Holiday Traditions 2018

TRADITIONS Denton Record-Chronicle

November 9, 2018

A Collection of Songs & Recipes to Celebrate the Season

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Holiday Traditions

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Holiday Traditions

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R E A L T Y

•  •   •    •   

G R O U P

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•     •   •   • 

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Holiday Tradition

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Wassail Though it sounds like a German word, wassail is a punch from the U.K. It comes from the Old English waes hael, or “be hale,” referring effects of a cup of the warm, fortifying mulled cider. It’s made famous by the carol “Here We Come A-​ Wassailing.”

History

The earliest versions of wassail were made from sweet mead warmed and combined with toasted crabapples that boiled in the mead until they burst. This drink, called lambswool, was traditionally consumed around Lammas Day, the first harvest festival of the year.

That drink evolved into a

mulled wine, cider or fruit juice concoction, spiced and sweetened. Modern recipes frequently start with fruit juices instead of wine; mulled wine is a separate but similar warming holiday drink.

Wassail bowls

Wassail bowls, according to craftsman and researcher Stuart King, were traditionally made of lignum vitae or guayacan, a hard and durable wood from South America. They were huge goblets, essentially, usually ornate and perched on a thick stem. Today, we can sub out a good punch bowl or, to keep the drink warm and toasty, the slow cooker.

Recipe

Dash of ground cloves, or to taste

2 quarts apple cider 2 cups orange juice ½ cup pineapple juice 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2-3 cinnamon sticks Dash of ground cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the cinnamon sticks and transfer to a slow cooker on low for party service.

For a toasty adult beverage, add a tot of rum or bourbon to the cup.

German Glüwhein

Germans often toast the holiday with a traditional cup of mulled wine, or in German, glüwhein. There are many variations on this drink, but the basics are usually hot red wine mixed with spices and fruits, probably citrus.

Recipe ¾ cup water ¾ cup sugar 1 cinnamon stick 10 cloves ½ cup orange juice

1 orange, sliced into thin rounds 1 750-mL bottle of red wine 1. Mix the water, sugar, spices and juice together in a saucepan. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until syrupy.

2. Add the wine and cook until warmed through.

Serve in warm mugs with rounds of orange.

Note: This is a basic recipe. Feel free to adjust to your tastes by lessening or adding sugar, adding other spices (ginger, star anise), other flavors (vanilla) or fruits (lemon, apples).

Merr y Christmas and a Happy New Year from our famil y to yours.

All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

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Holiday Traditions

Gingerbread Cake Catch up to a holiday tradition with toasty fresh-baked gingerbread. Gingerbread refers to a variety of baked goods with a prominent flavor of ginger and sweetened with brown sugar, molasses or honey. They can be fluffy like a cake or crisp like a thin cookie. This makes gingerbread the perfect versatile holiday treat.

Whip up this fluffy gingerbread cake, warm up a cup of tea and watch the snow fall for an afternoon.

Recipe (by King Arthur Flour)

Gingerbread Men The term gingerbread originally referred to preserved ginger and then to a candy made with honey and spices.

Now, we remember it most from the folktale “The Gingerbread Man”and from the ornate gingerbread houses we construct around the holidays.

Start any of your holiday constructions with this crisp ginger cookie and a good set of cookie cutters. Pipe them with store-bought tubes of colored frosting from your grocer for a convenient, fun and beautiful holiday memory.

Recipe (by King Arthur Flour) ¾ cup unsalted butter ¾ cup brown sugar, packed ¾ cup molasses 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger ¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves 1 large egg 1 teaspoon baking powder

Holiday Tradition

½ teaspoon baking soda 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1. Melt the butter, then stir in the brown sugar, molasses, salt and spices. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and let it cool before beating in the egg.

2. Whisk together the baking powder, baking soda and flour, then add to the molasses mixture.

3. Divide the dough into two thick rectangles, wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Make sure the dough is thoroughly chilled before rolling it out or it will be sticky.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Flour a work surface.

