Merry Christmas

CONTENTS
LE WAIJIAO MAGAZINE VOL. 2 - WESTERN EDITION

WHATS HAPPENING
01
The camera
04 TEACHERS HOBBIES

W
Frisbee

is not always right

Creating Art from Trash

Its amazing how much value you can

e dont always
have the money to buy
find in what initially just looks like trash!
a super fancy
camera,
Cellist bybig
Night-Playing
the Cello and the truth
Share your Gifts with the World
Listen closely next time, the cello speaks in human voice
I find art is a truly amazing method to clear
to you. You can clearly distinguish it, as its sound is so
the mind and revitalize the soul.
is, quite often
familiar. even with these cameras,
Be the Master Pokemon Go
Documenting
Life through
Photography
When I was a kid I was never really
interested
thethatpicture
dont have
the
same color, or
This is a perfect example of last but not least. Light is
in Pokmon but now I love the game! Its great bevital for you to get beautiful pictures, and either too much
cause it makes me go for walks every day!
feeling
that our eyes see. Fact
the
matter
is,a picture
it is not
light or too of
little will
ruin any
chance of having
you are truly proud of.
easy for a lifeless camera to know what exactly you are
Its cheap to play, fun, and gives a spirit of
generosity to everyone involved.

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04

OUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPES

Grannys Gammon in Coke

Every Christmas, my family pulls out the family recipe

books to make our special meals over the festive season.

Chicken Paprika

Every Christmas, for as long as I can remember, my mother

has made a dish called Chicken Paprika. She learned the
recipe from our grandmother, who was raised in Austria.

Grannys Pie from Beyond the Grave

The first holidays after someone has died are always the
most difficult.

Haselnussbusserl

Here I was in a foreign country trying to replicate my holiday traditions out of homesickness when she had started
those traditions by doing the exact same thing.

A Collaborative Tradition

Nervously we all watched as Mom and Dad began to prepare what could either be a wonderful dessert, or a totally
waste of ingredients.

www.scribd.com/user/314251277/Le-Waijiao-CEO-Office

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LE WAIJIAO MAGAZINE
WESTERN EDITION

Vol. 2 December 2016

CEO OFFICE

Editor-in-Chief:
Sarah He
Editors:
Lily Chen
Colina Rosner
Graphic Designers:
Keisha Cruz
Joyce Diaz
Contributors:

*Arranged in alphabetical order

Ariana Calderon
Bryan Teare
Colina Rosner
E. Leigh Hough
Heather Anne Gil
Heather Lawson
Janet Ravivo
Jessica Roehrig
Kim Freeke

Lesa King Bullins

Madison Bajc
Mary Kate McCray
Marta Barnes
Rachael Smyth
Rodney Evans
Stephan Johnsen

WHATs

HAPPENING
in the corner

Janet Ravivo went to Israel

one holiday season to visit
family. In her own words,

One experience I will never forget was the

time I climbed Masada at sunrise. Masada
is an ancient fortification built by Herod
the Great between 37 and 31 BCE not far
from Jerusalem. Here is a picture of me at
sunrise just after I reached the top of the
mountain where Masada is situated. The
walk was an exhausting 2 hours uphill. We
walked as the sun slowly creeped up behind
the mountains of the Judean desert and the
Dead Sea, and we continued as the stars
were replaced by the sun and sky slowly
turned a lighter shade of blue. The view was
absolutely breathtaking. When we arrived
at the top we explored the many ruins that
made up the fortification. It was a memorable experience and one that I will never
forget.

Rodney Evans hit the beach in Mexico for one holiday season.
Mexico has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world
which are the very defitinion of picture postcard paradise. His
young children love to head to the beach and snorkel hoping
that maybe Santa will arrive on a paddle board!

Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

As dawn finally started to

break at Machu Picchu, the
sun slowly dissipated the mist
shrouding the ruins. We were
left with a soft dusting of little
fluffy clouds around us. Pure,
magnificent magic.
- Kim Freeke

Back in 2011, Rachael Smyth went to Copenhagen,

Denmark. One of the sights she visited was Tivoli
Gardens, a large amusement park with theme park
rides, restaurants and a Christmas market. The
park was beautifully decorated and buzzing with
Christmas spirit.

