Day 8 – Favourite Christmas Recipe!
Ready, set, bake!
We’re living our best rock ‘n’ roll life and baked some Christmas cookies last night!
In our household, Lisa actually bakes a lot. She usually experiments with healthier versions of our favourite treats so we can feel a little less guilty about snacking š
Today however we went all out and made traditionally Austrian Christmas cookies called “Vanillekipferl”. It translates to “vanilla crescents” and they are half-moon shaped cookies generously coated in powdered vanilla sugar. In Austria they pop up everywhere as soon as December starts and we thought the recipe would be perfect to share here since they are so easy to make!
In the days ahead we’d love to try a few other Christmas recipes and need your help. Please share with us a recipe that is traditionally local to where you are from. It can be sweet or savoury – cakes, cookies, roasts, snacks, ….
We’ll give a review to some of them at the end of the month when we had a chance to make them š
DAY 8 – FAVOURITE LOCAL CHRISTMAS RECIPE
Task of the Day:
Share your favourite Christmas recipe with us that is local to your area
Achievable Points:
5
Christmas cookie recipe from our sister church in Exter, Germany!
Sounds delicious
Backed apples with sugar. In my grandfatherās family is/was a way to upcycle bad apples. Preparation: take an apple, cut a hole in it paying attention to not make the hole a pass through hole because would be bad. Take some sugar and put it in the appleās hole. Wrap the apple with tin foil and put the apple in the oven for at least 30 minutes
Made some Vanillekipferl last night!
Find a pint jar.
Fill it about 2/3 with eggnog.
Fill it completely with some very nice brandy or rum.
Stir it up thoroughly and set it in the freezer over night.
Have a very merry evening tomorrow
No fuss, no muss, no oven to watch. Nothing to clean up.
I always wanted to publish this but GoodHousekeeping doesn’t seem interested.
Thank god for the MLTC. š
It’s kind of a double-edged sword living where I do because while on the one hand, there isn’t much truly local traditional culture (aside from native American indian), but on the other, the “melting pot” conglomeration of cultures and traditions lets us experience so many different things from all over the world.
So I don’t know of any recipe that is local to my area, but I’ll share one that has been a Christmas (and Thanksgiving) tradition in our family since my mother was a little girl, and I’m now the curator of (I make it every year).
Ingredients:
1 lb of fresh cranberries (carefully go through and discard any that have started to soften or go bad. They should all be firm and woody.)
2c sugar
1c of chopped walnuts
1c of chopped celery
2 Tablespoons of gelatin
Miniature Marshmallows (amount depends on taste)
Preparation:
My family’s favorite holiday dish is scalloped corn casserole. My cousin just texted me to ask for the recipe because her mom requested it for their Christmas meal. It’s very popular here in the midwestern states. So much so, the grocery stores heavily stock up on the ingredients before Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wanted to post my mom’s handwritten recipe, but am struggling to get any pics downloaded the last few days. Her penmanship was always beautiful before her eyesight failed.
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn(don’t drain)
1stick margarine softened
2eggs beaten
1. 8oz carton french onion dip
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
Mix together and pour into a greased 9in. square pan
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
Possibly a bit longer, as center won’t be done unless top is nicely browned. Very simple to make!
The pic loaded after all! Also another favorite holiday casserole with green beans and french onions.
This is Momās Sugar Cookies. This recipe was handed down from her mother, who got it from her mother. That is as far back as we know. They are very good, but Mom claims they do not taste right unless she makes them. She is correct. We are all waiting for her to tell us her secret.
JP
From the mountains of North Carolina, USA
NO BAKE COOKIES
2 Cups Sugar
1 Stick of Butter
1/3 Cup Cocoa
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
3 Cups uncooked Oatmeal
Mix butter, milk, cocoa, sugar, in a pot over Med Heat,
bring to a good boil, remove from heat and add Vanilla
and Peanut Butter, stir until Peanut Butter is melted
then add Oatmeal and quickly stir mixture till well mixed
place spoonfuls onto wax-paper.
Refrigerate until cooled then enjoy.:-)
This is my wife’s grandmother’s recipe. Her grandmother grew up in Syracuse, New York. I totally loved these cookies the first time my wife made them, so she showed me how to make them and they quickly became a Christmas tradition.
Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies
1 cup of shortening
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs beaten well
Mix thoroughly
Sift together 2 and 1/2 cups of flour
add 1 teaspoon of baking powder
add 1 teaspoon of salt
Add to the above:
ļ»æ
1 cup of chopped nuts (I like walnuts)
2 cups of chocolate chips
2 cups of butterscotch chips
Drop on tin and bake 5 to 10 minutes (or golden brown) in preheated oven at 375 degrees.
Cool to desired temperature and enjoy. (I like to eat mine while they are still warm!)
