What are you cooking for Christmas - your traditional foods?

[Hamilton_Honey]

Here is one of my Christmas treats - Danish Rosetter

My family is not Danish, but I grew up attending the Scandinavian Festival near us every year, and Rosetter and Ebelskiver became traditional in our family. One of the first housewarming gifts I received from my mother was a Rosetter iron when I got my first apartment

Here is the plate that I made this afternoon for the gathering this evening at the Library where I work.

Glaedelig Jul!

What do you just love to indulge in this time of year? Did Granny pass it down or did you assimilate from some life experience?

Let's hear it, folks!

 

[Foofoogal]

I have no photos to show but put a recipe on my blog I have used 4 times already this year.
I picked 2 desserts to make it easy for me this year.
Traditionally my mom would always make Pralines for Christmas and they were delicious.

 

[Lillemor]

Hamilton Honey, lovely porcelain.

I'm a modern housewife so I buy the æblerskiver frossen and just pop them in the oven.

It'll be duck this Christmas like it's been every Christmas except last year when I experimented on turkey after feeling a bit nostalgic about Christmas turkey with my family in the U.S. I turned the turkey the "wrong" side up. I don't care about a golden top I just wanted an over all tender turkey and that's what I got. I'm not big on ham though I miss the glaced ham the way my vegetarian dad prepared it for the rest of the meat eating family one year. I don't like "flæskesteg"/pork roast. Don't care for that greasy/crip top.

I butchered the stuffing and most Americans probably wouldn't have touched it but my family here didn't know betterlol. I couldn't find yams or ocre so couldn't make the traditional dishes my dad's side of the family makes with them and I don't know how they make it. I can't remember what we used to have for dessert. I think walnut pies and my dad's experimental cellery/shrimp/walnut jello. Yups, that's right and it's quite a tradition now.

I'll serve the duck very traditionally with prunes, apples, white (regular) potatoes, brown (sugar coated) potatoes, gravy, red cabbage bought from glass or plastic bucket. I don't care one way or the other. I'll probably serve some more vegetables on the side now that my dad's visiting this year. I might make a Waldorf salad.

We won't have ris a'la mande with cherry sauce because hardly anyone ever eats any of it and I hate making rice pudding but I love warm cherry sauce. Yeah, I'm a real Scrooge.

I will go to the bakery for "homemade" klejner in the days after Christmas known as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Christmas day.

http://www.opskriftsamlingen.dk/uploadedpics/4139607.jpg

Actually, I prefer traditional Christmas lunch buffets over traditional Christmas Eve menu. Different sliced white and dark rye bread types, lunch meats, hard boiled eggs, shrimp, different types of marinated herring, warm homemade liver pate´, bacon, fish filet, fish balls/"beefs", minced meat balls (also eaten for dinner) from veal and pork, cheese, etc.

My mother's side of the family is quite contemporary Danish. Not very traditional. We like to experiment and modify traditional dishes or certainly simplify the process by buying as much ready made as possible. Well, I'll make the roast and gravy myself but I don't want to slave in the kitchen like I did last year, I want to be able to enjoy the company and nothing would stress me more than having other people in my kitchen!

No more pebernødder for me this Christmas. I buy them at the supermarket and thankfully some manufacturers have discovered semi-traditional recipes in recent years. They bake them traditionally in kindergarten and school kitchens. But my stomach can't handle any more pebernødder!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/335067826_05e14d3349.jpg?v=0

 

[AmateisGal]

Homemade raviolis and butterball soup.

The raviolis are from my 100% Italian grandfather. We use our own homemade Italian salami for the stuffing.

The butterball soup is from my 100% German-from-Russia grandmother. Butterballs do not refer to the turkeys, but instead, to a butter dumpling that my grandmother makes. This is a Germans-from-Russia dish, and not German. It's made out of all-spice, bread crumbs, butter, sweet cream, and eggs. Fattening, but oh so delicious. Then you pop these suckers into a chicken broth, add noodles, then cook.

It's a Christmas tradition that we have butterball soup on Christmas Eve at Grandma's house. And that's where I'll be this year!

 

[23SkidooWithYou]

There's an Italian tradition to have 7 fish on Christmas Eve. While my Grandfather was Italian and accustomed to the tradition, my Grandmother was Irish and not, lol. She adapted it to include fried smelts and oyster stew, served with french fries and coleslaw. As a child, I pretty much went hungry on Christmas Eve until the party started hours later and our Polish friends showed up with some real food!

We no longer have the big party and would be back to smelts and oyster stew. Fortunately, my Uncle married a Polish girl and we get awesome homemade peirogi now! My Aunt brings baccala (dried salted cod you reconstitute) and we have peel and eat shrimp too.

Fried Smelts, about the size of a sardine but not salty. You generally don't debone them, cruncha, cruncha. I used to stand on a chair to reach the sink and help my Pop gut them. At the time, it was fun.

Oyster Stew.

Mine, mine, mine!

