Deliciously Moist and Flavor-Soaked, Fully Seasoned and Locally Smoked!A succulent 14 lb. Whole Smoked Turkey with 1lb. Homemade Stuffing and 8 oz. Cranberry Sauce – $130.00 each.
All orders must be received no later than December 19th, 2017.
Available at Lindo’s Market Devonshire ONLY.
If you enjoy baking and giving homemade gifts from the kitchen but simply can’t find the time to make a variety of cookies, consider hosting a cookie swap party.
Hosting a cookie swap is a fun, and delicious, way to cut down on holiday baking while ensuring each guest takes home several dozen cookies of different varieties and flavours for gift-giving.
To get started, simply send out invitations, and ask that each guest bring enough of one variety of cookie to share with others. Inviting 8 to 10 people allows for a good variety of cookies to be shared. It’s usually a good idea to host a cookie swap about 5-7 days before Christmas so that cookies last for gift-giving. Invitations should be sent out at least 10-14 days before the swap party. The invitation should also clearly state a few rules about cookies. The cookies should be homemade (yes, made from scratch!) and reflective of the holiday season. The cookies should not be highly perishable, and burnt cookies are definitely not allowed!
Ask each guest to make about a dozen cookies for every person invited, plus an additional dozen or so, for sampling at the party. Also ask each guest to bring along printed copies of their cookie recipe and a few supplies to package cookies – ribbons, gift tags, and tins or boxes. Ask each guest to RSVP and send you their recipe in advance. That way you’ll know in advance if you’ll have too many cookies that are alike, giving you the opportunity to ask one or more guests to bake something different.
As the host, cover a large table with a festive table cloth and provide enough plates, cake pedestals, serving tongs, and containers for each guest’s cookies. Have blank cards on hand for each guest to write the type of cookie they have brought along with their name e.g. Peanut Butter Kisses made by Laura. Display each card, along with recipes, in front of their cookie. Alternatively, you can skip asking each guest to bring copies of their recipe by assembling and printing everyone’s recipes as a booklet for each guest to take home. Provide disposable napkins, plates, cups and cutlery.
Set up a separate table for packaging cookies. Stock the table with the supplies each guest has brought to the party. Plus, as the host, make sure you have extra supplies on hand. Some basic supplies could include tags or sticky labels, ribbons, twine, cardboard boxes, sturdy paper or plastic plates, parchment paper, scissors, hole punches, tissue paper, cellophane, and other festive trimmings.
In addition to cookie sampling, offering a variety of savoury food to offset all those sweets is a good idea. It doesn’t have to be fancy. A selection of crackers, cheese, dips, deli meats, or finger sandwiches will fit the bill. Don’t forget the beverages to wash down all those samplings. Some options to consider are: tea, coffee, wine, punch, hot cider, hot chocolate, and of course, milk!
And lastly, don’t forget to make your own share of cookies for swapping!
A few of our favourite holiday cookie recipes: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Very Berry Cranberry Cookie Bars, Linzer Cookies, and Lindo’s Christmas Sugar Cookies.
By Stephanie Simons,
Head Pharmacist,
Lindo’s Pharmacy in Devonshire
We are now well and truly in the midst of the holiday season and this means all of our favourite foods, drinks and holiday parties! While most of us look forward to spending time with our friends and loved ones at this time of year, it can be a cause of concern to those of us trying to remain focused on being healthy. To that end, here is some guidance to help you survive the holidays.
The key difficulty that most of us face during the holidays is the ever-present temptation to overindulge, whether it be in food, alcohol or even cigarettes. This is because there is an abundance of food and drink on offer at office parties, family gatherings and social get-togethers, much of it delicious – and unhealthy! We also sometimes feel pressure to partake in overindulgence because we do not wish to be seen as being a poor guest.
Try establishing your limits before you attend an event, both for food and drink. Tell yourself, and a partner if you find this helps, how many drinks you will be limiting yourself to and how much you will eat. If you find it hard to make sensible decisions when you’re hungry, then eat a small, healthy meal beforehand.
