Create Brand New & Meaningful Traditions For Christmas Dinners
During my younger years, I used to stay beside my cool mother inside our kitchen, particularly when she was making our special Christmas feast. Mother and I had many happy moments. She used to wear an apron embellished with embroidery and stood near the stove that was bursting with yummy smells. Fine China silverwares and embroidered cloths were used just for the season decorate our table.
I could still recall the time when I used to lick the paddle beater after it was used to mash the potatoes. That time, my father was also busy carving our golden roast turkey. I can’t forget these great memories. In fact, I associate our happy family scenes to Norman Rockwell’s painting “Freedom from Want” painting.
When it was my time to start my very own family. My lovely daughters always wanted to stay with me inside our kitchen. I’d also like my lovely daughters to acquire happy memories and experiences which they could share to their future children.
I’d like my two daughters to learn and appreciate cooking. Now, they have lovely children too. They’re already around 20 years old and all of them are capable of preparing their very own sumptuous Christmas feast.
We don’t actually love preparing turkey but we definitely enjoy eating it. During Christmas, a homemade ham is always present in our table. This ham is glazed with sugar (brown), cloves, ginger, mustard, orange and garlic. It’s also garnished with some fruits like cherries and pineapple. It was my mother who first served ham during Christmas in our entire family.
Our special turkey served during Christmastime is always big. It weighs around 22 lbs. since we do have a huge gathering. We always prepare it using the old-fashioned sage-flavored stuffing. Our favorite stuffing has always been cooked alongside our turkey. I’ve learned how to prepare this delicious Apple, Sage and Sausage stuffing. These recipes are tasty since we used stock from the huge turkey that we cooked.
We also added fresh recipes in our dinner list. We included Pearl-Oninons AuGratin and Bruseels Sprouts & Bacon. Brussel sprouts & onions were grated. The juicy bacon, however is cooked until golden brown and crumbled over.
The sprouts were then cooked or browned on a small amount of fat from bacon. All of us enjoy these recipes, even my yongest and smallest grandkid. My youngest grandson who’s five years old now also learns cooking.
His mom lets him make and cook some of his most loved foods. He loves “Mom Mom’s fudge” (my original recipe) which I used to prepare for desserts. Red Velvet Cake was also part of desserts during Christmas. It’s also included in Mom Mom’s original recipe.
Our special Christmas feasts have always been fun and exciting especially if we get additional recipes. It is fun and special for all of us since we love cooking and being inside a homey kitchen. We will soon have additional hands or assistance in our kitchen because my daughter has announced that she will be having her child in Spring. Another happy moment!
Best Dessert Ideas For Merry Christmas Rituals and Holiday
Christmas has become 1 of the most favorite and looked forward to of all holiday seasons for me and my family. Over time, my family has developed some traditions and rituals that are only ours. 1 of the traditions is that me and my sisters as well as sister-in-laws are the ones responsible in preparing a segment of Christmas dinner and best of all we always get to do our dessert selection.
We do have this big family so there’s a lots of us sisters as well as our sister-in-laws. My parents are still alive and when all of us are together for Christmas holidays, expect a very big crowd including nieces & nephews.
Every Christmas time, we divide ourselves into different segments then we place the different dinner courses in a hat (appetizers, desserts, before the dinner drinks, after the dinner drinks, vegetable side dish, stuffing, meat dishes and rolls).
When dinner is done, we’ll talk about plans for next year’s celebration and who’ll be doing what portion. We just draw out of the hat and divide ourselves accordingly.
For dessert which is really something I really love to prepare
yearly, I usually start the cooking preparations about 1 week before Christma and also I take into consideration everbody’s most favored dessert too.
We do have so many family recipes that have been passed down through the generations and we make it a point to at least make 1 for dessert. Normally, there would be about 3 kinds of dessert and there is usually cake which is great to be paired with that cup of deliciously made coffee served after a hearty Christmas dinner.
Normally our long time family traditions involve lots of cooking and we really enjoy doing it as a group. Yes, our kitchen tends to be really messy and noisy but hey, everyone gets to really enjoy and have lots of fun and my family gets together as well.
If you do have this big family of your own, you could try and do a ritual for your Christmas too about cooking. During the holidays, people love to eat and they also love to hang out in their kitchens and cook too. You could try out interesting recipes that you’ve never had before.
Also, there tends to be lots of experiences shared and recipes too which is really good for all. We are eager to share the knowledge within our circle and its really great. It feels good as well & makes us closer together.
Christmas time is really all about traditions and rituals of families and its a time for all to gather round and catch up if we haven’t seen each other for long. The best part is when dinner has finished, we then have storytelling about our ancestors with funny anecdotes and experiences and then the gift opening session where all kids look forward to.
