What's on the menu?

[johno]

As traditions vary from one family or region to the next, I was just wondering what's going to be on your table for Christmas? (or whatever pagan or other religious holiday you celebrate at that time of year...)

We sometimes have turkey again, more often than not it's ham. Lots of sugar cookies floating around then, too... We're not as traditional as some, I guess - our menu varies. I'm mostly conjuring visions of goodies, not meals, now that I put my mind to it... Fruitcake is aging for me at my sister-in-law's house right now. That stuff really makes me... let's just say I really like it:rolleyes:

So what about you? More traditional than I am?

[johno]

Okay, I'm done fantasizing about the fruitcake... Where was I? Oh, yeah, we do have a tradition of hosting Christmas brunch. We normally make: sausage-cheese balls, broccoli-rice casserole, apple french toast, date-nut muffins, and maybe one or two others. Also an assortment of drinks, like strong coffee, Wild Turkey, and the like...

[mike5953]

We usually have most of the traditional Christmas foods: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, etc. But, since my wife is of Danish extraction, we have several traditional Danish foods.
Every year we make a big pot of red cabbage a couple of days before Christmas, then stick it in the fridge and let it age a little.
There aren't too many Danes in these parts, so we get a lot of funny looks from dinner guests when we pass around a big bowl of steaming red cabbage. But most of those brave enough to try it end up saying they like it.
Another Danish favorite is a fried cookie that’s covered in powdered sugar called Kleiner. Its ingredients include the spice cardamom, which is the used in a lot of Danish pastry recipes. It’s really good!

[Heirloom Seed Shop]

Very traditional southern style. Ham or turkey or both, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, corn, various vegetable & cheese casseroles, homemade bread or rolls, the FRUITCAKE, yeah, me too, Johno (gain very much unneeded lbs. from that and eggnog) and other sweets; pecan pie, pumpkin pie, fudge, pralines etc.

[Lavandula Girl]

Christmas Eve is crab bisque, Christmas Day is usually prime rib, although we have been known to go out for sushi, or a full out Christmas Story Chinese feast, if we're somwhere urban enough to have those things. It's only been recently that we've been in driving distance of family, so we pretty much just made our own traditions. Treats for the season include lots of cookies (gingerbread, Lizzies, buried cherries, etc), a good dose of homemade liqueurs (put up anisette again this year), and as many mince tartlets as I can eat without going into a coma. Because we go to midnight mass, we generally spend all of Christmas Day in jammies - we give each other pajamas every year. The only thing better than eating every mince tartlet in the house, is eating them all while wearing flannel!:D

[werecat]

Cause we have the kids, we have always done both Yule and Christmas. We have a uniquely blended house/family. Mum is Church of England. Daddy is Christian Scientist. My sister and I are pagan. In the past we have had small practical gifts light nibbles that are raided all night and we toast the middle of the night with spiced cider. Christmas Eve in the past everyone invades mummy's house and last minute packages are wrapped and I am on distraction duty and kid wrangler. :) Christmas morning the kids tear into the packages and then we have a nice big English style breakfast. Lunch is nibbles again and then dinner is normally a really nice beef roast with all the fixings. This year is going to be different cause my sisters inlaws are back in the picture after ignoring them and the children for the last 5 years, but that is a whole different soap opera. :)

[flowerpower]

I have no idea who is showing here for Yule. It will depend on the weather. I already know I am having company for Christmas. I think I am making lasagna on Chritmas Eve. Roast beef is sounding like a really good idea.

Werecat, my SIL is from Manchester. She got me hooked on the Typhoo tea. She just went over there and I totally forgot to ask her to bring it back.

[werecat]

I have no idea who is showing here for Yule. It will depend on the weather. I already know I am having company for Christmas. I think I am making lasagna on Chritmas Eve. Roast beef is sounding like a really good idea.

Werecat, my SIL is from Manchester. She got me hooked on the Typhoo tea. She just went over there and I totally forgot to ask her to bring it back.

Typhoo? is that a brand or a type? Mummy hasn't mentioned that one. We do Tetley Brittish brand and use the excuse that life is too short to drink cheap tea. LOL

[Joan]

I like the idea of Christmas brunch, then you can relax the rest of the day or go visiting. I usually do turkey and ham but one year I did the prime rib and the guys really went for it. Potato filling, Copes corn, cranberry relish, my mothers traditional green bean casserole and pepper cabbage. Oh yummy!

[trudyjean]

Ok gotta ask about the Kleiner cookie, sounds really good. Could u give up the recipe. Didn't find it online. I'm really curious. Sounds like a cookie my family would enjoy. Thanks, trudyjean

[johno]

What is Yule?

