfortable space to gather, and my mom’s delicious home cooking drew us back to Concord year after year. My husband and I are now the ones cooking and hosting in Concord - in a new space we created with family in mind. New variations on old traditions give us a sense of place and belonging. The holidays conjure up numerous sentiments. For many, they are a source of joy and fulfillment as family gathers in one central place and the world stops for a few moments for a meal or to sit by a fire. For some, the holidays are a source of sadness or loneliness in remembering the loss of someone important or having an empty space at the table. It is a busy time that, mixed with emotions and expectations, can create stress. I look forward to the moments between the planning and hustle that bring joy, comfort and connection. One year, we tried to free ourselves of the holiday frenzy, hopped on a plane Christmas Day, and found ourselves in Turks and Caicos for the week with our three kids. We had lots of family time and a great adventure, but something was missing. My kids
Photo of cocoa: istock.com/karandaev; Photo of tablescape: istock.com/shaiith
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now nine, 15, and 17 have since begged to “just be home” for the holidays. Our lives are constantly barreling forward. Sometimes we all simply need to stop, sit in a space together and look at one another. For us, being grounded in tradition and a familiar space is a blessing. We now love staying home for the holidays in Concord. To keep the holidays mindful and purposeful, we have kept some traditions and made new ones. In early December, we donate used clothes, housewares and winter coats before buying any presents. The Cradles to Crayons bins behind the courthouse on Walden Street, the Goodwill truck at Crosby’s parking, and Household Goods in Acton regularly collect and have become part of our routine. My daughter dances in the holiday parade through the town center. Our tree may be in a new spot, but it always features decorations given over the years by grandparents, aunts and uncles - some still with us and some who have passed. We take time to look through old photos together in the living room- some digital, some not. We move furniture around to make space for more cousins. We make room and time for each other. Truly, there is no place like home. May your Concord holiday be extra special this year and always. — Abby White
Landvest • landvest.com 2
Discover CONCORD | Guide to Holiday Entertaining
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xpecting guests for the holidays? A few simple touches can make your guests feel warm and cozy, even on the chilliest of winter nights. “Comfort and luxury are important in a guest room so your guests will feel relaxed and soothed. A clean, neutral color palette approach with maybe a pop of color and/or fresh, live greenery keeps it light and airy,” recommends the Coldwell Banker team at Senkler, Pasley & Dowcett. Anticipating what your guests will need to be comfortable, and then going a bit beyond, will make your guests feel special. Fresh, fluffy towels, a hair dryer, and individual sized soaps, shampoos, and lotions create a sense of luxury. Maybe even include a robe (you can wash between guests) and slippers, or a fun pair of holiday socks to keep feet toasty tells your guests you’ve thought of their comfort. Don’t forget an extra blanket for those cold New England nights. Water and a box of tissues by the bedside, empty hangers in the closet, and a place for guests to put their suitcase are always welcome. Something to read before bed is nice too — a collection of short stories or poetry, perhaps a copy of Discover Concord magazine to show them the highlights of our great town! If the bathroom is down the hall, consider a nightlight in the hallway to light the way. For a unique and memorable moment, include a framed photo of your guests on the bedside table. Even better, remind them of
a happy memory of a previous visit with a photo of you all together. It’s the holidays, so why not add some holidaythemed pillows and a cozy lap blanket to your guest room? Candles or twinkle lights in a Mason jar cheer up the night and handmade or rustic winter décor (trees, Santas, reindeer, or a simple bowl of dried fruits and greenery) brings the season to life. And a plate of cookies or chocolates are a nice way to wish your guests sweet dreams. If you have a sitting area in your guest room, consider a coffee or espresso maker with mugs, spoons, and all the fixings to keep early risers happy. Finally, a thoughtful gift to take home will be a welcome reminder of their visit. Consider homemade jam or maple syrup from one of our local farms, a handmade mug or Concordthemed gift from one of the local shops, or a book by their favorite Concord author. Just be careful – if you make that room TOO cozy, your guests won’t want to leave! From all of us at the Senkler, Pasley & Dowcett team, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!