 

[Avalon]

23Skiddoo, my family too! Years ago, when Nanny was alive and the whole family lived in one place, we'd do all the different fishes: scungili, mussels, flounder, shrimp, you name it...nowadays we just do the flounder and fried shrimp. Oh, and linguini with clam sauce. All homemade, all mmmmm!

 

[dhermann1]

I once found a great recipe for plum pudding on the back of a Christmas card. I made it for several years. I'm sorry to say that after years of effort it became clear to me that I was the ONLY person who loved the stuff. Much effort involved. It was unique in that you separated the eggs and made the whites into a think meringue that you folded into the rest of the mixture. The result was much lighter and fluffier than most plum puddings.
Unfortunately I lost that card in a move, and I haven't done it in years.
I definitely ain't cooking anytyhing this year.

 

[23SkidooWithYou]

23Skiddoo, my family too! Years ago, when Nanny was alive and the whole family lived in one place, we'd do all the different fishes: scungili, mussels, flounder, shrimp, you name it...nowadays we just do the flounder and fried shrimp. Oh, and linguini with clam sauce. All homemade, all mmmmm!

Mussels! I love those! Maybe I'll pick some up this year. A garlic butter sauce is something even I can do! Thanks for the inspiration.

Oh...the Italian food stories I could tell...gnocchi, polenta on the board, risotto with sausage, plus our family had a bread bakery. fftopic: ...and now we know why I have trouble finding vintage in my size, lol.

Okay now...what is everyone else eating for Christmas??????

 

[Avalon]

...and now we know why I have trouble finding vintage in my size, lol.

I feel your pain. lol Beware the cassata cake!

 

[Selvaggio]

We will have two Christmas dinners this year, one (before Christmas) with my wife's family and another on the day with mine.

Australians tend to divide between those who follow the English tradition of a a baked dinner (ham, turkey etc) followed by plum pudding with brandy custard (which is what we do) and those who break with tradition and accommodate our climate a bit more.

In Sydney, Christmas day can often be blindingly hot, so the modernists will serve cold seafood, prawns (shrimp), oysters, balmain bugs (like small crayfish), smoked salmon, with salads, followed by a cold pudding such as an icecream cake.

After all that food, it is practically impossible to move, though if you live near the beach its nice to go for a swim after about 4pm when things have cooled down a bit.

My wife's family has Italian heritage, so last year we made a porchetta, which is a heavily herbed, slow roasted pork loin roll. Yum.

 

[Avalon]

In Sydney, Christmas day can often be blindingly hot

My ex-boyfriend often spoke fondly of picnics at the beach for Christmas Day.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Christmas Eve I will start off with EMPANADAS.

4 different kinds
meat with onion, garlic and Olives
meat with onion, garlic, raisin, egg and Oolive
cheese
shrimp and crabmeat

Then I will make a stir fry of Prawns and Scallops

For Christmas I will make Lasagna

Now the only problem is what will my lilttle boy have for dinner lol lol lol

 

[LordBest]

My family always have a traditional English style Christmas luncheon. Except last year where we went out to restaurant as the family members who were supposed to be hosting had some health issues. No blame to them, of course, but the break in tradition was a grievous blow to me.
The traditional menu is:

Roast turkey with roast potatos, gravy, peas epicurean, brussels sprouts and carrots vichy
Christmas pudding with custard, cream and brandy butter. We will be flaming it this year, I hope I don't flame myself again.

This year I will be cooking a few extras, namely a spiced apple cake and eggnog. I had intended to make the pudding but I couldn't find a suitable pudding basin in which to steam the befruited blighter.

 

[DapperDuck]

Christmas Eve I will start off with EMPANADAS.

4 different kinds
meat with onion, garlic and Olives
meat with onion, garlic, raisin, egg and Oolive
cheese
shrimp and crabmeat

Then I will make a stir fry of Prawns and Scallops
For Christmas I will make Lasagna

Now the only problem is what will my lilttle boy have for dinner lol lol lol

Did you make your empanas out of Pillsbury Poppin Fresh Crescent rolls? If you like empadas, try a Bolivian Salteña. You can get them without olives and raisins for the kids. I promise you will love these things, they are amazing.

H.

 

[Carlisle Blues]

Did you make your empanas out of Pillsbury Poppin Fresh Crescent rolls? If you like empadas, try a Bolivian Salteña. You can get them without olives and raisins for the kids. I promise you will love these things, they are amazing.

H.

I used Pillsbury once. I make 50 - 100 at a time. That does not work for me. I make my own dough when I am going to prepare 25 or less. Right now I am using "PEPE" Discos para empanadas para hornear O frier.

Preparing from scratch reminds me of my ethnicity, my grandparents and time spent with my grandmother while she cooked. I take the time to prepare it brings me closer to my roots. That is exactly where I want to be during the holiday season.. I hope to pass this gift to my little boy...