[GeorgeSims]

Christmas, Johno, Christmas.

[Lavandula Girl]

Johno - Yule is celebrated on the Winter Solstice - Dec. 21st. It's probably older than Christmas, and was one of the Saxon/Germanic traditions assimilated by the old church to coincide with Christian traditions. It is a name that can be interchanged with Christmas, and often is, but is also celebrated with no Christian overtones by pagan religions.

[Helen Wong-Joe]

Our menu are varies, but we always cook 2 big prime ribs, homemade rolls, and couple of side dishes to take to SF where my kin folks live. Other members will make a dish or two or none.

[mike5953]

For trudyjean:


Mothers Kleiner

4 Eggs
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Butter
4 Cups Flour
3 Tbsp. Cream
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
½ Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cardamom
1 Lemon Rind Grated


Beat eggs and sugar until lemon colored. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Roll out thin on a lightly floured board. Cut in diamond shape, slit in center and twist end through. Fry in Crisco (or more traditionally lard) until golden brown, turn with fork or ice pick. Drain on brown paper. When cooled shake individual cookies in gallon size Ziploc bag filled with confectioners sugar. Enjoy!

[redbrick]

Our menu is usually pretty PA Dutch, but not always. Turkey is standard, though one year we had goose (it was good, but it ignited in the oven-don't ask), and the kids are asking for duck this year. Last year we went out. Potato filling, Cope's corn (because I ask for it), mashed potatoes ('cause the kids'll eat it), cranberry relish of one form or another, sometimes green bean casserole with mushroom soup and frenchfried onions. Then the desserts! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, mince pie, cookies, etc. All finished up with a pillow, if I can manage it! It's all good!

[redbrick]

I know it's not Christmas, but I just have to share this one with everybody. Last year my SIL decided to do a little homework and pull off an "original" Thanksgiving Dinner, like the Pilgrims probably had. She really went all out, with a Venison roast, two ducks, and three rabbits. The meat was great, if you could forget about those three little carcasses draped across their platter (they reminded me of Rex Hairless cats!). For dessert, she made what was said to be George Washington's favorite dessert: Pumpkin custard baked in a pumpkin shell. Everything was delicious, the funny thing is, I can't remember a single side dish! Musta been those three rabbits, mental block maybe...

[werecat]

Johno - Yule is celebrated on the Winter Solstice - Dec. 21st. It's probably older than Christmas, and was one of the Saxon/Germanic traditions assimilated by the old church to coincide with Christian traditions. It is a name that can be interchanged with Christmas, and often is, but is also celebrated with no Christian overtones by pagan religions.

That's where the Yule log comes from Johno. :) The yule log was traditionally decorated with evergreen boughs, nugmegs, cinnamon sticks and so forth so it smelled really fantastic burning and was normally huge! The Yule log was added to the fire place with much pomp and ceramony and toasting. It would be left to burn all night with continual feasting (raiding of the buffet table) and lots of toasting (Alcohol free for us generally so no one gets sloppy drunk and fall to close to the fire) and good company. It was done to celebrate the return of the light since winter solstice is the longest night. Halfway to the return of spring. It's been a long time since my family has had access to a fire place. *sigh* I really miss it. :)

[Lavandula Girl]

Christmas ham comes from the Yule traditions, too - they used to sacrifice pigs to the Norse god Freyr. (Those of you who've gotten mail from me might recognize that name!) Holly comes from Yule, too - the death of the Holly King happens during this portion of the pagan cycle. Christianity has borrowed much from the pagan rites - the Pope way back when sanctioned taking over these traditions and spinning them to the Catholic faith, to make the transition easier for the missionaries.

[trudyjean]

Thanks Mike5953, I've printed it out. Would like to try it. trudyjean

[werecat]

Christmas ham comes from the Yule traditions, too - they used to sacrifice pigs to the Norse god Freyr. (Those of you who've gotten mail from me might recognize that name!) Holly comes from Yule, too - the death of the Holly King happens during this portion of the pagan cycle. Christianity has borrowed much from the pagan rites - the Pope way back when sanctioned taking over these traditions and spinning them to the Catholic faith, to make the transition easier for the missionaries.

I guess if you can't beat them, adopt their ways and call them your own LOL There used to be a big bilboard on the 4 corner in town that some guy used to plaster "stuff" too. One year he put up "Christmas is a holy day, not a Pagan Orgy!" Silly man! the orgy was at beltine, not Yule LOL Poor guy had no idea how many pagans lived in Ottawa IL till he did that. There was such and up roar that he finally took it down.