All of my life, I have lived in small communities near the Mexican border, and while I claim neither the heritage nor the culinary skills from Mexico, I am very familiar with the “Tamale ladies,” who go door to door around the first of December selling homemade Christmas tamales. My own attempts have been…not stellar, but I do have a very good recipe for these traditional Mexican treats:
Pork Tamales
Prep time: 6 Hours
Cook time: 2 Hours
Servings: 30 Tamales
Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder trimmed of fat and diced
8 Cups water
1 medium onion, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup lard
1/3 ā Ā½ cup chili powder and Ā½ tablespoon for the dough (depending on your spice tolerance)
4 cups masa harina (this is the dough you will be using.)
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
30 corn husks dried, about 8 inches long
Cooking Directions
1. Making the filling
Place the pork in a deep saucepan along with the cold water. Add onion, chili powder, garlic and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours, until the pork is very tender.
Remove the meat from the broth. Strain the broth and reserve (allow the broth to cool if you want to remove the fat; if thatās not important to you, keep it warm for tastier tamales).
Allow the meat to cool and shred using two forks.
2. Prep the corn husks
Soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Rinse to remove any corn silk and drain well.
3. Working the masa
Mix the lard (room temperature) with the baking powder, the Ā½ tablespoon chili powder and two teaspoons of salt. Slowly, alternate mixing in the masa harina, with 2 cups of the reserved broth. The result should be a thick, creamy paste.
Next, we will be putting all of the pieces together for great Christmas tamales!Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end, spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough down each husk. Leave a 1-inch border on the sides. If the husks are small, use two ā so the tamales do not fall apart.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pork filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling.
Fold up the narrow end of the husk.
Repeat to create the rest of the tamales.
Set the steamer in a large pot filled with 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and steam until the dough is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Add water when necessary.
Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly.
Now, unwrap one or more of those tasty tamales and enjoy a Happy Holiday Meal!
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbounteous.files.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F03%2F2012-12-26_8096.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
In Germany, some people like to eat potato salad and sausages on Christmas Eve. This is how my mum makes the salad. Usually, she makes it by feel, but she wrote down the recipe for me just for this occasion:
Ingredients (4 servings):
Boil potatoes for about 15-18 min., leave them to cool a bit, peel and slice them.
Boil eggs for about 9 min., leave them to cool, peel and chop them.
Boil peas shortly, leave them to cool.
Chop apples and gherkins.
Put everything in a bowl and mix carefully. Add salad cream. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lemon juice and liquid from the gherkin jar. Stir again carefully.
Let it steep in a cool place for a couple of hours.
Guten Appetit š
From https://www.thedailymeal.com/recipes/apple-and-pumpkin-soup-recipe ā more New England than New York, but close enough!
Ingredients
DirectionsHeat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
Add the celery, onions and garlic. Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until softened.
Add the carrots, apples, pumpkin puree and vegetable stock.
Add cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring soup to a boil, then lower the heat to medium and let it simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until the carrots and apples are soft.
Using a food processor or blender, process or blend in batches to a puree.
Put the soup back in to the saucepan and add milk and season again with salt and pepper to taste. Add a pinch of cinnamon on the top of the soup for garnish.
I love the following simple recipe for Christmas cookies.
Melt 75g butter with 2 tablespoons of syrup and 2 tablespoons of milk
Add to 50g of sugar, 75g rolled oats, 75g plain flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, a handful of sultanas or raisins, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
Mix and divide into 6 or 8 pieces.
Place on some greaseproof paper and place into an oven at 150 degrees (fan).
Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove and leave to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Recipe for Lynn Newcombās award winning hot Chili:
One lb. (454 g) Italian Sausage
Two 15 oz. (425 g) cans of Mrs. Grimes Chili Beans
Two 15 oz. (425 g) cans of Bushās Best Chili Beans
Two 10 oz. (283 g) cans of diced tomatoes and green chilies
One average size Trinidad Scorpion pepper (remove seeds and chop very fine)
Cook Sausage, then add everything else and heat in crock pot for three hours
Use two Habanero peppers if you canāt find a Scorpion. (or one if you want it less hot)
You may also substitute your own favorite canned chili beans.
Well I am not the baker, but I am the tester!! LOL…My wife is a great baker and cook, and her cookies are the best. She makes Peanut Butter Balls, Dolly Pardon Bars, Peanut Butter cookie with a Hershey Kiss in the middle. Pitcells , chocolate Chip Cookies. But for the peanut butter balls she uses peanut butter , Hershey chocolate , very simple but soo good.
Growing up in Argentina to a British family, the items of the season were the Argentine traditional “Panettone” a sweet bread with dried fruit in it (I don’t like it) and the English Christmas pudding, which I would love to see how they set it on fire, but not to eat it. No need to put out the fire.
What I did love were my great-grandmother’s Cheese Shortbread Biscuits.
