Let's Talk About Food!

[skieswideopen]

December is a month of many holidays and accompanying traditions, including food. So let's talk about what we're eating!

If you like specific questions:

- If you're celebrating a holiday this month, what are you eating?
- Is there a dish you consider mandatory?
- What, if anything, are you serving for dessert?
- Do you have any recipe recommendations?
- What's your favourite television or movie depiction of a holiday meal?

Comments

[skieswideopen]

My family celebrates Christmas and we generally go Canadian-traditional: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy, along with rutabaga and maybe another vegetable. We sometimes serve ham as well, depending on how many people we have coming over.

We're hit and miss on dessert--no traditions there--but we always bake dozens of Christmas cookies. We make sugar cookies, gingersnaps, shortbread, and cranberry white chocolate drop cookies every year, and then we usually try out a new recipe or two. This year we're thinking of chocolate-orange pinwheel cookies, and maybe a new chocolate mint recipe.

[colls]

Christmas Cookies are the best! Those cranberry white chocolate drop cookies sound really yummy

[skieswideopen]

They are! The cranberry white chocolate aren't one of the ones we made when I was a kid, but they're my father's favourite now, so we've added them to the regular rotation.

[thousanth]

- If you're celebrating a holiday this month, what are you eating?

Everything! Uh...well. I like holiday food so I don't worry about eating whatever is part of the celebrations. I haven't actually worked out what I'm serving on Xmas day this year yet, probably beef, because I'm not a huge fan of turkey - too dry, and I feel chicken tastes better, but we have chicken other times, so....

I don't make fruit cake for Xmas cake or Xmas puddings, because neither of us eat them, but I will make a chocolate cake probably. Something pretty, and I'm hoping to make some iced biscuits this year too.

- Is there a dish you consider mandatory?

Yes. I always cook Xmas eve, and make sausage rolls and little nibble things. Also, if anyone produces a Yule Log I will hoard that thing and guard it against all comers like it's made of diamond. I love those things.

- What, if anything, are you serving for dessert?

Ice cream, cake.

- Do you have any recipe recommendations?

Haha, no. I just throw things together and pray. It seems to work. At least, no-one's had the courage to complain yet!

- What's your favourite television or movie depiction of a holiday meal?

Hmm. Hard one. I don't watch TV and I no Xmas or other holiday movies really spring to mind to be honest. Maybe I watch the wrong movies!

[brisus]

ice cream cake is my favorite "cake". YUM!

[skieswideopen]

I agree...I like chicken better too.

We do finger foods on Christmas Eve too.

I think the TV question is hard! I actually can't think of anything either, apart from maybe A Christmas Carol.

[everythingshiny]

- If you're celebrating a holiday this month, what are you eating? we don't have thanksgiving here, just christmas, so i'm excited. in new zealand i've had it a few different ways depending on which family (bbq, hangi) but generally now we have it with my immediate family who do ham, veges, maybe turkey, and then dessert.
- Is there a dish you consider mandatory? HAM HAM HAM HAM NOMNOMNOM
- What, if anything, are you serving for dessert? we have a few things, usually fruit salad, pavlova and trifle, but my favourite is the brandy snaps
- Do you have any recipe recommendations? brandy snaps!
- What's your favourite television or movie depiction of a holiday meal? uhh i dunno. its not similar, we live in the southern hemisphere and its summer so its generally the NZ/AUS shows that get it right

[brisus]

brandy snaps? What is this you speak of?

[skieswideopen]

BBQ for Christmas just sounds so strange! We often do ham, though. It seems like that's more popular here than turkey. (I have to admit, it is tastier. But then there's no stuffing!)

[lea_hazel]

I am skipping out completely on the greasy Hannukah food this year. I have classes and so much work, and it's not even a holiday I am over-fond of at all. Holding out for Purim.

[skieswideopen]

Is Hannukah food all greasy?

[lea_hazel]

It supposedly commemorated the oil used to light the seven-armed lamp in the cleansed temple, which had been desecrated by the Hellenistic invasion when icons of Olympian gods were placed in it. The food traditions are much newer, of course, but greasy jelly donuts and potato patties still somehow make their way around every winter.

[skieswideopen]

I totally forgot to come back to this post, but thank you for the explanation! I knew about the basis for the holiday, but it hadn't occurred to me to make the connection to food.

[lea_hazel]

I apologize if it came across as condescending, I just never really know what's common knowledge and what isn't. It's a funny side effect of growing up in a majority-Jewish society.

[skieswideopen]

No, it didn't come across as condescending at all! I'm sorry if I gave that impression.