These photos are of my first

year living in Israel. I spent
the holidays doing various
fun activities. I got to sing in
Bethlehem for Christmas Eve.
I also traveled to the Dead Sea,
played the Nintendo Wii and
had smore parties on the roof
of my apartment. I even got to
draw beside the Sea of Galilee.
It was an amazing year with
many wonderful memories and
activities.
-. Heather Anne Gil

Last year Ariana Calderon took

advantage of taking a holiday to El
Salvador. She didnt pass up the
opportunity to dress in Salvadorian
typical clothing and learn about the
countrys history. Here she is dressed
in a typical dress for a dance the
called Cumbia.

Shoobe is a world traveler. Hes visited the U.S., Canada,

Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Austria,
Slovakia, and Lithuania. By far, his favourite Christmas
destination was Colmar, France. In fact, hes such a fan
that the shopkeepers would give him free treats!
-Colina Rosner

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

E. LEIGH
HOUGH
ERIN HOUGH

hen Im not working, Im

spending most of my time
playing sports! Growing up,
my parents signed me up for just about
every sport they could find. Some of
these I was good at, some of these I
was truly terrible at! I remember the
first time I went for swimming lessons,
I was so bad that my instructor told my
mom I would naturally sinkwhat a
thing to hear! Recovering from that, I
moved on to playing team sports I was
slightly better at, such as softball and
soccer. After a brief attempt to learn
Lacrosse (unsuccessful), I was looking
to find another sport that would keep
me active and interested, but required
less time and effort to learn. Thats
when I stumbled across a really col
sport called Ultimate Frisbee, which
happened to be very popular in the
West of the United States (where Im
from). It only took a small amount of
time for me to decide that Ultimate
Frisbee is the ultimate sport! Its
the perfect combination of athletic

Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

challenge, teamwork, and strategy, The other great thing about Frisbee is
and its all combined with the idea of spirit of the game. In Frisbee, there
are no referees or officials to call fouls or
I first started playing in High School. make people follow the rules. Instead,
Where I come from, everybody the sport relies on the goodness of the
is very outdoorsy; theyre always people playing. If someone believes
outside climbing rocks, mountains, a foul has been committed against
or anything stationary enough to them, they discuss it with the person at
ascend. Im afraid of heights, so few fault, and the two figure out whether
of these options were interesting to something actually happened, and if
me. Instead, I decided to play a sport so, what should be done about it. This
that would get me outside as much spirit means that even in the most
as possible, but wasnt as competitive competitive of games, the people still
as the other sports I was playing, like know that theyre there to have fun,
softball of soccer. Learning to throw a and very few fights happen in this
Frisbee can be difficultimagine trying sport. Overall, I think Ultimate Frisbee
to throw a dinner plate through the air is a sport that more and more people
at a high speedand my first attempt should play, and this is indeed whats
to throw was pretty pathetic. I dont happening. It has officially become a
think I threw it anywhere near where professional sport, and now people
it was supposed to go. After a few days are even beginning to learn it in High
of practice, though, I was able to throw School. Its cheap to play, fun, and
well enough to at least be involved in gives a spirit of generosity to everyone
the game. Once I started playing the involved.

spirit of the game.

actual games, I was hooked! Imagine

a mix of football, basketball, and track.

TEACHERS HOBBIES

HEATHER ANNE GIL

There are two quotes that stand out to me
concerning art. The first is a quote from Pablo

The purpose of art is washing

the dust of daily life off our souls. Like, Picasso,

Picasso he said:

I find art is a truly amazing method to clear the

mind and revitalize the soul. I find many of my
student share this passion for art and creation.
Art connections people and allows them to
communicate emotions that are impossible to
put into words.
I have also started selling my artwork at local

Anime conventions. As a child, I loved drawing with

my best friend and creating Anime girls that we
would name and create stories for. I also grew to
love writing and story creation. But this all came from
a deep love for art. I currently use a calligraphy pen
and ink to create my images. There are times when I
also create digital images.
Even as a child, I loved to draw. My mother said this
was the one activity that I would give my undivided
attention to. She would set me up in front of the easel
and sit to watch me draw or paint pictures for hours.
I loved the feel of a pen in my hand and the ability
to create whatever I wished. I was able to allow my
imagination to be free and open to any ideas or
emotions I might be feeling.
The second quote that comes to my mind when I
think of art is something Aristotle said, The aim of art

is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

their inward significance. I can spend

applied, and finally, the colors are

hours staring at a painting and return

tested, and many rough drafts. You

again only to see something new.

have the final image and hope that

Paintings, drawings, sculpture and all

it will speak to others. Art is freedom of

forms of art allow our minds to wander.

expression, and I have always loved

We can see different emotions or

being able to create the images and

even images within paintings. For me

character in my mind. I am able to

art is an outlet that allows you to speak

bring characters from my stories to

your mind. It is a freedom to express

live or create an image from a classic

the inner feelings that you might not

work that is in my style.

have words for.