My great-grandmother, Mary McCorquodale, grew up in Greenock, Scotland, and had a knack for cooking. I’ve included a picture of her around 1900, she was born in 1883. The recipe below is hers, in my mother’s writing as my mum continues to bake them. My great-grandmother used to use a wine bottle with cold water in it as a rolling pin.
*There’s a reference to “plastic” in making the recipe and my mum uses a thick plastic (thicker than a grocery store bag, but still flexible) to aid her in rolling the dough.
Your great grandmother was beautiful, what a fantastic old picture!
I love how passionate we both are about our feelings toward Christmas pudding. I mean, I like the look of them but they should be used for decoration only š
Thanks for sharing this old recipe. I love cheesy biscuits!
I made them today and they came out yummy!
Thank you Lisa, she got to live to 96, and I have some memories of her, she was a very sweet lady.
Here’s a couple pictures while making the Cheese Shortbread with homemade butter (not by me) and parmesan cheese. No sugar!
My favourite recipe is not exactly a Christmas one but it’s delicious all the same it’s a desert
Banana cornflake crisp
You need
2 or 4 bananas
I lemon
Custard
Digestive bisquits
Mash the bananas and squeeze the lemon over the bananas to. Stop the bananas going brown
Pour the custard over the bananas
Put the bisquits into a bag ( any bag will do )
Then crush them
And sprinkle them over the custard
This is a Yorkshire version of the classic Christmas Cake. We used to have this every year when I was a child. Now I’m tempted to have a go myself…
Ingredients
Method
I’ve been in Texas or New Mexico for the last 40+ years and the tradition is tamales. But, I don’t make them so I’m not going to put up a recipe for that. I’ll go with a family tradition. Rather than drinking egg nog, we have a variation on a drink called a “Grasshopper” and it’s really simple to make. 4 shots (200ml) of Creme de Menthe (green), 2 shots (100ml) of Creme de Cocoa (clear), and a quart of vanilla ice cream. Put the liquor in a blender and add about a pint of the ice cream. Blend until smooth and then add more ice cream to taste. If you want a little richer texture you can add a little heavy cream. Serve in a wine glass. (Watch out though – they’re pretty potent!)
Jim, Tamales are awesome! I use to have a friend from El Salvador and Tamales were a Christmas time tradition. I especially liked the cheese Tamales with some hot salsa, and the kind of coleslaw veggies that go with them.
Had to phone my mom for this Danish Christmas cookie recipe. Half cup butter. Half cup sugar. 1egg. 11/4 cups flour 1/2 tsp cardamom. 1/2 tsp cinnamon. 1. Heat oven to 175C. 2. Mix butter sugar. & egg. 3.combine flour cardamom & cinnamon then add and blend 4. Separate dough into 2 1/2 cm pieces. 5. Bake 10 minutes and cool
Quite a few years ago, a co-worker gave me a recipe for the only peanut brittle I have ever eaten that won’t break your teeth – my 91 year old mom can eat it. I have made at Christmas it for family and friends ever since. Like many candy recipes, it can be a bit dangerous to make, but after a minor burn or two, I’ve found a way to do it “safely”. Most of the recipes online don’t mention some tricks that were in the original recipe I saw, or some things I’ve learned to make it work better for me. You can find many variations online that may work better for you but here’s mine:
Microwave Peanut Brittle
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white Karo syrup
1 cup raw Spanish peanuts
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Things you need:
Ā· A large Pyrex 8 cup measuring cup or equivalent, with a handle.
Ā· A wide blade wooden paddle/spoon that fits in the microwave in the Pyrex container.
Ā· Cork trivets or equivalent to place the hot measuring cup while adding and stirring.
Ā· Important: A pair of new, clean leather work gloves that cover your wrists.
Notes:
Ā· I suggest stick margarine with a paper wrapper covering with tablespoon marks (like Imperial margarine). Foil wrappers get into the cut pieces and have to be dug out. You can try butter, but it might burn.
Ā· The power level and duration will vary from microwave to microwave. You should expect to have the first couple batches come out bad until you get the power level and time correct.
Ā· The wooden spoon stays in the bowl during the entire process, from the initial stirring to pouring onto the cookie sheet, where it is used to help get as much of the cooked, semi-liquid peanut brittle out of the container and onto the cookie sheet. Get as much as possible out or it will take forever to get the container clean.
Ā· Once the container is cool enough, fill it with water in a clean sink and let it soak for a while to dissolve most of the remaining hard stuff.
Ā· Safety Note: Make sure you are completely covered (long sleeves, pants, shoes, gloves) when handling the hot candy ā the mixture is very, very hot. The work gloves will allow you to safely handle the container and you can count on some hot stuff sloshing onto the gloves.
