Author Topic: Holiday Open House ~ December 1-31 (Read 48832 times)

serenesheila · « **Reply #280 on:** December 29, 2009, 12:28:47 PM »

Holiday Open House ~ December 1-20

LINKS

Culinary Mysteries

Authors & Their Recipes

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'Tis the season to be jolly and to talk about:
BOOKS AND FOOD

Who's your favorite cook?
Julia Child? Nigella Lawson? Emeril?

Or maybe they exist only in books:
Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Baer?
Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swenson?

Have you ever tried their recipes?

Come join us this holiday season,
share your thoughts.
What's good to read and good to eat?

Discussion Leaders: Pedln & JoanK

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I will be eating navy beans, made with ham bone from Christmas. It is cooking now, in my slo cooker. We will have rice, and cornbread with it. Yummy! For dessert, I bought a dozen, individual cheesecakes. My son, and his family are visiting here. They will go home to Ohio, on New Year's Eve. I have enjoyed their visit, but will be happy to return to my normal schedule.

Tomorrow, I will be taking my family to a favorite, Mexican restaurant. That IS a family tradition. I want to wish all of you a Blessed New Year.

Sheila

JoanK · « **Reply #281 on:** December 29, 2009, 03:11:07 PM »

We don't have food traditions, but for the lat ten years, we have shared New Years Eve with my daughters family: eating dinner, and after the grandkids are in bed working a jigsaw puzzle until midnight. Not exactly a wild party, but much more fun than any wild party I've been to.

I love your peas and cornbread, SALEN. If I did that, I'd be rich and lucky; I love black-eyed peas and cabbage. I never pass up cornbread, either.

I love navy beans and cheesecake, too. Hold the door, SHEILA, I'm on my way.

salan · « **Reply #282 on:** December 29, 2009, 06:38:21 PM »

Sheila, I know what you mean about company. My daughter, Son-in-law and 8 yr old grandson were here for 5 days. I loved every minute of it. We dined and wined and played games and dined and laughed and wined and dined some more. It was great, but it is nice to have my house to myself, again. Although, it rings with emptyness and I am missing them already.
My family had food traditions for almost every holiday. When my daughter first married, her husband (who loves to cook) ask me to write down recipes and menus for holidays. I found a blank cookbook titled "Family Recipes" and wrote down the menus. I gave it to him the second Christmas that he shared with us. Through the years he and I have added to it.

We always had tamales/Mexican food on Christmas Eve.
Sally

Aliki · « **Reply #283 on:** December 29, 2009, 08:21:29 PM »

salan--what a good idea!

Our family usually had baked ham, potato salad, macaroni salad and a green salad. NY was the ham Mom trimmed with the pineapple and cherries and baked the ham so that the crissed-crossed topping would crisp into little lardette sort of things we later removed and salted and served separately.

Now that I live in Center City Philly and my kids are grown, I try to make a nice big chili and some mulled apple cider so that when the kids and grands would need a stop and a break from the parade they could come in for some hot chili and a hot beverage.

My New Years Eve for years has always been with just a couple of friends or even by myself for reflexion and gathering my scattered lists and organizing them as possible. I try to stay up until midnight but don't always make it.

My father used to be tired of the waiting early in the evening and announce, "Well, somewhere in the world it's midnight...so Happy New Year to all and to all a Good Night!"

nlhome · « **Reply #284 on:** December 29, 2009, 09:13:10 PM »

We have always had pickled herring for New Year's Eve.

pedln · « **Reply #285 on:** December 30, 2009, 01:07:22 AM »

I'm so glad this site is still open. We've been at a house in the ski country since day after Christmas -- no Internet.

All your Christmases sound wonderful, and so much fun to hear about. What a diverse group we are, with pot roast, crab, turkey, and all,yet with so many common bonds as well -- especially that we love to eat, to read, and to share.

PatH, your book of the year's best food writings -- sounds good. My New York daughter received a huge cookbook from her California sister -- 1000 Best Tested Recipes -- by Cook's? Apparently there is a magazine by Cook's that tests recipes. Will have to look for it. They really tell you what works and what doesn't.

I'm flying to St. Louis tomorrow, will spend the night there, visit a friend, and then head to my favorite grocery store -- Trader Joe's -- before heading home.

This has been such fun -- thank you all for making it so. And Pat, I'm think all of us will be happy that you will archive this. Lots of good stuff to return to.

Happy New Year!

Mippy · « **Reply #286 on:** December 30, 2009, 07:01:50 AM »

Thanks for a great discussion and chat, everyone!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Babi · « **Reply #287 on:** December 30, 2009, 09:19:27 AM »

Pretty much the same, SALLY, as far a the black-eyed peas and cornbread. I didn't know cabbage represented money; that one's new to me. Actually, in my family, I'm the only one that eats cabbage so it
doesn't make it to the table. Ham is usually the meat of choice with
the peas and cornbread.
Okay, I'm out! No need to slam the door!