5. Roll the chilled dough to 1/8 to ¼ of an inch thick — the thinner the dough, the crisper the cookie. Flour the top and bottom of the dough if it starts to stick, or use parchment paper or plastic wrap.

6. Cut shapes with a floured cookie cutter and transfer the cookies onto the baking sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until they’re set. Let cool completely before decorating.

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger or 3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cloves ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ½ cup unsalted butter, melted ¾ cup molasses ¼ cup water 1 egg 1 cup buttermilk ½ cup diced crystallized ginger (optional) 1. Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add the molasses to the melted butter, then to the dry ingredients, mixing to moisten. Add the water and stir to combine.

3. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk, then stir into the batter. Add the crystallized ginger, if using.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sides just begin to pull away from the pan.

4. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing. It’s best served warm.

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Hard Candy While “Hard Candy Christmas” refers to a holiday so poor the only presents are hard candy, with a little knowhow, some science and a lot of sugar, you can make your own hard candy holiday one that shines.

Hardware

To make your own hard candy, you’ll get a large, stout pot that holds heat well. Look for a thick bottom and tall sides.

Also grab a spoon or spatula that you’re comfortable holding. You might be there a while.

Additionally, head to your local grocery or kitchen goods store and pick up a candy thermometer and make sure it fits well on the sides of your pan without the bulb hitting the bottom.

Software

Grab some bags of sugar while you’re at the grocery and some light corn syrup. These will form the backbone of your candy. Also grab extracts and food coloring to flavor and color your confection. Your finished product will also need a dusting of powdered sugar, and you’ll need wax paper and airtight containers for storing and gifting, if that’s your pleasure.

Recipe 3 ¾ cup white sugar 1 ½ cups light corn syrup 1 cup water 1 tablespoon flavored extract ½ teaspoon food coloring Powdered sugar, for dusting 1. Stir together the white sugar, corn syrup and water in your pot. Cook

over medium heat, stirring all the while, until the sugar dissolves. Then bring to a boil. Without stirring, heat to 300-310 degrees according to your thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, drop a small amount of syrup into cold water. Look for

hard, brittle threads to form when it’s ready.

2. Remove the candy from the heat and stir in flavors and colors. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet and dust with powdered sugar. Let cool, then break into pieces.

A Holiday Meal for Every Diet

and choose salads and dressings without cheese or cream.

Planning holiday celebrations around people with special diets can seem intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. Keep reading for tips on keeping the dietary drama on low for your holiday feasts.

Gluten-free

Communicate

Most people with special diets are used to either accommodating themselves or helping others to accommodate them.

You can’t help the occasional attitude, but what you can do is thoughtfully ask your guest what their preferences are. If it’s a potluck, invite them to make a dish for everyone; you might be surprised how good it is. Never say that someone will never know meat, dairy or wheat are in a dish. Sneaking in certain foods can make a guest very ill.

Vegetarians

Vegetarians, simply put, don’t eat meat. Some people may be

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pescatarians, who eat fish or shellfish. When cooking for vegetarians, be careful what you use for flavoring dishes. For instance, don’t add bacon to a largely vegetable side dish, and avoid using chicken or beef broths in their food. Instead, substitute spices or vegetable broth for a punch of flavor your guests can stomach.

Vegans

Vegans don’t eat any foods derived from animals. This includes milk, butter and eggs, staples of holiday baking and cooking. The good news is there are substitutions for many of these products; ask your local grocery store for suggestions.

Plan plenty of vegetable dishes

Gluten is a mixture of two proteins found in some grains.

It’s what makes bread dough stretchy.

But it’s not just bread you have to watch for. Gluten hides in a variety of foods like soups, pasta, cereals, sauces, roux, salad dressings, malt, food coloring and beer.