Step by Step Directions:
Combine sugar, syrup, peanuts, and salt in Pyrex measuring cup. Stir well using a thin, wide blade wooden spoon. Leave the spoon in the bowl with the mixture. Microwave on power level 8 for about 4:00 minutes.
Stir well and microwave on power level 8 for about 4:00 minutes. (Leave spoon in bowl).
Add margarine. Stir well. Microwave 2:00 min. more on power level 8. Get vanilla and baking soda measured while you wait.
Remove from microwave and add baking soda and vanilla. Stir quickly and vigorously, mix well and pour and spoon onto a lightly buttered cookie sheet. Do NOT spread; it will spread as it cools. It should end up a golden brown but not burnt. Break into pieces after it cools completely.
That looks great. I like Peanut Butter Brittle, and easy on the teeth kind sounds even better.
If we had a Microwave Iād try this in a heartbeat. Mona and me are the only ones in our family who like peanuts (A LOT!) so we wouldnāt have to share it š
My, your Vanilla Crescent Cookies (Vanillekipferl) look so scrumptious! I love vanilla because when I was growing up a Round Yellow Butter Golden Vanilla cake always had a place at the Roe residence table on Christmas, birthdays, and special occasion days. Christmas wasn’t Christmas unless we had that. Later as adults my sister would often recreate our mother’s white Christmas cake. It was nothing fancy, but just some good ole Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix and Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy Vanilla Frosting. For me and my sister it is the cake of all cakes.
Here are the ingredients and pictures below:
DUNCAN HINES GOLDEN BUTTER CAKE 1 box Duncan Hines butter golden cake mix
1/4 tsp. butter flavoring
1 stick (1/2 c.) soft butter
3 eggs
1 c. water
Mix as directed on box. Preheat oven at 375Ā°F.
Soften butter to room temperature and grease the sides and bottom of pan with shortening. Then flour lightly.
Bake at 375Ā°F according to the pan or pan sizes you are using.
Cool in pan about 15 minutes, then remove cake from pan to finish cooling on wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.
BTW, you have to use a round baking pan, and it must be 2 layers, because the Roe’s Butter Golden Vanilla cake looked like this! š
Tada!!!!!!
ļ»æ
Hi Mona, Lisa that recipe link included a pretty interesting little history on Vanillekipferl (Austrian Vanilla Crescent Cookies). A lot of tradition comes in the cute little crescent shaped cookies. Looks mouth watering. Learned something new about the Croissant originating in Austria (croissant shaped pasteries). Thanks for sharing that little piece of Austrian tradition.
For traditional Korean celebratory food, it would have to be rice cake snacks called Tteok. There are quite a variety but the one I like are the little round sweet rice cake balls with honey and sesame seed filling, or sweet red bean filling inside. I grew up on that stuff as that is the traditional holiday snack food. I don’t have a recipe for it because I think it is hard to make at home these days, but here is a little info about it. If you are ever at a Korean or Asian market, ask for Tteok, the little round ones especially. š
https://youtu.be/rBpOoQiieiM
I have 2 recipes to share.
The first is My Nuts And Bolts. Only made at Christmas time. (Lisa said she would like to try them sometime in an Answer in Ask Mona and Lisa)
The second is Forgotten Cookies. As the name says and super easy to make
Salt Potatoes
I have not run across salt potatoes in other parts of the US, but these potatoes are common in Upstate New York, really tasty, and simple to make. They are prevalent in the summer, but also good for a cold winter night.
Salt potatoes are not a variety, but named for the preparation. You need baby potatoes, but not the waxy kind (red potatoes donāt work as well), but small duck egg-sized spuds that have brown skins similar to russets.
Boil them whole in extra-salty water; the water should taste like the ocean, if you have that frame of reference. If not, just use a whole lot of salt.
When a paring knife pierces the potatoes easily, theyāre done. Drain them and then lay out on a baking sheet for a few minutes. As the surface water evaporates, a thin frosting of salt will coat each potato, and theyāre ready to serve at that point. A small smash with a fork, some butter, pepper, and a touch of chopped chive. They go with anything and will please a crowd.
Hi Mona and Lisa.. Hi everyone.
I’ll send a simple but delicious recipe.. “Rabanadas” French toast chocolate flavor.
INGREDIENTS
– Slices of French bread ( day old bread), or Italian bread or brioche.( I prefer French bread)
– Sugar, cinnamon, milk, condensed milk, powered chocolate, beaten eggs and oil for frying the slices.
PREPARATION of syrup
mix the milk, chocolate and condensed milk
pass the slices in the syrup and let it drain.
pass the slices in the beaten eggs and fry in hot oil..them pass in the sugar and cinnamon.
I hope you like it .
