Holiday food

[Flower of Bliss]

Does your family have any food you traditionally eat each year during the winter holiday season?  I'm looking for inspiration.

[Oubliette8]

When I was a kid we had fondue every year on xmas eve. Not like cheese or chocolate, my parents filled the fondue pot with I think peanut oil and we'd cook meat in it. They made special condiments by hand for dipping too. It was the only time of the whole year we had that meal, after the left overs were gone, it went away until next xmas. I actually didn't even know there were other types of fondue until I was in high school I think. I can actually taste it now, thinking about it.

My mother would also make cookie gun cookies around xmas, we never had those any other time either, and I always thought they were delicious. Actually, we made a variety of special cookies, not every year, but always just for xmas. The rest of the year if we baked it was "normal" stuff.

[zoebird]

christmas eve, we always had pizza-- home made, store bought, or from the pizza shop. but always pizza. chrismtas day, we had a nice brunch after presents, then dinner around 4:00 and would go to bed early because we got up so early.

i'm definitely continuing brunch (veggie frittatas, fruit, hash-browns made with sweet potato, carrot, zucchini, apple, and a bit of cheddar cheese). we don't do grains, so pizza will likely be out. :D

anyway, yeah. fondu sounds like a great idea, actually. 

[lonegirl]

Aside from the traditional Turkey, chestnut stuffing, mashed/roasted potatoes, cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts and corn I also make (as learned from my mom and my grandmother) a delicious Finnish Turnip Casserole  I substitute Cream of Wheat for the bread crumbs and often swap the cream for low fat evaporated milk.  I also pick up a fresh loaf of Finnish Coffee Bread (Pulla).  I haven't mad it since I was a kid and my mom usually makes hers homemade...maybe this year I will...but generally I go to a great Finnish bakery to get it.  Here are the 2 recipes if anyone is interested: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/84838/finnish-turnip-casserole-lanttulaatikko   

http://www.food.com/recipe/finnish-coffee-bread-traditional-74931

 Oh also make yummy Magic Squares every year!! http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/magic-cookie-bars-from-eagle-brand/Detail.aspx 

[Breathless Wonder]

Both my family, and my DH's family always had Chinese food on Christmas Eve.   

Christmas Day was traditionally like Thanksgiving in my family, but with a pot roast instead of turkey (as sides: potatoes- au gratin, mashed or baked, corn, green beans, mac and cheese, gravy, etc.)  Similar for DH's family, but with different meat.

New Year's Eve was mostly snack food in my family- Shirley Temples for the kids, hors d'oeuvres, chips, pretzels, dip...  DH's family frequently had homemade cheese fondue.

New Years Day was again, like Thanksgiving or Christmas Day.

[UnschoolnMa]

Cheese, peas, onion and garlic salad with sour cream was a must on my Dad's side of the family.

My mom did homemade macaroni and cheese with like 6 different kinds of cheese. You felt like you'd eaten a bowling ball after eating it!

Also, homemade hot cocoa with heavy cream.

As a Pagan we observe the solstice so we always had "sun" foods - a cake, cookies, and etc sunny colored or sun shaped.

[nolansmummy]

We never had a Xmas eve food tradition except hot chocolate after coming home from gma's house. Christmas day is sort of like Thanksgiving but with  ham.

Now we celebrate Xmas eve with DH 's family, their tradition is soup and hors d'oeuvres  and lots of junk.

New years day is always black eyed peas, sauerkraut, and pork of some sort for good luck.

[limette]

english trifle.  it's fabulous.

[IntuitiveJamie]

Growing up we had clam chowder every year on Christmas Eve. I don't even remember what we had Xmas day so it must not have been anything too special.

I loved the chowder though. Now with dh's family we have ham and typical side, potatoes, corn casserole, rolls. But we are making our own Xmas morning traditions and have settled on egg quiche and homemade cinnamon rolls or sticky rolls. Also I like to drink a lot of mimosas!- (orange juice and champagne).

[Ellp]

Growing up we didn't have any tradtions as my parents never did anything very special.  Now though, we do a big brunch on Christmas day and Turkey and all the trimmings for dinner later.  I also like to make a Fruitcake (made out of real dried fruit plus lots of brandy so its very good), and of course English Trifle. Yum!

[elanorh]

Fall (not so much what you asked but still, a seasonal food time for my family) - Mom made tomato bread.  Ingredients available all year, but she only made it in the fall (even though we all loved it).  Also, gingerbread cake - another "fall/before Christmas" food. 

Thanksgiving:  Standard stuff - Turkey and/or ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (with marshmallows or with some other sweet topping), fresh cranberry sauce (cooked), homemade wheat and white rolls, our family's whipped cream fruit salad recipe, OLIVES and other pickled foods (cucumbers, asparagus, etc.), green salad, stuffing.  Desserts:  Pumpkin pie, apple pie, apple-cranberry pie, pumpkin roll (cake) ....

Winter Sostice - we have cupcakes with yellow frosting for dessert that evening.  I'd like to expand this a bit more....

Christmas Eve - I've always thought that the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner (7 fishes) sounds so neat and fun.  Except - I dislike all fish and seafood.  ;)  But I wish we had some awesome "fest" of food on Christmas Eve.  Instead, Dad always has Oyster Stew.  None of us like it, so he and a couple of the BILs eat it and everyone else has whatever Mom came up with for dinner that night (often chili or other soup).  Then the platter of snacks (candies, cookies, sliced cheese, summer sausage, crackers) comes out (Oh! and popcorn too) .... and the munching commences while we visit and the kids nod off.