As far as materials I use many different

And after days and hours of work, you

types of things to create my artwork

finally have an image you are ready to

from

computer

share. I always hope that my pictures

programs for creating digital images.

can inspire and help another person

It takes time and many rough drafts

to open their imagination. Sharing

traditional

ink

to

to produce images that can stir the

imagination. A white paper that starts
out with pencil, then it is in dark ink is

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

art is one of the things I have come

to love. I love sharing an image or a
picture because I am sharing a piece
of myself. Though it has taken me
time and many imperfect images I still
love to lose myself in art, somethings
havent changed since childhood.
I have many friendships that have
grown and blossomed because of
our shrared love for art. I challenge
you now go pick up a pencil or a pen
and draw a little something. Express
yourself in whatever method fits your
personality. Dont be afraid to reveal
your skills and talents to others, they
are gifts that should be shared. I want
to leave you with a final quote that I
think will inspire you.

The artist is a receptacle for emotions

that come from all over the place: from
the sky, from the earth, from a scrap
of paper, from a passing shape, from a
spiders web. Pablo Picasso
So, open your mind and heart and
become

receptacle,

create

amazing art and share your passion

with the world!

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

HEATHER LAWSON
With the Pokmon theme song singing in
my head I once again embark on my favorite
hobby, catching Pokmon in my city with the
awesome game Pokmon Go! Based on the
incredibly popular cartoon series and video
game Pokmon Go is an awesome game you
can play on your phone! It challenged players
to walk around in real time finding awesome
Pokmon via google maps. There are three
ways a player can become a Pokmon master!
The

first

way

involves

searching

your

neighborhood for Pokmon. I have been

playing the game for three months and Ive
managed to find one hundred and fifteen
Pokmon! My favorite Pokmon is a flameron I
named Vivienne.
The second way involves hatching eggs! Local
libraries, churches and monuments have been
turned into poke stops where you can pick up
poke balls and eggs! Every time you walk five
kilometers you hatch an egg! So far Ive walked
thirty-seven kilometers and Ive hatched seven

five pieces of candy, the magicarp Pokmon

eggs!

however needs to eat four hundred pieces of

The last way you can become a Pokmon

candy in order to become a dragon! Thats a

master involves evolution! All Pokmon start

lot of candy!

at three different levels! For example, a simple

The second way you can evolve your

magicarp (a Pokmon that looks like a goldfish)

Pokmon involves walking! You can pick

can evolve into a giant sea dragon! You can

a Pokmon to be your buddy and for every

evolve your Pokmon two ways. The first way is

kilometer you walk they get a piece of candy! I

by catching more Pokmon of the same species

have walked 15 kilometres with my magickarp

and then giving them to the Pokmon wild

Boris! Only three hundred and eighty-five

life park in exchange they will give you some

until he becomes a dragon!`

candy which you can feed to your Pokmon.

When I was a kid I was never really that

The more candy you feed your Pokmon the

interested in Pokmon but now I love the

stronger they will get! Some Pokmon like

game! Its great because it makes me go

the rat Pokmon only need to eat twenty-

for walks every day!

