Cindy Newton Shares the Art of Holiday Entertaining
Story and photos by SHARON WHITE
Cindy Newton will jokingly confess that she has been known to play Christmas music in July while baking cookies, because it reminds her of the holidays.
“Christmas is my time of the year,” the Temple native said.
Newton grew up in North Temple, the only child of parents Wayne and Louise Chipman. She remembers her mother as a very elegant hostess.
“She loved to have midmorning coffees,” Newton said. “My mother had this humorous quote from (Texas cookbook author and chef) Helen Corbitt: ‘You have to get up really early to give a good coffee!’” And Newton has continued her mother’s tradition — especially at the holidays — often inviting folks over after church on Christmas Eve or hosting coffees for friends and neighbors. Many of the dishes she prepares each year are staples, and she says if she leaves one out, guests and family are sure to notice.
When it comes to decorating, Newton puts a personal touch in every corner of her home, adding time-honored holiday décor to her already elegant antiques, interesting textiles and eclectic art, all lending to a look of charming ambiance and festive delight. She creates “small holiday vignettes” all around the house — stacking glass ornaments in crystal bowls, adding greenery to her nativity scene or simply placing a large bow on a mirror — mixing whimsy with the unexpected.
As she pulls out nostalgic ornaments from family and friends, she calls it “a walk down memory lane.” She doesn’t have themed trees, per se, but every year she decorates a “nature tree” inspired by Christmases past when she and her family would make a special trip to cut down a live tree. Several Waterford angel ornaments are especially treasured because they were gifts from her late mother.
For Newton, the holidays focus on sharing hospitality that brings family, friends and neighbors together. An entry from her journal last year seems to sum up the true meaning of the season: “My decorations remind me that Christmas is a season about relationships. Most of my ornaments have a story to tell that connects me to people and places — again relationships. And Christmas is all about God’s gift to us — our relationship with Him.”
Marinated Pork Party Sandwiches
Ingredients
2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 ¼ teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of paprika
3 (¾ pound) pork tenderloins
½ cup olive oil
3 tablespoons grated onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Kale leaves (Optional)
Hawaiian rolls
Directions
Mayonnaise dressing: Combine first 6 ingredients; cover and chill at least 8 hours.
Tenderloins: Trim fat from tenderloins. Place tenderloins in a large heavy-duty, Ziploc bag. Combine oil and next 6 ingredients. Pour over tenderloins. Seal bag and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours, turning occasionally.
Remove tenderloins from marinade, reserving marinade. Place tenderloins on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake an additional 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160°, basting occasionally with marinade. Let stand 10 minutes. (Grilling is an optional method of cooking.)
Cut tenderloins into ¼ inch slices. Serve with rolls and mayonnaise dressing. Arrange on a serving platter lined with kale leaves (optional).
Yield: 25 appetizer servings.