I don’t actually have a favourite local Christmas dish which I prefer, I really love Apple Crumble with vanilla-mascarpone cream at Christmas, but that’s a typical British treat, not a German one.:) Neithertheless, there are several traditional Christmas recipes which are common in the federal state of Saxony where I’m from and I do like, especially “Stollen” (“Christmas Bread”, image 1) and “Bratapfel” (“Baked Apple”, image 2) (both are sweet treats). There is an English recipe for “German Stollen” here: https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-german-christmas-bread/ – the recipe for the baked apples I try to translate here from German (it’s from this page: https://weihnachtsfreu.de/weihnachtsrezepte/bratapfel-2/):
Ingredients:
* 4 red-cheeked, tart apples, preferably the Boskoop or Cox Orange variety
* 50 g almond slivers
* 50 g raisins
* 4 teaspoons of apricot jam or honey
* 1 pinch of cinnamon
* margarine
Preparation:
Wash the apples, cut off the top and cut out the core. If the apple does not stand on its own, you can also cut off a thin slice at the bottom. Mix the almonds, raisins, jam and cinnamon, fill the opening of each apple with a teaspoon of it and press in with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Place the apples in a greased baking dish and put a flake of margarine on each apple. Bake in a preheated oven at 200Ā°C (gas: setting 3, convection 175Ā°C) for approx. 25 minutes.
You can serve warm or cold vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream with it.
Here is a recipe that I always bake during the holidays. It’s actually a Jewish recipe that I got a long time ago.. Also have a simple recipe for all the egg nog drinkers
Kugel Noodle Pudding
Ā½ lb. Fine Noodles (flat) similar to egg noodles)
Ā½ lb. Butter (melted)
Ā¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
5 eggs
1 Ā½ cups milk
1 lb. cottage cheese
Cook noodles, Set aside. Mix all other ingredients w/ mixer. Add noodles. Place in 3 quart baking dish. Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour (325 degrees for glass baking dish)
Simple(but good) Egg Nog
1 quart of a good store bought egg nog( I use Turkey Hill when available)
5 shots of brandy
5 shots of rum
Mix together & drink away
Try drinking it when standing under the mistletoe (Wahoo!!!)
In the Poole/Bournemouth area where I was born and grew up there weren’t any local Christmas delicacies that I knew about (or possible don’t remember). This may be because there is a large elderly population as many people retire there and stick to what they are used to.
Now that I live in London there is such a diverse population that they all have their own traditions and stick to those. As I am a relatively new interloper I have not yet discovered if the born and bred locals have any Christmas food gems. Nor do I remember seeing any when I lived in Reading and Birmingham.
So I’m going to introduce you to something that was and still is ‘local’ to my family. This is our version of stuffed dates. Ingredients required; a box of dates (not fresh dates), deglet nour are the best as they are not too big, some marzipan and for effect some icing sugar.
If the dates have not been already pitted remove the stone. Roll bits of the marzipan into strips a bit bigger than the removed stones and just simply place these into the dates. Place each date into a small paper baking case and sprinkle with icing sugar to give a snowy effect. It is best to make them a few days before you want to use them to let the marzipan harden up a little to give a slightly crispy feel when eaten.
Place 20 or so on a plate for Christmas nibbles when you have guests. They can be decorated with a sprig of holly or something similar if so desired.
I know that they are not really Christmassy and I don’t really know the origins of the tradition. Possibly there was some marzipan left over from icing the cake one year and one of my forebears had a moment of inspiration. We often had dates when I was young, as they are so good for you, so no doubt they were readily available to assist with that ‘ah ha’ moment.
In fact I’m now going to make some in the next few days so that I can attach a photo.
I’ve now made a batch of our stuffed dates. Photos attached. They are just so simple but add a touch of something different to Christmas.
Naturally, the first dish which immediately comes to my mind is “Salad Olivier”, also known as “Zimny Salat” (“Wintertime salad”). I can barely imagine a Russian who would celebrate Christmas/New Year without it. It was named after its inventor Lucien Olivier. The name sounds French because that guy was of French origin, but he invented the salad while he was living in Moscow in the middle of the 19th century and worked as a chef in some restaurant. I think (but I can be wrong in this assumption) the salad became widely spread in the middle of 20s century due to the food deficiency, as it needs just very simple ingredients, easy to reach right out of the fridge.
There is a number of variations. Here is basically how I would make it:
INGREDIENTS
3 medium potatoes
3-4 carrots
4-5 eggs
350g of ham (or alternatively of… boiled sausage? I’m not sure about the English word for this, that is what we call “doctor’s sausage” in Russia, but for those of you speaking German, I’m talking about “die BrĆ¼hwurst”).
450g canned green peas
5-6 pickled cucumbers
5 shoots of green onions
1 bunch of dill
250g mayonnaise
salt
ground black pepper
STEP-BY-STEP COOKING RECIPE
Step 1
Wash potatoes and carrots with a brush and boil in salted water until tender. Boil the eggs separately, not allowing the yolk to digest. Peel and cut into 5mm cubes. Cut the ham into the same cubes.