[missdillydally]

I will not be in my home country for Christmas this year, so I won't be getting my yearly dose of the traditional Christmas food. However, mom will bring Hangikjöt with her when she comes over, so at least that tradition will remain on Christmas Day. It just isn't Christmas without it!

[skieswideopen]

Aww, that's too bad. But at least you get something! I've never heard of hangikjöt; it looks interesting!

[moonbathe_skin]

Unlike Lea I am very much looking forward to delicious fried Hannukah food, potato latkes, yum and doughnuts yumx2. If you want to know why fried food this gives some explanation

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/597162/jewish/Hanukkah-Foods.htm

....but i also feel it is suitable fuel foods for the winter months!!

[skieswideopen]

Doughnuts...yum! And I actually was going to ask why fried food!

[ejia_arath03]

Ham. Ham is a must-have at Christmas. On New Year's Eve/Day, though, anything goes. Except for chicken, which is apparently very bad luck to have for some reason. Other fowl is okay, though, like turkey or duck. I cooked a turkey once. It turned out sort of bland, but the stuffing balanced it out.

Dessert is a hotly contested event in my household, at least in recent years. My sisters and I have somewhat of a competition on who could make the best one, and I could swear one of them sabotaged my mango pudding by putting some sort of garlicky thing in it. This year I think we're going to just make one together, but unfortunately the suggestion is a Coca-Cola cake. I'm not too fond of the idea so I'm trying my best to veto it.

[skieswideopen]

I should have polled, ham vs. turkey. I think ham might win!

I agree that turkey is kind of bland. I actually prefer chicken, but turkey is traditional. And the stuffing makes up for it.

Gotta admit, coca-cola cake doesn't really sound very Christmassy to me. :D

Food, yea!

[brisus]

- If you're celebrating a holiday this month, what are you eating?
Christmas and I'm pretty sure we'll have ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, another veggie, and some other dishes. I'm still debating on what I'll make besides the potatoes.

- Is there a dish you consider mandatory?
The mashed potatoes. I can't eat any holiday meal without them and the Christmas ham.

- What, if anything, are you serving for dessert?
More pumpkin pie cheesecake? Maybe red velvet cake for my mom's birthday/Christmas? Hmm, the possibilities.

- Do you have any recipe recommendations?
Pumpkin pie cheesecake recipe on allrecipes.com. It is freaking delicious!

- What's your favourite television or movie depiction of a holiday meal?
I have no idea.

Re: Food, yea!

[skieswideopen]

I'm not a huge cheesecake fan, but I'll pass that recipe along to my sister, because she LOVES pumpkin pie cheesecake.

[aryas_zehral]

I'm going to my mothers for Christmas so food will be fairly set. For breakfast we'll probably actually eat it up the table and it won't be unusual breakfast food - cereal, toast, yucky porrige - except that there will probably be things like pate to go with the toast or something fizzy and alcoholic first thing in the morning (if its only adults there).

Then for lunch, which will probably be like 2-3pm, we'll usually have starter of either soup (usually a vegitable broth) or salmon and prawns with marie rose sauce and salad, then the main course will be turkey with roast potatoes, roast veg - carrots, parsnips - and brussel sprouts. We'll all complain that brussel sprouts are disgusting (because they are) and we'll all eat them because its Christmas and that's what you do. What am I missing? Gravy, onion gravy, stuffing, maybe those little sausages wrapped in bacon.

Desert usually doesn't happen straight away because, um, lots of food by this point. A couple of hours later we'll get together again for christmas pudding (set on fire) which I won't eat and chocolate log made with bourneville chocolate icing.

Most everyone is coming for Christmas on Boxing Day this year however so this mean may postponed (which will be weird).

I'm also considering co-opting the brussel sprouts and seeing if I can make them not hideous. I was thinking of trying this recipe but if anyone else knows a way of making brussel sprouts not hideous I'd appreciate it. :)

The first thing that came to mind for this was the flashback family dinner scene in Buffy's "The Body" for favourite. Which seems depressing of my brain but *shrug* my mind has gone blank for all other depictions of Christmas. :S

[skieswideopen]

I love brussels sprouts, so I don't really think they're hideous in general. But people seem to like them roasted, although I imagine that could be a little problematic on Christmas with the turkey and all, so your recipe might be better. And it does sound good. (Bacon makes everything better, right?)

Your Christmas dinner sounds fantastic!

[atelierlune]

- If you're celebrating a holiday this month, what are you eating?

everything I can get my hands on We like to do it up for the holidays and the family has been talking prime rib this year.

- Is there a dish you consider mandatory?

Pigs in a blanket.

- What, if anything, are you serving for dessert?

There will be cookies, and tea. Dad will have fruitcake but you'll have to fight him for it.