Your local grocery probably has a gluten-free aisle or section where you can buy one-for-one flour mixtures, gluten-free crackers and cookies, pastas and other items to round out your menu.

Also remember to avoid cross-contamination. Don’t prepare gluten-free dishes around grain-based dishes that have gluten, and provide separate utensils for the gluten-free versions of any dish.

Holiday Traditions

Shepherd’s Pie

By America’s Test Kitchen

1 cup frozen peas

Recipe

1. Cover potatoes with water in large saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon salt, bring to simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return them to saucepan. Using potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Whisk milk and egg together, then stir into potatoes along with melted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cover and set aside.

2. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add carrots, onion, and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and thyme and cook until fragrant, about

Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Cola de Mono

The name of this Chilean holiday drink literally translates into “tail of the monkey.” It’s become so popular, though, that it’s usually shortened to colemono.

It contains aguardiente — literally fire water — strong, clear alcohol distilled from whatever local ingredients are handy.

Aguardiente is mixed with milk, sugar, coffee and cloves to create a drink similar to a white Russian.

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces Salt and pepper A cup milk 1 large egg 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 onion, chopped fine 1 A pounds of 93 percent lean ground beef 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups chicken broth 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 minute. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Off heat, stir in peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

Transfer potato mixture to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and snip off 1 corner to create a 1-inch opening. Pipe mixture in even layer over filling. Smooth topping with back of spoon, then use the tines of a fork to make ridges on the surface. Place skillet in rimmed baking sheet and broil until topping is golden brown and crusty, 5 to 10 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.

America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press.

Recipe Makes a party-sized portion, but leave your revolvers at home.

20 whole cloves 5 cinnamon sticks 1 cup water 1 gallon cold milk ¼ cup instant coffee granules 1 cup white sugar, or to taste 1 teaspoon vanilla, or to taste 1 cup white rum or brandy 1. Simmer the spices in water until reduced by half. Add a cup of the milk, return to simmer, then add the sugar and coffee. Stir until dissolved.

2. Strain the mixture into the remaining milk. Add vanilla and alcohol.

Store in the fridge and serve chilled.

To make a nonalcoholic beverage, just omit the booze.

America’s Test Kitchen/AP

Holiday Tradition

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Stuffing from Scratch

By America’s Test Kitchen

Cornbread and sausage stuffing is a compelling alternative to the usual bread-based dish. But the recipes we tried all called for store-bought cornbread, which had a fluffy texture that resulted in mushy stuffing. We’d have to make the cornbread from scratch.

We began with our favorite cornbread recipe: Combine cornmeal with flour, leavener, salt, and sugar (which we omitted) before whisking in eggs, buttermilk, milk and melted butter.

Because our dressing would offer tons of flavor, we decided to eliminate the buttermilk and replace the butter with vegetable oil; tasters couldn’t tell the difference. We cubed the cornbread and, while it worked fine to let it stale overnight, we found we could achieve the same results more quickly by drying it out in a low oven.

We tried assembling the dressing and storing the whole casserole in the fridge overnight, but unfortunately the cornbread became too mushy. We opted instead to wait until just before baking to combine the cornbread with chicken broth, eggs, browned sausage, and aromatics.

To increase richness, we added extra sausage, doubled the eggs to four, and replaced 1 cup of the chicken broth with half-and-half. We also drizzled melted butter over the dressing before baking it, which helped crisp the top. Instead of oven drying in Step 3, you can let the cut cornbread stale overnight at room temperature.

America’s Test Kitchen/AP

Recipe

4 large eggs 2 cups cornmeal 2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Dressing: 1 ½ pounds bulk pork sausage 2 onions, chopped fine 3 celery ribs, chopped fine 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon ground sage 1 teaspoon dried thyme 3 ½ cups chicken broth 1 cup half-and-half 4 large eggs ½ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Servings: 10-12 Start to finish: 3 hours (Active time: 55 minutes, plus 2 hours to cool) Cornbread: 2 2/3 cups milk ½ cup vegetable oil

For the cornbread: 1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Whisk

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milk, oil and eggs together in bowl.