Gumtree · « **Reply #288 on:** December 30, 2009, 11:00:34 AM »

Me Too ! What a hoot this discussion was - loved every minute - thanks to all. See you next year!

salan · « **Reply #289 on:** December 30, 2009, 11:11:23 AM »

Babi, ham is usually the meat of choice for us, also. As far as cabbage, I think any leafy green vegetable would do for the representation of money. My niece uses collard greens and I know some people use turnip greens. I guess it depends on what greens you will eat. I like all of them, so no problem for me. Since I will be cooking for one, I will do cabbage since the left-overs freeze well.
Sally

mrssherlock · « **Reply #290 on:** December 30, 2009, 01:41:23 PM »

Aha! A new Cook's Illustrated fan. I'm an addict of both Cook's and its sister publication, Cook's Country, been reading it since the early 90's. CC takes an old favorite and experiments to bring out more flavor and/or reduce fat, etc. The publisher, Christopher Kimball, hosts a cooking show on PBS, America's Test Kitchen. Check your library for the latest issues.
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/magazine/
http://www.cookscountry.com/
http://www.americastestkitchentv.com/

Babi · « **Reply #291 on:** December 31, 2009, 08:42:02 AM »

You can freeze cabbage, SALLY? I didn't know that. Hey, maybe I
can buy cabbage just for me, a small head, and freeze the leftovers.
Good to know. Thanks!

salan · « **Reply #292 on:** December 31, 2009, 11:00:48 AM »

Babi, I am recently widowed and have discovered my freezer is getting more use than ever. Whenever I am uncertain about freezing, I just "google" it. Cooking for one is hard (and not much fun), so I don't cook as much as I used to. However, I live in a small town with very limited restaurant options, so when I cook I freeze some right away and eat for a couple of days on the other. The frozen is never quite as good, but 'twill serve.
Sally

JoanK · « **Reply #293 on:** December 31, 2009, 03:27:08 PM »

Well, I'm going to celebrate Christmas today, at my daughters. We don't have a tradition as to food, but I know it will be delicious: my daughter and SIL (he of the cookbooks in the heading) are both great cooks.

In addition to Christmas presents, we'll observe our New Years Eve tradition of working a jigsaw puzzle. PatH and my mom left us her collection of Springbok Jigsaw puzzles. They absolutely DON'T make puzzles like that anymore! The colors are like jewels. And the puzzles aren't mass cut. Each puzzle has it's own design, with pieces cut to follow the line in the picture. Really beautiful!

In addition, mom, who wasn't supposed to sit too long, once she worked a puzzle, would divide it into four quarters, putting each in a baggie. Since there will be four adults, we each get our own quarter of the puzzle to work. (And sometimes I find a little note from my mom in one of the baggies -- she died twenty years ago).

Aliki · « **Reply #294 on:** December 31, 2009, 03:43:07 PM »

Quote from: JoanK on December 31, 2009, 03:27:08 PM

In addition, mom, who wasn't supposed to sit too long, once she worked a puzzle, would divide it into four quarters, putting each in a baggie. Since there will be four adults, we each get our own quarter of the puzzle to work. (And sometimes I find a little note from my mom in one of the baggies -- she died twenty years ago).

Dear JoanK...how wonderful to find one of those little notes from your mom in one of those baggies. I'm happy for you. It is so touching.

aliki

salan · « **Reply #295 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:09:19 PM »

JoanK--I had forgotten all about Springbok puzzles. They were beautiful, weren't they? Do they still make puzzles? I used to get them at one of the Hallmark stores. When my daughter was little, she & I used to work puzzles all the time. I had quite a collection of them. Unfortunately, they were placed in storage for several years while our house was being built and mice built a nest (with ALL the mess that goes along with nest/building) in the box and we had to dispose of them, along with numerous books!
Thanks for reminding me about the puzzles.
Sally

JoanK · « **Reply #296 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:16:40 PM »

Just lost a post. Springbok sold the company to Campbells, who used them to advertise products (puzzles with pictures of soupcans etc.) I stopped buying them, so don't know if they still make them.

salan · « **Reply #297 on:** December 31, 2009, 07:40:08 PM »

Joan K--I found their web site (springbokpuzzles.com) by googling. They have quite a few puzzles that look good, so I have ordered several. Thanks again for reminding me!
Sally

BooksAdmin · « **Reply #298 on:** January 01, 2010, 12:27:49 AM »

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Author Topic: Holiday Open House ~ December 1-31 (Read 48832 times)