A few weeks ago, Alfred posted a great comment that I thought would be ideal to post during the week before Christmas. (Thanks, Alfred!) Here is Alfred’s comment:
“Danna – Just a quick note. How about since it is coming up Christmas time – Do the readers have any family traditions or special foods they like to get or make for Christmas time. Thought it might be a good column for future.“
Alfred, I totally agree>>> This is a great entry idea!
We have a family tradition that has sort of come out of “necessity.” Since our Riverwalk is so beautifully decorated during the holidays, we make our way down there every year. But, because the traffic is so absolutely atrocious during the holiday season, we don’t go down with the rest of the crowds. We wait until Christmas Eve to go take in the beautiful lights.
As for food, it is the only time of year when I actually bake cookies from scratch. I don’t know if that qualifies as a special food, though. Oh, and also, since all four of us have been able to spend the holiday seasons together, I make a meal that all of us love during the week either before or after Christmas: Mary Bass’s Tacoritos. Love them! And one more thing, I am going to try to make some felt ornaments (copied from some that my grandmother made years and years ago) so that I can sort of share the tradition of hanging her hand-made ornaments with my family. I know my sister would especially love them.
Do any of you have special family traditions that you keep alive during the holiday season? How about special foods?
Petie says
My mom’s been gone since 1995 and every year before that she gave my twin & I a box of Queen Anne Chocolate Covered Cherries. So now in her honor & memory we put a box of Queen Anne’s on a silver tray near our trees so she knows we still have ’em! And we certainly enjoy them on December 26th !!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Petie, what a lovely way to remember your mother. I am finding that as I grow older, the past is becoming a bigger part of the holiday season. I love your idea of honoring your mom!
Alfred says
When my grandmother was alive (she died in 2002) every birthday she would make me a mayonnaise cake. It is a chocolate cake with a thick fudge frosting for my birthday which happens to be this Saturday. The mayonnaise is in place of the eggs and used to be called depression cake. Also we used to have potato candy. It is boiled potatos cooked and then you add powdered sugar, mix it in, you roll it out and spread peanut butter on it, then you roll up and put in fridge for a few hours and cut into slices. It is good. One more thing we like to do is Mexican wedding cookies. This is for Regina how did the lights work on your Cruise curious. Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Happy Birthday AND Merry Christmas to you, Alfred!
I have never heard of a “depression cake” before. Also, have never heard of potato candy. Does your family still make your grandmother’s recipes? My favorite recipes are ones my grandmother made for us when I was younger.
(By the way, Regina mentioned that the flashlights you told her about worked really well on her cruise.)
Angela says
We have a few Christmas traditions here too. Every year my parents, and before them my grandparents, host a party for all the friends and family. Someday, when they “retire” it will be my turn to throw the annual “Cook’s Christmas party”. Also, every year on Christmas Eve, like so many people, we allow the kids to open one gift of my choosing. It is always a new ornament for the tree and everyone knows it. The fun is in trying to guess what the ornament will be that year! My husband and I get one too. My son gets a big kick out of reading my label that reads to Mommy from Mommy, lol. We do a dinner on Christmas Eve that is just for us at our house, although we have been including my husband’s grandmother the last few years since she’s all alone now. After dinner and the gift we pile in the car and drive around looking at all the lights. We try to keep that night quiet since Christmas day is always so crazy!
This year has been especially wonderful since my daughter, who is 3, is finally old enough to get what is going on. She is so excited for Santa this year! She asked me the other night if she could go flying with him. My son, who turns 8 on the 29th, is starting to hear things about Santa from older kids so I’m trying to enjoy what may be the last year he truly believes…so sad. Merry Christmas everyone!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Angela, I like the idea of getting new ornaments every year for Christmas. That way, your children have a set of special ornaments to have for their trees when they move out. And, each year, when they get their special ornaments out, they will have the wonderful memories of their childhoods.
It sounds like “Cook’s Christmas party” is a large group gathering… lots of work for “Cook”!
I hate to put a damper on it, but you are right… it is sad when Santa takes on a different meaning… Enjoy it while you can!
