Holiday Food Traditions

One of my favorite holiday food traditions is nut roll. We always make one of my great-grandmother's recipes from "The Old Country" with nuts and sugar rolled inside. It just doesn't feel like Christmas morning if we're not nibbling on a slice.

I am a Santa Rosa girl that now resides in British Columbia, Canada. Prior to moving here I had never heard of Butter Tarts. Small tart shells, filled with butter, eggs, currants, brown sugar, etc... baked to solidify. They are yummy! More importantly however, they are a part of our family traditions .......Christmas would be pretty weird for my guys without butter tarts.

In my family the MEN cook Breakfast and serve the WOMEN and CHlLDREN.... Waffles,Eggs,Bacon,Sausage, Biscuits and a selection of juices. Then they clean up the ktchen/dinning area.

Springerle: German cookies that are anise flavored, embossed with designs using a special mold frame or roller, studded on the back with anise seeds, and often turn out rock-hard. They are great for dunking, and some dogs go totally bonkers for them.

Everyone's favorite target for vilification: fruitcake. Commercial ones are mostly awful. Trust me, it can be made delicious. Even if it does not come out all that well at first, soaking with plentiful amounts of port or rum will greatly increase its popularity.

Gingergread men.

Christmas Eve oyster stew.

No family in this area now, but I baked and sent Springerle to family and friends, and will be taking or sending fruitcakes.

Lots of starch and cabbage in our Polish/Ukrainian Holiday meal:
Sauteed Saurkraut/Potato Pierogi with sour cream
Potato Varenyky - Potato Dumplings
Holubtsi - Stuffed Cabbage rolls
Cabbage Borshch - Cabbage soup

Man, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I am an orphan. We eat at Chinese food restaurants on holidays. I always end my meal with the traditional fortune cookie dunked in a soft serve swirl.