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

JESSICA ROEHRIG

ne of my favorite
hobbies is crafting. I
love taking old, unused
things and giving them
new life by creating something
beautiful or useful. Its amazing how
much value you can find in what
initially just looks like trash!
A few months ago, I moved into a
new apartment after spending more
than 2.5 years traveling all around the
world for work. I was super excited
to have a place to call home, and
every new home needs some great
decorations! The problem was, I
didnt have a lot of extra cash in my
pocket. What I did have, though, was
some toilet paper rolls, cardboard
boxes, and other things lying around.
Normally, I would just throw these
things in a recycle bin and dust off
my hands, but this time I decided to
get creative!
I started by taking some toilet paper
rolls and cutting them in pieces that
were about 1cm (a little less than half
an inch) wide. For a frame, I took
apart a wooden fruit box, and I glued
the wood together into a square.
Then, I curled and tweaked and
organized the pieces of toilet paper
roll until they were just right. For my

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

very first pattern, I wanted something that looked

like flowers and vines climbing up my wall, and
I didnt want it to be symmetrical. When I was
happy with the pattern inside the frame, I glued
everything together.
The gluing was a mess! The pieces of toilet paper
are small and it seems like it would be easy to just
apply a drop of glue, but when you have so many
different pieces and you have to get everything in
just the right place, it becomes a really difficult
task! Finally, with the help of some paperclips
and a whole lot of time, the glue dried, everything
was where it was supposed to be, and I was ready
for some spray paint.

he spray paint proved to be a difficult step

as well, and it was again because there
were so many small pieces in my artwork.
Each piece had to be covered in paint, and this
meant spraying from lots and lots of different
angles. Everything was so delicate and easy to
break, so I decided it was a good idea to hold the
piece while spray painting it.with no gloves on!
Things went exactly as you imagine they probably
did, and I think I may have gotten more paint on
me than on the art.

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Finally, the glue was all set, every little leaf and
petal was all painted, and my first piece of art was
finished. But, I had a great big, blank wall to fill
up and only this one little lonely piece of art to
hang! So first I needed some more designs to
display with my first one. I didnt want everything
to look the same, so I played around with size and
pattern and a few different supplies. Some even
include scraps and trash like bottle caps, parts of
a bamboo table mat, and broken picture frames.

n the beginning, all I had was a pile of trash

and an idea. I wasnt sure exactly how it
would all turn out, but my willingness to
try it out and see what would happen resulted in
four unique pieces of art. The amazing feeling of
creativity and accomplishment is at the heart of
why I enjoy this hobby, and will continue looking
for art among the trash!

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TEACHERS HOBBIES

MADISON BAJC

ost of us got good early on at something that took time

and devotion. For me it was playing the cello.

People often ask me why I chose the cello. The answer

is simple: in fact, the cello chose me. All of my classmates
wanted to play the violin, so I settled on the viola as it was
less popular. However, I have had upper cervical pain since I
was young, so for fear of my neck, my
mother pushed me towards the bass
or the cello. I was a scrawny kid, so
my fate was determined for the cello; at
least I could somewhat pick up and carry the case. It truly was
a hysterical sight to see during my early years!
My grandmother has a love of the arts, so I grew up
attending the symphony, watching the opera, and
singing in the church choir. I knew the sound of
the cello, but it wasnt until I played my first
in-tune note that the cellos sound became
personal. The cellos sound very closely
recalls the human voice, so it felt instantly
familiar to me: it seems to represent
soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices all in
one, a unifying quality which is very rare
and special.
I played competitively while I was in school.
My fingers would land in the correct spot; my bow

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10

TEACHERS HOBBIES

Music gives a soul to the

universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination
and life to everything.
strokes were beautiful. I was always able to create
beautiful music that would resonate within you.
However, the more competitively I played, the less
joy I found in playing the cello. My instructors
would criticize me more and more: change your
posture, move your fingers faster, memorize your
music, etc. I always played well, but I was never
the best. So I decided to stop playing competitively
and explore other hobbies. I am a woman of many
hobbies, it is what makes me so interesting! I
had decided to play only as a hobby, and so I
only played for my own personal joy. I stopped
practicing for upcoming concerts or competitions,
and realized the joy of playing returned.

s the years have flown by, I still play. I play

at night when no one is home. I play when
I am so stressed no other vice is sufficient. I play
when I am so ecstatic about news I have no words.
As a child, I thought I would become the next YoYo Ma. I never stood a chance, but in the process
I learned a great life-long skill: I learned to play
an instrument. It is something I encourage every
parent to allow their child to pursue. If you were
not afforded the opportunity as a child, it is never
too late to learn as an adult. Learning an instrument
encompasses so many other skills: learning to read
music, learning to play with others, learning to
listen and understand music, learning how to use
your senses in tandem, and learning to have the
confidence to play in front of others.
Listen closely next time, the cello speaks in human
voice to you. You can clearly distinguish it, as its
sound is so familiar.