9 Holiday Tips For Worry-Free Meal Plans
It’s the coming holiday season and for sure, you’re already thinking about what kinds of foodstuffs to serve on your dinner table or what you can bring to that party that you’re invited to. It’s the holidays and during this time it’s very crucial that you plan well ahead.
Below are a couple of tips that could help you get through the holidays smoothly.
Ask Other People For Assistance
It’s perfectly okay to ask other people for help when you’re very very busy with the preparations. You could ask certain family members if they would be willing to come 1 hour earlier than dinner time so that they can help you with preparations for dinner. Or better yet, ask your kids.
Clean Ahead
1 week at least prior to the planned celebration, clean the den, your space for entertaining and clean your entire house ahead of time so that you’ll not be bothered with that anymore. Then 1 day prior to the party, just make a bit of light clean up.
Keep The Guest List Short And Sweet
Entertaining is really hard work and the bigger the number of guests you invite over, the bigger your tasks will be. Manage the guest list well. Prioritize family & good friends. Don’t invite lots of people or you might be having a hard time in handling them all unless you really hire some people to “professionally” assist you.
Menu Should Be Planned Ahead Of Time
Think about your party menu 2 weeks ahead then plan what foods can be prepared ahead of time so this way you’ll minimize the actual work that you’ll be doing. Cook wisely. Pre prepare.
Don’t Give Out Too Much Alcohol
So that you’ll not worry with party guests being rowdy or going home drunk, estimate how much alcohol will be consumed. Allot at least 2 glasses per person and then have some reserves just in case.
Make More Than Enough Food To Feed The Guests
Cook lots of delicious food so that you’ll not run out. It’s better if there are leftovers rather than run out of food. If you’re worried about leftovers then have some plastic container boxes stored on hand so that you could send some home with family & friends.
Keep decorations minimal.
It’s best to not overdecorate. Just make the entertaining areas look festive. Simplicity in decorations is always great and shows taste. Choose the decorations wisely. They do reflect your tastes.
Clean As-You-Go
If you’re in the process of cooking, make it a point to clean-as-you-go. It will help lessen your clean-up load later on.
Prepare Ahead The Party Supply List
With this I meant, plan the supply list ahead of time. Plates, eating utensils, serving platters and etc. Be sure that you’ve done this already at least 1 week prior to the party, that way you’ll not be stressed to think about them later on.
Do follow these helpful tips and plan parties ahead of time. It will make you enjoy the party more and it means a less stressful and more enjoyable time for you as the host/hostess.
7 Delicious and Mouth Watering Recipes For The Holidays
The Holiday season is fast approaching and people have been getting into this frenzy trying to create those holiday goodies that they have been making ever since. Although there is that tiny voice inside their head that says, “Go and do something brand new for a change”.
If you’re trying to look for brand new ideas or put a twist on the already traditional ones that you have exisiting, then read on for some really good ways to freshen up an old recipe or for new exciting ones that you haven’t had before.
1) Eggnog-like Custard
Just get your regular recipe for eggnog then sprinkle with just a dash of freshly grated nutmeg. Then bake your custards using little glass cups inside a hot water bath then after they have cooked, take them out then add a dollop of whipped up cream then sprinkle some more nutmeg.
If you’re wanting some texture and crunch to the custard, pair it off with really good pfefferneusse or gingersnaps.
2) Pumpkin-flavored Pound Cake w/ Buttercream (Caramel flavored)
You will have a taste of fall with this delicious twist to your traditional pumpkin cake. Just add some chopped up pecans then garnish your cake using some more pecan nuts that have been chopped in half.
3) Cranberry & Pear Tart
Mix together the tart flavor of some fresh cranberries with sugary sweet flavor of the pears. Just cook your fruits down until it has a consistency like a jam together with sugar, a dash of salt & a bit of Riesling. For the tart crust, try some ground pistachios so you have that holiday inspired theme.
4) Chocolate & Raspberry Trifle
This is a very festive recipe for meals during the holiday season. Just dice up any favorite sponge or pound cake then spread some chocolate-flavored custerd and raspberry jam on them.
Add some sherry to give it that zing then garnish using some whipped up cream, raspberries and shavings of chocolate.
5) Sesame Brittle
Just take the best recipe that you have for your peanut brittles then replace the peanuts using sesame seeds. This is good eaten just as is or you can crumble some over some delicious ice cream to get that texture and crunch
6) Sesame-laced cookies
Make your Florentine cookies using sesame seeds. When cookies still are very pliable, just mold cookies on some muffin tins to form really cute cups. Put 1 scoop of any flavor of ice cream then add peanut butter fudge to create that interesting and delish treat.