Senkler, Pasley & Dowcett Coldwell Banker Team • thesenklerteam.com
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Bedroom photo courtesy Senkler, Pasley & Dowcett Coldwell Banker Team; bathrobe photo istock.com/gerenme; coffee pot istock.com/lucas1958
Cozy Guest Rooms for Winter Visits
A Few Recommendations: Reverdito Barbera $14.99 This spicy and savory wine featuring notes of currant, raspberry, violets, and rosemary is a charmer for both old-world and new-world wine fans. Michele Reverdito’s sustainably family-run domain of 20 hectares in La Morra is a hidden gem.
Perfect Pairings
Decoy Cabernet $16.99 Decoy is pleasantly complex and well-rounded, offering robust cherry and blackberry aromas laced with herb and pepper notes. The balance of acid and tannin makes this wine a good choice for your holiday potluck.
Here is a quick guide to perfect wines to pair with your holiday celebration!
Chanukah Chanukah recipes focus on the symbolism of cooking with oil – which means rich fried foods are de rigeur. That’s a cue to break out wines with a vibrant acidity. For those keeping Kosher, there are great choices available such as Galil Mountain Cabernet ($16.99), or Mount Herman White or Red ($11.99). Brisket calls for savory reds with tannins and pronounced acidity - try Syrah or Sangiovese. Latkes are delightful with a bone-dry Riesling – but sweeter toppings like apple sauce or sour cream need a slightly sweeter (off-dry) Riesling. Try a rosé sparkler with a hint of strawberry or red fruits with classic desserts like Sufganiyot. Christmas Pinot Noir and Zinfandel pair nicely with everything from the sweetness of ham to the rich sauces and roasted veggies that accompany turkey, goose, or duck. If you prefer whites, Riesling and Gewurztraminer pair well with ham and turkey. For a delightful surprise with duck, try a Sauternes – the sweetness pairs nicely with the fatty gaminess of the meat. When it comes to prime rib or roast beef, we recommend a big, bold cabernet sauvignon, a rustic Tempranillo from Spain, or a refined Bordeaux. For a real crowd pleaser, try Barbera D’Alba.
New Year’s Eve A lovely Crémant will balance well with rich appetizers like charcuterie and cheese, or oysters. Light reds like a Cru Beaujolais (try Fleurie) pair well with appetizers that are smoky or rich. White wines should be lush and round to stand up to the rich and elegant foods you’ll likely be serving. Try White Rhône or White Burgundy wines (don’t serve them too cold). If you are serving seafood, try a crisp Riesling from Trimbach or a budget-friendly (and delicious!) Muscadet Sèvre et Maine. Saving the Champagne for midnight will make it extra special (and will help you stretch your budget!). Champagne A great hostess gift is Nicholas Feuillatte. Looking for a splurge? Billecart-Salmon is a gem that many of your guests may not have tried before. A real treat we have in the store through the holidays is Egly-Ouriet at $79.99 a bottle.
Bring in your menu ideas and we will be happy to make recommendations. Looking for one less to-do for your big party? We offer wine, beer, and liquor delivery! We look forward to helping you celebrate the holidays! — Joe and Chris Saia
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc $12.99 Our benchmark for New Zealand’s intensely flavorful style of Sauvignon Blanc. Think grapefruit, grass, and passion fruit. Ultrarefreshing, it pairs well with seafood, grilled chicken or by itself before dinner. Stags Leap chardonnay $24.99 90 Points Robert Parker - The 2017 vintage opens with fresh apples, Bosc pears, and white grapefruit notes with wafts of honeysuckle and toasted almonds. Medium-bodied, the palate is vibrant, clean, and wonderfully pure with loads of spiced apple nuances on the finish. Nicholas Feuillatte Champagne $26.99 Pale gold in color with an abundance of delicate bubbles. Floral aromas with subtle white fruits (pear, apple, almonds, and hazelnuts) deliver a fresh, smooth, balanced wine. Ideal with lobster and cream sauce, sole, morel mushrooms, or chicken brochettes. Dibon Brut Reserve Cava $12.99 Light gold with plenty of bubbles, this wine has aromas of apples and pears with pleasant floral notes. Crisp and light-bodied on the palate, stone fruit flavors are accompanied by a mild minerality and balanced acidity. A delicious sparkler for a great price!
