Hi once again, this week i have tried to add a little humor along with some history of advent. I would like to wish our friends who celebrate the fest of st. nick and chanukah a wonderful holiday season. i have once again chosen recipes from a e mail recipe list and a website for those of you who like seashells. have a wonderful week and hope to see you back searching in the trunk again next week for some useful ideas and suggestions.

• Shellworld: a shop for seashell lovers

The advent is a fairly recent Christmas tradition of German origin. Advent is Latin for "coming towards" (The Latin, "ad", means "towards" whereas "ven/vent" is core of the Latin verb "veno", meaning "come".). Advent refers to the days approaching the coming of Christ to earth. More specifically, in the German tradition, it refers to the 24 days immediately preceding Christmas day, from December 1-24..

One of the most widely celebrated advent traditions is the advent calendar. The Advent Calendar finds its origins in the 19th Century from the protestant area of Germany. Protestant Christian families made a chalk line for every day in December until Christmas Eve. Before long, commercial entrepreneurs started replacing the ephemeral chalk lines with printed calendars,. The first known Advent Calendar is for the advent of 1851.

Soon, other devices helped Germans and German immigrants to America celebrate the advent. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Adventclock or the Adventcandle - a candle for 24 days until Christmas - were found in many homes. The first printed speciem was made by Gerhard Lang (1881 - 1974) who was a Swabian parishioner from Maulbronn in Germany. When he was a child his mother made him an Advent Calendar with 24 "Wibbele" (little candies). Later Lang was a participator of the printing office Reichhold & Lang where he published miniature colored pictures which could be affixed on a cardboard at every day in December. This was the first printed Advent Calendar, although without windows to open, published in 1908.

The celebration of advent and the associated advent calendar caught on like wildfire in the early decades of this century. However, despite the great success of Lang's Advent Calendar, he had to close his company in the 1930s due to World War II. This same war ended this German practice in many homes and certainly stopped the increase of this tradition.

The first printed speciem after the war were printed by Richard Sellmer in 1946. Advent calendars continue to be printed to this day.

In some homes, 24 candles are kept, one for each night from December 1 through Christmas eve. One candle is lit for a while on December 1, then a new candle is added each day for the 24 day period. However, for those homes using the candles, it was far more common to have four candles for the four weeks before Christmas. On candle was lit the first week, two the second week and so on. The candles were often place on a wreath upon the dining room table.

The practice of advent is celebrated primarily in the German-speaking areas of Europe and especially in the protestant German areas of the United States.

• 1/2 cup chicken broth *
• 1 Tb reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tb pickled ginger juice
• 1 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp hot chili paste **
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 3 Tb chopped shallots
• 2 Tb chopped pickled ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into 2" pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded & cut into
• 1" chunks
• 1 Tb dried lemongrass ***
• 1 Tb packed light brown sugar ***
• 1 lb salmon fillets, cut into 4 4oz servings

Whisk broth, soy sauce, ginger juice, sesame oil, chili paste and corstarch together. Set aside.

Heat large non stick skillet over low heat. Swirl in the oil and add the shallots, ginger & garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant - about 30 seconds. Add the asparagus and bell pepper. Increase heat to medium-high, cook until begetables are tender-crisp - about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook, stirring until the mixture thickens slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the lemongrass & brown sugar in a small bowl. Rub over both sides of the salmon pieces.

Grill salmon 5 inches from the heat until opaque in the center - about 4 minutes per side.

Divide the vegetable mixture among four plates; top with the salmon.

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• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice >
• 1 small onion -- chopped >
• 1 can condensed beef broth -- 10 1/2 ounces >
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup >
• 1/4 cup butter -- melted >
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper >
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika >
• 4 ounces mushroom stems and pieces -- optional >

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except > the paprika; mix well. Spoon into a 2 quart casserole that has been coated > with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the paprika evenly over the top. > Cover and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the > rice is tender. >

>
• 4 Green Onions, cut into 1 inch pieces >
• 1 C. Vegetable Oil >
• 1/2 C. Red Wine Vinegar >
• 2 Tbsp. Sugar >
• 3/4 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce >
• 1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard >

Combine all ingredients in an electric blender or food processor and pulse long enough that the onions are chopped. Chill a couple of hours before serving. >

> >
• 24 graham crackers, crushed >
• 1/3 cup butter >
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar >
• 1 (6 ounce) package raspberry flavored gelatin mix >
• 1 cup boiling water >
• 15 ounces frozen raspberries >
• 20 large marshmallows >
• 1/3 cup milk >
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped >

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. > >

Mix graham cracker wafer crumbs, butter and brown sugar until well > combined. Set aside 1/4 cup of this mixture for a topping and press the > remainder into one 9x13 inch pan. > >

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. > >

Dissolve raspberry gelatin in the boiling water and add the frozen > raspberries, stirring until melted. Chill until partially set and spread on > wafer base. > >

Melt marshmallows with the milk. When cool, fold in whipped cream and > spread on top of raspberry mixture. Sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Chill > for 3-4 hours before serving.

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