7) Fruit Roasted w/ Honey
If you’re wanting a very light dessert to your heavy dinner meal, just get some fruits like apricots, apples & pears. Peel the fruits then brush them using some butter that has been melted.
Drizzle honey that has been blended together with cinnamon on the peeled fruits then roast them until they’re soft and they have caramelized. Best if served with creme fraiche or mascarpone that has been added w/ honey.
Get creative with your traditional holiday recipes so that you will have more wonderful and tasty meals together with your friends and family
Discover The Perfect Holiday Gifts
The holidays are almost around the corner and for sure there will be quite a number of nice gifts being exchanged by family & friends. The gifts aren’t really required to be expensive but rather that they’re truly coming from the heart of the giver.
If you’re looking for really great gifts for your loved ones & friends during Christmas and you want something that’ll really make quite an impact as well as be appreciate really well by those whom you intend to give them to then try giving out these really unique wine baskets as gifts.
These gift baskets usually come with 1 or 2 bottles of good wine, an assortment of wine paraphernalia’s like corkscrews, a wine cork and a block of cheese that would complement your chosen wine. Caviar sometimes is included if you’re really wanting to impress your recipients.
The wine basket as a gift is really very impressive and will be appreciate by anyone who receives them. Wine during holidays is always a permanent fixture in homes during parties or simple meals for celebrating the festive season.
Wine baskets are very unique and thoughtful gifts that you’d be able to give to a colleague, family or friend. It will help them do their entertaining during upcoming holidays. It’s also quite easy to put together and won’t take up so much time especially if there’s a service online where you could pick what to put in those gift baskets then have the company send it directly to the recipient.
There’s already a long list of cool websites online that provide the service where you could choose from their wide selection of goodies that you’re able to put inside a gift basket. They have wines, chocolates, cheeses and anything that you’d like to add to create a more memorable gift.
You could just order it via the internet and pay for it online as well. The company then delivers it to your intended recipient and you will have this worry free time during Christmas. Your gifts are already being taken cared of so you prevent being stressed out about your upcoming Christmas dinner or any other holiday celebration for that matter.
Holiday baskets containing wines are always a nice present to receive but they’re not the only really great gifts you can send off to your loved ones and also to some very important people in your life. The essence of gifting is just all about you remembering that person and thanking them for being good to you.
A wine basket is just a new idea which you can add if you’re feeling that your gifts ideas need a bit of refreshing. For sure, the ones who receive them will be truly grateful and will be amazed that you’re able to think of a really impressive gift/present to give them.
Learn About The Traditional & Sumptuous Christmas Dinner Dishes By Grandma!
Usually as women in any family, the family recipes have always been passed from mother to daughter and they’re always made during the holiday seasons to remind us of our beginnings and our roots.
These traditions are often passed to the youngest member of the family or perhaps to newly-married granddaughters. These traditions will include but are not limited to holiday activities and then of couse the elaborate menu for Christmas dinners.
These Christmas recipes/dishes have always been passed down from generation to generation so that they are preserved by the family members. It’s a great way for keeping the holiday family memories very much alive inside the thoughts of each family member present.
It’s really a time honored family tradition to be keeping certain family recipes alive especially if they are in grandma’s elegant handwriting or even your great great aunt’s. It makes preparing the annual Christmas dinner more special.
Now even if your Christmas dinner list is quite complete already with the traditional things, there’s always room for new stuff and new additions. You might want to add in your best recipes & who knows, 30 years fast forward, your grandkids or your soon-to-be great grandkids will be chatting about you they way you talk about your great grandmother.
You could also try and do something new with your old traditional recipes. Put an interesting twist to them and then spice them up so that they will have new flavors but still retain the old recipe.
It would be nice if you’re able to add like really sweet and crunchy fruits to the traditional and very delicious turkey stuffing that your great grandmother used to make. It would be great if some candied almonds or pecans can be added to your great aunt’s sweet potato pie.
Mixing the old traditions with some really new ones are going to be a welcome addition to your already growing yummy list of dishes to be served during the coming Christmas season.
You could also give out Christmas recipes to family members and they’d be considered nice gifts if you’re not able to think of anything else to present to them as gifts. These recipes, handed down from generations, are very much nice treasures and will make for interesting presents.
Or what would make a more interesting gift to family members is a hard bound collection of your family recipes from way back your great great grandmothers and then don’t just stop with Christmas holidays but also on other holidays too. This will be a truly remarkable gift full of history and thought.
If you’re not able to find any other great recipes, do ask around your other family members for recipes they might have so you could also incorporate it in your personalized gift. Then just decorate it with some really nice artwork and presto, you have yourself a hardbound family recipe book.