Holiday cuisine.

[TheThan]

Or how to get fat during the holidays

Well it’s the holiday season, regardless of what specific holiday(s) you observe; they all seem to have exactly one thing in common, Food. So this thread is dedicated to holiday food. Feel free to speak about your favorite dishes, family or regional traditional cuisine etc. Feel free to share recipes if you wish.

Earlier this week I made some peanut butter cookies. They were delicious but the dough was frustrating as it wouldn’t stick to itself so rolling them into balls was difficult. It’s the first time I’ve used that specific recipe so yeah, I think I’m going to use the usual recipe I have next time i bake them.

I plan on making some gingerbread cookies next week. I’ve never made them before so we’ll see how they go. Around this time of year my mom makes a wonderful lemon pound cake, which I can’t wait to sample tomorrow. Also my grandmother makes a delicious mint chocolate fudge, which is absolutely glorious. I can’t wait to gorge sample that stuff come Christmas.

[Dr.Epic]

Two words: ham and cookies!:smallwink:

[Nix Nihila]

I have a tradition of only eating hors d'œuvres for Christmas Eve. (Although I suppose they stop being hors d'œuvres then, don't they?) I find that it prolongs the meal, is conducive to conversation, and prevents me from overindulging. As a result I enjoy the meal much more fully. Some foods I often prepare include gyoza, bruschetta, spanakopita, sushi, and gỏi cuốn. I also have a tendency to go out and buy artisan cheeses, and serve them with homemade crackers.

[Dr.Epic]

The gingerbread template.:smallwink: Take any food, apply the gingerbread template, and BOOM! It's holiday food.

[Mauve Shirt]

I have the best recipe for ginger cookies. Everyone's making cookies. I have to make banana bread for Christmas morning, and in the evening we'll go over to my aunt's for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and deliciousness!

[Traab]

Generally christmas dinner is a fairly standard prime rib roast. Nothing particularly fancy. Au jous, potatoes, some sort of veggy, and thin sliced roast that melts in your mouth.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Aye, standing rib roast on Christmas Day, but Christmas Day Breakfast is also important in my family (scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, grapefruit, and hot chocolate!), as is Christmas Eve Dinner (Tourtiere!)

Tourtiere is one of the best things ever. A Quebecois dish my family has adopted, I'll attach a picture of one of my mum's below!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/36/77618363_0b44952e5c.jpg

[Starwulf]

Hmm, pretty traditional Christmas Dinner that I grew up with and now continue with my wife and daughters: Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Biscuits. My mom used to do Sweet Potatoes and Cranberry sauce, but neither me or my wife like either of those, so we don't bother with them. Christmas Breakfast, as per about 4 christmases ago, me and the wife make homemade Cinnamon Rolls. You think store bought is good? They are trash compared to what a good homemade one tastes like. It's hard to stop eating them in the morning long enough to unwrap presents, LOL.

Another thing me and my wife have started, is staying up till 5 in the morning Christmas Eve, and once we have put out the presents(and I've eaten the cookies/drank the milk), I run into town and get us A mini-breakfast from Sheetz(local gas Station/convenience store) and get us Breakfast sandwhiches + hash brown and French Vanilla Cappuccino(me) and a Hot Chocolate(her).

Beyond that, christmas cookies all day long! lol.

[ForzaFiori]

for non-major relatives (IE, aunts and uncles, my step-grandmother, etc) my mom backes goodie baskets. Of course, while that's happening, there are always plenty for us as well. They usually including no-bake oatmeal cookies, gingerbread, banana-nut bread, chocolate chess and pecan pies, chocolate chip cookies, and glorified brownies (take a normal brownie, or caramel brownie, then melt marshmallows over the top, and add an icing that was made before they really knew what "calories" were. It starts with a box of powdered sugar and two sticks of butter.) The vast majority are my great-grandmother's recipes, and all are absolutely delicious.

non-desert wise, my mom's side of the family usually has a get-together with amazing food, but that happens for every holiday. At our house though, we break out the steaks, which is a birthday/new-years/4th of July only thing. (which sounds like a lot, but there are actually a bunch of other holidays).

