Dear Reader
Hometown Holidays
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Within a few weeks, every home magazine on the newsstands will feature a close-up of an ornament, or a designer Christmas tree, or a perfectly roasted turkey on its cover. For this reason, since D Home’s beginning, the editors have studiously avoided the holidays. As a local magazine, what possibly could we bring to the table that the national magazines could not? A hometown version of cheese crackers? Our measly Christmas coverage was basically ignored until last year, when I received an e-mail protest that made me feel like I had bah, humbug tattooed on my forehead. The final blow came from a reader in Las Colinas: “I would think that Dallas’ home magazine could at least mention Christmas.” Ouch.
Our editors promised then and there to make it right, and you hold in your hands the result. For starters, our staff actually cooked for you! You will find a collection of family recipes from our editors and designers (including Hannah Seddelmeyer’s grandfather’s Colonel Mente’s Artillery Punch, to which we probably should have attached a hangover cure). From Arkansas Ambrosia Salad to Turkey in a Paper Sack and creamy Winter Squash Soup with Ginger, even food snobs will find a recipe to love. And for those of you who consider gift wrapping an ordeal, naturalist Annie McClure’s gift boxes, festooned with beautiful found objects, will inspire you; her work is so lovely I will buy gifts this year just for the pleasure of wrapping them. Want to make Christmas shopping really special? For our gift guide click here. Antiques lovers in particular will delight in Peggy Levinson’s collection of gift ideas, every single object comes with a story. And finally, in the pages that follow, we offer some stories of our own. When you have a quiet moment, read Rebecca Sherman’s Thanksgiving story and Glenn Arbery’s Christmas memory. These are our gifts to you.
From the entire D Home staff, a wish for blessed holidays, health, and happiness in the new year. Enjoy this issue, and let me hear from you.
Christine Allison
Editor and Publisher
[email protected]
P.S. My stars! I have found a cheese cracker recipe with a local angle. Well, sort of. It’s from my beloved mother-in-law. Enjoy.
| Jenny Lea Allison’s Cheese Crackers 1 stick margarine (not butter) 1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, or to taste 1 1/8 cups sifted flour Cream margarine, cheese, and pepper. Add flour. Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Store in an airtight container. Makes 50 to 60 crackers. |