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14

TEACHERS HOBBIES

Documenting Life
Through Photography
STEPHAN JOHNSEN

verybody wants to share the exciting and beautiful

moments in their lives. This has become comically
obvious now with social media where people tend to
share even their most mundane moments and even
thoughts with strangers around the world. Although I personally
try not to share my lunch with the rest of the world, I do enjoy
sharing beautiful scenes and moments with friends and family.
My primary way of doing this is through photography.
I got my first camera when I was very young, probably just about
5 years old. It was a point and shoot film camera. I didnt fully
appreciate the sensitivity the film had to light, so if I thought
that the film was jammed I would simply open the back of the
camera and try to fix it, trying to do so quickly so that it wouldnt
damage the film. I was quite disappointed when my mom told
me that no matter how fast I tried to be, the pictures I had spent
so much time taking, were now ruined. Lesson learned.

take a quality photo, and this became more apparent

when I was living in absolutely beautiful places, but my
photos would not do it justice. After watching some
tutorials and reading some books and magazines on the
subject, however, I learned some valuable tricks to help
my photos show the beauty that my eyes were seeing and
I would love to share them with you.

Closer is often better

always thought that the best way to share what I

am seeing is to get a picture that shows everything
that I see with my eyes. However, with pictures,
sharing too many details often detracts from the
important ones. In this picture of the girl, in the full body
shot you can get an idea of what she looks like, but the
picture that actually shows less detail really speaks much
more about her and where she lives.

For the next years I never thought too much about how to really

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12

TEACHERS HOBBIES

The camera is not always right

e dont always have the money to buy

a super fancy big camera, and the truth
is, quite often even with these cameras,
the picture dont have the same color, or
feeling that our eyes see. Fact of the matter is, it is not
easy for a lifeless camera to know what exactly you are
taking a picture of, and then to tune the millions of colors
to exactly what we want them to be. Some adjustment
is almost always needed! There are paid specialty
programs for your computer like Adobe Lightroom that
give photographers a lot of power to adjust their images,
without going to extremes of photoshopping or actually
changing the photo. Since most of us just use our phones
to take pictures, why not try a free photo editing app like
snapseed and see what hidden potential your photos
have. With the turn of a few dials, you can make your

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Dont
underestimate
the importance
of light
This is a perfect example of
last but not least. Light is
vital for you to get beautiful
pictures, and either too much
light or too little will ruin any
chance of having a picture
you are truly proud of.
When there is too little light,
then our cameras will try to
compensate by making the
picture brighter, but to do so
it sacrifices, depth of colors,
sharpness, and adds what we call noise or white specs all over the photo. Using a flash can help in certain situations,
but remember a flash will only work for objects a few feet (approx. 1 meter) in front of you, it will not light up the whole
skyline. Try to take your pictures before it gets dark, or at least in a well lit area. Also make sure to hold your camera as
still as possible while it is taking the picture to increase your chances of a decent picture.

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14

TEACHERS HOBBIES

picture go from boring and

bland to to one that pops and
demands attention.

Grannys Gammon in Coke

Our Favourite
Holiday Recipes
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Chicken Paprika
Granny Gladys Pie Crust
Haselnussbusserl
Mariannes Holiday Fudge

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16

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

Every Christmas,
my family pulls out
the family recipe
books to make
our special meals
over the festive
season. My grans
Gammon in Coke
is a particular
favorite for
Christmas lunch.

Grannys

Gammon
BRYAN TEARE

Coke

in

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OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

ere in South Africa, we dont experience Christmas in the way most

people think of it - snow, fires, etc.
Being in the Southern Hemisphere,
its Summer time and temperatures
can often reach in the high 30s
celsius.
As a result, our lunches are sometimes a little different, too. Its not
uncommon (in my family, at least) to
spend Christmas day outside in the
sun, relaxing by the pool and playing games with family members.
While there are some families who
choose to celebrate Christmas on
Christmas Eve, my family typically
gather at my parents house in the
early morning and open presents
together. Once thats done, the
feasting festivities begin as we prepare for a big family lunch together.
When I say big, I mean it. I am one
of four (big) boys and we all have
healthy appetites! Fortunately, my
parents are both amazing, healthy
cooks and theres never a shortage
of food. One of the things I love
most about these big family Christmas lunches is seeing the traditional
recipes come out every year for this
special occasion.
Its hard to say what my favorite
dish is, but youd have to go a long
way to beat Grannys Gammon!
You know how sometimes you follow
a recipe and try to recreate a
meal but no matter what, it doesnt
come close to your moms version?
Thats Grannys Gammon.
Even so, Id still be selfish to keep it
all to myself, so without further ado,
heres the recipe:

17

GRANNYS GAMMON IN COKE

INGREDIENTS:
2.5kg Gammon
2l Coke

RECIPE

METHOD:
Boil Gammon in Coke for +/- 1 hour.
Remove from pot and cover in tin foil.
Wrap the Gammon in a sleeping bag
and leave overnight.
Of course, a good meat dish isnt complete
without a good sauce, but Gran has us
covered here, too.

MUSTARD SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
55g can mustard powder
or 40g hot mustard powder
65ml sugar
Pinch of salt
15ml cake flour
500ml beef stock
125ml vinegar
4 eggs
METHOD:
Make a paste by mixing the mustard powder,
sugar, salt and flour with a little cold stock.
Add the remainder of the stock.
Place the mixture in a saucepan and
bring to the boil.
Slowly add the vinegar and simmer
for 3-4 minutes.
Whisk the eggs well and add a little of the
hot mixture to the eggs.
Gradually add the rest of the stock and stir well.
Return to the heat and stir continuously
until thick (do not boil).

And thats it! A simple, delicious recipe for

your next Christmas lunch, no matter where in
the world you celebrate it. Grannys Gammon
in Coke is a hit in our family and Im sure it
will be in yours, too.
WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR!

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OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

RECIPE
PREPARATION
INGREDIENTS
3 to 4 pounds chicken thighs
and drumsticks, or whole
chicken legs
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon neutral oil,
like canola

Heat oven to 400. Season the chicken aggressively with salt

and pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large,
heavy, oven-safe saut pan or Dutch oven set over high flame, until
the butter is foaming. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down,
until it is golden and crisp, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Then turn
the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7
minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
Pour off all but a tablespoon or 2 of the accumulated fat in the

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the on-

1 large yellow or Spanish

onion, peeled and diced

ion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned

3 cloves garlic, peeled and

minced

approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it

3 tablespoons Hungarian
paprika, sweet or hot, or a
combination
3 tablespoons all-purpose
flour
1 cup canned crushed
tomatoes or 1 large ripe
tomato, chopped

bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent,
until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika
and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is
fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth and then nestle the
chicken back in the pan, skin-side up. Slide the pan or pot into the
oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce

1 cup chicken broth, homemade or, if not, low-sodium

1 pound egg noodles

has thickened slightly, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

cup sour cream

high heat. Cook noodles in the water until they are almost completely

Meanwhile, set a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over

tender, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the noodles, and toss them
in a bowl with the remaining butter, then toss again to coat.
Place the chicken on top of the noodles, then add the sour cream
to the sauce, stir to combine and ladle it over the whole.

Chicken

Paprika
E. LEIGH HOUGH
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OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

The Story

Every Christmas, for as long as I can

remember, my mother has made a dish called
Chicken Paprika. She learned the recipe from
our grandmother, who was raised in Austria.
The great thing about it for us when we were
kids is that it was a strange foodnone of
the other kids had eaten anything like it. Its
orange in color, and is generally very spicy, due
to the fact that its Hungarian and contains a
large amount of dried paprika pepper! One
year for Christmas, we were running late in

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Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

making the food for our Christmas party. My

Mother was in a hurry, and accidentally added
way too much pepper to the stove. There was
smoke in the air, and we all started to cough
because it was so spicy! As you can imagine, if
we couldnt breathe it, we certainly couldnt eat
it! We made a last-minute pork roast instead,
and we all missed eating this dish. Fortunately,
by mom was kind enough to make it for us the
next week for New Years, so we did not need to
go an entire year without it!