Christmas Morning:

Oatmeal Roll (Spiral of an oatmeal sweet dough with a glaze of honey and butter drizzled over it, very good).  Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, fresh fruit, EGGNOG .... And all the Christmas candy people want.  ;) 

Christmas Dinner:

See "Thanksgiving" above, except we also have Plum Pudding as one of our desserts --- and the other desserts also change (often a few more cake-like desserts).  There's always an apple pie though, and usually a pumpkin one. 

Christmas Treats:  My Dad always makes a very hard chocolate fudge, it's his specialty.  A sister makes divinity (plain, with nuts, and peppermint).  Frosted sugar cookies (intricately so often).  I always make my white chocolate peanut fudge.  We always have lots of nuts/peanuts/dried fruit for snacks.  And the cheese ball my sister makes is also a family tradition.  For our own little family we always also make some cookie press cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate fudge, and peppermint bark (all egg-free as dd1 has an egg allergy). 

....We pretty much eat that food through New Years.  ;) New Years Eve was usually the snacks all over again for us growing up (cheese, crackers, sausage, popcorn, apple slices, pear slices, homemade candies, cookies, etc., and chips and salsa).... And New Years was always much less of a deal growing up.  I'd kind of like to make it into a bigger tradition for our own little nuclear family --- one of my sister's husbands grew up with New Years dinner a Very Big Deal.  You could only have pork (they root forward, beef and chicken are out).  And since he's from Western PA, a very "Pennsylvania Dutch" sort of meal - sauerbraten, sauerkraut, etc. type things. 

....So, someday I need to start establishing a "We always eat X" tradition for Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, and New Years.  ;) 

[BetsyS]

We do oyster stew on Christmas Eve, too.  I love it! 

For Christmas Day, we vary the meal every year.  This year is Italian, with lasagna and the like.  One year we did tamales, which rocked. 

I lvoe the idea of fondue for New Years!  Totally going to steal that.

[KristyDi]

Growing up we always had a big brunch Christmas morning after Santa presents and stockings and before un-wrapping gifts.  Breakfast casserole, grits, cinnamon rolls, hot chocolate, and fruit salad made from the apples and oranges in our stockings.

[jpamama]

Christmas Eve is always tortiere (traditional French meat pie) with french fries and gravy.  When we are with my family we have perogies (with the trimmings as well) thanks to my sisters husband!

Christmas Day - morning is fruit salad with cinnamon buns and champagne (with or without OJ - less OJ as the morning progresses:):):)), this is served after stockings but before presents just to torment the kids a bit more!  Dinner is traditional turkery and the trimmings.

New Years Eve - we have just implimented a new tradition since children have come into the picture - after the kids are in bed we have really good steak and king crab legs.  This dinner starts at about 8 and ends at midnight - usually with some fancy appie and then fantastic desserts and lots of really good wine.  We go all out that night!

New Years Day - oil fondue with meat, little potatoes, mushrooms, and seafood for frying - so fun and so good!  We make lots of great dipping sauces and a nice big green salad to balance out the oil fondue!

What a fun thread - I love hearing peoples different traditions!

[Alyantavid]

Christmas Eve, we always have clam chowder with my mom's family.

Christmas morning is bagels, lox, salami.

Christmas lunch varies depending on what we do/where we go.

Christmas dinner is typically prime rib, but this year we're doing ham.

[Chicky2]

Christmas Eve here is usually snacky things like cheeses and sausages and veggie and fruit platters.  Christmas morning is cranberry cream cheese baked stuffed french toast and li'l smokie sausages cooked in mustard and jam.  Christmas dinner varies.  One year it was crown roast of pork w/merliton stuffing and home made rolls and home made rosy applesauce.  This year I may do one of our ducks.  Or I thought about doing a big Tex-Mex feast of enchiladas and tamales and salsas and salad.

New Year's always includes Texas Caviar (I call it New Year's Salsa) and chips.  Nothing set for a meal, except that it's nice and includes some sort of nice meat smoked or cooked on the grill. 

[ASusan]

Christmas eve = lasagna. Easy to make in advance; holds well if you are at a church service. Leftovers are great for the day after Christmas.

[Breathless Wonder]

      I'd love the recipe for this!  Do you have it/ are you wiling to share?  PM me if you'd like!

Originally Posted by elanorh 

Christmas Morning:

Oatmeal Roll (Spiral of an oatmeal sweet dough with a glaze of honey and butter drizzled over it, very good).

[Chicky2]

Me too, please!
 

Originally Posted by Breathless Wonder 

      I'd love the recipe for this!  Do you have it/ are you wiling to share?  PM me if you'd like!

Originally Posted by elanorh 

Christmas Morning:

Oatmeal Roll (Spiral of an oatmeal sweet dough with a glaze of honey and butter drizzled over it, very good).

[elanorh]

PM's are out.  :)

I forgot to mention another treat I make - rolo pretzels - preheat oven to 200 and lay minipretzels close together on parchment paper on lipped cookie sheet.  Balance a rolo (unwrapped obviously) on each pretzel.  Warm in oven 'til soft.  Remove.  Press down lightly when you remove from oven.  OR, press down with a pecan while still warm (gently) - I've used cashews too.