Step 2
Mix all the ingredients in a salad bowl, add finely chopped green onions and dill. Season with black pepper, season with mayonnaise and refrigerate.
Step 3
If pickles with large seeds, remove them. Then cut into cubes of the same size. Place in a separate container. Drain the liquid from the peas, transfer the peas to a separate container.
Step 4
Add pickles and green peas to the salad before serving. Stir the salad again, taste and add salt and black pepper if necessary.
More about the salad and its inventor:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_salad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucien_Olivier
Being from an Italian family, Prizzelles were the cookie of choice that my mom would make every Christmas. However, to make these you need a prizzelle press.(much like a waffle maker). I took pictures of the recipe my wife now uses, plus a pic of our press and a pic from the internet of what they look like, since ours havenāt been made yet!
I’ve had these before, yummy !!
Now for some truly homemade with love cookie recipes straight from my Grandma Rea ( my Mom’s Mother):
Now, here’s a Gluten Free Brownie recipe, I’ve made for my GF friends and though I’m ok with Gluten, I’m enjoying these myself and now tend to make these moreso now than the normal ones:
“CLUBHOUSE Brand Gluten Free Brownies”
2 ( 2 oz./60g) unsweetened Chocolate Baking Squares
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon (tsp.) Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup of CLUB HOUSE brand ( or any brand will do) POTATO STARCH
1/2 teaspoon (tsp.) Baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (tsp.) salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts ( optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips ( optional)
Directions to make: ( Makes approx. 16 brownies)
1. Either melt in microwave( in a microwave -safe dish) 1-4 mins or over low heat on stove in saucepan, melt both butter and chocolate.
2. Remove from stove/microwave and add the sugar, stir, let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract
4. Stir together Potato Starch/baking powder/salt/nuts
5. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until smooth and then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
6. Pour into GREASED 8 inch (20cm ) square baking pan and Bake @ 350 Degrees Farenheit ( 180 Degrees Celcius) for 20-25 mins.
7. Cool and then chill in fridge , then cut into squares, Enjoy !!
Here’s Frosting Recipe to compliment the Fudge:
” BAKER’S ONE BOWL FESTIVE FUDGE FROSTING”
1 pkg. (225g) Baker’s ( any brand of semi-sweet chocolate baking squares will do) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Squares
4 cups of icing sugar
1/2 cup of either softened butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
Directions To Make:
1. Either microwave (in a microwave safe dish) for 2 mins. ! Stir after 1 minute or over low heat on stove in saucepan until melted.
2. Remove from microwave /stove and cool for 5 mins or until room temperature.
3. Add icing sugar/vanilla extract/ butter and Beat on Low Speed using mixer, gradually adding milk and mix well after each addition until desired consistency, You may need to add more milk or icing sugar as needed.
** Makes enough frosting for a cake, etc, storein airtight container in fridge.**
Ok, I’m back and I’d like to share a few Xmas Recipe Faves of mine: First up being the Fudge recipe, it’s been my ongoing tradition that I make this for all my family I see over Xmas, it’s a hit withbthem all, they always remind me to make it ….
” BAKER’S ONE BOWL FESTIVE FUDGE”
1 pkg (225g) of BAKERS Chocolate Baking Squares ( or any other brand baking chocolate squares will do )
2/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk
Directions To Make :
1. Either in microwave ( use microwave safe dish) or on stove in a saucepan over low heat, melt both baking chocolate squares and sweetened condensed milk until fully melted, stir until smooth.
2. Pour into either a Waxpaper lined ( slippery side up -makes for easier removal and fudge won’t stick as much to slippery side of wax paper) breadloaf pan or an 8 inch ( 20cm) square baking pan.
3. Refrigerate for a few hrs or best done overnight to chill in fridge.
4. Cut into pieces/squares, Enjoy !!
Around Christmas I like to make / eat / gift pumpkin bread.
I call it “pumpkin bread” though I don’t think I’ve ever used pumpkin in it.
I always use butternut squash because I like the taste better (I also use it in “pumpkin pies and “pumpkin pancakes” etc)
In fact, right now, I have 3 big butternut squash roasting in the oven.
Here’s the recipe-
PUMPKIN BREAD
Yield: 3 Loaves
3 c Sugar, granulated
3 1/2 c Flour, all-purpose
1/2 ts Salt
2 ts Baking soda (I toss in a little baking powder too)
1 ts Cinnamon
1 ts Nutmeg
4 lg Eggs
1 c Vegetable oil
2 c Pumpkin (cooked) (I use butternut squash)
2/3 c Water
1 1/2 c Walnuts, chopped (I leave the nuts out)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter your containers well.
Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Make a well in the
center of the dry ingredients, and add the eggs, oil, pumpkin and water.