Oh, and one last thing. My Italian prof has been going on and on about pandoro, this Christmas cake really common in Italy. He brought some into class one day, but of course, it's the day I'm not there. Some day, I will have it, since it sounds simply amazing. (It's a yellow cake, covered in powdered sugar, and everyone I've asked has given them glowing reviews). Apparently you can find them at TJ Maxx...

[Totally Guy]

I love Stollen Bread. I'm pretty sure it comes from Germany, it's a sweet loaf with raisins and zest and icing sugar dust. The the middle of the loaf there is a marzipan centre.

I also love mince pies. Although the filling is called mincemeat its got nothing to do with meat. I think that misconception was highlighted in a Friends episode way back whenever it was. The filling is a fruity blob of seasonal spices, raisins, and zest.

[Erloas]

Or how to get fat during the holidays.
Well for this part, I've made it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and work Christmas parties and I have put on maybe a pound. The goal I set a few months ago was to not go over 155 and I've got most of the way through the holidays and still 2-3 lbs to spare.


I have a tradition of only eating hors d'œuvres for Christmas Eve. (Although I suppose they stop being hors d'œuvres then, don't they?) I find that it prolongs the meal, is conducive to conversation, and prevents me from overindulging. As a result I enjoy the meal much more fully. It depends a lot on the d'œuvres, many are a lot worse then then the traditional main course. Its also a lot easier to loose track of how much you ate when eat piece is small and "hardly counts for anything."


As for what I made and like to have... My mom makes scalloped pineapple a lot and I have taken over making it a lot of the time because she's moved on to other stuff.
And what I think I'm going to make into a holiday tradition is rum banana bread. This recipe came from a banana bread contest from our SCA group had and it was amazing. But its too good to have it more then a few times a year.

And I've found a common theme with all of my favorite holiday treats, no matter what it is, its lots of sugar and butter. Which I'm sure comes as no surprise to the average baker but I was enjoying the stuff long before I ever started to make any of it.
And I've found most recipes simply aren't worth trying to re-engineer to be better for you, because in every case I've seen so far "better for you" is still *bad* and the trade off in taste is simply not worth it for these special occasion treats. Always use real butter, its worth it.

[Nix Nihila]

It depends a lot on the d'œuvres, many are a lot worse then then the traditional main course. Its also a lot easier to loose track of how much you ate when eat piece is small and "hardly counts for anything."

Certainly, which is why I prepare foods that I would be very happy eating instead of a more traditional meal. I suppose that some of the foods I prepare are traditionally considered side dishes rather than hors d'œuvres. I also find that I generally eat less, as I'm eating more slowly, but maybe that's just me.



And what I think I'm going to make into a holiday tradition is rum banana bread. This recipe came from a banana bread contest from our SCA group had and it was amazing. But its too good to have it more then a few times a year.


That sounds rather interesting. What do you do with the rum? Make a glaze out of it?

[Erloas]

That sounds rather interesting. What do you do with the rum? Make a glaze out of it?
Pretty much. Rum, butter and brown sugar melted and mixed together. Then when the bread is done you poke holes in it and put the rum butter on top and let it soak in. There is also about a shots worth in the batter as well. Its pretty strong rum so you can really taste it. But with something like 2-3 shots total in 2 full loafs the carb load will put you to sleep long before even a little kid would get any noticeable effect.

[Orzel]

Black cake, jerk chicken, and sorrel. Sweet sweet delicious sorrel drink with some ginger and rum. A lady should be passing by with a jug of sorrel and a Christmas cake soon. Which reminds me that I need more rum.

I need to order more black cake or mooch off one of my aunts for some. They should be starting their baking this week.

I'm glad I got all the skinny genes in the family to counter my holiday eating.

[Isolder74]

Turkey with the works and Pumpkin Pie.

It's a tradition for us to make lots special Christmas candies to give away to friends. I'm making a 3 part long Christmas Special all about it.

[Yanagi]

Black cake, jerk chicken, and sorrel. Sweet sweet delicious sorrel drink with some ginger and rum. A lady should be passing by with a jug of sorrel and a Christmas cake soon. Which reminds me that I need more rum.

I need to order more black cake or mooch off one of my aunts for some. They should be starting their baking this week.

I'm glad I got all the skinny genes in the family to counter my holiday eating.

Funny...I was just reading about black cake and fantasizing about making one (never had it before, but it sounds great).

But the Sorrel drink? Tell me more....