West Concord Wine & Spirits • westconcordwine.com • 978.369.3872 4
Discover CONCORD
| Guide to Holiday Entertaining
istock.com/ashleybrookeedwards
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ith so many parties, visits from friends and family, and neighbors dropping by, the holidays are the perfect time to showcase your prized collection. Whether it’s unique ornaments, Santas, or antique cookie cutters, there’s a festive and creative way to incorporate your collection into your holiday decorations. Themed holiday trees can tell the history of your family. Lauren Huyett of Lauren Huyett Interiors says “I highly recommend collecting ornaments for your tree that tell the history of your family. Over the years we’ve added so many fun ones — like a white coat when my son went to med school, a pair of boots when my daughter was elected a leader of the Outing Club at her college, and so on.” Lauren also has a small tree in her kitchen each year decorated in honor of her dogs. A collection of small bird ornaments would be especially charming — and don’t forget to add at least one little bird’s nest. Tradition has it that a bird’s nest on a Christmas tree will bring prosperity, health, and happiness to your home. Your holiday tree isn’t the only place to display your collection. Dress up the mantel or bookshelves with prized objects. Lauren began collecting Santas when she and her family lived in Zurich. Lauren says “Since I have five kids it has been fun for them to give me Santas over the years. The only requirement is that they have to be clever. Not just ordinary Santas — they have to be meaningful or interesting. They were on our mantle in the kitchen in our previous house on Main Street. When we built the house on Monument Street in 2015, the mantel was measured and built to make room for a few new Santas.” Some collections are more difficult to display, though. Do you have a collection of recipes passed down through generations? Print them on the back of place cards for a family dinner. They’re sure to generate memories of holiday dinners past and will make a personal, thoughtful gift for your relatives to take home. As Lauren says, “Your home should be as unique and interesting as you are.” So why not display your prized collection this season and share it with family and friends?
Lauren Huyett Interiors • laurenhuyettinteriors.com
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Courtesy of Lauren Huyett Interiors
Courtesy of Lauren Huyett Interiors
A Few of Your Favorite Things
Holiday Decorating on A Budget
T
he holidays are the most wonderful time of the year, but they can also be one of the most expensive for families. There are presents and extra food to buy - and then there is the effort and expense of making your home look festive. Decorations are an important part of the holidays, but you don’t have to break the bank to decorate your home and welcome in the season. There is so much pressure to buy garlands, ornaments, and other must-haves, which can cost hundreds of dollars. But we are here to help! Throw away those pricey catalogues and decide on a theme that gives your decorating dollars the biggest impact. Once you have settled on a theme, you can put together decorations that go along with it. Don’t forget to look around your home and yard for inspiration. There are also a lot of ideas in magazines, on Pinterest, and through online sources. Here are some themed ideas to get you started: Red and Green • Wrap pillows with red and green ribbon like you would a present. Add a sprig of pine for fragrance. TIP: Buying fabric and cutting it into strips is less expensive than buying ribbon. • Turn a martini glass upside down adding a little piece of holly under the upturned glass. Put a red or green tea light on the flat piece of the stem. Use on mantles or in a tablescape. • Stuff three galvanized flower buckets with fresh pine, add a red ribbon around the buckets, draw a festive message such as “JOY” on the buckets, and accent with twinkly lights. • Use greenery from the yard to decorate mantels and tables. If you have time, you can make a garland into an advent calendar by adding little galvanized buckets (craft store/Target), adding the date, and hanging from the garland with a ribbon. Don’t forget to put a treat in each bucket!
Fruit • Create pomanders: Take small oranges and create a pattern with cloves. Simply press the cloves into the oranges. Put them in a glass or silver bowl with greenery. Place it in your hallway to create a wonderful fragrance as your guests arrive. • Arrange a bunch of pine branches in a small vase or bottle and then use paper clips to hang dried orange slices from the branches. This is lovely in a guest bedroom. • Wrap plain candles in burlap and scatter cranberries at the base for color. • Line large glass candle jars with dried slices of orange. The heat from the candles will release a beautiful scent. Silver & Stars • Make Mason jar lanterns to scatter throughout your home. Paint thin glue on the inside of the mason jar about two thirds of the way up, then scatter silver glitter over the glue. When the glue is dry, put in a white tea light for a magical glow. • Cut stars out of foil or Christmas paper and make garlands or hanging decorations for the tree or front door. • Apothecary jars can become snow globes by putting Epsom salts in the bottom as snow. Spray paint tiny deer silver and use bottlebrush trees to create a holiday scene. I hope you have fun decorating your home - and don’t forget to get the kids involved in making the decorations! Happy Holidays, Lis Martin
Lis Martin Interiors • lismartininteriors.com 6
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| Guide to Holiday Entertaining
Holiday Recipes to Love Year Round
One of the very best things about this time of year is gathering family and friends to enjoy delicious meals together. The recipes below will quickly become favorites that will not only see you through the most festive holidays, but keep you warm, happy, and healthy until spring.