Beat thoroughly. It’s easier to get all the lumps out if you use an
electric mixer. Stir in the walnuts with a wooden spoon.
Pour the batter into the containers, filling each only half to two-thirds
full. Bake for 60-90 minutes, depending on the sizes of your containers.
If you’re using a very small container, start checking much sooner. The
bread is done when a toothpick in the middle comes out clean.
Cool about ten minutes, then loosen the edges of the bread with a knife,
and turn out of the pans to cool the rest of the way on a rack
I usually make 2 regular bread pans and 2 mini pans from this recipe
I have a butternut squash sitting in the kitchen right now! I was wondering what to do with it so this is perfect š Iāll give this a go!
“Crock Pot Bean Bake”
This is a recipe that isn’t strictly for Christmas but we’ve made it often at the holiday time because it’s simple and easy if we are invited to a party or gathering where each person brings something to share with everyone else. Just mix up all the ingredients in a crock pot and let it do the work! In the Midwest United States (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin), these kinds of dishes are common. I apologize for having only American measurements!
INGREDIENTS
Ā· 1 Can Chili Beans (we use 27 oz can)
Ā· 1 Can Butter Beans (16 oz can)
Ā· 1 Can Baked Beans (28 oz can)
Ā· 1 lb ground beef
Ā· 1 lb of bacon, sliced
Ā· 1 tsp onion powder
Ā· 1 tbsp minced garlic
Ā· 1/2 cup of ketchup
Ā· 1 tbsp brown mustard
Ā· 1/2 cup of brown sugar
Ā· 1 tsp white vinegar
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Brown up the ground beef and cook up your bacon and drain both of grease.
2. Spray the crockpot with a nonstick spray, we use an 8-quart crock pot to create this so there is a lot of room for the ingredients and mixing the ingredients.
3. Add all the beans into the crockpot
4. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly
5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours and serve!!
Good morning everyone, I share the recipe of the wind fritters that are traditional at this time here in Mexico.
(I happen to have some at home that I’m going to give away)
Ingredients for 40 fritters.
2 eggs
2 cups flour.
2 cups of warm milk.
1 tablespoon of liquid vanilla.
1 pinch of salt.
1/2 of Sugar.
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon.
Enough oil.
A metal mold in the shape of a flower that you can get at hardware stores
Preparation mode
– We put the warm milk in the electric mixer or in a container if we will use a manual mixer or knead with our hands.
– Immediately we add the flour, the vanilla, a pinch of salt and the eggs.
– We beat everything very well for 5 minutes or until all the ingredients have been incorporated.
– We strain the mixture to remove the lumps and then we empty it into a bowl which must be wide enough to put the mold.
– Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.
– The oil is heated and once hot, the mold is submerged for about 10 seconds, it is removed from the oil, drained a little and then it is introduced into the mixture taking care not to cover the mold.
– We take it out and put it in the oil, shake a little until the mixture comes off the mold.
– To make another donut, the mold is reintroduced into the oil, then into the mixture and again into the oil, and so on until the entire mixture is finished.
– We let the fritters brown slightly on one side and then we turn so that they finish browning. We remove them from the oil and put them to drain on a rack or on absorbent paper.
– Besides, we spread the sugar in a large container, on top we put the cinnamon and mix it very well.
– While the donut is hot, we cover it with the sugar that we prepare, and so that it is not so sweet, it is better to cover only the side that is flat.
We may have to try those just north of the border!
Hi Dennis, whenever you like, I’m in Tijuana, where are you?
We live in Las Cruces, New Mexico, near El Paso, TX.
Oh my, that sounds good! Without the mold they are probably difficult to reproduce but if we ever visit Mexico around wintertime weāll make sure to try them!
Good night Mona, I can solve the mold.
It would be really cool, mega great if you could visit Mexico
I could send them just a few that they would get dust
Yummy, I ‘m considering to tackle trying these but….because of Severe Nut Allergies, I must omit the nuts factor in the recipe.?.curious at to what ” vanilla sugar”, not sure if that’s available in Canada !?.. will share a couple of recipes , sweet treats I make for Xmas…
I’m saying this my favorite, but it certainly is still very much in the Nordic tradition. We usually several fish dishes served during the Christmas holidays, usually salmon either raw (and salted) or cooked in the oven. What I’m referring to here is the oldest variant. The recipe is copied from Wikipedia. Here goes! Lutefisk.
Lutefisk is dried whitefish. It is made from aged stockfish, or dried and salted cod, pickled in lye. It is gelatinous in texture after being rehydrated for days prior to eating. Lutefisk is prepared as a seafood dish of several Nordic countries.