Salteñas are pastries filled with beef, pork or chicken mixed in a sweet, slightly spicy or very spicy sauce, and sometimes also containing peas, potatoes and other ingredients. Sounds Delicious and sounds like something I will try!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hamilton_Honey]

You all are making me hungry!




Thanks, Lillemor - the teapot is a thrift find, and the milk jug is a gift from my best friend (it was her grandmother's).

Everyone's dishes sound so good, I might have to adopt some new recipes judging from the above!

Traditionally, we all try to get my Dad to make his amazing cioppino which we then stuff ourselves on for 3 days.

But on the years he doesn't for whatever reasons, we do prime rib with yorkshire pudding, creamed onions and asparagus and I occasionally do a steamed pudding as well even though not everyone in my family likes it. those who don't care for it can have cookies. meh.

This year, no idea since it is only me, and then my Daughter visits from college for a few days after. She is an amazing cook, though, so I will let her do whatever she wants.

 

[Miss 1929]

Odd family traditions...

We usually have burritos on Xmas eve, due to everyone waking up in the middle of the night one year in the 70s and ever since then...

And we usually have these very thin Swiss pancakes for Christmas Day breakfast - I do not know how they are spelled but it's pronounced "A-a-datch" with the emphasis on the first long A - any Swiss people that can help me out?

You pile up about 20 of them and cut them into wedges. Yummy.

And of course, since my family is half Jewish-turned-Atheist and half Baptist-turned-Atheist, sometimes Hanukkah overlaps, so then we have matzo ball soup, and latkes for Xmas dinner. We were always raised to know about both religions and enjoy the parties!

 

[Lillemor]

This thread is a real eye opener for me. I always assumed that everyone who celebrates Christmas and doesn't escape to some exotic destination, will have some sort of roast. I never imagined that Christmas dinner could mean anything other than roast, potatos, and just differences in roast meat and side dishes.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Traditionally, I've always done a standing rib roast (AKA prime rib...although I'm told the average consumer actually can't get "prime" rib because it all contractually goes to restaurants & hotel suppliers, and the best the consumer can get is choice) with au gratin potatoes, dressing, green beans with onion & bacon, popovers or Yorkshire puddings in the popover pan, a big salad (field greens, dried cranberries, pear pieces, Gorgonzola cheese with a balsamic viniagrette) and usually a couple pies, although we have done plum pudding a few times and I've had a hankering to do it again. Last year we had dinner at friends' instead of a family celebration. The year before was the above her, and then the 2 prior years we flew down to Palm Springs for the holiday at friends since it was the first time I was able to travel in a dozen years (caring for an invalid parent at home those 12 years).

We had friends over for dinner last week and I went all-out - pork loin in a cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, big salad, rolls, green bean casserole, two pies, etc. Fire in the fireplace, table decorated with cedar boughs with candles as the centerpiece, the holiday china and linens. We sat down to eat at 8...and we were still at the table laughing and yakking at 12:45 when someone ruined the evening by looking at their watch. Everyone's been raving about everything since, so I'm thinking I may do our "Christmas dinner" a day late with a bunch of friends here, and coincidentally it's one of our friend's birthday.

The pork loin was ridiculously simple - three pork loins in a roasting pan. One can of whole-berry cranberry sauce into a bowl with a couple tablespoons of spicy Dijon mustard - put that in the microwave for a minute or so until it's warm and stirable. Stir it all up and spread it over the pork loins and into the oven for 30-40 minutes (however long it takes to get up to the internal temperature that signals the doneness you like). Slice into medallions & serve. Everyone loved it - and next time, I'm going to add some orange zest to the berries. In fact, I thought about that as the centerpiece - some cedar boughs, a couple candles and then zest 2 lemons, 2 limes & 2 oranges into the meat, and put the zested fruit on the cedar boughs since once zested, they're really aromatic.

 

[Missy Hellfire]

A family staple of ours has always been what we call 'Irish Stuffing', something made by my great grandmother from Bantry in Ireland and then made my my Grandpa (also from Bantry) then my mum and now myself and my sister as well! My mum insists on making her own, but my other half's family with whom we shall be spending Christmas Day has also become addicted to the stuff and so I have orders from my mother in law to arrive brandishing a vat of it! It is so very simple but very tasty - Boil potatoes, drain when soft enough to mash. Add a splash of milk and butter to taste and bring to the boil and simmer the potatoes in the milk and butter for a minute or two. Remove from the heat, mash the potato until smooth and add a finely chopped onion, a handful of thyme (fresh or dried) and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the now gloriously aromatic and creamy mash into an oven dish, make pretty patterns in the top with a fork if you wish and bake in the oven until the top is crispy and golden brown. Goes fantastically with all roast meat and is lovely cold in a sandwich or with sliced ham the next day!

I shall be making it for New Years Day too as we have people coming and I am doing a massive roast dinner to welcome in the new calendar and our friends have requested the stuff as well! I am beginning to think that my epitaph will read 'Here Lies a Woman that made Really Tasty Stuffing'. Thanks Grandpa!