Ann says
We pull Christmas crackers which contain a toy, a silly joke and a crown made of tissue paper. We then wear the crown while eating dessert.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Ann
susie says
my mom, sister and I do a book swap! we all share some books we read during the year (mysteries of course) and exchange them.
susie says
and I’ve been trying to get my kids and their cousins to do the same. I’d forego new presents altogether if I could get away with it! Happy holidays to all!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susie, I like your idea of sharing books (“mysteries of course”!!!) but have fun explaining the “let’s limit it to exchanging books with cousins and siblings” to the younger ones on your list!
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
Home made cookies definitely count! I make certain varieties at Christmas (Mexican Wedding Cakes being one). For the most part our tradition includes either ham–or since moving to Texas, prime rib. I don’t know why prime rib is so common here for Christmas, but it always goes on sale in the grocery so the last few years, it’s been our new tradition!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Maria, I used to make my grandmother’s recipe for Almond Crescents>>> which turn out to be Mexican Wedding cookies. They are my all time favorite cookies!
Sandra says
Prime Rib here in Arizona too Maria. Yum Yum it was soooo good this year.
Regina says
In an earlier blog, I mentioned that we have celebrated Christmas as a family on Christmas Eve for years. This meant that my 2 daughters could spend Christmas with their in laws. It was an agreeable decision. We have homemade manicotti with meatballs and sausages. This year my daughter is home from CO so she will help me prepare the food. We open our presents, but the days of toys are past except we still give my 3 grandsons (25,22,18) their hess trucks. There are books for all but tastes have changed also. Merry Christmas from CT.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Regina, I hope you have a great holiday season in one of the most beautiful states! I looked up “Hess” trucks right after I saw this comment. Your grandsons must have terrific collections.
Deb says
My best friends’ mother, who was from Germany, made stollen and gave us one for Christmas every year. We had it with our local sausage and eggs on Christmas morning. She also made Danish rum cake, which I started making after I got married along with Bishop’s Bread, which has chocolate and cherries among other things and is absolutely delicious. Both of them made the holidays special. Diabetes and food allergies mean I can’t make any of those any more, but I can still taste them!
Our Christmas foods were the same as Thanksgiving, but we had a definite New Year’s food tradition – pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes. My mother and her family were Pennsylvania Dutch going back to the 1600s, and pork brings good luck for the year. It also tastes wonderful cooked with sauerkraut!
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
Hmm. Those sound very, very good. I don’t suppose you still have the recipes…and are you willing to share???
Deb says
Indeed I do, Maria! These are written exactly as given to me in 1965 by Lara Addy and Gretl Protassowsky respectively.
Bishop’s Bread
Makes 1 loaf.
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup glazed semisweet chocolate pieces
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup finely snipped dates (about 5 oz.)
1 cup halved glaceed cherries (1/2 lb.)
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
Make early in the day!
1. Start heating oven to 325. Grease a 10″x5″x3″ loaf pan well, then line bottom with wax paper.
2. Into medium bowl sift flour with baking powder and salt. Stir in chocolate pieces, walnuts, dates & cherries until all are well coated with flour.
3. In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed or by hand, beat eggs well, then gradually beat in sugar. Fold in flour mixture, turn into loaf pan.
4. Bake 1 1/2 hours or until done. Cool in pan on wire rack. When cool, remove from pan, wrap in foil and store.
Danish Rum Cake
1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
grated rind of 2 oranges and 1 lemon
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
For the sauce:
juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. rum OR 1 tsp rum extract
Cream butter, add sugar gradually, beat until light & fluffy. Add orange & lemon rind. Add eggs & beat until very light. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in nuts. Pour into greased 9 or 10″ tube pan. Bake at 350 about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make rum sauce: Strain juice, mix with sugar and rum (or extract) in small saucepan and bring to a boil.
When cake is done, pour rum sauce slowly over cake in pan. Cool in pan.
[You can also cook this in a square or brownie pan.]
I hope you enjoy making and eating these! They also make great gifts.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Deb, thanks for posting your recipes. They look delicious!!!
Maria (BearMountainBooks) says
Deb, Thank you so much for taking the time to post these recipes. I have copied them to my computer and am greatly looking forward to trying them. Thank you for your generosity!!!