[werecat]

For trudyjean:


Mothers Kleiner

4 Eggs
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Butter
4 Cups Flour
3 Tbsp. Cream
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
½ Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Cardamom
1 Lemon Rind Grated


Beat eggs and sugar until lemon colored. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Roll out thin on a lightly floured board. Cut in diamond shape, slit in center and twist end through. Fry in Crisco (or more traditionally lard) until golden brown, turn with fork or ice pick. Drain on brown paper. When cooled shake individual cookies in gallon size Ziploc bag filled with confectioners sugar. Enjoy!
I wonder if I could put that through my pasta roller machine....

[Lavandula Girl]

I guess if you can't beat them, adopt their ways and call them your own

I'm hoping for the Wicker Man on May Day, but I think we're just crowning the statue of Blessed Mary again this spring. :D Hey - we had to leave you that burning guy and those orgies, since we took the ham and the holly.... oh and the bunnies and eggs, too!

[bluelacedredhead]

Werecat, I have to agree with you on the Cheap Tea..Nothing worse...
I can stomach some storebrands of black tea. But Green Tea definitely has to be Tetley or an authentic brand of oriental Green leaves...
There is a brand of tea that your Mum might like. Your Uncle Len (or I ) might be able to get it from the local Sobey's store? It's a tea from maritime Canada: King Cole it's called. Full flavoured.. I just adore it, but it's rather pricey..But then...it's Christmas, wot??:)

[flowerpower]

Mike, great recipe. If it has cardamom in it, my inlaws will love it. They are Norwegian.

Solstice Celebrations date further back than Christmas. The reason that Christmas was placed in Dec was to help assimilate people to Christianity. The Winter Solstice marks the return (birth) of the the Sun. And Christmas marks the birth of the Son.

[Lavandula Girl]

If it has cardamom in it, my inlaws will love it.


Who can say no to cardamom? We put it into a lot of cookies, too, and it goes in with the ginger in our saurbrauten. I also make a lemon and cardamom liqueur, which, as a toddy, does wonders on a cold day!:D Lindt chocolates used to do one of their truffle balls with a cardamom filling, and it was incredible! Unfortunately, they stopped making it. I'm still in mourning.... heathens! Here's something my Scandanavian friends out in WA state used to do... make something like cinnamon toast, but with cardamom sugar instead! In a skillet, toast a thick slice of lightly buttered homemade bread, then, while hot, sprinkle with cardamom sugar, and serve with a large mug of strong coffee - fabulous!

[johno]

Ever tried putting cardamom in your coffee, like the Saudis? It's really nice.

[bluelacedredhead]

Andy, you're supposed to drain the grease off the goose once or twice..Less chance of spontaneous combustion :p

Goose and duck are a bit too greasy I find to be stuffed with a traditional bread stuffing. Better to make that in a separate pan or (choke choke) on the stovetop.
What we really like is to grate a bit of onion into sauerkraut (28 oz can size?) and use that to stuff waterfowl for roasting. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :)

[redbrick]

Blue, how'd you guess that's what happened? Is this the voice of experience talking? I've found that's the hardest kind of teacher: it gives the test first, and the lesson afterwords!

[bluelacedredhead]

Andy, I can safely say that in this case it's not the voice of experience, but rather the voice of one who has been blessed with expert advice in matters of roasting a goose. A friend many years back was married to former member of the Royal Danish Court's housekeeping staff. The advice given to me was to roast the bird breast side down; raised a few inches above the bottom of the roaster on a roasting rack or tin cakepan perhaps? It keeps the bird out of the grease. And always drain the grease at least once during the roasting process.

I believe the sauerkraut idea was one I found in the Time-Life series of Foods of the World: Cooking of Scandinavia? or it might have been Cooking of Germany??

And always serve Braised Red Cabbage with Roast Goose. When I raised free range geese, they always dined on the cabbage (and anything else red like bergamot or coneflower or cannas) :mad:

[flowerpower]

Here's something my Scandanavian friends out in WA state used to do... make something like cinnamon toast, but with cardamom sugar instead! In a skillet, toast a thick slice of lightly buttered homemade bread, then, while hot, sprinkle with cardamom sugar, and serve with a large mug of strong coffee - fabulous!

Last week we made the Norwegian Waffles for his family. They eat them with butter and white sugar. Or you put lingonberry preserves on them. Uff da- that's good.

[werecat]

when we make goose for yule (when we can afford it. Out here it's bloody expensive!) I always stuff the body with dried apples. It gives a nice flavor and absorbs the grease. When it's done, you scrape them out and toss them. Stuffing is done in a ceramic in the oven on the side.

[johno]

Sounds like we're having standing rib roast at my parents' for xmas dinner this year. MMM, it's not just for breakfast anymore!