What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful)

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HeatherFeather
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Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful)

Post by HeatherFeather » Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:06 am

What are your family's favorite holiday food traditions? Do you have any oddball things you do during the meal or foods that perhaps not every family would eat for their holiday meal, but in your family, it just would not be {insert your holiday here}?

If you have recipes to share, please do so, but at least tell the story of which winter holiday you celebrate (there are so many!) and what your family eats, whether it is standard fare or something unique.

Here are some of the things we do:

When I was little, one year for some reason, my Dad and sisters and I decided we wanted to have nothing but appetizers for Christmas Eve dinner. We went to the grocery store and bought tons of prepackaged mini appies and some ingredients for other things we could easily make (like pigs in blankets and mini quiches etc). Mom made hot cider and we all baked cookies too. We ended up carrying on that tradition year after year.

My Mom went back to making a real holiday meal years later, but we still usually have a huge platter of sushi and my stepdaddy makes a huge pot of boiled shrimp for the appetizer round. Mom either bakes a turkey breast with some fixings, or roasts a side of salmon for the main meal.

When I am cooking the meal at my house, I usually make Chicken Piccata for Christmas Eve dinner, with carrot rice pilaf and whole wheat yogurt rolls. Then I usually make a breakfast in advance type thing - either a breakfast overnight casserole or cinnamon roll dough, although sometimes I just make sure I have the ingredients for Eggs Benedict. I also make a fruit salad.

Then for Christmas Dinner, I make a roast ham, hot curried fruit, raisin sauce, scalloped potatoes, chocolate chip cherry fruitcake, assorted cookies. I do make some sides too, but they are not fixed in stone. I started having mini mince pies during the holidays when I lived in England, and try to remember to make some of those too.

This year I have a change to my menu, as my BF doesn't like ham. I haven't decided what to make yet - possibly a turkey breast. Perhaps I will try some thing one of you likes to make instead. I am open for suggestions. He pretty much likes Chicken, Turkey, and Lamb but hates pork (except sausage and bacon), seafood, and isn't fond of beef.

Felix4067
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Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2011 7:24 pm

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by Felix4067 » Wed Dec 12, 2012 11:07 am

Hasn't happened for years, but before my parents got divorced Dad would get up at dark-thirty on Christmas morning to make cinnamon rolls. Then when us kids got up we'd open our stockings, then breakfast was always scrambled eggs with cream of mushroom soup in them, smoky links, and the fresh-baked cinnamon rolls, still warm.

On New Year's Eve, Dad would make milkshakes, Mom would make cookies, and we'd all settle into the living room to watch family slides.

Now that we're grownups, the only "tradition" is that Christmas at Dad's house is always appetizers and we don't really have a set time to eat.

invictus
Posts: 546
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 10:06 am

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by invictus » Wed Dec 12, 2012 12:03 pm

We either do a take and bake pizza or appetizers on Christmas Eve. This year I am going to do appetizers and I'm so looking forward to it. I love finger food. There will be alcohol, hot chocolate, and lots of candy and cookies as well.

On Christmas morning I have done a variety of things from cinnamon rolls to a strata but whatever it is I prepare it the night before so that the morning is very low key. The kids wake up when ever they get up (these days at 18 and 12 years of age, if it is before noon, it is a miracle), open their stockings, and we all trickle into the living room to open presents with hot chocolate and coffee, then we eat. I think this year I will do a coffee cake type thing. I am savory breakfast person but everybody else prefers sweets.

For Christmas dinner I traditionally have done a ham with green beans and au gratin potatoes but last year I did an AMAZING pork loin that I will do again this year. It has a bacon and apricot paste with herbs that it is smothered in then baked. It is so delicious. I'll share the recipe but it is at home and I am at work.

I have a friend that serves champagne and orange juice on a silver tray as the family unwraps presents. How cool is that? Not something my family would particularly enjoy but I love the sentiment.

HeatherFeather
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Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:07 am

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by HeatherFeather » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:14 pm

And here I was thinking my family was so unusual having appetizers on Christmas Eve. Now I don't feel quite so weird :)

Invictus - that pork loin does sound good!

Shadows1
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Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:41 pm

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by Shadows1 » Wed Dec 12, 2012 2:30 pm

We too have appies for Christmas Eve.
Our kids are grown and gone from the house but we all still get together at one of the homes. The kids insist on "Stuffed French Loaf" ( recipe not posted here yet ) both vegetarian and regular "Shadows Beer Boiled Shrimp ", "Cheryl's Cheese Ball" ( not posted yet ), "Bourbon Dogs" ( not here yet either ), and sometimes my stuffed mushrooms.
My oldest is is 35 and my youngest is nearly 20 and all 6 of them still get excited every Christmas Eve for these foods. This will be the 1st year for my 2 grandaughtes, both 2 years old for these goodies. My grandson is still a bit young for these things since he is still eating baby foods.
We have already been told to bring them.

Dissie
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Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:15 pm

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by Dissie » Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:18 pm

My family has always ate our Christmas eve meal around 6-7, then we open gifts, and go to mass at midnight. I know people think its weird to open on Christmas Eve but we have always done that.

My mom has made lutefisk on Christmas Eve. You haven't lived until you had that smelly thing cooking all day in the house! :shock: She made it for my dads side of the family, but we only had that once. (Thank Heavens).

I usually make a pasta dinner for supper on Christmas Eve, and then an egg bake on Christmas morning. We always have a ham dinner for Christmas Day...But this year, I am thinking Turkey.

invictus
Posts: 546
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 10:06 am

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by invictus » Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:29 am

Dissie, is your family Catholic? How was Santa handled opening presents on Christmas Eve?

Dissie
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Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:15 pm

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by Dissie » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:24 pm

Yes, we are catholic. Santa brought one or two gifts on Christmas morning for the kids, but gifts from family members, grandparents, etc....were all opened with everyone present after we all had a huge Christmas Eve dinner.

Shadows1
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Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2012 3:41 pm

Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by Shadows1 » Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:28 pm

We also open family gifts on Xmas eve, Santa only comes to the grand kids homes not ours.

QueenBea
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Re: What are your holiday food traditions?(weird & wonderful

Post by QueenBea » Fri Dec 14, 2012 3:03 pm

When we were kids, we celebrated the French Canadian traditional way with what we call a "Reveillon" which is a feast that starts around 8 pm on December 24th and continues until midnight. There is usually loads of appetizers served along with lobster, escargot, tourtiere, cold cuts and it is finished off with a "Buche de Noel" which is a cake shaped like a log and decorated with holly.
Then Xmas morning the gifts were opened and we had a huge brunch, played all day then had the typical turkey dinner.

Nowadays we have A big dinner on the 24th then open our gifts afterwards and party 'til the wee hours of the night. Xmas day is rest and relax and nibble on leftovers all day, 'cause we are a tad bit hung over :lol: :lol:

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