Christmas Classics

As Christmas and New Year approach there are certain foods that my family reserves for this time of year. Among the adults mulled wine is a favorite...

Glühwein, the German version of Mulled Wein:

6 cloves
sugar cubes
3-? tablespoons Rum to pour over sugar
4 cups dry red wine, two buck Chuck Merlot works well
zest from one orange and one lemon
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Pour red wine into a pot with the cinnamon, cloves and zest from the orange and lemon. Let it warm up (but don’t cook it, just warm it). You might have success with this in a crock pot too, a good way to make sure it doesn't boil off.

Put some kind of metal grate over the pot to place the sugar cubes on. Pour a little rum on the sugar and light on fire (be extremely careful please!!). Let the sugar drip into the wine. (If this seems too unsafe for you, just drop 4 tablespoons sugar into the wine mixture and add in a dash of rum).

Use a strainer, or put all the solid spices in a square of cheese cloth and tie it off then add to the pot while warming the wine, then pour the Glüwein into cups and serve hot!

Please share your family favorites!

During the Christmas season there are always a lot of small bowls around filled with candy and nuts, mostly stuff you can buy at the grocery store but I like to make these for the Christmas season:

Honig Brät Mandeln (Honey Roasted Almonds)

What you need to make 'em:

2 cups whole almonds, skin on (or other nuts, cashews work well in this process also)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. almond oil (you can use vegetable oil too but it will effect the taste)

How to make 'em:

Spread the almonds in a single layer in a shallow ungreased baking pan and place in the oven. Bake at 350º F, stirring occasionally, until the internal color of the nuts is tan to light brown, 12 to 15 minutes (the nuts will continue roast a little more after they are removed from the oven). Set the roasted almonds aside.

Thoroughly mix the sugar and salt then stir together the honey, water and oil in a medium-size saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the roasted almonds and continue to cook and stir until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the nuts, about 5 minutes.

Immediately transfer the almonds to a medium-size bowl and add some sugar mixture, mix the nuts and sugar then sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the almonds and toss until they are evenly coated. Spread the almonds out on a cooling rack covered with wax paper.

When cool, store at room temperature in a tightly covered container or plastic bag for up to two weeks. Makes 2 cups and if you need a last second gift or something to take to a party these are fast and easy. Double, quadruple, or quintuple ingredients if you want a bigger batch.

This German Christmas cake recipe is flavored with molasses, chocolate, a blend of spices, a tiny bit of whiskey, candied fruit, and nuts. None of these flavors dominate, instead they all add up to something far more complex (and much tastier) than the more traditional sort of fruitcake that we've all come to know and dread.

I have never made this and my track record as a baker is questionable at best so I leave this one to family members that have mastered making cakes. When correctly prepared it's like a fruit cake that contains chocolate that everyone really likes and always vanishes quickly. Don't ask me why, it just is...

GERMAN CHRISTMAS CAKE

Things You'll Need:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 stick butter
9 grade AA large eggs
2 tbsp. whiskey
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 oz. bittersweet, semisweet, or German chocolate
1 cup chopped citron or candied orange or lemon rind
2 cups pecan pieces
3 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 9"x13" baking pans
Parchment paper
Powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice

How it's done (according to my sister in law):

Beat the butter until soft. Stir in the sugar, continue beating until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Stir in the molasses, lemon juice, and whiskey. Then add the cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, stirring to combine.

Grate the chocolate and chop the citron, lemon, or orange peel as finely as possible. Stir the fruit and chocolate into the cake mixture along with the pecans.

Mix the flour with the baking powder. Stir the flour into the cake mixture.

Line the cake pans with parchment paper. Divide the cake mixture between the pans.

Bake the cakes at 375 degrees for one hour. Check them towards the end to make sure they don't dry out. Top with powdered sugar by sprinkling over the top using a flour sifter or a fine mesh strainer. Good think these are only around during Christmas, otherwise I'd be even fatter than I am now!