[TheThan]

Well my gingerbread cookies came out fantastic. I didn’t have the ingredients to make the frosting so I settled with drizzling white chocolate melts over them all. Which naturally wouldn't drizzle properly (probably didn't have it quite warm enough, I'm not a candy expert). so I settled for smearing it on like frosting.

Since this was a test batch, I only really made 2 dozen or so (the recipe claims it makes 3 dozen), but I think I got the cookies a little too thick. Not that I’m complaining. Only have four cookie cutters, a Christmas tree, stocking, gingerbread man, and a star. But oh well.

[Scarlet Knight]

My Christmas is ruined.... I'm hosting and my wife informed me none of my guests want fish...*rocks self in corner*

[Serpentine]

For me, Christmas is always about king prawns and mangoes. Always P:
Other than that it's usually salads and cold meats like ham. But the prawns and mangoes... They're essential.

[Greensleeves]

I'll be eating what we always do for Christmas. Traditional, Swedish Christmas foods.

There'll be meatballs, various pickled herrings, salmon, the oh-so-important Christmas ham, ribs, liver pâté, Janssons Frestelse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janssons_frestelse), schnapps, some good Christmas beer.

I am looking forward to the 24th so very much.

[Mercenary Pen]

I love Stollen Bread. I'm pretty sure it comes from Germany, it's a sweet loaf with raisins and zest and icing sugar dust. The the middle of the loaf there is a marzipan centre.

I also love mince pies. Although the filling is called mincemeat its got nothing to do with meat. I think that misconception was highlighted in a Friends episode way back whenever it was. The filling is a fruity blob of seasonal spices, raisins, and zest.

Yup, Stollen hails from Germany, and is rather nice.

Fun fact, Mince pies have been around for centuries, and I've heard they were originally savoury, but all sorts of dried fruit etc. started getting added to family mincemeat recipes during the Georgian/Victorian period, and gradually actual meat got squeezed out.

[Vacant]

My mother and I both became vegetarian at the same time, while my father and most of the rest of my family is not. So they often still eat a roast of some sort (I think it might be prime rib, this year?) while my mother and I try something new as a central dish each holiday to see what it's like. I think we're going for a stuffed acorn squash this year.

[Orzel]

Funny...I was just reading about black cake and fantasizing about making one (never had it before, but it sounds great).

But the Sorrel drink? Tell me more....

Sorrel is a reddish drink made for the Roselle plant popular in the West Indies at Christmastime. It is spicy and is mixed with ginger, cloves, allspice, and sugar. It can be made alcoholic with rum and can be consumed hot or cold. As I am half Grenadian, I add cinnamon or nutmeg to make it even more spicy.

Sadly I probably have to make my own this year. Just at some black cake too.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Made truffles today. mmmmmmm

[TheCountAlucard]

Well, for this Christmas, I'm going to be heading to my sisters' with my parents. She's going to be making a very wondrous lasagna. :smallsmile:

[AtlanteanTroll]

Homemade pasta. And lots of it. Doesn't matter what holiday it is either. :smallcool:

[Yanagi]

Sorrel is a reddish drink made for the Roselle plant popular in the West Indies at Christmastime. It is spicy and is mixed with ginger, cloves, allspice, and sugar. It can be made alcoholic with rum and can be consumed hot or cold. As I am half Grenadian, I add cinnamon or nutmeg to make it even more spicy.

Sadly I probably have to make my own this year. Just at some black cake too.

Aha...I was thinking of the green sorrel that's sometimes used as a pot herb--the idea of making a beverage with it was novel but intriguing.

I drink sorrel/roselle (hibiscus sabdiraffa, Wikipedia informs me) tea, but have always referred to it as hibiscus or karkade.

[Lateral]

Well, usually my dad makes latkes or something for the holidays. This year, though, he's been reading doughnut cookbooks, so he made glazed doughnuts and apple fritters.

On the whole, I think I support these developments. :smallamused:

[Prendre]

Coming from a delightfully mixed family, we have...

Chili and tamales on Christmas Eve
Standard farmer's breakfast on Christmas (bacon, sausage, eggs, cheese, coffee)
Honey ham, sauerkraut & caraway duck, your standard potatoes, spinach, yams, etc. fixings, and Dim Sum for Christmas dinner


It's a bit of a taste sensation.

