COURTESY PHOTO
Treats in a jar, pictured, allows the creator to experiment and have fun. See the instructions at the bottom of this story.
By ROSALIE HARRINGTON
Christmas shopping is my favorite pastime.
It’s not just the shopping, but the excitement in the air. On a trip to Nantucket a few weeks ago, the shops were preparing for the holidays. Being off-season, the crowds were gone so there were no New Yorkers to compete with for space in stores or for dinner reservations.
This foodie island offers the most delicious, sophisticated dining experiences. As with the stores, not all restaurants are open, but the payoff is a slower, more relaxed pace, and the chance to get to know the people who live year-round on the island, as well as those who own and operate the businesses.
My favorite shop, “the Thrift,” is unfortunately closed until spring, but there are many wonderful options for gift-giving ideas.
One idea I couldn’t wait to copy was a Ball jar filled with layered foods that can be combined into a salad or other such meal. We saw a jar layered with ingredients for a salad – arugula, then chicken salad, roasted beets and finally caramelized onions at the Corner Table Cafe in the new Nantucket Culinary Center. Seeing the ingredients layered through the glass makes the color and freshness of the foods really pop, and I thought of so many dishes I could package in this manner. It could be sweet or savory: for example, a layer of chocolate mousse followed by a layer of crumbled meringues, maybe a layer of raspberries and finally a white-chocolate mousse. All you would need is a decorative circle of material fastened to the top and a bow for gift giving.
On Sunday, I made my way to one of my favorite thrift shops, Second Chance in Gloucester. Once a year, the store hosts a shopping day that features all the special items people have contributed. You need to get there early because it is very popular. I look for anything Italian, of course: cookbooks, Deruta pottery, leather goods. I found two amazing shirts for my husband made by a shirtmaker in Rome. Some contributors are well-traveled North Shore residents with great taste, and I love to hunt for unique items in a store filled with great stuff.
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I sometimes miss having my restaurant for a variety of reasons – the people, the creativity that it offered in the kitchen, but also looking for special items to add to the ambience. Most of the items in Rosalie’s came from thrift shops. I still buy occasional items for the house, but I enjoy shopping for clothes – I found a pair of sneaker-looking leather shoes for $8 and they are very comfortable.
My friend Nancy and I recently shopped in Salem and found some goodies in the Salem Cheese Shop, followed by lunch around the corner at Bambolina. Their artisan wood-oven pizza is the best. Nancy and her husband, Ken, are real foodies – She loved Bambolina. Ken cures his own prosciutto and pancetta, makes his own sausages and has a wood-burning pizza oven of his own.
Girlfriend Pam and I will visit Mario Batali’s Eataly tomorrow, located in the Prudential shopping center, which will be great shopping trip. But I’m looking forward to experience this new food concept described as a grocery store with tasting rooms. I will also soon have lunch in Gloucester with my friend Kate. Oh, how I love my girlfriends and shopping, including my newest friend, Rosemarie.
My life is not only about food and friends, however. The weeks since Thanksgiving have been busy, getting ready for Christmas. I bought a tiny tree that came in a pot of water. Next week I will make some miniature butter cookies with cookie cutters of Santa, stars and other Christmas forms. Before the cookie hardens, you make a hole in the top with a toothpick for threading some red string through so you can hang it on the tree.
I found some miniature candy canes, and the grandsons and I will make a garland of popcorn for the tree. Last week, we made a gingerbread house with an inexpensive kit from Trader Joe’s.
We got an excited call from the boys on Dec. 1, saying their Elf (on the shelf) landed next to the house. “He loves sweets, Noni.” Who knew? I want to freeze in time this moment with the boys, ages 11 and 8; I’d give up all my frozen sauces nicely awaiting our devouring if I could make enough room in the freezer to preserve this period. It is the best.
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Treats in a jar
Choose a tall jar with a wide top, for ease in spooning in ingredients. Consider using foods like salads that can be served hot or cold and that will travel well.
My advice in cooking is to make more than you need, so you can create an exciting new dish with the extras for another meal. Beans, rice and pasta are good for this.
Hearty veggies like a root vegetable are colorful and healthful and can be made into spears or circles for variety. And remember that variety is the spice of life.
Place some greens like arugula and/or kale on the bottom of the jar. Try to have about four layers. (A protein is good here and then a colorful veggie that will complement the previous one. For example, if you used cut-up chicken a nice complement would be roasted potatoes, beans or rice, then a vegetable like spears of carrots, pesto and/or salsa can go on last.)
When it’s time to eat, spoon the ingredients onto a serving platter and serve with your favorite dressing if you want a salad-type meal or heat it up in a saute pan with a little oil or broth for some moisture.
Experiment with something sweet such as a trifle-style dessert with layers of vanilla pudding, then fruit, then ladyfingers.
Have fun. And enjoy giving it as a hostess gift, too. Place a circle of material, paper or cloth, on top and tie with some string. You can attach a little label with ingredients if you like.