When we drink too much, this can lead to further lack of restraint, and many people find themselves reaching for second helpings or even cigarettes more than they would normally. This is an important motivator in exercising self-control: by limiting yourself to one or two drinks, you are not only reducing the amount of liquor you intake but also minimising the chance of a slip-up in your eating or smoking habits.
To keep your body working at its best, you may find it useful to also ensure that you have several alcohol-free days a week, which will give you time to recover. If you do have to go out or host a party on one of these days, or if you have reached your drink limit for the day, then there are often non-alcoholic options available, such as Dunkley’s Eggnog, sparkling water or homemade mulled soft cider.
The closer we get to Christmas and New Year’s the more late night events we often have. The combination of this with a less well-balanced diet can have a deteriorating effect on your health. This means that it is more important than ever to ensure that you are getting all the vitamins that you need, either through your diet or by taking supplements, such as a complete multivitamin/mineral (One-A-Day or Centrum for example) and extra B and C vitamins to boost your energy and immune system. Look for a B-Complex and at least 500 to 1000mg of Vitamin C.
Go ahead and hit the dance floor! Dancing is similar to aerobic exercise. It improves energy levels, buoys mood and lowers stress.
It is also important to make sure that you are getting enough sleep, ideally more than seven hours a night. Our bodies need more sleep in these months, as we are often fighting off seasonal illnesses. This may mean having to make excuses to leave an event before it gets too late or being more efficient once you’re home at getting yourself into bed. Many people find it useful to ban electronics, such as phones and laptops, from the bedroom as the light emitted by the screens can make it difficult to sleep and can also distract you from your night-time routine. Alternatively, for those struggling to fall asleep, supplements such as Melatonin or Calcium and Magnesium can help. Sleep aids like Unisom or ZzzQuil should only be used for a few days to help you fall asleep. Melatonin is excellent in helping to reset your body clock so that you get a more restful sleep and it can be taken on a regular basis.
Lastly, while our schedules can go a bit haywire, it is important to keep exercising. Making time for your usual workout may seem like unappealing prospect, particularly if you have had a late night the night before, but you will feel better for it. If all else fails, make sure to hit the dancefloor: energetic dancing can burn more than 400 calories an hour!
With these tips in mind, you should be ready to face the oncoming month! From all of us at Lindo’s, we wish you a very happy holiday season.
Stephanie Simons is the head pharmacist at Lindo’s Pharmacy in Devonshire. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and has been practicing for over 20 years. She is a registered pharmacist with the Bermuda Pharmacy Council and is a member of the Bermuda Pharmaceutical Association.
Prep time: 35 mins ¦ Cook time: 1 hr 40 mins ¦ Makes: 15 servings
Nothing beats a baked leg of ham on the holiday table. This ham is adorned with whole cloves, pineapple rings, and cherries, basted with a sweet glaze made with pineapple juice, brown sugar, maple syrup, Chinese Five Spice (a blend of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechwan peppercorns), then baked until golden. It’s sweet, smoky and delicious!
1 (10 to 12 pound) whole leg ham, on the bone
1 (20 oz) can pineapple rings, drained, juice reserved
½ cup water
½ cup (firmly packed) brown sugar
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
whole cloves
1 (5 oz) jar maraschino cherries
‘Tis the season for entertaining. This appetizer is delicious and takes only minutes to prepare.
1 (213g can) Wild Pink or Red Salmon, drained, flaked (any skin and bones removed)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon prepared white horseradish
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
Ground black pepper
NOTE: You can use flaked cooked salmon (approx. 1 to 1½ cups) in place of canned salmon, if you prefer.
Cook time: 25-30 mins ¦ Total time: 40 mins ¦ Makes: 12 servings
Celebrate the season with a cup of good cheer!
1 cup fresh cranberries
6 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup raisins (or any flavour Ocean Spray Craisins®)
4 cinnamon sticks
2 bottles (750 ml.) fruity, dry red wine (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, to taste (or you can sweeten with honey)
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 cup orange-flavor liqueur (Grand Marnier)
Coarse sugar for rimming glasses
Star anise, and extra cinnamon sticks for garnish, optional