Just edited this as I have just realised the twins are cooking ‘vanilla crescents’ and not Vienna Schnitzels!! I’m going mutton jeff! (deaf)……LOL, but anyway, Mmmm Vienna Schnitzels, remember the taste well. I was born in Munster, Germany (British parents in the forces there) and I was brought up on these (with chips!). Thank you to Mona & Lisa for bringing back a lovely taste memory as I haven’t had any since living in the north of England. My mum, who is now in her 90’s, used to say they were the German equivalent of fish and chips from Lancashire! Maybe I should make some to celebrate this Christmas? In the meantime, I have a simple recipe for my very warm and lovely Apple Crumble and custard. Just buy some cooking apples (3 or 4 medium size), cut them into small diced pieces, put in an oven ware dish, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, then top off with Aunt Bessie’s Golden apple crumble mix. Sprinkle more sugar on top and pop into the oven for 35 minutes at gas mark 7. Pour loads of custard onto it all and your in for a treat! I have eaten this every winter, every other tea time and apart from making me as fat as Santa, I have never had one cold or flu over Christmas time for the last three years! The old saying…’an apple a day keeps the doctor away!’ LOL
I’m not sure if this is distinctly Canadian, but we always have a side dish of cranberries along with our traditional Christmas turkey dinner. The dish is very easy to make and contains another Canadian product – maple syrup.
1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup pure maple syrup
3 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp orange rind, grated
1. Wash the bag of cranberries under cool water, and then throw them into a medium saucepan. Pour in the cranberry juice and maple syrup. Add the orange juice and orange rind (you could also do lemon rind and lemon juice – anything citrusy). Stir together and turn the heat on high until it reaches a boil and the berries begin to pop.
2. Turn down the heat to medium-low and continue cooking over the lower heat until the juice is thick, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Allow to cool, and then chill in the fridge until Thanksgiving dinner is ready. It should have a nice jelly-like consistency.
Hi Jeanette, whereabouts are you from in Canada !? ..yes cranberries are served with our turkey dinner too… maybe it is a Canadian thing – EH !?????????????
London, Ontario. Not many traditional Ontario dishes that aren’t originally European! I think – could be wrong – that cranberries only grow in certain parts of Canada and the US Northwest. And the maple syrup in this recipe gives it another Canadian touch! If I remember correctly you are from Quebec? Maybe you have a good tourtiere recipe, or maple sugar pie?!
Hello. We have cranberry sauce with our turkey here in the UK. Sometimes it is cranberry jelly (UK usage) which can be bit too sweet for my liking.
My late Dad was Mr. Cranberry Man , either in jellied, loose
like from the can or homemade, whichever way it was served, he loved it .
Jeannette, Thankyou for replying , I’m from Ottawa , though I don’t eat tortiere pie much, I’ve had it in the past at friends of the family as the wife was of French Canadian roots, her tortiere pie was good… with mashed potatoes, yummy stuff…
Oh sorry! Ottawa is a beautiful city. I used to have family there and loved visiting. I’m looking forward to trying some of the recipes you posted.
Here in Finland we have traditional Christmas treat called joulutorttu. ItĀ“s very simple, You take puff paste and roll it very leafy. Then you need plum jam for filling. You put jam on the round piece of paste and then you either fold it or shape it to the star like in the picture. You can add sugar powder or not.
These look really good!
These look amazing! It reminds me of an Austrian recipe called āPolsterzipfā that also uses plum jam. https://livingoncookies.com/austrian-polsterzipf-with-topfen-dough/ (this english recipe uses blueberry jam but in Austria itās usually plum jam)
Itās something we havenāt had in years, Iāve never seen it in the UK. If we can get our hands on some weāll try making Joulutorttu!
We have a traditional meal with turkey (or a vegetarian option), roast potatoes, brussels sprouts, stuffing (meat or veggie), cranberry sauce, followed by Christmas pudding with custard. But as an appetiser, here’s a Perth alternative to pigs in blankets: Haggis Bon Bons.
Ingredients (for 24 haggis bon-bons)
5 tbsp pasteurised mayonnaise
2 tsp Arran mustard
30ml Old Perth Blended Malt whisky
360g finest quality Simon Howie haggis (or Simon Howie veggie haggis)
100g seasoned flour
3 free-range Gloagburn eggs, beaten
200g pinhead oatmeal
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
Method
1. Mix mayonnaise, mustard and whisky in a bowl and place in the fridge until needed.
2. Roll the haggis into 24 individual balls (approximately 15g each).
3. Arrange the flour, beaten eggs and pinhead oatmeal into three separate bowls.
4. Dip each haggis ball into the flour, then the beaten eggs, and finally into the oatmeal and put to one side.
5. Carefully heat the vegetable oil in a deep fat fryer or a deep pan until it reaches 170C.
6. Place the individual haggis balls into the hot oil to deep fry for four minutes then drain on kitchen paper and season lightly with salt and pepper.
7. Serve bon bons straight away with a generous helping of the mustard and whisky mayonnaise.