2 Turtle Doves

2 Turtle Doves

After resisting the urge to write three recipes (coq au vin, chicken cordon bleu, or chicken chasseur) yesterday, I've decided to include this quick microwave turtle recipe for people like me that are scrambling to get things done on Christmas Eve. All you need are small pretzels (knots not sticks), Rolos (the candy), and a nut (pecan half) for the top. Stack the ingredients starting with the pretzel on the bottom and microwave on a microwave safe plate. Serve and watch the tiny turtles disappear.

On the next note the turtle doves mentioned in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas refer to either the pair of birds sacrificed at Mary’s purification or symbols of love and friendship. I prefer the latter especially since Christmas to me is also a time to celebrate love and friendship and a time best spent with friends and loved ones.

The turtle dove is a bird much like the mourning dove commonly found all across the U. S. In my own backyard in St. Marys they frequent the chicken feeder right alongside my chickens (and a brazen squirrel that has managed to stay a step ahead of our dog, Fred). On Andros, the doves large and island small alike love to frequent our bird feeder and they actually line up on the branches of the small ornamental tree (where the feeder is hung) waiting for their turns. There is usually a pair on the ground scouring for dropped seeds too. That’s how they arrive, by twos like the (I’m singing again) two turtle doves and ….tomorrow is Christmas!