November 19, 2017 – Fall mantel decorations & maple syrup

        I decorate my fireplace mantel seasonally and not just for Easter and Christmas.  In January when I take down the Christmas decorations I put up Valentine ’s Day decorations, then St. Patrick’s Day, comes next.  Then in between I might come up with something – my collection of teapots or something clever, then Easter.  Then I let my creativity dictate something for a couple of months and then in what I call ‘high summer’, I trot out my wooden shorebird decoys and sea shells.  Then in September or October I switch over to an autumn theme to cover Fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.  Then we are back to Christmas.  Full circle – all this switching out makes for a dustless mantel and is sort of fun for me.  I guess the little kid is still in me.

I do this all for my personal delight; but, it is always a bonus when a close friend visits and notices my mantel decoration whimsy.

This fall I took down the sea shells and shorebird decoys and pulled out the papier-mâché pumpkins, the horse chestnuts and lined them up on the mantel along the front of the beautiful Mass cards I received for my Mom who died in mid-October.  Then I pulled out all the maple leaf shaped bottles I have kept over the years and grouped them to keep the Mass cards from toppling off.  These I have saved over the years.  Mom used to send them in my Christmas gifts – “a taste of home” – jotted on the gift card.  She knew I would keep the bottle and fill it with water and add food coloring to get yellow or orange or red.

I now have 6 of these Maple leaf shaped bottles in various sizes and they are a yearly delight to drag out of their off season hiding place.  One is permanently displayed on the kitchen window shelf and it has cobalt blue water in it to decorate my white and cobalt blue kitchen and is not on my mantel.  But, I was recently gifted a bottle by a dear friend in a goody bag for my road trip home.  When I got home, I immediately tapped it and used a tablespoon in my first morning home coffee instead of sugar.  OHHHHH that maple syrup taste – nothing like it in a fresh cup of coffee. So comforting, took the homesickness out of me immediately.  I even put that bottle, sans a bit of syrup on the shelf.

“Oh, the maple syrup bottles!” my dear friend exclaimed.  She didn’t have to say anything more – the smile on her face was enough.   She gets my “whimsy”.  Not everyone does – but she always does.

I imagine some of you that are not from New England don’t get the “maple syrup” connection.  Some may even ask is she Canadian correlating the red maple leaf on Canada’s flag?

No, it is something different entirely. When I moved away from Massachusetts to Kansas back some 40+ years ago, we found it difficult to find real maple syrup in the grocery stores.  You might think that is crazy – but shopping now is different than the late 1970s.  Some things stayed regional for decades and one of those was Maple Syrup from New England.

I remember when we moved to New Jersey – less than 6 years later that we still encumbered the lack of REAL maple syrup being easily found. Being snobs, we always look at the label to verify it is 100% maple syrup.  In New England, where it is produced, you have a choice of Grade A Medium Amber or Grade B Dark Amber. It can also be broken down further into additional grades.  On a visit to Massachusetts once, we went to the trouble of driving into Vermont to buy a gallon can of Maple Syrup and we chose the dark amber one for the flavor.  It was a better price and we delighted in it – in every last drop.  Alas, it did take us a couple years to consume.

Over the last 40 years, the price of Maple Syrup has sky-rocketed and we now use it judiciously.  But, there are 5 uses I have for maple syrup that come to mind instantly and I don’t hesitate on using it for following:

     Sweeten your coffee – substitute a spoon full of maple syrup for sugar as a personal treat when you are having a bad day.

     Pour a teaspoon or two over vanilla ice cream and dust with freshly ground nutmeg – YUM.

     Add a tablespoon or more to your next batch of coleslaw and everyone will ask – “Can I have your recipe?”

     When making frosting for a spice cake, use maple syrup as the wetting agent for the powdered sugar.

     Use maple syrup frosting on a humble sugar cookie and you’ll hear – “Can I have another?” request.

     Make a classic vinaigrette dressing for a fall vegetable salad, but include a tablespoon or more [to your taste] and then garnish with pecans.  Wicked-Yum.

There are dozens, if not multitude recipes out there.

Need I say anymore?  There is more than just collecting pretty maple leaf shaped bottles for the mantel.  We enjoy the contents.

I’ve an idea, when someone asks me what I want for Christmas this year – I have a ready answer – real maple syrup in one of those maple leaf bottles always works for me.