Some time way back when Great Grandma met Great Grandpa the Toadwater family line was corrupted with Finnish and French blood... One of the consequences, Great Grandma insisted on preparing:

LUTEFISK

One of the most disgusting horrible holiday "foods" I can think of next to fruitcake and bugs! God rest her soul, great Grandma tried and tried to get me to eat this stuff but to this day I refuse to eat this stuff. I have never made it in my own home but every year a plate full of this "schtuff" appears on the Christmas buffet table... No one ever owns up to bringing it (I suspect my little brother is at the root of the matter), no one who knows what it is ever eats it, and many a child has been tricked into trying it. We are a cruel lot!

Wonder what could be so horrible about this dish? Think about how a nice big fork full of really salty hot fish flavored jello would taste (then try not to yak!). It smells as good as it tastes too...

Still have some twisted curiosity driving you to want to try making Lutefisk? Here you go, but don't blame me I warned you!

In years past, the homemaker had to go through the complicated task of treating dried fish with lye, but now, even in America, frozen lutefisk is readily available at selected fish markets and at Scandinavian delicatessens.

Cooking lutefisk the old fashioned way: Do not cook in aluminum vessels as it will darken the kettle (remember I warned you). Use three level tablespoons salt to each quart of water. Bring water to a boil, add salt and return to a boil. Add "fish" which has been sliced into serving pieces and again return to boil, then remove from the heat. Skim, and let fish steep for 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Serve at once.

Without adding water: Put the serving pieces of lutefisk in a kettle, season each pound of fish with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and place over low heat. This allows the water to be "drawn" out. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let steep 5 to 10 minutes. Serve at once.

Baking in foil: Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Skin side down, arrange lutefisk on a sheet of double aluminum foil and season with salt. Wrap foil tightly about fish and place on rack in a large pan and bake 20 minutes. Cut corner from foil and drain out excess water. Serve at once.

Lutefisk with a firm texture can be obtained by first sprinkling with coarse salt and allowing to stand several hours. Rinse well in cold running water, and then soaking in unsalted water. Then cook or bake as desired.

Lutefisk must be served hot on piping hot plates. Accompaniments vary from bacon or pork drippings, white sauce, mustard sauce, or melted butter which seems to remain a favorite. Boiled and steamed potatoes, stewed whole, dry green peas are a must as a vegetable accompaniment. The only other necessary additions are freshly ground pepper, lefse, or flatbread. In some parts of Northern Norway, lutefisk is served with melted goat cheese.

Trust me - none of the above will make Lutefisk edible. If you have neighbors or co-workers you would like to alienate invite them over for a nice Lutefisk dinner!

Wonderful recipes. Thank you

otisptoadwater wrote: Some time way back when Great Grandma met Great Grandpa the Toadwater family line was corrupted with Finnish and French blood... One of the consequences, Great Grandma insisted on preparing:

Trust me - none of the above will make Lutefisk edible. If you have neighbors or co-workers you would like to alienate invite them over for a nice Lutefisk dinner!

rofllol Thanks for sharing, for the laugh, and for the great idea for the co-worker. {evil laugh}

Christmas Eve is a busy time for my extended family, who wants to try and attempt a big formal meal AND make it to Church AND open gifts all on the same night? How about a quick and easy meal that is available to everyone whenever they get hungry on Christmas Eve?

Sauerkraut, Chops, and Sausages

Gather this stuff up:

Canned or your favorite kind of Sauerkraut
Pork chops, I like the thin bone in chops for this dish
Kielbasa
Bratwurst
Weisswurst
Bockwurst

Git'r dun:

Break out the big pot and put the raw chops on the bottom, crank up the heat and get a good brown color on both sides of the chops then cover with sauerkraut, add in some sausages, cover with sauerkraut... You get the idea! Add water, about 3:1 water to sauerkraut, this is a low and slow recipe so you will need to check on it every so often and add more water. Bring the hole thing to a rolling boil and then cut the heat down to the lowest setting and put a lid on it but put the lid on at an angle so steam can escape.