2. In large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk mixture until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on lower rack until golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

3. Reduce oven to 250 degrees. Cut cornbread into 1-inch squares. Divide cornbread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake, stirring occasionally, until dry, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cornbread cool completely on sheets, about 30 minutes.

For the dressing: 1.Cook sausage in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes; transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat left in pan.

Add onions, celery and 2 tablespoons

butter to fat in pan and cook over medium-high heat until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

2. In large bowl, whisk half-and-half, eggs, salt and cayenne together. Slowly whisk in warm broth mixture until incorporated. Gently fold in dried cornbread and sausage. Let mixture sit, tossing occasionally, until cornbread is saturated, about 20 minutes.

3. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Transfer cornbread mixture to prepared pan.

Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter and drizzle evenly over top. Bake on upper rack until top is golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes and serve.

America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press.

Holiday Traditions

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

By America’s Test Kitchen

Recipe Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 1 hour, 30 minutes 1 head cauliflower (2 pounds) 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly 1 small onion, halved and sliced thin Salt and pepper 4 ½ to 5 cups water ½ teaspoon sherry vinegar 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

The Washington Post

Stuffed French Toast

By Ellie Krieger Special to The Washington Post

When I want to take breakfast to the next level, I stuff the bread first. By cutting extra-​ thick pieces, I can easily slice a little pocket into each one to be filled with all sorts of goodies.

I often go with a creamy element that melts lusciously as the toast cooks through, chopped nuts or seeds for crunch, and some kind of seasonal produce — typically fruit. But fall just begs for pumpkin. So here, I spread a mixture of whipped cream cheese, pure pumpkin puree and warm, sweet spices in the bread pocket.

Recipe Servings: 4 ½ cup pecan or walnut pieces ¼ cup whipped cream cheese ¼ cup canned pumpkin puree 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, plus more for serving ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger Pinch ground cloves Pinch salt ½ cup low-fat milk (1 percent) 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Four 1-inch thick slices challah bread, preferably

Holiday Tradition

whole-wheat (6 ounces total; may substitute brioche) Oil or butter, for coating the pan 1. Toast the nuts in a large, dry nonstick skillet over a medium-low heat, until fragrant and lightly browned, shaking the pan a few times to avoid scorching. Transfer them to a cutting board to cool, then coarsely chop.

2. Stir together the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a bowl, until smooth.

3. Whisk together the milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a shallow baking dish or wide bowl, until well incorporated.

4. Slice each piece of bread almost all the way in half, leaving one side intact, to form a pocket.

Spread one-fourth of the cream cheese mixture in each bread pocket, then stuff each of the pockets with a scant tablespoon of the toasted chopped nuts and press lightly to seal.

5. Brush the same skillet with oil or coat it lightly with butter, then heat it over medium heat.

6. Dip each piece of stuffed bread into the milk-egg mixture until well coated, then place in the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and warmed throughout the middle. Discard any remaining egg mixture.

7. Serve warm, drizzled with maple syrup and topped with the remaining nuts.

1. Pull off outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem.

Using paring knife, cut around core to remove; slice core thin and reserve. Cut heaping 1 cup of ½-inch florets from head of cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices.

2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek, onion and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring often, until leek and onion are softened but not browned, about 7 minutes.

3. Add 4 ½ cups water, sliced core and half of sliced cauliflower. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sliced cauliflower and simmer until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add reserved florets and cook, stirring often, until florets are golden brown and butter is browned and has nutty aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to transfer florets to small bowl. Toss florets with vinegar and season with salt to taste.

Pour browned butter in skillet into separate bowl and reserve for garnishing.