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

Grannys Pie
from Beyond the Grave
LESA KING BULLINS

It

was our first year without

great-granny, and my grandmother was overcoming her loss,
just as the upcoming holidays
arrived. The first holidays after
someone has died are always the
most difficult. My grandmother,
cousins, and I were working together to complete the things
for Thanksgiving dinner. During
preparations, the day before, my
grandmother decided to make
another pie. She was used to

granny making pies, but now that

she was gone, we were not sure if
we would have enough desserts.
Thinking that she may have a pie
crust in the freezer downstairs,
my grandmother headed down,
while one of my cousins chopped
celery and the rest of us busied
ourselves with other preparations.
A few moments later, my grandmother returned from the basement with tears in her eyes, but
smiling. We were all curious as to
what was the matter. My grand-

mother held out her hands, and

in them, she had a pie crust. Not
just any pie crust, a homemade
pie crust in grannys pie pan. It
appears that granny had made it
and placed it in grandmas freezer
in the weeks before her death. We
all teared up a little and smiled,
as we understood what had happened, and as we all realized, we
would be having grannys pie one
last time this Thanksgiving. So
here is the famous pie crust that
lasts from beyond the grave:

Starting the Recipes

with my Daughter
Great Granny Gldays-the Pie Crust Angel!

My Grandma Cooking

Enjoying the
Dinner with cousin Jen
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20

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

GRANNY GLADYS PIE CRUST

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Self-Rising Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Ice Cold Water

METHOD:
Mix dry ingredients.
Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly mixture.
Slowly add water (a few teaspoons at a time).
Work in water with hands until you can make a
smooth ball of dough. Wrap dough in plastic and
refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove dough and place on floured cutting
board, and roll out to size (fold once or twice and
re-roll to lift without tearing and keep the dough
from being too thin).

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Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

RECIPE

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

Haselnussbusserl
MARTA BARNES

Leipziger

Linzeraugen

23Hazelnut Destiny

Vanillekipfer

In 1954, my Omi and Opa

left Austria to begin a new
life in Canada. One of the
ways my grandparents kept
in touch with their heritage
was by carrying over certain
traditions particularly those
of Christmas. My Omi makes
hundreds of traditional cookies
for the season: Leipziger with
bright apricot thumbprints,
buttery Linzeraugen filled
with jam and dusted with
icing sugar, and Vanillekipferl,
brittle crescents of almond and
vanilla goodness.
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22

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

Last of all, the Haselnussbusserl. Translated literally to

hazelnut kisses, these fluffy bites of heaven melt as soon
as they touch your mouth.
As with most things growing up, I took these cookies for
granted. I didnt realize how much a part of the holiday they
were for me until I moved to South Korea.
One fateful December afternoon there, I stumbled on some
fresh hazelnuts, the key ingredient for the Haselnussbusserl.
It was my second year of living abroad, and the homesickness
was hitting hard. This, I determined, would be the perfect
way to make me feel at home away from home.
I recruited my partner and a friend to have a baking day.
Lets shell the hazelnuts before she gets here,
I told my partner.
How?
An excellent question. We had no nutcracker. In my
homesick haste, I hadnt considered this at all. I considered
the bags of nuts.

Smashing hazelnuts
with my Mt Fuji
walking stick pieces.
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Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

Put the wooden chopping board on the

floor, I said. Ill get my walking stick.
A few months prior, Id gone to Japan
and climbed Mt Fuji. The walking stick
Id used had been sawed into several
foot-long pieces so I could bring it home
as a memento.
We used these pieces to pulverize one
nut at a time.
Hazelnut shells flew across the room;
whole nuts resisted impact and rolled
away in swift escape; others were
crushed into dust. We laughed at how
much we resembled Neanderthals using
primitive tools, but bit by bit we got
better. Sometimes we even split the shell
so perfectly in half that the nut could be
plucked out unscathed and whole.
Some two hours later, when my friend
arrived, we were about halfway through.
She raised an eyebrow at us crouched
on the floor with sticks in a hazelnut
graveyard, but joined in.
This is kind of therapeutic, she said after
smashing a few herself.
Eventually the last nut was cracked and
all of them ground into flour.
The key to Haselnussbusserl is in the
light meringue texture. To achieve this,