Every year the lucky person who hosts the annual family gathering keeps such a pot on the burner from Christmas Eve day through the day after Christmas along with a bowl of whole boiled potatoes, loaves of good crusty bread, and butter. Since Christmas is a busy time and people are coming and going at all hours of the night and day this works well to keep everyone fed without the cook having to make meals upon request.

All of the formal meals still happen and everyone is expected to take a seat at the table as they are served but this extra option helps to tide over the folks who are hungry in between (and the teenage boys any time of day). This is the kind of meal that you can perpetuate, just add more ingredients when you need to but take care not to add more raw meat unless you will take the time to brown it before adding back to the pot and allow for some additional cooking time.

I look forward to the Christmas season and the New Year celebration every year, time with friends and family, and there are foods and drinks that we only prepare this time of year.

One of my favorites:

EGGNOG!!

What you need to make it:

32 ounce can of Borden Eggnog
1/4 of a carton of vanilla ice cream
Nutmeg to taste
Cinnamon to taste

Blend it up:

Break out the blender and mix all ingredients until well combined. Need an adult version? Add dark rum and a splash of kirsch and/or peppermint schnapps. How much booze? Fine tune it to you own taste and keep in mind some folks might be driving later.

Consume with caution! This is a very rich drink, one or two mugs is plenty!

otisptoadwater wrote: Some time way back when Great Grandma met Great Grandpa the Toadwater family line was corrupted with Finnish and French blood... One of the consequences, Great Grandma insisted on preparing:

LUTEFISK

One of the most disgusting horrible holiday "foods" I can think of next to fruitcake and bugs! God rest her soul, great Grandma tried and tried to get me to eat this stuff but to this day I refuse to eat this stuff. I have never made it in my own home but every year a plate full of this "schtuff" appears on the Christmas buffet table... No one ever owns up to bringing it (I suspect my little brother is at the root of the matter), no one who knows what it is ever eats it, and many a child has been tricked into trying it. We are a cruel lot!

Wonder what could be so horrible about this dish? Think about how a nice big fork full of really salty hot fish flavored jello would taste (then try not to yak!). It smells as good as it tastes too...

Still have some twisted curiosity driving you to want to try making Lutefisk? Here you go, but don't blame me I warned you!

In years past, the homemaker had to go through the complicated task of treating dried fish with lye, but now, even in America, frozen lutefisk is readily available at selected fish markets and at Scandinavian delicatessens.

Cooking lutefisk the old fashioned way: Do not cook in aluminum vessels as it will darken the kettle (remember I warned you). Use three level tablespoons salt to each quart of water. Bring water to a boil, add salt and return to a boil. Add "fish" which has been sliced into serving pieces and again return to boil, then remove from the heat. Skim, and let fish steep for 5 to 10 minutes depending on thickness. Serve at once.

Without adding water: Put the serving pieces of lutefisk in a kettle, season each pound of fish with 1/2 tablespoon of salt and place over low heat. This allows the water to be "drawn" out. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let steep 5 to 10 minutes. Serve at once.

Baking in foil: Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Skin side down, arrange lutefisk on a sheet of double aluminum foil and season with salt. Wrap foil tightly about fish and place on rack in a large pan and bake 20 minutes. Cut corner from foil and drain out excess water. Serve at once.

Lutefisk with a firm texture can be obtained by first sprinkling with coarse salt and allowing to stand several hours. Rinse well in cold running water, and then soaking in unsalted water. Then cook or bake as desired.

Lutefisk must be served hot on piping hot plates. Accompaniments vary from bacon or pork drippings, white sauce, mustard sauce, or melted butter which seems to remain a favorite. Boiled and steamed potatoes, stewed whole, dry green peas are a must as a vegetable accompaniment. The only other necessary additions are freshly ground pepper, lefse, or flatbread. In some parts of Northern Norway, lutefisk is served with melted goat cheese.

Trust me - none of the above will make Lutefisk edible. If you have neighbors or co-workers you would like to alienate invite them over for a nice Lutefisk dinner!

Being Norweigian, I grew up with Lutefisk and Lefse. Thanks for the recipie!

There is the old saying. I tried Lutefisk twice. Once going down and another coming back up!