5. Process soup in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds. Return pureed soup to clean pot, bring to brief simmer over medium heat, and adjust consistency with remaining water as needed (soup should have thick, velvety texture but should be thin enough to settle with flat surface after being stirred). Season with salt to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with browned florets, drizzle of browned butter, chives and pepper.

America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press.

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Pumpkin Jelly Roll Cake

By America’s Test Kitchen

Perhaps the most famous holiday cake is the Yule Log, which, for good reason, gets trotted out every holiday season. There’s much to be said for this classic, but we wanted to develop a unique variation for the holidays with a pumpkin jelly roll cake encasing a simple filling.

We initially thought incorporating pumpkin puree into a flexible sponge cake recipe would weigh down the batter, but happily we were wrong. Each additional ¼ cup of puree we introduced did not make the cake heavier; instead, the puree improved the cake’s flavor, gave it a moist texture, and made it more flexible.

Cream cheese frosting seemed like a natural filling, but it made our cake too dense to roll. We tweaked the ingredient proportions to lighten the texture and then considered whether or not the order in which the ingredients were being mixed together mattered.

The answer was yes: The batches in which the butter was blended with the sugar before we added the cream cheese were far lighter because the creamed butter aerated the mix, making it the perfect filling for this festive cake.

Recipe Servings: 8-10 Start to finish: 3 hours Cake: 1 cup cake flour, sifted 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 5 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree Filling: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and softened 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 8 pecans Powdered sugar For the cake: 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Whisk flour, pie spice, baking

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America’s Test Kitchen/AP soda and salt together in bowl; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until pale yellow and thick, 6 to 10 minutes. Add pumpkin, reduce speed to low, and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Fold in flour mixture until combined. Transfer batter to prepared sheet and spread into even layer. Bake until cake is firm and springs back when touched, about 15 minutes. Lay clean sheet of parchment on counter and dust with powdered sugar.

2. Immediately run thin knife around edge of baking sheet to loosen cake, then flip hot cake out onto prepared parchment sheet, discarding parchment attached to cake. Starting from short side, roll cake and bottom parchment snugly into log. Let cake cool, seam side down, for 1 hour.

For the filling: 1. Using clean, dry bowl and paddle attachment,

beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, 1 piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.

2. Gently unroll cake. Spread filling evenly over cake, leaving 1-inch border along edges. Reroll cake gently but snugly around filling, leaving parchment behind as you roll. Wrap cake firmly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Trim ends of cake, transfer cake to platter, dust with powdered sugar, and garnish with pecans. Serve. (Cake can be wrapped loosely in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 8 hours before serving.)

America’s Test Kitchen provided this article to The Associated Press.

Holiday Traditions

Holiday Traditions

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P eace. Love. Joy. Faith.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 May the peace of Christ be with you now and throughout the coming year.

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society provides housing and services to qualiďŹ ed individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, disability, familial status, national origin or other protected statuses according to applicable federal, state or local laws. Some services may be provided by a third party. All faiths or beliefs are welcome. Š 2015 The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. All rights reserved.

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Holiday Traditions

We’ve been serving the Denton community for over 50 years.

Compassionate and caring services with dignity.

DeBerry Funeral Directors (940) 383-4200

2025 W. UNIVERSITY • DENTON, TEXAS www.deberryfuneraldirectors.com Holiday Traditions

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Merry Christmas

From our home to yours wishing and praying for you a most beautiful Christmas season and blessings for a Very Happy and Prosperous 2019!

Brent Chow

BBS Realty

Multi-Million Dollar Producer Realtor®/Agent • Estate Sales SRES Certified Senior Adult Relocation Specialist Real Estate * Estate Sales * Land * Commercial

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Brent's Cell 940-453-5159 BrentChow@RobsonRanch.net BBS Realty • 8812 Landmark Lane • Denton, TX 76207 • 940-390-9789 www.RobsonRanch.net • www.relocationwithease.com Proudly serving North Texas Estates and Families with Integrity for over 34 years.

Holiday Traditions