Maria
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Oooooh, Deb! I know just how different holidays become when someone in the family suffers from Diabetes! It sure gives even a trip to the grocery store in December a whole different ballgame, doesn’t it? My niece has Type 1 (it used to be called “Juvenile”) and Halloween was no easy feat for my sister’s family. My niece now has a pump, so at least that part is a little easier.
It sounds like your family food traditions were exactly the sort I love!
Sandra says
My mother’s family is also Pennsylvania Dutch, Deb, and Mom (age 76) still makes her pork tenderloin with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes even though she has lived in Phoenix, Arizona since 1940!! For a good and prosperous new year. I love that dinner but also like the more Southern tradition that some of my extended family enjoys which is black eyed peas on New Year’s Day.
Patricia Bremmer says
We eat crab legs and prime rib for our big meal. Now with the kids grown and gone this year we’ll start a new tradition of watching them open their packages via Skype. The last two years we had them on speaker phone. We shared Thanksgiving with them this year via Skype and our group around the table had great fun meeting my daughter and 6 grandkids in California. The other fun thing we do for ALL occasions is since I own a westie kennel, every birthday and x-mas box is stamped with big pink pawprints before it ships. The kids know it’s from Nana and Gramps the minute it arrives and there are always extra goodies for everyone to share.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Patricia, your big meal on Christmas sounds terrific. I have never had the nerve to cook crab legs… I understand that if you over-do them just a tad, they end up stringy… Since I have a tendency to over-do all of my sea food, I’m pretty sure it would be chewy.
I’m going to have to ask my husband about Skype. What fun – to be able to spend special time with those you love, even when they are far away.
That’s a cute idea about wrapping your Christmas boxes with pink pawprints. Your grandchildren must really get a kick!
Patricia Bremmer says
Oh, the other tradition we’re starting this year is to put all my kindle version mystery and thrillers on sale for .99 from x-mas eve to New Year’s Day. Happy holidays to all!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks for telling us about your Kindle mystery books and thrillers being on sale for only 99 cents!
Regina says
I was thinking about Christmases past in the “Dark Ages” when I was a little girl. Each year I would receive some “Bobbsey Twin Books” and other books. I did not receive the classics because my older sister had them and we would share. At night we would go to Midnight Mass. It was so magical. Ah the innocence of youth.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Regina, I think I mentioned this in a comment yesterday: The older I get, the more I treasure the memories of the long-ago past. I hope that my husband and I are making some of those wonderful family memories for our son and daughter…
Sandra says
Regina, I also received the Bobbsey Twin books back in the “dark ages”. Got a few Hardy Boys too. I still have them all!!! One year I got The Call of the Wild…it was very good. Simple things.
Lisa M says
Ok, I admit to being a newbie, but the reference to the Riverwalk makes me think that you’re in San Antonio. I met my husband in San Antonio. We lived there for several years, lived in Houston and now are residing in Iowa. I did see that you have an Iowa connection. We’re not experiencing a white Christmas and it’s not far from what the family in Austin is experiencing. San Antonio???
Love me a good cozy murder by the fireplace and some hot chocolate. Merry Christmas
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Merry Christmas, Lisa, you are correct. I don’t know where you are in Iowa, but I actually have three connections with it: 1) my father’s family lived in Northwood, 2) I went to Iowa State University, and 3) my best “since-teenage-years” friend (my college roommate) still lives out there. I love Iowa!
Margaret says
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL! I just turned on the computer to track Santa with NORAD. I just love it, I tune it in every year. It brings a tear to my eye and a smile to my face to hear our wonderful Military Women and Men narrate Santa’s journey.
We just finished celebrating Dad’s Birthday. Yeah a Christmas Eve Baby! Most people assume he gets jipped but not so. Not only does he get twice the presents but a cake too. Like Anne, we pull Crackers, so he gets Crackers too. Dad likes to brag how good he has it.
We have never had a traditional Christmas Eve, but that’s okay Dad deserves his special day.
Well off to bed early, Santa will be here soon, he just hit Brazil and he is making great time!!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Years ago, I lived in NORAD’s headquarter city (Colorado Springs), yet I have almost forgotten about their tracking of Santa.
Your father shares his birthday with this community’s Alfred!
I hope Santa made it to your home in time for Christmas…