[TheThan]

We had a honey ham, yam casserole, baked beans, corn casserole, and macaroni & cheese as our main course. We didn’t have anything special to drink, just cola. We usually get a couple bottles of sparkling cider (family doesn't really drink). It was just me, my folks, my brother and his fiancée. The rest of the family is pretty spread out this year.

We also have a TON of homemade candies. Chocolate covered peanut clusters (white chocolate and milk chocolate), chocolate covered pretzels (white chocolate and almond bark chocolate), chocolate peanut butter balls, chocolate/marshmallow bark, chocolate/peanut bark (should have combined these into rocky road bark, oh well)... I’ve just about had my fill of chocolate.

We also have some tamales in the freezer. We’ll probably try those this week sometime.

[Asta Kask]

I'll be eating what we always do for Christmas. Traditional, Swedish Christmas foods.

There'll be meatballs, various pickled herrings, salmon, the oh-so-important Christmas ham, ribs, liver pâté, Janssons Frestelse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janssons_frestelse), schnapps, some good Christmas beer.

I am looking forward to the 24th so very much.

Swedish Christmas Food is basically anything that clogs your arteries + pickled herring.

[Orzel]

Aha...I was thinking of the green sorrel that's sometimes used as a pot herb--the idea of making a beverage with it was novel but intriguing.

I drink sorrel/roselle (hibiscus sabdiraffa, Wikipedia informs me) tea, but have always referred to it as hibiscus or karkade.

Yeah It voes by many names.

Good news: My aunt is making a gallon of sorrel.

Bad News: My other aunt drank half my good and imported West Indian rum.

Without the alcohol, I'll guzzle the delicious stuff... like I do every year to the kids batch. The mistress of temptation will defeat me again. :smalleek::smallannoyed:

[The Durvin]

We never really had a traditional Christmas dinner; my grandma was in charge of it all, and she was an awful cook, so every year we had dried-out ham and store-bought rolls. There were probably some other things, but I was (and still am) so picky that I don't know what they were.

But enough of this Christmas. I spent most of a year working at a Jewish temple (mostly serving the drinks on the Sabbath and light maintenance/janitorial work), and there I had my first latke. Oh. Em. Gee. You guys. They are amazing. It's like if you took one of those hash-browns they serve at MacDonalds, except with a thousand percent extra awesomeness. I've never been able to reproduce them, but they were fantastic. Note, however, that unless it sounds like a great idea to you, do NOT, as the Jewish people would encourage you to do, put applesauce or sour cream on them. Those are silly things to do! These are basically really amazing French fries, and are best enjoyed with salt and ketchup. I admit, they thought I was ridiculous for eating them like that, until they tried one and understood. Score another one for multiculturalism!

But seriously. Find a recipe and make you some home-made latkes. Make sure you drain them and dry them, for they are oily as the hair on an offensive Italian stereotype, but your face will thank you.

Latkes.

[Lateral]

But enough of this Christmas. I spent most of a year working at a Jewish temple (mostly serving the drinks on the Sabbath and light maintenance/janitorial work), and there I had my first latke. Oh. Em. Gee. You guys. They are amazing. It's like if you took one of those hash-browns they serve at MacDonalds, except with a thousand percent extra awesomeness. I've never been able to reproduce them, but they were fantastic. Note, however, that unless it sounds like a great idea to you, do NOT, as the Jewish people would encourage you to do, put applesauce or sour cream on them. Those are silly things to do! These are basically really amazing French fries, and are best enjoyed with salt and ketchup. I admit, they thought I was ridiculous for eating them like that, until they tried one and understood. Score another one for multiculturalism!

But seriously. Find a recipe and make you some home-made latkes. Make sure you drain them and dry them, for they are oily as the hair on an offensive Italian stereotype, but your face will thank you.

Latkes.
Actually, I've found that, while reduced-oil latkes are basically really good hash browns or crispy fries and should be served as such, they're really better dripping with oil and served covered in applesauce. They make great breakfast foods that way, too, while the other way they're best eaten like... well, like fries or hash browns.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Dripping in oil with applesauce or sour cream is the right way to go. It's how I've done them for years and years and years. Also: sweet potato latkes are reallyreallyreally good, as are, surprisingly, zucchini latkes.