Potato Parsnip Pancakes (Latkes!)
Yankee Maple Flan
This is an easy version of potato pancakes (latkes) that won’t make your kitchen such a mess. They absorb less oil and cook in about half the time. Altogether fun to make and eat, I promise.
While my version of this recipe is far from being vegan, feel free to replace cream and milk with full-fat coconut, hemp, almond, rice, or soymilk. There is coconut cream which can replace the cream below. Replace eggs with silken tofu. Serve lots of fresh berries on the side.
Photo istock.com/OksanaKiian
Serves 4 2 large russet potatoes (about 1.5#) 2 tsp good salt 1 2 large parsnips (about 1.5#) /2 tsp ground black pepper 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) 4 Tbsp flour (einkorn or 1 large onion, peeled and chopped rice are good) EVOO for frying 2 eggs, lightly beaten
Fill a large pot halfway with water and bring it to a boil. Add potatoes. When the water returns to a boil set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove potatoes from the pot. Let them cool for 15 minutes, then put them in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. To make pancakes: Heat 2 Tbsp EVOO in a large (preferably cast iron) skillet over medium-low heat. Sauté the onion about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown. Transfer onions to a clean plate and leave them to cool. Don’t wash skillet – you’ll use it for pancakes. Grate potatoes and parsnips (box grater or shredding disk of food processor) and place in a large bowl. Add eggs, salt, pepper, flour and cooked onions. Toss gently to combine everything. Pour enough oil into the skillet to come up to about 1/8 of an inch. Heat the oil over medium heat until the oil wrinkles – hot but not smoking. Scoop pancakes with a tablespoon and using your hands, gently pat into the desired shape. Lay each pancake carefully into the hot oil after you form it, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until pancakes are golden brown. Adjust the heat so they don’t burn and add more oil, as needed. You can keep them warm in a 225ºF oven until ready to serve. You can also refrigerate overnight or for a few days. Reheat in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350° oven until they’re crisp again.
Serves 8 | Bake at 350 degrees 2 C dark, robust, pure maple syrup
2 tsp real vanilla extract
2 C heavy cream (grass-fed dairy)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 C whole milk (grass-fed dairy)
1 tsp ground ginger
6 whole eggs
1
/4 tsp nutmeg
2 C cooked or canned sweet potato/yam /4 tsp Celtic sea salt
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If you’re baking your own yams (or sweet potatoes), scrub, cut off ends and put in baking dish in a 400ºF oven for about 45 – 60 minutes. Bake until the sugar in the yams begins to run and they are soft to the touch. Put cooked yams (skin and all) into a food processor with the steel blade inserted. You’ll need a 2-quart oven-safe dish or glass bowl. Preheat the empty dish while you cook 1 C of maple syrup over low heat until syrup bubbles. Remove hot dish from oven. Pour in bubbling syrup, tilting dish so syrup covers bottom and sides. Keep tilting until syrup cools. Put the dish in a larger pan or pot. Add hot water to outer pan to a depth of 1 inch. Add eggs, remaining 1 C maple syrup, vanilla, and spices into the food processor with the yams. Blend. In the same pot you cooked the maple syrup, bring cream and milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and add to the other ingredients in the blender. Blend. Slowly pour into your dish that you’ve coated with the syrup. Bake on the middle rack at 350ºF for about 1.5 hours, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove dish from water bath and transfer to rack to cool. Cover and put in fridge until cold. To serve, run knife between flan and dish. Shake dish gently from side to side. Put serving platter with a lip upside down over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, invert and turn flan out onto platter. Caramel will pour over and around flan. Yeah!
From our family to yours, have a happy — and healthy — holiday season! Debra Stark Debra’s Natural Gourmet • debrasnaturalgourmet.com
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