you need to beat the egg whites into stiff peaks and fold the batter into a foamy
blanket. That way, when it bakes, it keeps its height and forms a soft, chewy mouthful.
With no electric mixer, however, this was to be the next challenge. Between all three
of us, whisking furiously, we managed to achieve a watery foam at best. The stiff
peaks we needed resembled the Appalachians more than the Rocky Mountains, but
there was nothing more we could do, so we mixed it all and hoped for the best.
Its kind of keeping its shape, I said as we spooned the batter onto the baking sheet.
The dollops drooped where we plopped them, but no one had the heart to admit it.
They did bake, but melted into the tray to create an almost seamless rectangular
cookie.
Theyre chewy though, my partner consoled me later, nibbling at one.
I wondered if my Omi had had as much trouble as this when shed first tried to make
these recipes in Canada.The thought made me smile.
Here I was in a foreign country trying to replicate my holiday traditions out of
homesickness when she had started those traditions by doing the exact same thing.
In a way, following in her footsteps, these were the most traditional Christmas

INGREDIENTS:
500g ground hazelnuts
400g sugar
120g butter, unsalted,
softened
4 eggs, separated
Pinch salt
Rum to taste, 1 tsp., (optional)

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350.
Egg yolks, sugar, and butter, mix well.
Beat Egg whites into stiff peaks.
Incorporate into yolk, sugar, butter
mixture, alternating with nuts.
Bake on greased sheet or
parchment paper for 12-14 minutes.

HASELNUSSBUSSERL (HAZELNUT KISSES)

RECIPE
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24

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

TEACHER STORIES

Successfully cracking
hazelnuts with no more
than primitive tools and
resourcefulness

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

n
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lla

A Co

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Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

MARY KATE MCCRAY

My mother always
made fudge for
Christmas. She used a
recipe she had found
in one of her favorite
cookbooks. The fudge
always turned out
pasty, soft, and oddly
chewy. Essentially, it
did not have the feel of
normal fudge. Though
the fudge did not taste
good, we still enjoyed
making it every year.
The recipe went as
follows: 2 cups of
white sugar, cup of
cocoa, 1 cup of milk, 4
tablespoons butter, 1
teaspoon vanilla. We
would mix together the
ingredients, heat them,
and stir until they were
smooth. Since moms
fudge was no good, no
one ever wanted to lick
the spoon when she
was done. The bowl
and spoon were hard
to clean, and the fudge
was not very good to
eat. I hated making
fudge.
One Christmas Eve,
Mom had to wait way
too long to make the
fudge. She knew she
had to take it to a party
the next day, but we all
knew that it was never
well received because
of its sticky texture and
odd flavor.
Nevertheless, we were
still expected to bring
fudge. Disdainfully,

Mom walked over to the

pantry and began to pull
out the ingredients. To
her horror, Mom realized
she was out of sugar
and cocoa, the two main
ingredients! Of course, it
would not really matter if
there was no fudge, but it
was a tradition my parents
did not want to break
because of an oversight.
Mom was still worrying
when Dad said, Why
dont we just make our
own recipe? It could be
quite fun. So, we all set to
work trying to find all of the
things we could add into
our new delicious fudge.
Several odd ingredients
were thrown into the mix
of possibilities, but the list
we landed on contained:
sweetened condensed
milk, semi-sweet chocolate
chips, butter, peanut butter
chips, and walnuts.
Nervously we all watched
as Mom and Dad began
to prepare what could
either be a wonderful
dessert, or a totally waste
of ingredients. First, they
melted the butter in a
medium sized pan. Second,
they added the chocolate,
stirring it slowly until it
began to melt. Thirdly,
they pour in the creamy
condensed milk. They
stirred and stirred until the
mixture was smooth and
melted. A wonderful smell
assaulted our senses; we
began to get excited. It
smelled like Christmas.

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26

OUR FAVORITE
HOLIDAY RECIPES

Once the mixture was smooth, Dad and Mom were not quite
sure what to do with the rest of the ingredients. So, they simply
mixed in the walnuts and folded in the peanut butter chips, We
all stood looking at the delicious smelling mixture in wonder
before we woke up and realized that we must let it cool. Mom
spread it out on a 9 by 11 pan and put it in the fridge to chill
overnight.
Mom said it was time for a preview and handed each of us a
large spoon. We all set to work cleaning out the fudge bowl.
There was not a drop of the delicious mixture left when we
set the bowl in the sink to be washed. To this day, it is a family
tradition that my Mother makes fudge for Christmas, but now,
every year, she uses the recipe she created herself, its our little
collaborative tradition.

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Le Waijiao Magazine Vol. 2 - Western Edition

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