It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so the song goes. I certainly love the Christmas season. And I love writing this column as I get to list a lot of the amazing vendors and highlight some of their products.
Our family will be celebrating over a few days as we share our home with guests from out of town, so I want everything to be as relaxing and special as possible. Fortunately, that won’t be too hard since I can take care of just about everything with a couple of trips to market.
Gift giving is super easy. The annual Christmas Market is this Saturday at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex, where, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the lobby will be full to bursting with more than 45 artisan vendors from the market family.
Hard-to-buy-for people will almost always appreciate the gift of food. You will find sauces, preserves, soup mixes, baking and chocolate on site. It’s so easy to put together a basket full of treats.
How about a bag of sable shortbread or Scottish tablet from Blair’s Confectionary, paired with a jar of lemon curd? Want to head south of the border? A Latin American basket with Fire Belly Hot sauce, Otimo Brazilian Cheese puffs and Cajeta from OMG will let you travel thousands of kilometres from home in the comfort of your kitchen.
While you are in the kitchen, perhaps you will be cooking a turkey dinner. Gesundheit Bakery will have lots of bread choices for your stuffing. If you buy it now and cube it, it will be perfectly dry so it can soak up all of those lovely turkey juices.
Or perhaps you just need some amazing condiments to serve with the bird? Culinary Blossom will help find the perfect one.
And when the big meal is in the oven, it’s time to kick back and have a wee drop. Backyard Wines or Kalana Wines will fix that nicely and, after dinner, try the new coffee liqueur from Dragon Mist distillery. It is out-of-this-world good.
Enough food. Sort of. What if you need something to put all that food on? Pottery is perfect and the market has three great potters coming. I can’t wait to use my new pie plate from Dave and Family.
Then there are all the other people on your gift list. Alma Valle has spectacular jewellery — I especially love her starfish earrings. The Magpie’s Nest and Brenda’s Bangles and Baubles have lovely unique pieces, too.
Perhaps jewellery isn’t on your list. A gift of all natural skincare can be put together for both men and women. Medittera soaps will delight your nose while Nasty Free Naturals and Accan Vancouver-Hong Kong will make your skin sparkle. Who doesn’t appreciate a hot soak? Sisters Making Scents have an invigorating bath salt blend. After your tub, you can continue the bliss with a lavender hot pack from TLC Cozy Bags.
I can’t even begin to list all the fabulous vendors that will be at the market. Suffice it to say that this market gets better every year. This year, there are two workshops, one for crafting your own centrepiece and one to focus yourself and be mindful. Carollers with serenade us, Santa will be there, the kids will have their very own play zone, and the food trucks are open.
Our gift to you is the very best of ourselves and what we do. Your gift to us is spending your hard earned dollars supporting local business. We all thank you and wish a peaceful and fulfilling holiday season.
• Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex is located at 633 Poirier St. (Poirier and Winslow) in Coquitlam. Visit www.makebakegrow.com for more information about this special one-day market and the weekly Port Moody Winter Farmers Market.
--Karen Curtis is the Lemonade Lady (www.kicslemonade.ca and kicslemonade.blogspot.ca) at the Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam farmers markets. Her column runs monthly.
=====
RECIPE: COOKIES FROM GRANDMOTHER
Here is my favourite Christmas cookie recipe. I grew up eating these and love them to this day.
GRANNY’S CHRISTMAS COOKIES
1 cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
2 ½ cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
¾ cup red cherries (cut in half)
¾ cup green cherries (cut in half)
Cream butter, add sugar and remaining ingredients. Form dough into rolls about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap rolls in wax paper and chill overnight.
Slice cookies ¼ inch thick and bake on a greased pan at 350 F for 8 minutes. Watch closely as you do not want them to brown. Makes about 8 dozen cookies.
Also: Plenty of potatoes: page 33
